Have we got a starting Secondary School Support thread?

Mine takes a packed lunch but also has money on their cashless system to buy a slice of pizza if there's no queue (he's vegetarian so his options are limited but apparently the pizza is amaaaaaazing). The years take it in turns to have 'early lunch', coming out a few minutes earlier, to try and make the queueing a bit fairer. If he does buy something, he eats his packed lunch when he gets home. I wish I had his metabolism.

DS1 (ASD, EHCP etc) takes a packed lunch as he doesn't do queues. The school will make some concessions such as getting the kitchen to put dinner of choice aside so they definitely get the dinner they want. They will give adult support to help queue, but a pass to the front is a short-term measure only. So first week at the front, next 12 pupils in front and so on.

DS2 takes a snack. He says the queues are awful and often the good choices are gone but he still doesn't want a packed lunch.

dc takes a packed lunch.
school gets meals from partner school a few miles away and food is often late (due to traffic apparently).

hollow legs make themselves a 'pot noodle' type meal when back home.

DD says their school its the same though they at least get a longer lunch break, she's switched to eating a meal after school somedays which isn't ideal but she doesn't want to spend all lunch queueing. DS will queue and says he doesn't mind. DD says its as they got rid of 2 dinner ladies for being late so issue is staffing. I would imagine places may have trouble getting staff as pay is terrible like £8 per day as they only employ them an hour.

I think only option to avoid queue for us and eat at school would be packed lunch though worth asking school. Does seem a bit crazy. At DDs last school they also had issues and there she would get a sandwich at break and eat it at lunch.

Logic do they have any kind of queue-jumping system? At my secondary (back in the days of dinosaurs) we had to queue in year order and if we had a lunchtime club, we'd have a pass (a credit card sized piece of card) that we could show to get to the front-ish of the queue to give us time to eat and do the club. If they don't have a system like that it might be worth suggesting it?

We didn't queue directly in front of the food though, queued somewhere else and that made it possible to switch people in. That sounds daft now I think about it, queueing elsewhere just to be sent a bit nearer to the actual food!

Please can someone give advice on this issue.
Son is on waiting list for autism to be assessed.
He hates queuing and feels stressed. At dinner time they only get half hour and not just him but quite a few other kids are struggling to get their dinner as everyone has dinner at the same half hour.
He says by the time you have queued up the bell goes.

So now he has gotten into a bad habit of going to the desert counter picking up a flapjack or cake thing and going straight to the till as much shorter and he is only having a cake for dinner.

Obviously I've told him he can't keep having cake for dinner but the queuing is stressing him out and the time they get.

I'm having a appointment with his head of year Wednesday about some other things but realistically what can I do about him queuing for dinner?

I do know a few other parents have gone in about the dinner issue but been fobbed off saying give it time etc kids settling into routine but I know my son can't stand in a queue for 30 mins.

What can I ask them to do to help him?

DS is currently obsessed with going to our local co-op and their offers. Told me today he had been to the till with an offer for £1.50. Girl puts items through but its more so DS says there's an offer for £1.50. Girl says no there isn't. DS says yes there is. Girl says its my first week and till says there isn't. DS says I will wait for someone competent So manager has to come over and puts offer through. DS then apparently gave a lecture on how their offer of 2 £1 items for £2 was rubbish.

Hope your half term gets better Frayed and you get blood tests done.

DS2's school don't do parents' evening until May time. Apparently it is an utter nightmare, they don't offer appointments for all subjects and it's really hard to get any booked if you aren't quick enough to get logged in. Also expected to take your child with you. They did trial a meet the tutor for Yr7 parents last year but I don't think it was a success so they aren't doing it this year.

I've had a couple of feedback texts on the MyEd app. Only for French and history.

Attempted to take DS2 for his blood test but forgot the sodding form! I did at least realise on the drive there, so went to McDonald's instead. DS2 also managed to smash his phone. It's not been best start to half term.

I just hope that I can actually attend..
school is in the other direction from work and other dc's school. and work is pretty strict with attendance.

DS hates being talked about so we never take him. Also it stops free speech a bit if there are issues.

Glad no one injured in accident Penguins

I haven't even thought about parents evening! Do people take the child too these days? I don't know if dd would cope.

I will probably focus on maths and english and pe (due to dc medical condition)

We only got 5 minutes slots with each which makes it pointless with DS and with DD its just everything's fine. At primary I stopped going to parents evening and just did the special needs meetings but more teachers involved at secondary. I think you will probably get the general gist with a few anyway though some teachers are more diplomatic than others I find.

Thanks Penguin . DP has pointed out even just seeing the five core subjects (Eng, Maths, Science, History, Geography) will take an hour but longer if there are gaps!

