To think it's weird not to know which school year your DC is in?

[AnnaQuayInTheUk]

I bumped into someone I hadn't seen for couple of years yesterday. Normal catch up chit chat. I asked how her DS was (she only has one DC) and asked whether he was now in Y8 or Y9 at school. She has to think about it then asked"he turns 14 in January, does that make him Y8 or Y9?". I had to tell her Y9.

My DC left school years ago but I always knew which year they were in at any given point. I was really surprised she didn't seem to know. Is she unusual or aren't people really aware? She's a lovely, bright woman so no issues with memory etc.

I never knew the year because it was different when I was at school. I knew, top junior, GSCE exam year and A level exam year.

They did lower and upper at my school too, we also used roman numerals until they changed to the mainstream way of naming years. I remember panicking when someone from a different school asked what year I was in, it was Upper III but told them I was in Year 3 🤷‍♀️. I agree it makes sixth form make more sense!

Yep, this. My DC’s school has mixed years, so I know he’s in year two or year three but if someone wants a specific answer I have to count up in my head 😂 I know how many years he has left before secondary, so I’m not completely out of touch. DD starts next year, so I won’t stand a chance then.

I have to think sometimes. When I was at school it was years 1-5. They changed it when I was in year 3/9 but I always translated it in my head back to years 3,4,5 and with my kids I tend to still think in years 1-5 for senior school.

She should know what year her own child is in! My mum had 4 of us at school and she managed to keep track of what years we were in. I had two at school at the same time and always knew what year they were in too. Now I only have one at school and know his year too. I think it's really shocking that she doesn't know.

I don't think it's very important. I've got mixed up a number of times when phoning them in sick, where you have to say year and name. I know what they're studying, who their teachers are and how far from the end or exams they are.

I'm severely dyscalculate and struggle badly with numbers so I might say something like this.
My eldests date of birth is 29/10/11 and I know its October but when giving it in its number form I might switch the 10 and 11 so I'll say 29/11/10.
I even do it with my own birthday which is all 6's and 9's. I know when my birthday is but the numbers just mix themselves up.
With school years it's even worse as they change every year and they change in September (as opposed to changing for instance 1st January) so the numbers just don't stick in my head.
I'm intelligent, I have a degree, but the dyscalculia often makes me look stupid or careless.

Thanks for everyone's responses, it's obviously quite common.

Apologies if I came across as judging her parenting, that certainly wasn't my intention. More a musing on something I assumed everyone knew about their children. Clearly not.

To clarify, she's a wonderful person and I'm sure she's a great mum.

I frequently get muddled with DS's dob as his birthday is the day before DH's. When he was a child I was always having to think about whether his birthday was the 11th or the 12th of the month. So I'm a useless Mum as well according to some on here. I've also been known to call DS by the dog's name..

What if your mum forgot other things or didn't have something at immediate recall? Would that be shocking or would she just be a normal human? How do you even know what she always remembered or knew or didn't?

When asked 'who is your favourite child?' my go to answer is always 'the dog'. I haven't been done by social services yet. Hahahaha

I dont remember how old I am.
I have had to look up on the Internet how old am I on this date.

More than once.

Went out for my brother's birthday the other night, he was delighted to find out he was a year younger than he thought he was 😅

He had been telling everybody all day that he was 55 whereas in fact it was his 54th birthday that day.

I have been a key worker for a certain child for about 6 years. I do 1:1 sessions with her weekly, family group sessions,attend core group meetings and previously CIN meetings etc. I do positive activities with her in a group. We went out on a group session on Saturday when I was working and I could not remember her name . I said to another young person ' where is.....?' and the name just wouldn't come to me. I could tell you her cats name, her best friends name and also the name of her Nan, her brothers name ,the street she lives on, her favourite band but I couldn't just n
think of her name. I'd been with her 5 hours at this point!!!
Brain slips are for real!

I met a lady who didn’t know what school year her kids were in once.

Turns out they go to a private school where they don’t use the same system as the vast majority of other schools in England and Wales they use the term ‘rising’ and then the age they will turn that school year. So (I think) year 7 is rising 12. It’s the only time I’ve come across this.

Many independent schools remained on the old numbers. Mine did, long after other schools had moved to the y7,8,9 thing

I was at school in the early 2000s

I went to school when secondary numbering started with first years. Fifth years did their O levels, then you went into the lower sixth.

I’ve had several children go through the school system, and I still struggle with the numbering.

No, I don’t get what you mean. nor have you explained.

You are eliding the concept of meaningfulness with relevance / relatedness - these are completely different.

The number of blue socks my children have is related to them. It is not remotely meaningful.

So go on then, please elaborate on how a parent knowing, off the top of their head, the arbitrary label given to their child’s year group is actually significant or important to that child? How does the child suffer as a result of their parent not immediately recalling that minor detail?

My mind goes blank under pressure. Maybe it’s that.

Just add on 4/5 years, easier to figure out then. So year 4 would be 8/9yo so p5. Year 9 would be 13/14 so s3.

Yeah it’s a bit odd. But I think we’re all a bit odd in our different ways

I grew up with
Bottom, middle and top infants,
Years1-4(junior)
Years 1-5. (Secondary)
Lower and upper sixth.

It's not intuitive to remember which year he is in in Secondary school. You really do not need to know it very often.

Sometimes I can’t remember my child’s name. I chose it. It’s my favourite name. I use it daily. Im a sahm who home educated so I spend a fuckton of time with her. But I still go blank.

I went to an event at my kids' school where they show you their latest topic work. I got mixed up between their classes. I was trying not to be late and was flustered.

Ballet grades are not by age, they are by progress, and many youngsters take 2 years per grade.