any of your DCs starting S1 this august?

[strangerthongs]

I thought I'd start our own thread seeing as there's threads for S5/6, exams, uni etc.

V nervous about DD starting S1. High school's a whole other ball game isn't it? I remember being badly bullied and feeling overwhelmed in the first few weeks.

Does anyone know what books they tend to read in English in S1 nowadays, and what they study in History in S1 - my two favourite subjects when I was at schools so I'm curious.

In my DD's high school, they will be choosing subjects midway through S1 which seems awfy early (it was S2 when I was at school).

I wonder what the most popular subjects are...there seems to be some really cool options nowadays although I would hope DD will choose subjects that she is likely to actually use/need in her future career and not because all her friends are doing it.

Anyone else have a DC starting high school?

That's very early to be choosing: ds old school (which is one of the ones that does 8 Nat 5s) choose in the middle of S2, starting their S3 timetable in the May/June of that year.

I think in 1st and 2nd year, it is pretty much up to the particular English teacher. Ds' old teacher had them studying Midsummer's Night Dream in S1 (ds struggled initially with Shakespeare which is why I can remember). Can't remember what novels they did - although I know they did Kidnapped in S2 and I'm not sure if it was S2 or S3 that they did "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Can't remember what they did in History - ds was very self-sufficient so we never had to nag him to do homework - but it also meant that we rarely knew what he was doing

They did some subjects in modules, so for example, history for one term, geography the next, tech drawing one term, home ec the next.

English, Maths, Science, 2 x MFL, PE and RME they did all through the year.

Hope someone comes along soon whose dc is at the same stage as yours.

Ds is in S3 now and his school chose subjects near the middle of S1.

We didn't really expect it so soon, but ds chose and got what he wanted, but I did hear stories from several friends whose ds were not allowed certain subjects.

In ds's school they do mini assessments/tests on them through those first few months and use the results of these to determine their aptitudes to each subject. When it came to choosing some were told they were only allowed to take general science instead of physics or chemistry, or some couldn't take history AND geography as it was already decided it would be too much for them, or were recommended to take an employability course as they weren't expected to do highers or go beyond S4.

Although ds was ok and got what he wanted, I found this shocking that only a few months into S1 they were already writting off some kids, who all develop at different rates, from achieving.

My ds is in S1 (dd is S4). They choose subjects in S2 and then drop 2 more at the end of S3 at their school. His current timetable includes French, drama, music, home economics (has done textiles and now supposed to be cooking but hasn't made much), tech (made a box in woodwork), they are doing chemistry, physics and biology one after the other rather than at the same time, same is true of modern studies, history, geography. Then he has the usual maths and English.

Ds says they did the book 'cirque de freak' and are now studying a poem 'Hyena'. In history they are studying the highlands e.g. the clearances

It seems they choose in S1, then in S3, S4, S5

Ah good, I loved learning about the highland clearances although that was at primary not secondary.

I remember learning about American Indians, bog bodies and the suffragettes.

I hated shakespeare at school. Loved English apart from Shakespeare.

I've been trying to get DD thinking of what subjects she enjoys and what she might like to do in the future, obviously just generic ideas rather than anything specific.

She likes art and music and is worrying that she won't be able to do both and is worried also that music will be too generic rather than being able to continue with her tenor horn lessons she's getting in primary school.

I don't want DD pushed into anything vocational rather than academic, unless its something that she is likely to do or use in the future. My DNiece did childcare and hospitality courses on the teachers' recommendation but is not pursuing either of these careers.

Dd chose chemistry, physics (had wanted to do biology too but timetabling didn't allow it) maths, art, history (had to choose between history or Spanish in place of biology), computing, English. She sits her Nat5s this year.

Mine choose S2 for third year subjects then again in S3 for what they'll have exams in. Just at the stage of picking S4 subjects for dd now and it's quite career focused it seems. I'm glad they don't choose in first year, not sure my ds would cope with that.

I don’t think it’s right making kids pick subjects in s1, I wonder if it’s the “top performing” schools who do that so they can focus more time on them to get better exam results, at the expense of a broad general education in the first few years. My son is in s1 and it’s fine. He was was so ready to leave primary school and the transition is so much better than it was in my day. He’ll pick subjects at the end of s2 and then again at end of s3.

He’s actually taken to it really well. He is doing the Normans in history just now and I think they do WW2 as well. In English he’s reading a play, room 13 just now. He asked to borrow To Kill A Mockingbird from the school library but he was told not til he’s 13. Some issues with a few of the boys being horrible immature little shits but nothing too bad.

My other son is in p6 and having enhanced transition as he has autism.

definitely not a top performing school lol, but the one her friends are going to which she cares about more.

I wonder if it’s the “top performing” schools who do that so they can focus more time on them to get better exam results, at the expense of a broad general education in the first few years.

