pfb -in fact only child - off to secondary on Thursday...

I'm pleased everyone seems to be getting on OK. There's so much to learn isn't there?

ds1's school has a uniform light weight jacket and about half the students wear it most days. At interview day the senior teacher told ds1 that the brighter half of the school wear coats, and ds1 has to stand and wait for buses, so he doesn't need any persuading to wear a coat

wendy - will try TKMax next week, we have one not far from here. It is difficult though isn't, you don't want them to stand out from the crowd but don't really need the added expense of buying something "designer".

I am sure the merits for your lo's will come thick and fast - at least yours have not got a "black mark" in their planner!

Magenta - I might try the playing out until 5 thing next week and see how that goes.

I have just been into his bedroom (as I always do when I come home from work) to make sure that he is covered up, blinds drawn etc and he is layed flat out asleep with his earphones still in his ears with music playing

No merits here yet either Mary! Clearly i have to crack the whip a bit

About the coat thing, we bought one for 20 quid from the school shop and she has worn it once! Even when its chucking it down she just has her umbrella. I asked her why and she said its cos there is nowhere to put it and she'd have to lug it everywhere she goes!

She does have a lot of layers, cropped vest, shirt, jumper and blazer and the one time she wore the coat she sweated like a pig

At DD's school they're clled Win Draw Tickets - they have a termly prize draw plus the top 50 per year get to go on the annual praise trip.

Hah as predicted dd1 has come home with several pieces of homework None of it too hard though thank goodness. She has walked home with her old friend (cue much nail biting from me) who stayed for tea so she is a happy bunny at the moment. Will have to check how many merits she has so I can keep up with the rest of you!

Oh, this is just a thin raincoat from Millet's - don't know if he'll take a proper coat, they don't have lockers, so he'd have to cart it round with him all day.

I don't know what an ST is either - but ds1 has 9 housepoints now

bella, try TKMaxx for coats - they have quite good stock for 11-13.

Not sure what it stands for but in his planner teacher writes ST, reason why and her initials, suppose in a way it is like a "black mark"

Think if you get so many of these in a week, then you get detention and then onto report.

Ds has come in - he has received an ST for forgetting his literacy book (even though he packed his bag last night!)

On the plus side he has received another two merits today (one from the same literacy teacher who gave the ST) so all in all he has received 6 merits this week.

Parent Consultation evening has already been planned for the 1st October . DH will have to go as I work on a Wednesday eve. Why can't anything be on a Monday or a Thursday? Grrrr.

MAS the grab bags sound great, but I do like a blueberry muffin now and again too ...

erm drums , makes the ds's electric guitars that they play more appealing now!

DS seemed quite keen on having extra guitar lessons at school (done on a rolling lesson so that the same lessons are not missed every week), but up to DS to check the timetables, however he has not as yet mentioned it. Perhaps it is the thought of lugging his guitar to school along with everything else?

At the moment he has only got one pair of astro turf trainers that he takes to school for both pe lessons, I think Monday's is inside and Tuesday outside. When he came home on Tuesday I had to put the trainers through the washing machine. Am a bit loathe to buy another pair so he has a pair for Monday and a pair for Tuesday as he does not know yet if he will be doing rugby or football and then I will have to buy boots aswell.

I had to send £2 to school today for the art book he was given and I need to send in a further £6 for D&T materials. (Tis worse than the primary school asking for money every 5 mins).

Soren - we have not gone down the coat route yet. He at the moment is insisting on wearing a zip up hoodie, and leaves his raincoat in his bag. Not sure what is going to happen when the weather gets really cold. I have usually bought winter coats from Next/Gap but he seems to have grown out of these shops and likes VANS, Quicksilver, Element and the like, so I can see I am going to have a battle on my hands finding something that he likes (at a reasonable cost to me)

3k? 1k?

Blardy hell, suddenly a new pair of football boots doesn't seem so bad...

If you get a really good one (ds's was £3k), it makes exactly the same sound as an acoustic, but with knobs on. You could probably get a second hand one for about £1k, and a new acoustic will set you back about the same.

Oh beleive me mumble, I suggested that. We saw one in Argos. But he just sneered at it. Apparently it's just not good enough!

Thanks for the suggestion though It may be the only thing he gets in the end.

OrmIrion, you could get your ds an electronic drum kit. We bought one for ds, it's a Roland DX12 (I think), & he plays it through headphones so no noise. It's bliss!

Pologra - glad your DD is settling down. thankfully DD doen't have a two week time table thing as I can imagine in this house it would be utter chaos

Oh, don't tell me that, Wendy! Do they make small pull along trailers (I'm thinking with some sort of harness) for over-burdened school-children?

Marina, we had another 'discussion' on the first rainy day when I made him wear a coat. "I'll have to take it off at the gate though." (bear in mind, it is coming down like stair rods and the gate is a long way from the front entrance).

"Why?"

"You are not allowed to wear coats once you are through the gate."

"But that's mad - what's the point of wearing a coat all the way to school then taking it off at the gate and getting soaked?"

"You just have to."

I posited that perhaps someone had said something along the lines of - non-uniform items must be taken off at the school gate and left in bags til home time (something I vaguely remember from my misspent youth) but no, ds1 was absolutely adamant - coats are to be taken off at the gate.

He came home and said "actually...no-one took their coats off at the gate."

Bless, at least he'll wear a coat (for now) - the older ones just seem to wear their blazers, come rain , snow, sleet...

DD isn't very musical thankfully as I can imagine she'd want to lay the Drums or an electrical guitar! You have my upmost sympathy OrmIrain

MAS - I'm not too sure how lunchtime sporty things will work out and getting some lunch either. DD tends to grab a sandwich and a drink for lunch most days unless there is pasta or pizza on the menu -she's always eaten like a sparrow at school then comes home and demolishes anything put in front of her. At Primary she would bring her pack lunch half eaten luckly she will have a good breakfast before she goes to school.

It is hard trying to get the after school thing balanced - DD tends to play out till about 5pm then comes in and does homework then. Which touch wood she doesn't mind doing after she's let off a bit of steam playing out.

Oh forgot to say she seems to have had a test in almost every lesson already!

Oh I know marina. I used to ..erm...'play' the viola. It was awful. But they don't take up loads of space and you can confine the din a little bit better. At least the neighbours crockery wouldn't be shaking in the cupboards

Well pleased to report dd1 has found at least one person from her primary school (not close buddies - yet!)in most of her lessons so far so she is a lot calmer. I actually managed to get almost a full nights sleep last night and feel much better for it. Fingers crossed it keeps on getting better not worse. She is on a 2 week timetable so she probably won't relax until she's had all her lessons and found someone in them. She has hardly had any homework so far - hope she doesn't come home with a weeks worth today.

Trust me Orm a keen beginner can make a disgustingly loud noise on flute or violin
Have been thinking of you all as ds is Yr 5 and we are starting the slow process of thinking about secondary transfer
Hope all the little Yr7s on this thread manage a restful and regrouping weekend...and their mothers too.
"You don't believe me" - that's because, IME already, you are wrong, little boy. I cite Appeal Case MN AIBU Mater vs Location of School Coat, 2008-09 Ad Nauseam in my defence.