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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Anyone want a secondary transfer support thread?

345 replies

HarrietJones · 13/06/2011 09:19

dd1 is going up in September, had an interview with her year tutor last week and induction days in a couple of weeks.
I've started looking at uniform & it's getting closer!

OP posts:
flack · 07/09/2011 18:55

Am checking in although we have had a weird route to y7 so can't relate to most of your experiences (for better or worse). But I asked DS what his timetable would be and he hadn't a clue! Am hoping all will come clearer over the next few days (& he will be able to recite it reliably). Do you think I am being Unreasonable to want to know what he's doing with his time? I never asked in primary school... but secondary seems different, somehow. I want to know the names of the various teachers, for a start.

upatdawn · 07/09/2011 19:13

Given up with the bloody sticky back plastic - brown paper will just have to do!

PandaG · 07/09/2011 19:39

soooo glad DS hasn't been asked to back any books so far!

flack - DS brought a timetable home on his first day, which we have photocopied and stuck on the fridge, in his room etc. so he can make sure he has the right equipment and books each day. I'd be very surprised if your DC doesn't get given a timetable to take home.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/09/2011 19:41

Done blame you upatdawn - it is the work of the devil Angry

upatdawn · 07/09/2011 19:45

This is the fourth child I've had to do the book backing now, you would have thought I would have got the hang of it by now! Has anyones DC been asked to decorate any of their books? For geog my DD was - her book has now been wrapped in a cut up map!

Ingles2 · 07/09/2011 20:08

It sounds like everyone's dc is settling in just fine.. Shame for your son Bellavita, Sad I hope his little incident hasn't bothered him too much.
Ds1 is still loving it,...he had a little wobble about homework last night though. He has got an enormous amount...He's at a grammar, so I think they drop them in at the deep end, but still 3rd day and he has a backlog, poor sod.
And CAT tests on Friday...he is going to be so knackered Smile

mountaingirl · 07/09/2011 20:53

Ds2 had a bad experience on the school bus today. He was sitting with 'friends', two of them in the year above. He'd already had his cap taken off his head and thrown around the bus, when a 'game' of slapping legs got out of hand. The kid next to him wouldn't stop hitting ds's legs (he had red marks all over his thighs) when a boy in front slapped him a few times and another boy twice.

Ds was so upset when he got off the bus. When he told me In the car I drove and met up with the instigator straight away, told him I wasn't happy and if it ever happened again I'd see his parents and school. His db is ds1 best friend and he certainly isn't like that. One of the other boys is the son of a very good friend, so I texted her and she brought her ds up to the house to apologise. He told her it was a game that got out of hand and he felt v guilty. The the other little sod I know well from sports club and I'll be seeing his mother at the school into evening tomorrow. My poor baby, what a rotten start. It had better not happen again.

Original poster
HarrietJones · 07/09/2011 20:55

Dd1 had a good day. PE tomorrow though Wink

OP posts:
Bellavita · 07/09/2011 21:05

Mountaingirl, good for you. Poor DS Sad

DS2 has yet to do pe.

swanriver · 07/09/2011 22:30

My ds was struggling with his homework this evening. It was fine in the end, but I just hope this is not going to continue night after night. My only weapon is that homework has to be "signed off" by parents, so if he just writes the bare minimum I can insist he tries a bit harder. He was really proud of his work in the end, but he seems to need a lot of prodding. He kept saying I can't do this it's too much, when he was arguing and protesting for longer than the work would have actually taken Hmm
I feel like they need a chance to run around after all this emotionally tiring stuff at school, as the stress isn't getting released except by getting in a rage over silly things when they get home.
Will try tomorrow to take him for a walk without his oh so heavy school bag.
Had lots of late arrivals back home too...now thinking that I needn't really expect him till 4.30 at earliest, as he has so far failed to make expected 4.15 at bus stop three days in a row.
mountaingirl I am so glad you dealt with the bullies, you should be proud of yourself for tacklign problem so swiftly. Poor ds though.
upatdawn agree they should have warned us about the sticky back plastic supplies.

swanriver · 07/09/2011 22:33

Panda, that is a good idea about timetable, will try and photocopy it in large version as well as one in his before he loses it homework diary (in which it is at present inscribed)

takeonboard · 07/09/2011 22:39

DS is really enjoying it. Had PE today and ICT which was his favourite lesson. 2 lots of homework tonight which he got on with immediately, lots of book backing here too....grrr!

I was starting to relax, when he confided as he went to bed that he is very nervous about making friends and frightened of saying the wrong thing to the other kids Sad I just want to do it all for him.

3monkeys · 07/09/2011 23:51

DS1 had a good day I think! Managed to walk to and from with a friend each time, and had someone to talk to at lunch which is a good start for him.
Our books come with plastic covers - very smug!
Used his left over dinner money to buy a Yorkie on the way home - nanny found the wrapper in his pocket!

maypole1 · 08/09/2011 00:12

Bit pissed off they have not sorted out the parent pay yet, dd had is cat test today dd said he answered so many questions the teacher had to ban him so the other children could get a chance he's a bit of a swat.

