Current Year 10 2020/2021 support thread

We had our first day on Friday as well - but no classes, just being shown around the new system. The school have now apparently abandoned lockers completely Everything is to be kept at home and brought in for the day. They are requiring chromebooks for all years 7-10 (they had a deal on, on the price, and you could pay in one go or in instalments, and if you get free school meals, the school pays, but they made you commit in the last week of term with just a week's notice, which was a bit annoying, and it may be a good price for what it is, but £185 is still not that cheap). Apparently the idea is that they will carry the chromebooks and not much else - except that the chromebooks are not showing up until October. And I am sceptical that they will really be able to manage without paper and textbooks.

DD has just had an email re her singing lessons starting this week, and has an audition for choir on Friday. I thought they weren’t allowed to sing, but I’m glad that they are.

@RedskyAtnight, glad the school were so accommodating to your dd.

Just got the packed lunch stuff in and tore ds away from gaming to check his pencil case and get his blazer ready.

Slightly anxious about the public buses on Monday - apparently every other bus will be a designated school bus. We'll have to leave a bit earlier and see how it goes.

DS is home for the weekend. Boarding seems to be going OK. Just off to the uniform shop to buy the stuff that he swore 2 weeks ago still fitted him, but which didn’t actually fit top up.

It’s great that they have put things in place and are supporting her. How long will she have mobility problems for?

DS said his new Spanish class has 15 people and 15 who are diligent. Breakfast was lovely, I had to do all the work but he was open and sharing.

His new blazer arrived and I had a real lump when he tried it on. My PFB is in year 10 and doing GCSEs, how, how did this happen?!

Rollergirl that's really poor re science when we're still at the start of Year 10. Why not at least give them chance to pick? At DD's school they get free choice of combined or triple science (lower ability children are discouraged from taking triple) although they do sometimes move children from triple to combined if they think they are not coping.

DD had an interesting first day. Due to an ankle injury she is allowed to use the lift but a combination of the lift and the new one way system meant she lost her class several times (they spent a lot of time walking round school explaining the new one way system, areas that were now year group specific, new procedures etc) and got thoroughly fed up explaining how she'd hurt her leg to everyone that saw her. On the plus side she has now got to know the new head of year 10 very well (previous head of year left in the summer) as said Head spent a lot of time showing her to places and re-finding her group for her!!! She's also been able to relocate her locker (normally impossible) as the one way system makes her old one a palaver to get to and, at the speed DD walks it takes her all her time to walk back and forth. So really pleased that the school is being accommodating. The school principal even stopped to check she was ok, although was apparently under the impression that DD is called Connie (DD's name is nothing like "Connie").

She likes everyone in her new tutor group (also her group for maths, English and science) which due to DD taking combined science but being good at maths is quite small (seems that most higher maths set students are taking triple science!). Also liked the 2 new (to her) teachers she met yesterday. So pretty positive all round.

Hopefully with not changing there will be les chance of losing stuff!

Ah, that’s the sort of job that I have just ignored. I usually remember (though I am now reminded) and wander about with a sharpie.

Breakfast will make amends Mercedes

DS not in until 9th. We are battling the Cornwall/Devon traffic on our way hone. Jobs like labelling new uniform keep popping into my mind.

DS has had his timetable changed without the French but retaining spanish. He is really happy. I feel bad that I was prob part of the reason he went for double. I’ve also convinced him to come out for breakfast with me which is nice.

Dd started back Thursday, timetable looks as normal - she's pleased with most of the teachers she's been given. Had an update on music lessons, woodwind will be held in the corridor (better ventilation than the rehearsal box) with a maximum of two students from any one year bubble, although yesterday she announced she's switching back to her first instrument (violin) instead.

DD had a good first day back, not much done in lessons apart from a test in Chemistry which she found easy. The teachers are moving rather than children and they're allowed into each other's forms at breaks which is new, and a good thing for DD. None of her friends are in the same form and they used to meet up in either the library or one of the music rooms which are closed so she was worried about spending free time on her own.

many not may!

I'm a bit late joining this thread, DS2 is doing 3xScience, 2xEnglish. Maths and his 4 options are RS, German, History and Economics. He is now uncertain about the Economics as looking on-line he think it looks boring and so he may switch to Sociology. He is very sociable and was glad to be back at school today. I'm not sure how the 200+ bubble will work! They will be able to go in/come home in their PE kit if it's at the beginning or end of the day. From what he says all his friends are back, I don't think in his school may parents are keeping their children home from school due to Covid fears

School have confirmed due to covid that one of the Spanish groups cannot be accommodated, daughter is over the moon she can now do RS rather than being forced to do a language.

