Anyone want a thread for starting year 10 this autumn?

@Mumski45 it really warms you heart when they make choices based on such solid reasons, doesn’t it? 😂 DS refused to take one subject he’s actually good at because he hates the teacher, despite being told numerous times that he wouldn’t even have her for GCSE.

@Mumski45 , thanks for the welcome, and I hear you re: the expensive bus pass. My DD’s private bus pass has cost the best part of £1,300 for this academic year! Due to her severe vision impairment, she is unable to travel solo on public transport so I feel like I pay for peace of mind. However, the bus operators have a really strict lost property policy which necessitates in a 40-mile round trip to retrieve mislaid belongings. My DD would lose her head if it weren’t attached to her neck.

I could weep about the quantity of embroidered (I shit you not 🙄) PE socks she has lost since Y7. If I don’t replace them, she gets a detention. And then she goes into a meltdown, which impacts massively on our family’s quality of life. I so cannot wait for her to leave school (but then I guess she will only transmit her chaos to university or the world of work…)

My eldest is going into Y10 too. He’s only doing four GCSEs plus a couple of entry level subjects. Fingers crossed the next couple of years go well for him.

@grapehyacinthisactuallyblue if you have any questions then fire away. I think navigating our UK school system is a nightmare.

@Wannakisstheteacher DS2's reason is 'because I only took German so I could be with my mates but there are 2 German classes and they are all in the other one' We suggested he should take Spanish as it is more widely used around the world but he can be stubborn like that.

@EmmatheStageRat that does sound stressful and I feel for you and your DD. I hope she soon manages to get the support she needs.

School uniform is now sorted and DS2 only needs Rugby shorts (sold out already) and Rugby socks (we have 3 pairs and 5 odd ones between 2 DS) as he has lots of cast offs from DS1. Have spent the afternoon ordering new stuff for DS1 who is hopefully going into sixth form. Just need the really expensive stuff now DS1 needs a calculator that costs £100 and they both need bus passes (almost £1000 each -ouch)

Please may I join? My elder DD starts Y10 in September and I’m already worrying about the GCSE years ahead. Unfortunately, my DD causes me no end of stress (and she always has done). To give her her due, she is massively disadvantaged in life as she is adopted from the care system, is registered blind and she is also diagnosed with ADHD and ASC.

She is a bright girl and is at a super-selective grammar school but the support there has been woeful. I have been battling for an EHCP for years and my LA has finally agreed to assess so I’m hopeful that DD may actually get some extra support in the classroom, assuming the EHCNA is approved.

I would be grateful for any tips and advice from those who have trodden this path before as I am a bit clueless but I want to be as effectively supportive as I can possibly be.

Thanks for thread. I'm a foreign parent, so have no clue about school system here, slightly nervous because of it.

I'm in. Feeling slightly nervous about what lies ahead - DS is very dyslexic and struggles with any form of writing. I know that it is going to be a long hard slog for him but I'm still not sure what the outcome will be?

@Mumski45 DS wants to change from German to Spanish too! He said “I’m more likely to use Spanish when I go on holiday than German” and I did think he actually has a point. Plus I’ve heard it is actually harder to get a top grade in German as you get more native speakers taking it which pushes up the grade boundaries.

I’m in. DD definitely part of the “mates & clothes” brigade, but has shown some maturity in thinking ahead to possible 6th form choices over the summer. Her school doesn’t have a 6th form, so she’ll need to make some applications around this time next year.

In the meantime we’re waiting to see how she gets on with her GCSE options, especially Drama. She seems to think it’ll be a breeze after a few years of weekend drama club, but I suspect the amount of academic analysis involved will come as a shock! We shall see.

I'm interested!
My eldest is going into year 10 so all new for me. She's sitting RS this year and I'm glad she's doing one early as it'll give her some ideas of revision/expectation. She's very academic though so I'm not too worried. More that she has too high an expectation of herself. Very hard to have a balance!
Next one is a totally different kettle of fish so no idea how we'll all be doing when she goes through it.
Glad I'm not the only one struggling to do school uniform audit. They keep saying it's fine but I know we'll end up with a back to school nightmare if I don't push it a bit more.

Yes
Please

Ds Bright but not massively above the average. Choosen

Art
Geography
DT. Woodwork
Creative I media
Plus combined science
Maths
English
English lit

Has ability but lazy.
Likes to do bare Minimum

Lovely Personality tho. Popular in class with teachers and classmates.

Among the many reasons I'm glad DC school does some GCSEs "early" is that in 2020, my older one (then yr11) didn't do GCSEs, but at least he had done some in previous 2 years, and this helped him know exam methods; hence his A-level exams in 2022 were not his first ever final exams for actual qualifications.

I'm in. DS2 starts yr10 in September and has already decided he wants to change his language choice from German to Spanish.

Currently trying to get him to do the annual school uniform audit. We have done PE kit already as he has pre season rugby training next week but the rest is still to be done. So far he has just about managed to roll out of bed have breakfast so not making much progress. 🤔

I will check in but not too much to say. DS is starting yr10 (is my youngest so little novelty left) gets a result for catering GCSE next week. I think he might have done well (6 or 7 at least, 8 seems feasible). He'll finish another GCSE this coming year (DT wood). We enjoyed his cooking & will enjoy interesting wood things he makes, too.

I've asked him to saw down a platform we have for the catflap today. I can't saw a straight line myself