What i would have liked to know before my DC started yr 7

[wakeupandsmellthecoffee]

Just thought this might help a few nervous souls waiting for their kids to start Big School (lol )
Firstly after they have done their SATS their is bugger all going on in school the kids get bored . Might be the time to schedule doctors and dentist appointments .
This year has totally flown by . Only a few months until summer holls . At first it was a bit daunting but seriously ,literally a few weeks in and it seemed to me that he had always been there .
Luckily for me my Ds is in a very nice (educationally and pastoral ) comp .
The homework thing is really not as bad as they make out ,certainly no worse than primary school . I have found it useful to say in reply to putting off homework that I didn't set the work so don't moan to me .
(LOL)
They HONESTLY do make new friends.They try new things in the canteen . They get a bit too big for their boots for a week or two and then they revert back to the charming little monsters that they are now .
So basically all the stuff I was worried about and dreading came to nothing . I promise it wont be as bad as you think it will .
Oh and as a side thought a lot of parents in my Ds last year at junior school seemed to think that as their child was going to secondary school that they had better let them have a bit of freedom and responsibility .
All well and good but may be a trip to the local shop on their own Not a day at a very large theme park on their own all day (no parents on site ) aged 10. or going to the next big town by train for eight hours and then picked up at the staion aged 10 . (can you tell I was shocked but personal choice . )

I've been told by many that our High School assigns much less homework for y7 than local primaries do for y6.

Well DD got a mountain of homework in the first term. However, it has lessened a bit, and she has got better at managing it all, thank God! Apparently they like to shock them into the importance of doing your homework She only joined a couple of sports clubs after school because of the amount of homework, but I think that was wise. She mad loads of friends in lessons, etc anyway!

fox DD is a very late July birthday, but after a steep learning curve in the first 2 weeks, she was fine. Now it seems like she was always there!

They also cover a lot of the work they did in year 6 of junior . |God knows why but hey ho .
I think my Dss school were hot on the homework thing then . May be because they knew what the local secondary schools were like .
We have so many good state (7) and too many to count private schools (5 ish)
round here that I think and hope that the standards are pretty high . luckily for us .

Madsometimes mine is also in denial. I think i might be as well. She is tiny, about the size of an eight year old. Last time she went out on her own a woman thought she was lost and asked where her mummy was

I was a bit worried about repeating alot of Y6, but DD hasn't repeated any work she did in Y6 (although obviously building on where she was in maths) - her school baseline assessed them at the start of the year and then moved on from where they were at (they stream them) She has LOVED having specialist teaching and learning loads of new stuff.

voteAV, DD was also tiny and had refused to go anywhere much without a friend or one of us. Now she will happily get a bus / walk completely independently, and did from day 1. So I'm sure your DD will be fine too.

It is the bus bit that scares me - dd will be getting the bus to a different town. Buses arent very frequent round here and I dont drive so what if she misses it or even worse gets on the wrong one and ends up in Timbuktu? They arent allowed phones but I'm considering hiding my old PAYG at the bottom of her bag just in case (but fretting that that will get her into Big Trouble.

She is nonchalant, I am terrified!

All schools say they are not allowed phones (DD's friends all went to the 4 corners of London), but as long as they are turned off and hidden, no-one will be strip / bag searching for them. So don't panic!

If you are really worried about the bus, do a dry run to and from the school at the right times near the ned of the hols to sed your her mind at rest! and you could even go with her to the bus stop on the first day and see her onto the right bus!

cool thanks Tilly :) we are going to do the bus on her taster day. Big phew about bags not being searched!!

My Dss school allow phones and have no problems with them but I would also put some spare silver change in a small container hidden in the bag. The phone might not have a signal or have run out of battery as is sods law when needing to use it for a real reason .

DD's school let them use the school phone if they need to - I'm sure most would do that.

Oh just thought of another . They learn swear words that you rather they didn't know . they use swear words with their mats that you'd rather they didn't but miraculously they dont use them at home .

Be prepared for your daughters to become very interested in make up, fashion and want to wear a bra even though there may be nothing to put into it.

My DD is in yr8 and has not become interested in make up or fashion, did not want to wear a bra even though she needed to

I think one of the biggest problems with my DC were the friends.

The kids are going from being very big fish in a lake to small fry in a sea. Some children handle this by trying to get bigger and this often involves sitting on their old friends to make themselves feel bigger, which is what happened to DS.

Also although some children will naturally go off and find new friends and seem to forget their old ones who may end up feeling upset and hurt.

DC's school strongly recommends that the children join at least two clubs when they start and my DD made a lot of her new friends from the clubs as well as her form.

They also say they have no home work . Not my Ds you understand .LOL Not a hope in hell its a technical school so its all on the computer .

I am with Orm our DC's started together (not at the same school) but we had a thread running for about 18 months which was fabulous.