We always just do a few and ones that matter for GCSEs so English, Maths, Science etc. The rest I figure he can give up and if there's major issues they should make you aware anyway.

We are on half term here - DD helped clear our old house on Sat after much complaining and has been out with friends parts of today and yesterday. Took DS bowling which was nice but then DH crashed the car into someone else's on way back - no-one injured but two cars needing work. I've had a freelance contract from the Carribean so working on that. Cat is busy eating the rest of lunch DH bought for me - chicken with chesnut, leek and bacon stuffing in gravy with potatoes and cabbage. Hope those on half term are having a good time and those not it's going OK.

Just had invite to the first parents evening and you can choose which subject tutors to see. There are 15 subjects. Should I see everyone? I already know where the issues are (the academic subjects that need writing) so definitely need to see those teachers. But it’s going to be a depressing evening if I only see those I think!

dc likes to 'stand in the rain' under the shower for a long time. but needs reminders to actually use soap...

We still have a week to go.
DS got into trouble this week for using the N word in a piece of history writing. He’d read it in their source text and was using it. He’s never come across it before so didn’t know it was offensive but he said the teacher didn’t believe him when he said that.
We have bath time avoidance here too, am not glad to hear it’s only going to get worse...

DD came home and said DS got to walk one of the SLTs dogs all of the 7 miles and she was seriously jealous.

Witchend Hope your DD has a great birthday. We also have issues getting DS in the bath though once in you can't get him out. Same with a swimming pool - half an hour of saying it isn't needed he had a bath/swimming last year then half an hour of I don't want to get out. I remember going on holiday with the kids when they were little and teasing them I had lost their suitcases and DD was very worried about clothes. DS said oh well. I told him you don't need to change clothes anyway for a week do you as you're a boy. And he replied that's right.

Once had a message from school on Monday that DS was wearing the same polo shirt with paint stains as on Friday. He had been given a clean one but apparently decided there was no point wearing a clean one as he was going to get more paint on it on Monday. Then we had why is the teacher nagging me. It apparently gets worse as they become teenagers with ASD.

Glad things are going well Frayed The advert does say help with maths and science. DS has suggested I apply but he did this at primary and primary offered begged me to do the role without me applying - I didn't as he needs to work with others and had a much better paying job then - but he needs to be OK with others and he can't take me to his first job can he!

Happy half term to those of you who have it now and sympathy to those who don't - it'll be our turn to be jealous the following week

Glad DS has settled well spiderlight and I hope they can give some reassurance on cruising when you have the meeting next week.
I hope DS is feeling better soon Witchend.
penguins Sounding very positive with DS and school. I think secondary TAs require a more specific skill set, just from what I've seen. Perhaps the previous applicants haven't been right for the job?
brilliant result on the meeting Aornis. Fingers crossed the plan works

red no smelly kit here as there's nowhere to store it at school so they have to take it in and carry it round on the days they have it. DS2 not actually doing PE atm but still has to take it and get changed.

DS2 did really well on some maths tests. It is "his" subject and he's been finding the pace really slow and has been a bit...disappointed? I think I bigged up secondary school maths a bit too much in hindsight. His art result was a completely different story!

It's been a good week all round for all the DC which is a rare thing in this house. I got a letter home about DS1 saying he's been given a commendation in science for his work this half-term. This is huge as it's a mainstream lesson and he normally doesn't really participate, but he's really starting to engage in everything. He hates praise so we all have to be outwardly nonchalant.

I said I'd buy them an ice cream from the van and of course it hasn't bloody turned up tonight! argh!

Penguin ds spent today making his sister a birthday cake. he said "I'm doing school work. This is technology". It is a miracle of chocolate and he is delighted with it.
He's very careful with his PE kit. I think about year 4 the teacher told them at some point something about them smelling and I'm instructed to wash it between each wearing very carefully.I actually fold it back up neatly and he hasn't realised and only actually wash it at the weekendI'm not sure what was said but it clearly was quite impactful as I have a struggle to get him to see he needs a bath when he's had football and is toe to hair covered in mud-but he's only bothered that his PE kit needs washing.
Sounds like the walk went well. Hope the TA is for you.

Glad the meeting went well Aornishope it all works out.

No. DS hardly ever brings his back. Says there's no point in washing it as he will only get it dirty again.

anyone else received a spectacularly smelly pe kit?

Thanks Red

Well done on meeting Aornis

Witchend My DS sings those sorts of songs but currently he's too busy trying to find where DDs birthday cake from earlier this week is hidden. She asked for a giant cookie cake and its 3 giant choc chip cookies held together with nutella, perfect when you are 11 and 13, a bit much as an adult.