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Education

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Original poster

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

491 replies

RTKangaMummy · 31/08/2005 21:16

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

OP posts:

Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 17/04/2006 20:42

DS is looking forward to wearing a blazer

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Celia2 · 17/04/2006 20:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 17/04/2006 20:56

If the list says WHITE coat for chemistry and workshop coat for D&T check with the school

Before we had been given the official uniform list DH went to get the price list from outfitters and was told he needed to buy a white coat for chemistry and DH told the shop assistant that they were provided each lesson

So that will save you some money

DH says it has made life much easier having them in school in different sizes than boys bringing them in from home -- or forgetting them

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Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 17/04/2006 20:57

DH is the Head of Chemistry dept

Are the tests for sets??????

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Celia2 · 17/04/2006 21:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 19/04/2006 17:17

Hope they go OK

I am being driven mental by blooming SATS

DS says they have spent today watching DVD of revision programmes apart from having their FRENCH lesson this is what happened today

I wish they would just stop doing the pracise stuff

I keep telling him it is not important BUT the teacher is putting sooooooooo much pressure on them

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Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 19/04/2006 17:19

And then the homework was a practise MATHS paper !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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NotAnOtter · 19/04/2006 17:28

two of mine have them this year (11 and 13 years) i am quite chilled...i figure its up to them ..maybe i am too lazy!
dd is supposed to be doing some ' extension papers' i will probably be all upset if she does not get the grades!

Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 19/04/2006 17:31

I am chilled about them cos I couldn't care 2 hoots what he gets as it is for the school NOT him

I am with all the time wasted on them

Ok if they need to be tested then test them BUT don't spend months and months doing PRACTISE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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NotAnOtter · 19/04/2006 17:36

yeah i agree

Milliways · 19/04/2006 17:37

RTKM - I agree about too much SATS practice, all for the school etc etc, but then I think......

How much practice did we encourage our DS's to do to pass the 11+ so that they could get into a school with great results?

Is it double standards?

frogs · 19/04/2006 17:37

RTKM, same here! All of last term was taken up by SATs practice, and I've just found a pile of holiday homework on dd1's desk consisting of... yep, more practice SATs papers. Dd1 has now decided she needs to revise for her SATs as (gasp) one child beat her in the last practice paper. No matter how many times I point out to her that 97% is a perfectly respectable mark (!) she won't let up. What a bloody waste of time. Luckily she has also decided on her own initiative to do a project on the Romans, which gives her a bit of balance.

But still. Bl**dy stupid system.

On the upside, she's v. excited about her lengthy uniform list, which looks like 2nd mortgage territory, and is predominantly (okay, entirely) purple.

Hallgerda · 19/04/2006 17:37

RTKM, yes, SATs are dreadful. My children's school is piling the pressure on too. DS1 seems to be immune fortunately. He also had a maths practice paper for homework, but did it very quickly because he did half of it while the teacher was giving the class a lecture on the importance of doing their homework. Still, I suppose it's good practice for doing his homework on the train next year. Nice that your son gets to do some French - only a select few seem to do languages at my children's school and I really can't work out the selection criteria.

Hallgerda · 19/04/2006 17:42

Milliways, no, I don't think it's double standards. The secondary school selection tests actually made a difference to our children, unlike the SATs which are for the school's benefit. The SATs practice is going well beyond the amount of practice DS1 did for the 11+ tests, indeed beyond sensible revision altogether. I'm concerned it may be getting the children into inefficient study habits.

frogs · 19/04/2006 17:43

No, Milliways, it's not double standards. They put in the hours for the 11+ because we and they wanted them to go to a school that we thought would have the best chance of meeting their needs (and I in no way had to force dd1 to do the work, she could have gone to the v. good comprehensive where all her friends are going). So they stood to benefit very directly from the extra effort. Whereas the SATs not only do not benefit the children as individuals, but are the reason why they are forced to spend up to 18 months repetitively doing work which contains little or nothing that is in any way new or challenging. Okay, if they could work towards Level 6 that would be something. But dd1 got Level 5 in the mock SATs they did in the January of Year 5. So what exactly has she stood to gain by spending 18 months doing more of the same?

MadameDeMars · 19/04/2006 17:46

Ah yes... the uniform list.

Still, having already sold several of my children to fund DS1's uniform (he's now in Y8) I was delighted to see that the parents of the local comp were out shopping each half term to keep up with current trends lol!

DD1 can't wait for her shopping trip. Have read through the list and we can only get the uniform from Peter Jones in Sloane Square. So, a shopping trip in town is called for.

She has a welcome ceremony to go to in June. It's a big family occasion apparently, so we're looking forward to that!

frogs · 19/04/2006 17:52

Dd1 has a welcome afternoon too, in July. And we have an individual meeting with the head at the beginning of May, with a whole raft of papers to be filled in first. Very grown-up stuff, this secondary school business. Dd1's more than ready for it, but not sure I am, tbh.

Milliways · 19/04/2006 17:57

We have a welcome evening next week, to meet the form tutor & boys in his & one other house. Then they spend a whole day in July (will have PE, SCience, ICT & something else exciting).

Not had list yet, but got the horror stories from parents of other boys there. At least there is a second hand shop at school, popular for rugby shirts, science coats & suits - if he grows too fast, but I do want to get new to start with.

Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 19/04/2006 18:08

All the class do French lesson once a week -- he loves it They have a visiting french teacher that comes into the school

As far as I can see the SATS don't help anyone really

In a local school they ALWAYS get 100% in every subject and have done for as long as I can remember -- now how can that happen without some dodgy goings on????????

SO they are always top of the league tables

I just wish the children that are expected to get 5s that they were given something else to do

What is the point of all the blooming practise

NO ONE EVER GREW BY BEING MEASURED

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Jennypog · 20/04/2006 13:41

We had a welcome meeting at the new school a couple of weeks ago. Me and hubby were very excited and put our best togs on. My dd was so unenthusiastic! She sat and looked bored all the way through. I asked her why and she said it was because her older sis goes to the school and she knows it all anyway, so why bore her rigid with showing her the uniform.

Ah well - I enjoyed it anyway. It is nice to be a new mum again. I am getting quite excited about buying things like hockey boots again!

Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 03/05/2006 20:27

How is everyone feeling atm?

SATs etc

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Hallgerda · 03/05/2006 21:39

The school has told Year 6 that if anyone is ill, or even in hospital, for the SATs, they will have a paper taken round to them. DS1 told us he's refusing to do them if he's ill. We've said we'll back him up. Otherwise, bearing up fine. I think we'll all be glad when Friday comes and the SATs end though.

2shoes · 03/05/2006 21:49

so want to join in this thread. my dd is moving up to secondry. as she has sn and at a special scool she stays at same school but moves department. It will be a MASSIVE change for her same as your kids. Also all change for me as I know her teachers so well.
so if you see me about You know who I am

Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 03/05/2006 22:03

Hallgerda

That is awful

DS had hospital appointment with his consultant this morning and so DS was very stressed about teacher asking him to be back in time for mental maths past paper

Which would have meant us being back to school within 15 mins of the appointment time

I tried to say it was ok and didn't matter but he was so worried that teacher was going to be cross with him for being late

So anyway we got back and his teacher decided to do the test this afternoon

Why all the pressure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Original poster

RTKangaMummy · 03/05/2006 22:04

2shoes Hello and welcome

How is DD feeling about all the changes?

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