Y9-2024/2025

DS says he's interested in working with animals, something like being a zookeeper, but I don't know if that's an idea he'll stick with.

DD would love to work in dance somehow.. she adores dance esp Jazz and loves choreographing dances

She will do a advanced BTEC at college and see where we go from there

My DD wants to work in childcare. She is just diagnosed adhd and struggles a lot in school. Child development is the only lesson she doesn’t get behaviour points in!

Oh that’s amazing! 😁.

I think I’m going to have to wait and see what my son does. I do think he might go into some kind of emergency service - but we’ll see 🙂

The college course includes one day a week work experience at the zoo.

Animals, but notbsure exactly what though. Shes pretty keen on a certain college at 16 at the moment.
May Vet nurse, maybe zookeeper, maybe something like an animal warden.

Do any of your DC know what they want to do when they leave school/education?

My son currently hasn’t a clue - although he goes to St John’s Ambulance cadets and is doing his DofE. But I’m not sure how relevant this is now. He intimated an interest in the police the other day… again, how “interested” is anyone’s guess.

Incidentally, I knew what I wanted to do - although don’t do it. 🙄

DD seems quite chilled and relaxed about year 10 she is excited to start her GCSEs

can’t believe we are at this point

My son seems too laid back about year 10. But he assures me he is “locked in” - which he says means ‘concentrating and learning’ - this remains to be seen.

But I’m a little worried about the fact I suggested he takes “Citizenship”. A friend tells me it’s the lesson they put the more challenging students in … urgh. I thought he’d enjoy the political side of it (which is what his school promoted it as).

DH has been out with DS to get him some revision books - says, as I agreed anyway, I need to handle the English stuff but understands my feeling that we might want to get a tutor for English Language. The way they need to do eng lang is so specific I'd be scared I would 'teach' him something wrong - on the other hand, he might take well to it being very structured. I think we'll see how Y10 goes.

Psychology next year makes me slightly nervous - he might really take to it or really not. It was sort of a hurried decision to take it after school kind of vetoed one of his choices. Idea seemed led by DH, though DS did seem genuinely interested, but it is quite a challenging one and as he hasn't taken it yet I don't know how he'll find it. I would happily have picked a Btech as his other choice, although actually now he's doing the travel and tourism one instead of French, maybe that's just as well his other choice is quite a rigorous one. Honestly, if he doesn't take to psychology I might deprioritise that one for effort in Y11.

Dd1 is no longer taking any languages and is extremely happy. We have school bag to buy, and then check blazer and branded skirt/sweatshirt when we return from holiday in case we have had any more growth.

Holidays seem to be going well, dd joined a rowing club at Easter after doing a programme with school. It runs three afternoons a week and a three hour session on a Sunday. She is going to 3 or 4 sessions a week so keeping her busy. We had a first meet up with school friends in a while just before they broke up but nothing since.

We are currently away and our caravan has zero phone service though, which has been interesting for all of us. Including two very grumpy teenagers at times.

The only thing DD1 needs is tights now.

She has a plethora of trainers as her younger sister has had another growth spurt leaving behind barely worn trainers in DD1s size (who seems to have stopped growing her feet at 4.5... herv12yo sister is 6.5!

How are they feeling about not having to do their least favourite subjects snymkre? We've had lots of relief about no more History

Have fun in Scotland Echobelly. DS shot up in year 9 and now has a deep booming voice! He needed a whole new set of uniform (even blazer) in March. Usually I can get away with restocking just at the start of the year. I expect he’ll slow down a bit now.

Pretty good. DS is finally on his growth spurt and his voice is very croaky and breaking. He had a fun time at 2 week Jewish summer camp, including his 14th birthday there. We've now done all his laundry and are off to Scotland this weekend for family holiday.

I'm glad I've taken the tip from some people to book the day after we get back off work, as I'll need to take him to the school uniform shop and that's a military operation in itself but easier on a weekday. Obviously this year I want to leave uniform until as late as possible!

How are the summer holidays going? I can’t believe it will be year 10 in September!

Mine still has 2 days next week! Very jealous of the Friday break ups. We've had a very difficult second half of the year due to ongoing illness. Very ready for it to be the summer holidays. Despite feeling awful a lot of the time my DD has managed to do well in her end of year exams, even one where she felt so ill she basically didn't do a 12 marker essay. She did write a bit of an outline and got some marks for that, which gave her a bit of a boost and I feel was a valuable lesson should a real exam go wrong. I'm so proud of her for battling through this term and hoping we can get the health stuff sorted out.

They apparently get their options and class assignments tomorrow. So tomorrow night will either be joy or upset.

Can't believe tomorrow is last proper day of Yr9. Friday is party day (feels like they are 5 again! Its a mini festival on the field)

@CouldNotStayAwayneed the official report but essentially positive for adhd. She is also showing strong signs of asd now as well - more so than 6 months ago. She will be recommending the school treat her as if diagnosed as well.

she mentioned the school have really failed her. I am going to write a long letter to the head when I have got my thoughts straight- 18 months I have been telling them she’s not just naughty.

It’s definitely not too late to join, @apaplantte - welcome! I hope your DC has had a good Y9 and hopefully @CouldNotStayAway will set up a new thread in September. I expect we’ll use this one until then though?

So sorry to hear your DD has had a tough year, @Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky – and you too, dealing with it all. Hope the ADHD assessment tomorrow is helpful and the school listens to any recommendations given.

@Echobelly well done to your DS on his report! Hope the teacher meeting went well. That’s a nice touch, having a meeting with the form tutor at the end of term. Ours doesn’t do anything like that!

Nothing exciting here really. The report was just a just one-pager with tick boxes, and we’re still non the wiser as to whether they have been given their GCSE options or what set they are in for Maths in Y10 (there have been no sets for anything thus far - grammar.) We have been emailed to say that the students will receive a printed timetable which will include new class groups, subjects and teachers, so I suspect everyone will be picking through the timetable to work out what’s what!

I really hope you get the right support now. It's awful having to fight for everything.

Is it too late to join? 🙂