He found him self a little group of friends lets hope it lasts ay

I think this is not really a support thread about the dds its about us letting go as mothers I don't want dd to grow up and go on I want my 4 year old back that I snuggled with on a Sunday morning and looked at me like i had the answer to every problem in the world

Bellavita · 08/09/2011 06:36

Maypole, it will not be the school that have not sorted out parent pay yet. I have just sent the mailshot out at my secondary school with the passwords for each individual child, we have to wait for these to come in.

3monkeys, oh we have had that with DS1 - in fact we reduced his lunch money when we realised he was spending £1.50 and saving £1.50 for the shop. He now gets £2 which is enough to get a sandwich and a biscuit. I always do a home cooked meal every evening, so it is only a sandwich he needs. DS2 has had pasta both days with a piece of flapjack which does come to £2.10 but the dinner lady has let him off the 10p. I have given him 20p extra to cover today and tomorrow.

DS2 was late for a couple of lessons because he couldn't find the class - the school is made up of blocks. This week it is acceptable, but next week it isn't so I hope he gets his act together...

MaryBS · 08/09/2011 07:18

Thats awful mountaingirl, at least you've got it sorted - best to get these things stamped on early, I think.

DD is spending her lunchtimes in the library apparently, consequently not making many friends. A girl and boy she knew at primary school are hanging round together, but have told her to find someone else to hang with :(.

At DD's school, they have "accounts" and use their thumbprint to buy things in the school shop. DD takes a packed lunch, but has some money in her account too.

whoknowswho · 08/09/2011 08:04

Well done for dealing with the bullies mountaingirl!
DS has had two pieces of homework both nights the english was quite a long task and he's not finished it yet!!! He has made a few, shall we say; aquaintances and was talking about different boys with excitement so my vision of him walking around the yard on his own is slowly fading away!!!! It will be better next week when all the lunch clubs start i think.
I didn't realise the timetable wouldn't be the same every week - now that is confusing - one week PE on monday the following on Friday!! Is that standard practice?? - I'm new to this secondary school business. Glad everyone's DC are settling in - its us mums that need the support!!

Fennel · 08/09/2011 09:18

Our school has a fortnightly timetable with 3x120 lessons a day, but most lessons are the same each week, some things are fortnightly (drama and art maybe, things like that).

Dd1 has had ony 5 mins homework so far, no sticky backed plastic book covering, no requests for money. It's not been too stressful, she is really enjoying this week. but she is in a class with friends from primary and cycling to school with another friend. so she doesn't have to negotiate new friendships right from the first day.

Maypole, I'm sure I find it easier cos I still have 2 younger ones so I can cope with dd1 growing up a bit, I don't want all of them to! dd1 is still so young for 11 that she doesn't seem very grown up anyway.

CoffeeIsMyFriend · 08/09/2011 10:17

ARrived home with DD yesterday after her first day at her new primary to find DS and his 2 friends sat in my lounge. It was quite funny.

They all had a good day, were chatting away and was like they had been friends for ages.
DSs friends get dropped off outside our house, the boys all walk round together and things seem to be going well.

Ds has said he likes his form tutor, all his teachers so far have been 'cool' and everyone in his form - I think it is like a registration class at the beginning of the day - is nice. He has mentioned a few names and seems fine.

Phew! Grin
Heres hoping the positivity lasts.

DS has got double PE this morning then Maths, English and Science. I am going to scan his timetable and print out a copy to put on the notice board so I know what is going on. He had a tiny bit of homework last night, just filling out a questionaire so no biggy.

may glad you nipped this bullying in the bud.

takeonboard · 08/09/2011 11:39

coffee that is great news, well done your DS!
and a relief for you too......

CoffeeIsMyFriend · 08/09/2011 12:11

absolute relief. Smile

PandaG · 09/09/2011 08:56

DS got pushed over on his way to school yesterday, by a child at the next door school (2 secondaries next to each other on same land) Seemed to be done just because DS was from the other school, and, I assume, very small for his age so easy to pick on. He seemed perfectly at ease about the situation, more concerned he'd spent the entire day with a muddy patch on his knee.

I'm not going to do anything this time, but if it happens again I think I may email his tutor just to let them know, not that I really expect anything to be done about it, I mean, what can be done, was off the premises.

CoffeeIsMyFriend · 12/09/2011 13:05

how did things go by the time it got to Friday?

DS seemed fine, we have covered books in sticky back plastic, done homework - wasnt bad at all, but then I like doing things like that. Blush

OhYouBadBadKitten · 12/09/2011 13:52

dd was very very tired by Friday and a bit anxious last night about non specific stuff.

PandaG · 12/09/2011 16:44

DS shattered by Friday, but thankfully was only set one piece of homework then. He spent ages over the weekend on one piece of Geography homework, several hours. That can't be right, but I don't see that he could have done it much quicker.