Oh! Oh! My firstborn starts secondary school in September. Surely that warrants a support thread?

Sounds like a good day FrogPrincess

DD did some great work tonight. She had to do some homework on decimals and didn't know how to do it. Luckily, I love maths and as a TA, I work everyday helping kids understand their work. I started her off and she flew through the rest and the presentation was very good. She has the last little bit of that to do which won't take long at all.

The history is going to be more time consuming for us, think I'll encourage her to get started on that tomorrow or she won't get it done at all.

She has made a few friends and she has informed me that she likes secondary school a lot more than primary school. I have found out that she has had an argument with the girl she was walking to school with. I don't know what happened but won't push her. They aren't in the same classes as eachother so there isn't really any point trying to push the friendship. DD spends her mornings and lunchtimes in the library. Thats fine by me, as long as she is happy to do so.

oops sorry re weird bold letters! Not what I meant to do...

Finally! First full day is done, dd survived and it went pretty well I think, she said she felt like she had always been at the school. She is getting annoyed at big people shoving her out of the way in the corridors as she tries to work purposefully! A nice boy helped her with her padlock this morning, she has made friends with a few more girls, had fun on the bus going to games (apparently they are allowed to play on their phones then, I am a bit at that), spent break and lunch with some friends, and said her form has to look after their tutor as she is a bit scatty and always late (they had to run to get to assembly this morning and arrived all red faced and puffed out in the serene surroundings of the cathedral ).
And to add to the pressure we learnt that there is an ofsted inspection on wed and thursday this week! There are about 16 new teachers at school so I feel for them...
She then had 2 hours of drama tonight so I think she must have gone to sleep within seconds.
She's only been given one piece of homework in textiles, due in 2 weeks time..... It's supposed to be two pieces a night so let's hope the pace picks up a bit cracks whip

hope everyone else's new year 7 had a good Monday!

I'm hoping to get top marks for my RS homework.

See, that daughter of mine told me she didn't have any to do. I knew that couldn't be true, why would they have given the task paper if it were true!

Okay, we had better get on with some maths work. Think History is due in on Friday so that gives us a few days to waste! I don't know why I am saying 'we', I won't be getting a detention if its not done!

TheCheeseAlarm or dinosaur did your dc have any history homework?

Dd had a supply teacher and she says they weren't given any homework. She does have a piece of paper with 4 tasks on it but dd insists she wasn't told to do any of them. She doesn't have history until Friday which would be when the hw is due in (if there is any!)

Next week is going to be so different to this week. The lazy little madam didn't do any hw over the weekend so I have to spend my Sunday evening sitting with her making sure it's done properly!

miso thanks!

Well, thank God the first week is over (apart from the homework ) DD seems to be getting into her stride now, so hopefully things will settle down a bit!

Bus companies can - and do - cancel the school service contract, or cancel the regular bus time/route that attracts the school traffic if behaviour becomes dangerous.

WilfShelf - I agree completely with your approach. Once homework is all done, I keep stressing to the boys how much free time they have and how they can relax and enjoy it, because they know the homework has been bottomed.

It's about cost, Pixie. The council have contracted a new company (who I presume have bid lower than the coach company) and two routes have been combined, so they now collect and drop off children at another school.

DS seems to be enjoying it now...and even remembers to get off at the right stop, after having a long walk home the first couple of days.

Really Pixie?

I wouldn't be a high school bus driver for anything in the world. It's my idea of hell.

DS, the boy who had refused to ever do any homework before was asked to think about his favourite person from history and why. So he wrote 200 words on the life of Nelson Mandela. I think he completely missed the point, but hey.

re: homework, DS has been quite happy for me to boss him about and tell him suggest he does it on the day it is set. It does seem they really are going to give him homework every night so am hoping having NOTHING to do this weekend because he's done it all will be a good experience so next week when it really kicks in, he'll be more willing.

But I have no fear of being a slavedriver, because left to his own devices, he would do sweet FA... I've told him I'll back off when he shows some maturity about it. I figure that for the first few weeks, if he can feel some kudos about getting it all done, he will not want to slip back from that, rather than the other way round (where he learns quickly that not doing it gets him a detention!)

Good lord, I cannot believe i started this thread way back in march and now here we are.

We have survived in this house.

In fact, he's loving it!

for bigTillyMint : www.pogopack.co.uk/pogo-pack

Apparently the toilets at secondary school are great, they have locks & everything

Dd went off this morning for just 3 hours with only year 7s, so the full horror of a school full of big people and boys will hit her on Monday! Although it's not even a big school....
She looked great in her uniform and I am pleased to report I thought I was quite cool and relaxed.
Can't wait to see what books she brings home at lunchtime and what she thought of everything....

Miso, the pogo pack sounds good - where do you get them from?

DD has been especially mood-swingy and tired this week, but I am putting that down to the stress of a new school and all the homework

Dd now has 4 pieces of homework to do, which she has decided there is no rush to
do. Hmm, should I let her learn the hard way or shall I give her a kick up the backside?

According to dd, he pe homework us to write a biography about Sherlock holmes. Turns out it's actually Kelly holmes she needs to write about lol

as far as I know, she eats lunch on her own I wish she found making friends easier, but I guess that will come in time.

, it is a start belle.

DD was really not impressed by the staff who serves the food in the cantine. She was shouted at because she went back at then end of the queue when she realised she had not got a drink (I would have done just like her) and got charged 80p extra for a "pinch" of grated cheese on her pasta. She decided she wanted a packed lunch from next week.

He's made a friend who likes warhammer so he's a little happier, he sat by himself at lunch time though Thank you for asking

Further to the bus saga...the bus company seem rather pleased with them selves that it is a double decker, and this morning the bus driver got lost again and drove them towards the next city...continuing along the dual carriage way rather than turning left at the roundabout. Of course the kids found it hilarious, especially as it was rush hour and they were held in the traffic.

Also the kids have been playing football on the top deck. Which I'm very about.

It's just not good enough really.

On the plus side, DS finally has some homework, which he has actually completed!!! (Quite unusual for DS1!)

Belle, how has it been today for your Ds? Much better I hope.

I think I will have to get DD "kited" just in case she starts hers in school. Not been moody lately (well not more than usual anyway) so I am hopping we have some time left.