DSs went to a "top performing" school (not East Ren though). They didn't choose until s3 and follow BGE until the May before they go into 4th year - most schools move up the years at the end of May/beg of June, they do it a few weeks early so as to fit in enough study hours for 7 Nat 5s.

As said on the other threads, I think the range of ways each school does things doesn't really promote fairness in the system.

Good luck to all those starting on their high school journey, mine is rapidly coming to an end with DS2 finishing up for exams in about 6 weeks!

Have you seen an option sheet for the school yet? You will find she will be restricted on choices due to the columns. This is ds's schools form that current S1 are choosing from. They then drop two subjects, again restricted by columns which ones in S3, it's worth seeing the S3 form too when you choose S1 if you can.

As said on the other threads, I think the range of ways each school does things doesn't really promote fairness in the system.

Yeah I agree. I went to one of the “best” ones back in the day (can’t afford to live there now lol) and we didn’t pick til end s2 either. That was a gazillion years ago tho

Ours is definitely not top performing. It's has around 45%+ pupils from deprived areas and fairly low attainment at Nat5 and highers. It is a very large campus "super school" recently built bringing several schools into one.

Maybe they start to personalise earlier, because staffing issues prevent them from offering every subject to every pupil on S2 or to try to improve on low attainment, but it doesn't seem to be working!

My random ponderings are probably me talking out my arse then lol, I just wondered because the person I know who picked subjects in s1 is at St Ninians

YouBurner - I don't think you are talking out your arse. The old Head at DSs school was quite vehement about exactly that practice and also about "certain" schools encouraging pupils to leave Higher English and Maths or any other subject that they probably needed but weren't assured a top mark in, until S6. His view was that it was taking a risk on the pupils future in order to skew the data. Obviously that's anecdotal information on my part but I have no reason to doubt that he knew what he was talking about. Sadly he's retired and the new HT is not cut from the same cloth. I can't say that i'm unhappy that DSs are nearly out of the system

my DS goes into first year in August. his school do BGE in 1st and 2nd year with no picking at all as far as i'm aware until going into 3rd year. they have just changed their curriculum model again slightly to up the nat 5s from 6 to 7 which has brought forward the choice i think (but not totally sure).

he's one of the oldest in his year group but only just seemed ready to go in the last month or two - he's pretty shy but is gradually finding his feet, hopefully the shift from primary to secondary won't totally re-set that!!

like prettybird i'm oblivious to what books/subjects they do as DD (now at uni) was on top of her work and we didn't get involved much.

Yes I've had a look at the options form for S1. Not going to share it in case it outs us but basically maths and english are not optional (as we all know).

There's the science column, the MFL column (French or Spanish), the social subjects, the technological column (admin, bus mgt, graphic design, computing, hospitality), the creative column (art, music, PE, drama, RE), the everything else column (which has about 12 options from all of the above)

There's been a lot of head teacher changes at this academy too. They do a lot of lunchtime and after school clubs like trampolining, video, science club, newspaper club....which I think sounds very good.

And I need to start thinking of getting DD a blazer....which apparently they need to wear every day and isn't cheap either. Oh and a 'cool' school bag

Our school tried to get all our kids to wear blazers but the council told them they couldn’t until s5. So no one from s1 to s4 wears them. I wouldn’t have minded as they’re cheaper than normal jackets but maybe not so good in the snow and rain!!

Ds's previous school used to be mandatory blazer from S5 onwards, but since it became a not so super school the new head has changed to S4 onwards so ds will be too get one next year. Waste of money (especially in our school where many parents cannot afford a blazer and overcoat/jacket), totally impractical in Scottish weather and doesn't benefit the pupils in any way.

Ours is compulsory blazer all the way through and a different blazer for s6. Think not quite as expensive typically for girls who do their growing earlier. I had two boys and it cost me 12 blazers at £45 a time as they were growing and they look like dishrags after a year anyway.

DD has not had any visits to the academy yet. Is that normal? The academy has sent some staff to her school for preparatory lessons, eg French and Science. But no visits to the academy yet.

We had a meeting at and tour of the high school in the September (with the kids) and that was it until the 2 induction days in June.

Our council has a “transition teacher” who works with all the cluster primaries from the January until June of p7 and then from August to December of s1. My son didn’t have much to do with her as she was mainly used to help the kids who had some gaps in knowledge but it’s a good idea I think, gives a bit of continuity to keep seeing someone they know when they start high school

I sent my kids to an out of catchment school mainly to avoid having to choose options in S1, it would not have suited late developer DS2, with hindsight the extra time and possibly the two year Highers would have suited DS1. It's very difficult to get everything right!

Our schools do visits from P5 and now the PE staff do a day in primaries doing PE lessons for P6/7.

Cannot complain about the way my 2 have turned out. Dd took moving to high school in her stride. I was more worried for Ds as he was tiny in height and was my baby.

My best advice is getting to know their pupil support leader or their guidance tutor as I have always been able to pop an email to them when necessary.