new Year 7s

hatesponge - they do break them in gently in Yr 7. It is a huge transition for many children.

Do all schools do CATs?

No mention of them so far at DS's school, still no homework, and not much done in class either

We have an open evening in a fortnight - if nothing's improved by then am hoping I will get to raise my concerns with the teachers.....

French teacher was most put out that ds had not managed to cover book with sticky back plastic overnight...hands up, how many of you just happen to have it lying round the house??

oh pie - i thought you sounded v familair on other threads
We are fair to crap...thanks for asking !
Nothing has fundamentally changed but dh has to go to Amsterdam next fortnigjht to speak at a major conference with a possible huge cash prize for his new business so....
Been a funny old year!

Thanks, it's such early days though, GCSEs not something to worry about yet! he's just done his first lot of German homework, yet another poster!

You should be able to see the data, although it will probably take a few months to be processed into predicted GCSE grades.

You will probably have to ask to see it though, I don't think it's shared routinely...

Thanks tethersend, that's really interesting. Do parents get to know the results?

CATs (Cognitive Ability Tests) comprise of three separate tests- Verbal, Non-verbal and Quantitative more information here

Schools most commonly use the data from these tests in order to predict GCSE grades- often they are pretty accurate. They certainly give a clear picture of children's strengths and weaknesses, and often show strength in areas (such as non-verbal reasoning) which SATs do not.

My DS has got CATS tests next week, told no revision needed though. Presumably this is to decide which groups they go in for certain subjects? He has already been assigned to a groups for maths based on the SATs results, so don't know why they can't use those for everything?

He's had double music today - bet that was scarily interesting to hear!

Lawks, fircone, my DD will pass out with [Eeeewwww! emoticon] if she sees that!

Suspect the staff would move them on if they saw.

Don't know re the snogging! How scarily interesting Fircone

I know, it's difficult to work it out isn't it? DS is being v. good about it, I am being bolshy Also - he was given extra work in History, I said 'oh fgs, what did you do wrong?' (bad mother) and he said, 'No, it wasn't like that, it was because I was so interested'

eh?

I just managed to stop myself from saying 'but when will you do it? This is a NIGHTMARE, there's so much to do, I'm panicking about sticky back plastic and the art project, not to mention the flipping physics and you're willingly taking on more work you fool?'

Ha ha, Pielight. I too was begging ds to leave his homework last night! He's got this blimmin' RE poster to design and was trying to do that as well as science homework.

We're going to have to get a system going as it's impossible to do all the homework on the night it's set.

Ds's main news of yesterday was that he saw two pupils snogging in the corridor. He said good job he'd already been to the canteen or else he'd have been quite put off. Snogging is fine in a proper snogging situation, but do schools condone it on the premises? I can't say I'm too thrilled about this. [Crusty outraged old fogey emoticon]

My DD had first day at school with all children present yesterday and attended a whole-school assembly. She was deeply shocked by the length (or shortth) of the 6th form girls' skirts. Apparently the 6th formers had to sit on the floor - apparently this wasn't a good idea.

'scarily interesting' - spot on, Son of Pielight.

I'm finding the whole thing an organizational NIGHTMARE. I was pompous and told him he had to do the homework on the day it was set, even if it was due next week. I told him it would 'serve him well for the rest of his life'. What an arse. I'm already saying, 'okay, fgs leave that, you can do it on Sunday, that's enough homework already'.

Mind you, he made B rugby team yesterday, and was chuffed about that.

it's quite a learning curve though isn't it? I asked him what it was like being at school with all these huge teenagers, he said 'scarily interesting'

Molly - how are you? Have been thinking about you. I bought a roll of sticky back stuff from Smiths. Is 100x here.

I wouldn't panic yet, Steamroller. Your DD's school might deliberately break them in gently. My DD won't get any homework at all until the end of next week, but then apparently it comes thick, fast and regular. Other local secondaries start hurling homework at the year 7s almost immediately.

It's a shame if they're getting bored in school though.

Dd has been in year 7 for 4 days, she has had 5 pieces of homework and has spent about 3 hours on it so far - all the homework had to be in the day after it was issued!

She has had as much homework as my elder dd who is starting GCSEs this year. Luckily for me dd loves it and pulls her books out the moment she walks in the door but I should imagine some of the other parents are suffering!

Dd has had to cover books, and write out alphabet letters using spanish signs as borders... things a 6 year old could do (no offence meant to 6 year olds . We are giving the school the benefit of the doubt for this week, but if things don't get a bit more demanding next week I think we'll be on to the teaching staff.

DS1 has been at new school since last Friday.

Is having fun of sorts, has made friends, football trial after school tomorrow. However has barely done any work all week at school, has had no homework, and says he is bored in most lessons because they are covering stuff he already knows.

I'm going to need a tutor, Quattrocento.

I've just completed DD's maths homework (find all the palindromic numbers between 1 and 1000 that are multiples of 7) and am just getting stuck in to English comprehension.

I do feel the burden of homework is a tad unfair on the parents ....

book covering
class rules
waht a load of ol shit

I freaked my year 8s ou by saying we werent doign chiffing rules and they can use whatever pen makes their writing nice

He's found the fountain pen but lost his French vocabulary book. He's forgotten his pencil case, however. He now has to cover his RE book in a collage of religious images from Tinterweb. Groan.

it took me a whole school year of needlework lessons to sew the compulsory domestic science apron everyone else had graduated onto soft toys then ra-ra skirts and I was left wrestling metres of crackly stripey stuff decorated with blobs of blood, sweat and tears in the corner of Shame.
Book covering is piece of piss compared to this.

If that had been my school, fircone, I'd still be in detention now. Weirdly, I think my DD would love it.