My wee boy starts Secondary School tomorrow - thread for all those whose who wonder where the years have gone!

[prettybird]

Title says it all really.

Ds starts secondary school tomorrow. He's ready for it, we like the school he's going to, we've got just about everything (except a showerporof jacket to wear over his blazer for when it rains) - so why are my nerves jangling?! It's like waiting for an exam.

He did a trial run of his uniform yesterday. he looked so tall, slim (and good looking! ) in his uniform. He went into a majour and justified strop with me 'cos dh and I left the room so he could look at himself in the mirror without us embarrassing him and I sneaked back to see him doing just that

I'm both excited and apprehensive on his behalf. :)

He won't admit to any nerves - but it will be interesting to see how he is tomorrow morning!

How I wish my dd was about to start secondary school, she was 30 today and I am also wondering where the time has gone and I feel old.

When I was at High school I used to do 20 minute walk 4 times a day - came home for lunch!

DD1 started high school today, she slept better last night than I did !!

Went off half an hour ago and the school bell will just have rung. Roll on 4 o'clock when he might deign to tell us how the day went.

DD was also a placing request, which is why she doesn't really know anyone.

She went off to catch the bus at 10 to 8, big change from running out the door at 5 to nine! She looked lovely and so grown up, she was very nervous, but I am sure she will be fine.

I have told her to text me at lunch to let me know how she was getting on!

Ours do short days Wed and Frid so she finishes at 2:50pm today.

we are 9 - 3.25 every day.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday he finishes at 3.00 (although I think he'll have a semi-compulsory Rugby after-school club on a Thursday - but that won't be starting yet) and Monday/Tuesday, he finishes at 3.50.

But I'm assuming that today he may take a bit longer to get home as he'll be wanting to talk to his friends so I won't start worrying until 4 o'clock

We are 8.50 - 2.55 3 days and 8.50 - 3.45 the other 2.

Nasty Shawlands: making them start earlier and finish later!

To be fair, the first 10 minutes of every day (but 18 minutes on a Friday ) is "Tutor" time. I think that's what we would have called Registration in our day!

So, he's home. Managed to find out that he had PE - but was only one of three boys who had brought kit with them on the 1st day (so at least that's him having created a good impression with his PE teacher ).

Still trying to find out what else he did today.....

Glad he is home. And don't worry about the rain jacket, they don't wear them, they'd rather drip than wear a rain jacket. Send him our love from London X

Yes, but it colder and wetter up here!

You're right though - there's no need to panic. We did try to find a rain jacket yesterday without success: trying to find a warm jacket that is not too bulky and that will fit over his blazer and doesn't cost a fortune may take some time. He refused point blank to get one of the little pouch ones that would fit into his rucksack, so I may need to wait until it is colder.

Sounds like first day went okay then :). Our school do proper jackets to wear over blazers but they are not yet compulsory so not sure how many will be wearing them (and they are bright blue the same as the blazer and not the black that my son prefers!) - i'll leave that purchase for now. My son does a lot of outdoor activities anyway so always needs a decent waterproof coat. Imo they won't need anything warm, just something waterproof and windproof, that'll be warm enough.

Ds does already have a warm jacket - but it is a red ski jacket, so not really suitable for the black uniform. It's also a bit too bulky to shove inside his rucksack - especially once he gets school books and jotters and PE kit to carry around too!

Wondering what is a placing request?

shopofdreams a placing request is the system used in Scotland where you apply to a school that isn't your catchment. Each school in Scotland has a catchment area and combined the catchments cover the whole of scotland, so your address dictates which school your child attends. However, you have an option to apply to another school if you wish by completing a placing request for the preferred school. For primary, in Jan/Feb you need to register your child with their catchment school. Heads will then see how many catchment children they are expecting and then see what spaces if any they have free to offer to people who have requested one. If there is a free space then children are allocated them in order of the number of points their request gets them e.g. extra points for having a sibling or special family needs etc - then it is based on distance form the school. You do the same for High school but don't need to physically turn up to register, it's done via form from the primary. You can also apply mid year for any school and it takes about 6 weeks to get a response. If the school you apply to has a space then they must give it to you.

Great description amck5700.

Just to add the other difference from England...many (most?) areas actually have two catchments : the non-denominational school and the denominational school (in practice, the Catholic school, although there are a few other religious schools) which are fully* part of the state system.

Once you're into the denom/non-denom system at primary school, you automatically go to the associated secondary school unless you make a placing request for a different school.

Glad it all went well Pretty. Any homework? DD1 had maths and Spanish (and she still has to finish reading her set English book) dd2 on the other hand 'did no work all day'

Nope - no homework (yet).

I did get a bit more out of him later in the night, as he was copying his timetable into his Homework Diary while I was on the PC across the table from him. Seems his English teacher is absolutely brilliant, "sooooo funny" (shame he might not keep him as they get streamed in English after the October Week), his Maths teacher wasn't giving him work quickly enough as he kept on finishing what he's been given, the Science teacher apparently has a sweat problem as his shirt was sticking to his back and he's doing a poster in Art which will be orange and blue and "phenomenal" . He gets French and Spanish today, so we'll see if he gets some homework for that.

Sounds like a great day :)

Got my boy to try his whole uniform on today ....he looked so handsome I had to come away for a wee cry. If I get it out the way today then hopefully there will be no tears on Wednesday.

Week 1 completed :) Still no homework

I'm sure that will change!

He still seems to be enjoying himself.

Good luck next week amck5700 :) Your son too!