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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to ask what year group is worst

63 replies

dancingdemon · 09/07/2019 20:48

Well not exactly worst but hardest to be a teacher or head of year of. DD2 is in Y9 and her HOY as mentioned to me that Y9 is a tough one especially with the two extremes of the popular, disruptive groups (which DD is sadly in but that’s another thread!) and the quieter, more lonely/easy to fall under the radar pupils (which DD3 is but in a younger year)

Just curious of the pros and cons of each year group generally really

OP posts:

Greenandcabbagelooking · 09/07/2019 20:52

In my current school, Yr 8 are the most challenging. Some big personalities, a pile of social issues, and buckets of hormones make for a hard time for the students, and a hard time for the staff.

In most schools, it's Yr 9 that have issues. They starter to get nice again by the middle of Yr 10.

HelenaJustina · 09/07/2019 20:55

Year 9 is often pretty foul. They are not young and eager to please any more, hormones are raging. And they haven’t got important exams looming...

GetUpAgain · 09/07/2019 20:55

I read this and immediately thought YEAR NINE

Am only a parent not a teacher but I think it's such an inbetween year it feels a bit aimless. DC has started GCSE studies but the exams are so far off they are not really focused.

Imo they should all go on an really long character building expedition for at least a term of Y9. Preferably 2 terms.

HappySonHappyMum · 09/07/2019 20:56

Funny you should say that my DD is just coming to the end of Year 9 and a lot of her friendship groups have disintegrated this year. It's been challenging. My DD has got involved with a lot of lunchtime activities this year to avoid the drama that's been going on at lunchtimes!

Original poster

dancingdemon · 09/07/2019 20:58

@Greenandcabbagelooking @helenajustina yes I’ve heard that it’s the same thing for year 9 in a lot of schools that’s encouraging to hear that it’s not just DD!

@getupagain That would have been amazing almost a year ago when DD started year 9!

OP posts:

Ellisandra · 09/07/2019 20:58

Just going on me personally... Y9 (or 3rd year, in old money) was definitely the one where I was stroppiest!

gettingfedupagain · 09/07/2019 20:58

Yr 9

Original poster

dancingdemon · 09/07/2019 20:59

@HappySonHappyMum Yes, that happened here too. We found that DD went from one friendship group to the polar opposite group at the end of year 7 and they were very cliquey throughout the end of year 7, year 8 and most of year 9 up to around Easter when massive falling outs happened and they do all hang out together in school and our of school still but it’s not so much a clique anymore which is much healthier.

OP posts:

UniversallyUnchallenged · 09/07/2019 21:01

Year 9 - absolutely

Though they grow into greatness later ... metamorphosis is slow and at times painful 😣

GetUpAgain · 09/07/2019 21:03

@dancingdemon my DS is in the same year, does it show

MsAwesomeDragon · 09/07/2019 21:04

Year 9 is normally the tough year. Both sexes have hormones raging, there's not really any focus to the year, and once they've chosen their options they stop working in any subject they've not chosen.

At my school though, this year's year 7 are a tough year group. And they will be all the way to year 11 I assume. There's a much bigger group of disruptive/challenging pupils. There seems to be a lot more kids with difficult home lives in that year group than we normally have as well, so the hoy is constantly dealing with issues.

Our current year 10 is a difficult year as well, because the split of boys and girls is unbalanced. We've got about 3/4 of the year are boys, for no reason other than a disproportionate number of boys being born in our catchment that year, and while it shouldn't make a difference, the truth is it does.

Original poster

dancingdemon · 09/07/2019 21:07

@MsAwesomeDragon I hadn’t considered that really, I suppose it does also depend on the cohort of students in each year etc

How does the higher boys:girls ratio affect school life?

OP posts:

KindergartenKop · 09/07/2019 21:09

Puberty is getting a bit earlier....so end of y8 and most of y9.

nobreakfastforme · 09/07/2019 21:13

What age is year 9?

3rd year in Scotland was bad as far as I can remember so approx 14yo's

Original poster

dancingdemon · 09/07/2019 21:14

Yeah year 9 is the year they turn 14

OP posts:

HellYeah90s · 09/07/2019 21:14

When I was at school it was year 8/9, I went to an all girls school and my god it got quite bitchy when we became about 13.

Everyone was falling out with someone, girls testing boundaries at school (no longer sweet good behaved yr7s!)

Dionysa · 09/07/2019 21:18

Year 8/9. FML.

luanmapo · 09/07/2019 21:18

My DD is year 9 and it has been the toughest year of my life!!!
I have been into school more times than I care to remember over various issues. Fallouts and behaviour most times.
She is absolutely raging with hormones and it has been an endless battle and I cannot see any end to it at present!!
My son on the other hand has finished year 11 and has absolutely sailed through school without any issues whatsoever. He is polar opposite to his sister!
I’ve 2 more to go through teenage years as yet 😳

Cuddlysnowleopard · 09/07/2019 21:19

I was on an exclusion course last year (for governors). Every example the course leader had involved Year 9. He said in his, very extensive experience, it was generally Year 9 boys.

DS1 is year 10, and one of his classmates was expelled last year. School had handled his behaviour etc until then, until a combination of puberty, access to alcohol, drugs and eventually knives, brought it to a head.

Year 10, they're far more mature.

Original poster

dancingdemon · 09/07/2019 21:20

@luanmapo I sympathise completely!! DH and I are often called in for meetings, have been emailed regularly etc (her HOY and I know so much about each other’s lives and schedules and as a result the usual weekly email mentions that she’s sorry to email on Saturday evening as she knows DS has hockey practice but DD and friends have been misbehaving!!)

OP posts:

Bugsymalonemumof2 · 09/07/2019 21:21

My old head always used to say it was year 9 where things often disintegrated

bridgetreilly · 09/07/2019 21:25

Yr 9. But also, it sounds like the HOY was talking about a specific year group who have been difficult all the way through, rather than every year group being hard when they hit year 9.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 09/07/2019 21:27

Ex-teacher.

Yup, year 9.

Although I'd rather teach year 9 than primary any day....

luanmapo · 09/07/2019 21:28

@dancingdemon
Yes!!!! I’m on first name terms with head of pastoral care and I’m not proud of that.
We try and be the best parents we can and be a straight forward functioning family and do our best to keep communication lines open with our DD, but the truth is she just doesn’t care! She is loud, obnoxious, dramatic and rude and it breaks my heart. It’s had a huge bearing on our whole family.
She has no interests other than her friends and music. We’ve tried to get her involved with so much, but she isn’t interested.
Not sure what to do other than to just try and get through these next few years as best we can.

mamaduckbone · 09/07/2019 21:31

Oh God...ds1 is about to go into year 9 and has almost overnight turned into a surly teenager glued to his phone and hiding in his room unless eating or going out. Fun times ahead.

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