DD had a good day back today. I’m quite surprised that she has hardly any double lessons in her timetable though. She has one day every two weeks where she has double Geography followed by double History followed by double English Lit. I think she’ll be getting serious hand cramp on that day!

She also feels ever so slightly duped by her Spanish teacher from Year 9. DD really liked her and her Spanish teacher really liked DD. She sang DD’s praises at the Options evening and Parents evening and put to rest the doubts that DD had about taking Spanish GCSE. The teacher pretty much intimated that she would be taking top set Spanish in Year 10 so DD assumed that she would have this teacher. But the teacher has left! However she did meet her new Spanish teacher today and she says she seems nice.

A few of her friends were upset today as they have been given combined science despite being in top set. Usually all top set automatically take triple science and then the teachers make the decision on combined or triple for 2nd set and it’s automatically combined for anything less than 2nd set. They didn’t do any end of year tests for Science so not sure how they have arrived at their decision on who takes what if it isn’t based on set.

But anyway DD is happy that the first day is done and dusted and she has the weekend to relax. Now just need to get DS back in on Monday!

PE kit 8 out of 10 days here but I dropped the head of PE and apparently they're going to relax the dress code wrt hoodies and tracksuits when the weather turns - which is good as the boys wear white shorts....

DC's school are still changing for PE, but making the point that PE is now always outdoors so students will get wet if it rains.

I'm wondering how many wet mouldy PE kits there will be languishing in lockers before the week is out ...?

That's annoying about the PE kit @MrsAvocet, is it at least quick drying material, ours are similar to football strips.

I missed the uniform delivery today and can redeliver on Monday but I know DS1 is desperate for the new Year 10 blazer so it looks like a walk to the delivery office tomorrow, plus DS2's PE top is in there so I suppose I had better anyway.

Mine went back yesterday. Everything sounds to have gone reasonably well. The biggest complaints were around the one way system not being clearly signed and the Year 10 toilets being a long way from most of his classes. So if that's the worst of it I am happy! My Year 13 son is less inclined to sweat the small stuff and declared that everything was "fine". Both my sons said that staggered breaks/lunch and finishes worked well, and that whilst lunch was slightly shorter they didn't mind as there was so little time spent waiting to be served. Likewise, they were actually home a few minutes earlier than normal as they commented that the buses were all loaded and ready to leave quicker in the staggered system. That's still my biggest worry though. It seems a bit daft that school is going to such a lot of trouble to keep year groups segregated and then they are all mixed on the buses. Though I can't see a way round that really as we are in a rural area with children from a very large geographical area travelling to school together. They do have to sit in designated seats on the bus arranged in year groups though so I suppose that helps a bit.
Today is the first PE lesson so it will be interesting to see what happens there. I'm glad I invested in a second PE kit as looking at DS's timetable he will need it most days. I had thought I might get away with one as some of his GCSE PE lessons are theory classes, but sod's law is such that he has his normal class PE/games lessons on the same days as his GCSE theory lessons, and the GCSE practical classes are on intervening days so I would be trying to wash and dry kit overnight on most days. And you can't tumble dry it.....
Getting back into the routine is going to be a bit tricky and I am really glad that we've got a short week to start with but overall, though they are reluctant to admit it, my boys seem really pleased to be back.

@Rollergirl11 yep not sure about going & camping.........plenty of time I suppose . DD's "filler" is Food - it was a toss-up between that and PE - but I'm not convinced that it will be as easy as she thinks!!!

@TheOnlyMrsW yes I believe that Reading & Leeds has become a bit of a rite of passage for after your GCSE’s. DD will deffo want to go as she’s really in to her music but not sure how I’ll feel about her going and camping. At least it’s another 2 years away!

DD has gone in for her induction day today. She is a mixture of excited, concerned and apprehensive I think! Though feeling happier that her timetable has been updated and she is now with the art teacher she was expecting to be with (they were allocated art teachers by specialisms; she'd been previously timetabled with the "wrong" teacher).

My big concern is that she has an ankle injury so has dispensation to leave lessons early and use the lift, but I think she won't push for it and teachers will forget/not realise, and there is a high probability that she will go flying in a mass of students as she can't walk properly. Hopefully today at least won't be too busy with only 2 year groups in.

piccolo sounds like rather an unsuitable joke ...

Piccolohmmmn that’s rather a risqué joke. 😬🥴