How many of us have DS or DD going into year 6 and so having secondary transfer this year?

[RTKangaMummy]

How many of us have DS or DD going into year 6 and so having secondary transfer this year?

How do you feel about it?

DS goes back to school next Monday into class 6.

He has been at same school since Jan 1999, so sort of 7 years this year.

There is one class per year and they are a very close class, have got 26 children.

How do you feel about them entering into their last year at Junior school?

I feel sad that he is going to be leaving.

Is there anybody else who is going through this especially for the first time?

DS doesn't have any younger siblings so when he leaves primary school that will be the end for the family as well. IYSWIM.

Added to this is the secondary transfer issues.

I am sure when it comes to next summer he will be ready to leave as will probably grown up alot by then.

I was just wondering if others were thinking the same as me or whether it is just me being a silly neurotic mother again

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No can't remember the name but not that

That sounds like where my nephew went a few years ago

No trip to the IOW here, but has a very packed 4 day visit to york.

Hallgerda love the video idea

Congrats to your DD jennypog

Feelingold congrats to your DD too

Bink hope you get it next year

SHR I am confused you got the place or you didn't >

Milliways, my son's off to one of the Norfolk branches of Kingswood on his school journey in June - I'm glad to hear your son enjoyed his trip.

\link{http://www.campbeaumont.co.uk/summer-camps/the-island.asp\is this where you mean}

looks DB

\link{http://www.kingswood.co.uk/pages/courses_activities.html\no, he went here}

Hallgerda, my DD went to Kingswood Norfolk last year. They had a fab time. They went to Pendarren in December. Great time, but freezing!

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WATCH BBC2 NOW

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How much practise do they need for their Sats!! My dd only seems to do sats practise now at school and she got level 5s last year, so what a waste of time this is for her.

I didn't watch the programme on Monday night - was it about children not being allocated the places that they want in London? I saw a report recently about how children are only getting their 4th or 5th options. It is incredible really - why fill in the form at all? I suppose the govt wants to let us know that we have choice when it comes to secondary education even though we don't.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel very lucky indeed that my dd got her first choice school, as I know that many other parents didn't.

Jennypog, my DS1 is in a similar situation. He and a few others in the class are sneakily visiting GCSE revision sites and doing rather well - not a boast, more despair at dumbing down.

I didn't see the programme on Monday night either - no telly - but my son was actually at the test shown on the programme (he doesn't think he was filmed though). Again, he's one of the lucky ones who got into his first choice, but in my area the situation's really bad. One of DS1's best friends was not allocated a place at all, just a suggestion that he might apply to one of the schools with places remaining. His first choice was the local comp 20 minutes walk away. Had he been a Band 2 rather than a Band 1 he would have got a place there. All the other schools to which he applied (pretty much all the others anywhere near for which he was eligible)rejected him on distance. A very bright classmate of DS1 is in a bad position because of moving house this year, so he's at the back of the queue. Someone else in the class has a nutty mother who didn't fill the form in so he's also waiting (though the school did try to rescue him by getting him to sit the test for the local comp regardless). It's all very .

A friend of mine didn't fill the form in either - as a protest! She certainly is protesting now as her son has been allocated the local "sin bin".

I don't understand what you mean by Band 1 and Band 2 - do you mean on priority terms, ie, Band 1 special needs, band 2 siblings?

We live in the Midlands area and there are some very good schools here, but also some very poor ones. I think most areas have one school that always has vacancies and the children they can't find places for, end up there.

My feelings were always that the system is not a good one, but as we have to work within that system, I will do my utmost to work it to her advantage. We ended up with a choice of 3 schools which was what I wanted. I didn't want to feel trapped by only having the local state school to choose from. However, my friend who didn't fill in the form (and is quite an intelligent person too) just seemed a bit silly to me as her son now has no choice at all except an appeal.

Jennypog, the bands are ability bands. The local comp has a banding test - ILEA used to do something similar. So DS1's friend is being penalised for doing too well in the test.

