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?

I can't figure out how to get my LA destinations by school? I can just find summaries but not by school?

I'll check when I'm at work tomorrow stranger, I'm not actually sure where the public can view school level data.
sassenach - I really should have name changed as I'm fairly identifiable. Oops.
Yes, I'm CIAG.

My son is only in s1 but I was at a PC meeting a few months ago and they were saying that to shove them up the league table they need every child who they deem capable of doing 5 highers to do them as they measure based on 3 highers and then 5 highers. So a child might be capable of getting As and Bs if they do 4 highers but Bs and Cs if they do 5 so while it might suit the school it’s not something parents are going to risk for their own kids, especially if they don’t need 5 highers from 5th year for college/uni

don't worry lol and I'm in the West so I don't know many advisers in the East.

have we spoken about leavers dances / prom yet? What are your kids all doing for their P7 prom?

I need to get DD a dress - any recommendations of places to look? She looks like a 15 year old but is the youngest in her year - only 11. So needs something that's not too babyish but not too old either.

Have tried lots of dresses but no luck.

They are having a school disco with a DJ and photobooth.

I miss the days of a fancy dinner in a hotel and getting a limo. Alas, her school is just around the corner - bit pointless getting a limo for her and her pals.

I can't even remember my last day of P7 tbh

I got my DD's P7 Qually dress in Quiz. I did have to get it taken in and the shoulders adapted as she was so skinny. Quite a few of the girls got their dresses there or New Look but at the beginning of May when the new ranges came out.

I find that positive destinations thing wrong as my catchment school is missed off it and they were 96.4% for leavers. Interestingly it's classed as one of the worst schools by the 5 highers in one sitting but the pupils usually pass the highers they sit!

Where is the positive destinations thing Groovee?

As I'm in Edinburgh it's further up.

Oh, I didn't realize. I will have a look. Thanks

@strangerthongs we have the qually in June I think and I've not even thought of a dress for dd yet. She's tall but skinny so shopping is already a nightmare. She has no sense of practicality but knows what she likes though isn't as "cool" as some of the other kids as she's quite immature (sn and young for her year).

I think I may make a special afternoon out of it with her.

As far as I know there's an event at a local hotel for them with red carpet etc.

Tie purchased

second hand blazer from cousin obtained.

Its all getting very real now!

Any idea what boys wear for the dance? Mine is usually in a tracksuit

@Tunnockswafer usually a smartish pie of jeans and a shirt/waistcoat kind of combo. Think hipster minis the beard 🤣

If only it were that easy for my eldest ones prom. He needs a full suit (and to my disgust is refusing a kilt!).

Pair of jeans. Not pie. A pie of jeans may be a bit tough on the palette.

Ffs minus the beard. I give up tonight, I must read what I've typed! I wish we could edit posts sometimes.

Thanks! He’d struggle with a beard though

speaking of beards, when my role was school based, I used to be shocked every august when the S6 boys came back and suddenly turned from boys into men! They'd grown muscular and tall, and with beards and it just felt weird sitting across from them like - you're too old to be here!

@sassanach I go out with my ds (almost 18 and after last exams has finished school) and it's so odd. His friends all seem so grown up and big men like creatures now but although ds and friends are much much bigger than me 6ft plus and clearly big manly man sized, I still just see them as being 4 running around the garden naked.

I remember it well from school too, you'd say cheerio to scrawny beasts at the end of s5 then boom all of a sudden men arrive for s6 with facial hair.

DD and I are already arguing about S1 subject choices

She is worried about art and music being in the same column. Music is in the last column also but there is like 8 other choices in that column too.

She is in the school instrument band at primary and I personally think music will be less enjoyable than in primary.

I'd love her to take two sciences (cause of the girls into STEM initiatives and we have a lot of science teachers in our family!) but at the same time I want her to do things she enjoys.

Subject choice looks really crap compared to when we were at school :(

At least she's got a year to try the subjects first

You choose at the end of S1? How do you do the BGE if you drop subjects so early?

don't really know the reasoning behind it but they choose at the end of S1 at DD's school, then again in S3, S4 and S5

DD and I are already arguing about S1 subject choices

and she hasn't even started yet! We also dropped to 9 subjects at the end of S1. I think you are over thinking it this early on, save the arguments for school uniform, homework and revision! Wait until closer to the time, agree she needs to try the subjects at secondary school before thinking about what she enjoys/is good at.

Also be aware (in our school anyway) they constantly assess in S1 before the subject choices, this starts even in the first few weeks, they don't warn or expect study towards these assessments, they say they are assessing their natural ability. Your dd will not be aware these will determine in S2 what set for English/maths they are placed in and whether they are allowed to choose some subjects.

Some of ds's friends were not allowed to take physics or chemistry, they were told they were only allowed to take "general science" (biology seems to be seen as an easier science so sometimes allowed), you had to have shown aptitude in the assessments to be allowed to take physics and chemistry together. Some were told they weren't allowed 2 social subjects e.g. geography+history, or 2 languages etc because they didn't show a strong enough aptitude for the subjects.

Some were even strongly recommended/told to choose
an "Employability" option in one of the columns, which imo is basically saying we already don't expect you to stay beyond S4. So they are writing them off for highers just a few months into S1 based on assessments they didn't know mattered!

We were lucky that ds(15) choose pretty standard subjects that were all available - English, Maths, French, Physics, Chemistry, Modern Studies and PE. Some friends had 3-4 of their choices vetoed either due to ability or told it was because classes were too popular/full.

Subject choice looks really crap compared to when we were at school

Same at our school. It is very school dependent (budget and having the subject teachers) what they offer.
A work colleague's children go to a Glasgow school and they have loads more options that ours, Computing Science, Engineering Science, German, Home Economics (or what ever the modern name is!), Psychology etc which ours just doesn't offer.

Ours also offer very few advanced higher subjects and the way the columns work out ds would only be able to do one AH if he chose to.

oh bloody hell

sounds awful

bloody assessments and subject choices in S1 :(

Good grief, I've not even thought of any of this. Dd isn't the most academically gifted child ever but makes up for everything in sheer enthusiasm (for everything!).

We've not heard much about s1 yet but I'm sure it'll come in the next few weeks.