Hello all! So I did end up going to the new parents meeting last week and as I thought there wasn't really anything new since dd started (almost 3 years ago, yikes!) although the changes to the EYFS curriculum and scores was touched on and an information sheet given out (haven't looked at it yet mind lol!), also got to find out the final class size (we have had a strange thing with PAN over the last 3 years since the new reception class room was built the year dd started, until 2013 admissions the PAN is still set at 20 at which point it will go up to 26 however due to pressure for places in the surrounding area since dd's year they have taken 26 anyway) and as suspected they have again taken 26 even though for the village 2007/2008 was a freakishly low birth year and even counting out of catchment siblings (that come after catchment children) we couldn't fill more then 16 places however the surrounding area has followed the national boom trend so 26 it is, quite glad really as including ds we are only sending 6 boys up from the village and ds could really do with a wider friend pool so hoping some\ of the 'fresh blood' will be boys. Found out there is also one appeal pending and as we are building our final new classroom over the summer bringing an end to mixed year classes in KS2 I can't see how the appeal can fail really, it isn't ICS, the rooms and other areas can cope and there is a shortage of school places so it is looking like we will be the largest year ever at 27 (won't be long until we are taking 30, makes me a bit sad as love the smaller class sizes we have but now we will have a classroom for each year group, the county is short of school places and the budget cuts have hit us badly being in a fairly wealthy area (we only have 5 children on FSM in the whole school so bugger all pupil premium comes our way) the school is going to struggle to keep classes under 30 as they need the income from taking the extras, the PTA does an amazing amount to give our children an amazing school experience but they can only do so much. The parish council will have kittens if PAN or even unofficial PAN (like we have now) goes up any more, they have already done a huge amount of foot stamping about going up to 26 officially due to the fact the catchment area can only provide so many children (protected green belt, no chance of new housing, absolute maximum of 500 homes in the whole catchment area that spreads over 3 villages and 2 hamlets) and there has only been one occasion in the whole history where a child in catchment didn't get a place. They are really against any further expansion as it means that places will be filled by children coming in from other villages or the nearest town, parents will have no option but to drive them to school and traffic and parking at school drop off/pick up is already the root of many, many (justified) complaints to both school and parish council, if can get lethal combined with areas with no pavement, very narrow pavement, blind bends, village shop customers and pre-school having drop off/pick up at similar times just down the road at the hall. A PAN of 20 in all \but the very rare bumper year is more then required for all local children to go to their local school, we have the school bus for those from the surrounding villages and farms in catchment, going to 30 would over time (as larger classes moved up the school) mean approximately 50 to 70 cars coming into the village in the morning, the village isn't even big enough to fit that many cars parked on the road (car park space available can accommodate 10 cars!)! As it is right now with an intake of 26 for 3 years we are already at breaking point.
Oops, sorry, way, way sidetracked there, need to get off my hobby horse on village politics, especially given I am talking to people who have no connection and really, don't care, sorry, feel free to skip over the rest of this post and any I make in the future!
Back to the point 
, have meeting with reception teacher Monday when I can start to sort through the issues of ds's extra needs (speech and hearing) and then Wednesday is the first induction morning, it is tradition here to send then in uniform for induction visits and I get emotional every time I think about my wee boy in his grey shorts and socks [sob] !
Used uniform sale tomorrow so going to be on the look out for logo polo shirts as want to have one for each day and as dd mainly wears pinafore dresses I only have 2 already and want to avoid paying full price for too many of them given the trashing they will get, 50p an item from used uniform so will be on the look out for dd to, at least I don't need any logo jumpers, in dd's first year I managed to collect almost 20 in various sizes from people passing them on to me, dd is small for her age and ds big so school polo's and jumpers will be interchangeable between them, small mercies are good!
Everything is just so very real now and ds is feeling it to, he is really exited to be going to big school with his beloved sister but he is also unsure about leaving his pre-school which he loves. He has been having quite a few bad dreams lately and I can't help but think it is all tied into this transition, must be very scary for him, he hasn't got much speech so worries I think about being understood and I think he is also worrying about things like the school bell (hand bell rung by older children) as due to his hearing issues certain noises really hurt his ears, looking into getting him ear defenders for certain times of day but going to wait until have chatted to teacher on Monday.
mega woffle of nonsense who cares rubbish from me. sorry. everyone around me in real life is sick of my ramblings so I seem to be inflicting it on you poor souls, I should just write a diary and spare the world really!