To be dreading the school days

[lalaland3008]

after reading all these threads about spiteful kids, odd teachers and nightmare parents?

Ds starts in September, is it really that bad? Please tell me some positives.

DS is coming to the end of year 1. He loves school, is progressing well and has friends...

(does that help?)

Well, there are some spiteful kids, there are some odd teachers and there are some nightmare teachers!

However, despite all that I think the primary years are lovely....generally the above are the minority - DS is year 5 and I will be sad for him to leave his current school.

Your Ds will be fine - just handle anything that crops up in the right way.

The PTA?

hahahah Anyonefor tennis I will be laughing about that all day LOL

DS loves school and has never had any major problems with bullies, teachers or anything else.
DD is diagnosed with ADHD and had problems at her first school because she was diagnosed, but since we moved and they had to change schools (two years ago) she loves her new school. Teachers are generally lovely and supportive and kind, and I really think they are happy, making friends and learning things.

I am worried about secondary schools though, but maybe it is just fear of the unknown!

Hope that helps you! I am sure your DS will be absolutely fine.

It's like anything, people tend to post when there's a problem, you're not usually going to start a post if everything's going well.

Just try to erase MN from your mind permanently

Put it this way, if MN really was representative of real life you'd be afraid to go out to the supermarket or make eye contact with anyone's baby on a bus...and heaven forbid you should dare to make small talk with a pregnant woman.

What you get here is as small hotbed of people moaning and complaining because that's kind of what forums like this are for.

It's rare you're going to get people starting threads about their kid's schools unless they want to complain, and imagine how boring MN would be if it were full of simpering threads by people telling us all how wonderful life is?

You'll be fine I'm sure.

No it isn't that bad. Most children are lovely and we have found it to be a very positive experience.

I was not however prepared for the amount of paperwork and input required. There is always something to be filled in, something to be made with 5 minutes notice, lots of things to attend and lots of requests for money. With outside activities to organise as well it feels like my children could do with their own PA.

Same here. DS starts in september and I just feel sick and scared for him. I am a governor there and its a lovely school but I am so scared. I know I need to get a grip.

Same here. DS starts in september and I just feel sick and scared for him. I am a governor there and its a lovely school but I am so scared. I know I need to get a grip.

The only scary thing at my DS's school is the lady on the office reception desk ( seriously rude and bossy women).She is a legend at the school and has apparently mellowed over the years - I hate to think what she was like before!

Everyone and everything else is lovely!

There is one child who causes the occasional problem for my DS but his mother is always mortified by his behaviour and is working closely with the school to manage it. She is always very apologetic!

All the mums get along nicely and occasionally organise nights out at the pub on a very informal open invite to all basis.

No school gate mafia at my school - thank goodness!

This morning I had to send DS into school dressed as an 'Ancient Greek'. Not really the weather for it but hey!

There was much muttering as some people said they only knew the day before, but I still have the little slip of paper about it that the teacher gave us weeks ago (before half term), so shows that some people will have a completely different take on the same event.

I've learnt to scour the bookbag for notes (DS never tells me about them) and to write everything down on the calendar.

People come here to complain and to vent, that does not mean it is representative of the whole. When you think of the thousands of users MN has and then consider the number of posters who complain (many threads are developments from on-going sagas) it is actually a very small percentage.

There are inadequate teachers and schools, but they are not the norm. Generally speaking, primary schools are happy friendly places that children enjoy being in.

Good point WL.

Just know I'm not good with petty people, playground gossip etc. He'll be in after school club most days so will avoid the playground so I can continue to be an unsociable sod, not sure if that's a good thing either though.

I'm unsociable as well and it doesn't really effect things. The other parents will think you're mysterious and interesting if you remain aloof and don't divulge anything about yourself

Re being an 'unsociable sod'....

I do genuinely think some parents blur the boundaries between passing pleasantries with other parents and looking for 'Mummy friends' < boak! >

For the most part, the other Mothers at the school won't actually be your friends...they'll just be other Mothers who happen to have chosen to send their kids to the same school as yours.

Over the years, 'friendships' will develop but it's important to remember that on the whole the only reason you are in that school playground is to meet/drop your child...it's NOT a social occasion.

Obviously life long friendships can develop but just remember that's not the actual reason you are there....so don't stress about 'School gate gossips' or 'Alpha Mums' or any of the other negative things you read here.

My eldest DS is 20.5yrs and I can't even remember half the Mums I thought I'd genuinely never forget.

I think there are an awful lot of odd teachers - and that is something I think should be encouraged, for these are the ones who are the most inspiring and passionate teachers, with the confidence to go off piste. Some of my fondest memories are from when teachers do something peculiar!

When my youngest was in his first year in school and struggling to conform we went into the school when it was shut (I was voting in local election there). The staff were working so we passed his learning assistant who was setting up a display in the empty classroom. She saw ds was with me and came to chat to him and gave him a big hug and said how much it had cheered up her morning to see him. I'm not sure what the official rules are on hugging kids but for me this broke down a lot of my fears and I realised that ds was treasured in school.

That's nice Spiral they DO sometimes hug them I know...I have seen my DDs preschool teacher hug her...OP most schools are nice..most kids are nice too...the odd or nasty are out of the ordinary. Remember that.

I was flipping terrified, needed tissues and handholding. These were readily supplied by the lovely mums who saw me.

After the settling in period, which can be rough, I have never in 5 years had to persuade my DS to go into school in the mornings. Even though there are a few mean kids, terrifying secretaries etc on the whole the majority of children just get through primary school fine. They even enjoy it!

My DD1 is 17 and has come through school and is now a confident and assured 'developing adult'.
DD2 is entirely occupied by school in the way she never can be at home.
DS is in reception and, while he was in preschool and home I felt he was not interested in learning(not asking 'what does that say' in the way the girls did), but has very quickly learnt to read and is something of a maths boffin!!

School for little ones is generally lovely. I was with my reception children today thinking about how different they are now to where they were in September last year. They were all playing and having such a nice time with each other. The things I love about school are the special ocassion things. Like the big fuss that was made of the jubilee, how exciting everything is at Christmas, the Easter egg hunts, the pancake day races, the day the travelling theatre visits, the days we get to invite parents in for an exhibition. All of it is brilliant!

He will love it, most children really enjoy reception. Yes you will get the odd nasty kid here and there, he'll have his fair share of fallings out etc but usually it's all mild stuff. Teachers at our school have been fantastic so far and do an amazing job

What I would say though, remember this is a new experience for HIM not necessarily for you. Don't stress too much about getting on with the other mums, just smile and be polite to everyone and if any closer friendships follow then that's a bonus.