I just know that secondary school will be the making of DS2 - who is due to start in September. He is already too "big" now for primary especially being one of the older ones

thankyou for this thread op!!!!
dd starts in september.shes all relaxed about it,im trying to be!

It seems like a big step when they are still in Year 6, particularly if they are the younger ones in the class, but it very soon seems like they've always been there.

They will be going for their induction days soon, won't they?

Are these just lunch time clubs or after school clubs,too? How many clubs before it becomes unrealistic -- or rather, how many have your DC managed to sustain? I partly ask because I have a 9yo who I have to hold back from doing more, but she does try to do too much. I am wondering if she could realistically do more in future. Started another thread here.

All the clubs should be on school website . so maybe negotiate .
I have my own theory here but my Dss school only have 35Min's (staggered with different years ) lunch time . I truly believe this is because the shorter the time there is less time for trouble .
I would personally only have 2 clubs per week because you can do too much too soon .
I have an only child and I insist he has to do one team sport a week (his choice ) and he can choose what else . Also some schools are not offering such a wide variety of clubs .

Day 1: Monday
Before School:
Concert Band

After School:
Trampolining
Badminton
Jazz Band
Fitness Club
Science Club
Maths in Motion
G&T Maths Club
Engineering Club
Sports Hall
Sports Hall
Fitness Suite

Day 2: Tuesday
After School:
Glee Club
Gym & Dance
Theatre Set & Design
Girls Basketball
Boys Rugby
name of school Flyer's (after half term)
Fitness Club
Computer Club/ Website Design
Maths in Motion
G&T Maths Club
Computer Club for Girls and Boys
Dance Studio/E16
Gym
Art Rooms
Sports Hall
Field
Science Block
Fitness Suite

Day 3: Wednesday
Before School:
Lunch Time:
Dance Band
Brass Band

After School:
Film Club
Graffiti Club
Girls Netball
Girls Football
Fitness Club
Reading Club
Name of school Radio
Maths Homework Club

Courts
3G/Field
Fitness Suite

Day 4: Thursday
After School:
Boys Basketball
Drama Club
Gym
Room 11
Day 5: Friday
Lunch Time:
Theatre Set Design

Day 5
After School:
Concert Band

Learning Support Homework Club runs before and after school every day in Room 25
PARTICIPATE in 2010-11 and
Be Rewarded With House Points!
Year 7 Spring Term Clubs & Activities

Day 6: Monday
Before School:
Concert Band

After School:
Trampolining Badminton Jazz Band Fitness Club Science Club Maths in Motion G&T Maths Club Engineering Club
Sports Hall Sports Hall Fitness Suite

Day 7: Tuesday
After School:
Glee Club Gym & Dance Girls Basketball Boys Rugby name of school Flyer's (after half term) Fitness Club Computer Club/ Website Design Maths in Motion G&T Maths Club Computer Club for Girls and Boys
Dance Studio/ E16 Gym Sports Hall Field Science Block Fitness suite

Day 8: Wednesday
Before School: Lunch Time:
Dance Band Brass Band

After School:
Film Club Graffiti Club Girls Netball Girls Football Fitness Club Reading Club name of school Radio Maths Homework Club
Room 17 N7 Courts 3G/Field Fitness Suite Room 11 LRC Room 18

Day 9: Thursday
After School:
Boys Basketball Drama Club
Gym Room 11

Day 10: Friday
After School:
Concert Band

This school is on a two week rota and 99% of clubs are FREE.

This is last terms list of enrichment clubs . However I will say that I think in junior school we are in a lovely little bubble . In secondary s you can see from the list that there is a lot of clubs.
Because there is so many they sometimes do get cancelled because sometimes in such a big environment things happen and it is not possible to be 100% all the time . I do feel |DS is extremely lucky having this choice .

Another thing is that if your child has to finish home work at lunchtime they are missing out time with the other kids and I think making friends in Yr 7 is really really important .

wakeupandsmell....thank you for all that! My ds starts Yr 7 in September and I just can't believe it...where have all these years gone?

I love your tip about the homework....don't moan at me because I didn't set it! I'll be using that for sure :)

The one tip I was given when dd started high school was to get a large box, or free up a drawer, for all things school related. So when dd screams, I can't find my ...tie,buspass,homework....., you reply calmly, 'it's in the box/drawer'. Anything I find abandoned around the house that is school related goes in the box. We also copied her timetable and stuck that to the box lid. DS starts this september, he is very excited, but lets say a little unfocused. Have decided that it will be best to put him in box with all school stuff and deliver him onto the bus, and let teachers deal with the rest of it :)

lol

I found the communication thing actually worked better than in junior school- because secondary children keep getting reminded by the school that they are responsible and there are things like planners to help them. Dd made an enormous leap in independence in Yr 7- can't wait for that to happen with ds!