Jennypog, on what ground is your friend appealing? I wouldn't have thought she had a leg to stand on. It's always the children who suffer in these situations though - very .

There is only one girl from DS class who didn't get one of her choices and has been sent to the local dump

But loads from friends school are being sent to the dump

SATS are driving me crazy - DS got 5s but is still practising the blooming things

TEACH DON'T TEST IMHO

I think she is appealing on the grounds of living close to the school. I don't know if she will be successful though. She keeps saying things like, oh he will have to go to independent if we can't get him in to the local comp, as if they are so desperate for pupils that her son will get in, just like that, and at this late date. I have tried to tell her that for some of the independent tests that my daughter sat, there were about 300 children sitting for only 75 places, but she thinks they will have anyone who is willing to pay. By the way, she hasn't even rung the independents yet, but thinks that the appeal is a foregone conclusion. Oh dear, I think she is in for a rude awakening.

It is such a shame though for her son because he is the one who will have to go to the school. She hasn't even told him yet - I think because she is frightened of his reaction.

ooooooooooh dear

IMHO and IME she hasn't got a chance of getting into indep school

poor boy

Unless it is a failing one that are really desperate to fill the spaces

We have already paid for autumn term part payment etc.

SO she will not get in cos parents have already started paying fees iyswim -- so they won't be pulling out

Jennypog, DS1's friend made a late application to an independent school after the results came out, and sat a test, so the position may not be completely hopeless. Your friend needs to get her skates on though.

Well, it is her problem not mine!! I just think people who do or don't do things because of "principle" are a bit silly really. I don't know precisely what her problem was anyway with filling in a form!! I know of someone else who didn't like any of our local schools, and so she put down schools in another borough. Needless to say, she was allocated a school miles away and is now grumbling about having to send her son to an independent school and that her local authority didn't provide her with a suitable school - another silly woman.

The most important thing for me was that my dd was certain of a place at a school of our choosing, so we did everything we could before and I am sure that you lot did too.

Aaaargh - Bl*y SATS

DS loves Maths, finds it easy, and in last few practice tests got 97 then 98%. However, this week got 95% and had his name read out to class on list of kids who had not improved!!!!

Good grief, how to make a kid feel small. Apparantly she said - Don't care what your marks were, they should always get better.

Well, he'd better not get 100% ever or he'll have to leave!

My little'un came home today and has done a practise paper. She got 100% in it. I think that should tell the teacher something, but they aren't interested. When the SATs have finished the children actually do nothing at all, just mess around - my eldest did. Made some mask thing out of cardboard boxes and fairy liquid bottles, etc. I suppose it was fun, but it would have been nice to have a teeny bit of learning in between.

An old friend of mine once said that primary school was a babysitting service for bright kids and I think he was right.

After SATS we have a week of cycling profinciency which DS can't do cos of his Dyspraxia

Then he has a week in IOW

Why can't they just let the top ones do something interesting and STOP TESTING them and practise papers

Is 5 divided up or is it just a 5?

You can't get higher than a 5 can you?

5 was the highest that you could score on the exams last year and no, it wasn't sub divided. Agree it's a total waste of time for the more able ones |(and probably the others too). You can get 6's on the teacher assesment part.

How are you all doing?

Having the last term at primary school

Letters and forms are arriving here from secondary school

He is going to an activity morning in June to meet all the other boys {boys only school}

He has a medical next month, and we are meeting Head of Lower school for interview about arrangements for music lessons etc etc

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One tip I would like to pass on is to print out a colour co-ordinated timetable

So if they have differnt colours for different subjects

MATHS = BLUE, ENGLISH = RED etc etc

And if you do the same colours as the exercise book colour it will make it easier

Yep - This is the last term I will ever have to stand waiting in the windswept playground

Seriously - it is scary isn't it. That's my baby & he's got to wear a suit from September. Doesn't seem possible (& his sister does her GCSE's next year as well!)