Join in here if your PFB is off to secondary school in September or if you have any advice for thew newbies

[ChippyMinton]

DS is obviously taking it all in his stride and I am quietly fretting investigating the practicalities of high school life. Anyone want to join me?

marking my place!

Marking my place too - DS1 has his moving up day next week, and I'm doing the open evenings with DS2 at the moment.

Yes, what about BOOKS?????

When I went to secondary school in the Netherlands we rented the books off the school and picked them up a few days before start of first term. We then had to cover them with stiff paper which took hours. But for DD we have only been told to get a dictionary for each language she will be doing. So where will she get the books from - will we have to buy them or will they be supplied?

And do they use exercise books or loose-leaf ringbinders? Do we need to buy those?

She has gone to her induction day today so hopefully we will get more info about bag style, shoe style etc from her.

That brings back memories Limburgse, 'kaften' and the agonising decision of which diary to go for.

DS has been for his 2 induction days and thoroughly enjoyed them. We have received the uniform list but nothing regarding stationery or books.

Not sure if they even use text books in school any more...

Mine get supplied with exercise books (which sometimes have to be covered in subject-relevant images as the first homework).

Also get supplied with textbooks where needed, but most of the information is supplied on the smartboard or on endless printed handouts that they are supposed to stick into their exercise books.

Yes, I have PFB stating in Sept, so glad about this thread, just thought it was me feeling the same! The school is on the next street and am already worried about him walking on his own, so need to get a grip.

He's lookind forward to it, very excited and ready to start. His younger brother in Y1 at primary school is very sad they they will no longer have 'lunchtime cuddles' or come a play with him at lunchtime or have lunch together. Big bog brother has told him he will get extras before and after school

My main advise would be to get involved but in a different way than primary as my daughter is so embarrassed about me!

I joined the PTA and I find this a really good support and feel involved in the school but not at the gates( so less embarrassing).The PTA has parents that have been through different stages and the teachers are a great resource at clarifying issues.

Lots of velcro shoes at our local high school as they insist on Clarks style shoes and M&S uniform or approved local supplier.
No coats, jumpers are compulsory when school say so, blazer all year round.

I have been peering at passing feet as children go to get the bus (unobtrusively I hope!) and clarks lace-up style seem to be standard amongst the girls. DD will be perfectly happy with that I think as she nearly chose them this last year. Proper backpacks (mostly surf brands) seem to be universal.

DS has been supplied with sticky back plastic ready to cover his exercise books next year during his induction week.
His stationery list (for those who don't have one!) is
pencil case
black/blue writing pen
red/green pen
highlighters
lead and colouring pencils
glue stick
safety scissors
sharpener
eraser (no tippex)
maths set - protractor, compass, ruler
scientific calculator (DS assures me this needs to be casio)
French/German/Welsh/English dictionaries
A4 plastic folders and wallets

Marking my place. Year 6 leaving show tonight. Sob.

Hello, been there, bought the t shirt and finished now.

A tip.
When you go to your open evening you may be given a list of school uniform. There may even be a representative of a company or even several.
Don't sign up or buy anything until you know the dc will definitely wear the optional navy blue sweater that all the other dc hate so much and call the kids who have them swot or geek.
Check with other parents if you can. Also if they wear a blazer, before buying outdoor coat also check if dc wear them. At my dc school they had nowhere to hang them, or they were stolen, so kids didn't wear them.

On coats .... at DCs secondary (wow, both there soon !) as with many others I think, blazers are compulsory at all times (can be carried in summer ) So, anyway, have to be worn over blazers.
Luckily for us we happened to by a rather over-sized lovely woolen black coat as it was in the sales. This has been perfect as it turns out, and dd has happily worn on really cold days, and looks more stylish than those who will only wear blazers even in the snow ! (Or a largeish raincoat could be an idea)

IMHO schools should reconsider their policies and allow winter coats in the winter (and dispense with blazers in winter - aren't they more a summer thing ?) Ho Hum !

buy - sorry, a touch of senility/ dyslexia (respect to both)

I would say be prepared to support your child with her homework for hours and hours in Y7.
Ours mostly involves internet research and how to structure work - neither of which skills are particularly well taught as skills at school.
Hours invested in the first term or two in Y7 will mean they can go it alone later on. Do not believe your dp when he accuses you of spoon feeding. Its not spoo feeding, its teaching your dc basic skills.

On the other hand you may find that even schools with a reputation for hard work don't pile it on too badly at the start of Y7. Most know that settling in is the main thing to start with. They ramp it up gradually - like boiling frogs (so they don't notice as much and jump out of the pan)
So, don't be too scared !

Juggling.

Yes, we experienced this too. In fact most y7 teachers I have come across usually say first full term for settling in. They expect a bit more in half term leading up to xmas. So first half term getting used to where you are supposed to be, what you are expected to do, and teacher/school expectancies and rules.

We had the opposite experience with regards to homework. They ramped it up right from the first week of Y7. It settled down after the summer exams at the end of Y7 and in Y8 he hardly seemed to get any homework at all.

I found that he was fine to do 90% of the Y7 homework without input or assistance, but he struggled with large, open-ended tasks e.g. long essays that they were given a couple of weeks to complete. He didn't seem to know where to start or how to break the task down.

We also discovered that he had no idea how to revise, but that's a different issue.

Well, I agree Y8 seems to be a good year for many - hopefully settled in nicely but without too much pressure. I guess as part of what to expect at secondary they'll feel they need to get them used to some homework expectations in Y7 ?

I would second the revision issue - but it's a difficult one -how do you teach a child how to revise - were we ever taught?

I think it depends on the child; DS1 has had some success with mind-maps and self-testing, less with flashcards.

Revision techniques are certainly something mine haven't been taught at school, yet DS1 was expected to have magically acquired these skills by the summer of Y7.

My tip for new Y7 starters would be to get into good habits; keep a list of which topics they are covering in each subject, and make sure they get the notes from friends if they miss any lessons.

We got some A4 sized storage boxes in WH Smiths that my DC chose; one for each day of the week so the books can go in there when they get home and are easily found in the morning panic when they are packing their bag the night before. Three years in and they still get used.

Oh, and my DD got masses of homework in the first term and they were very strict, it lessened a little as time went on.