Year 7 Starters

[pippistrelle]

The new uniform is all ready, pens and pencils bought, as many of the practicalities that I can deal with now have been dealt with. So, just a few days to go. Daughter is getting nervous and, to be completely frank, I am a bit too. Not because I don't think she'll be fine but because, well, change can be daunting.

Anyone else at that stage too? Or, if you're already past this phase, how long did it take until you all settled in to a new routine?

(Couldn't spot any other general Year 7 threads, but apologies if there are any others already.)

Ds2 had lock laces last year and ds1 still has them for his trainers, but has slip ons for school shoes, which makes life so much easier.

It was perfectionism that made ds2's homework take too long yesterday. He's so keen to get it right that he kept starting again. Poor lad gets that off me, but I'm hoping it will get better with time, as he starts to relax.

Glad your ds is happy at his new school Electrolux it's such a relief isn't it?

Thanks everyone , but what are lock laces?!
I didn't make him wear a rain coat today , so they have 'wet play' like they did in primary school or are they shoved outside ?
He's very worried about getting detention
I think it's getting home on a later bus that worries him , is detention at lunch time or after school usually ?

How do those laces work? Are they Easy to get on & off.

Ds can do laces now (after tears & meltdowns but he practised in his football boots) but is a bit slow.

Dd learnt very young on her tap & jazz shoes but has very little time to change shoes so we are thinking of putting elastic in her tap shoes?

They are super easyto use, balletgirlmum. You just press the button on the top to release the laces and let go to lock them, similar to toggles on raincoats etc. I've bought some cheaply off Ebay and Sports Direct that have been just as good.

The best thing is that they are commonly used by athletes, particularly those doing triathlons etc, to make shoe changing quicker, so there's no stigma around having them, as they're considered sporty.

Cross posted.

Oops, apologies for my awful typing. I seem to be all thumbs this morning.

Right so good for ds & his football boots but not good for dds dance shoes that have to look "uniform"

I'd say so yes. Ds was happy to have them for his PE kit, but not his school shoes, although this year, after spending the whole summer relentlessly learning to master tying laces he's managed to have standard shoe laces for both.

Lock laces are fine for trainers. The new type of elastic laces with knots in look more like regular laces, so we use those for school shoes. DD takes about ten minutes to tie laces and DS2 (Y9) knows how, but cannot get them tight enough to keep a shoe on securely.

They look like this, but once they are laced on a shoe, the knots aren't that obvious.

The look interesting TheSecond. I've been looking for something for myself, as I need to lace my MBT's really tight, but then when I've walked a few miles they start to feel too constrictive, due to compression. I wonder if those knotted laces might be the solution I've been looking for.

They are meant to be good for that too. The branded ones in the picture are expensive, but you can buy the same thing (called iRun) from ebay for less than £3 a pair.

Thank you. I think I might buy some off Ebay then.

Can anyone tell me what they are supposed to do with coats of the school don't provide lockers or cloakroom? DD is refusing to take a coat as she will have to carry it around all day along with all her other stuff. Is this the norm in secondary schools.

Sorry...if not of

Both of mine have lockers but hate wearing coats.

Ds refused a coat this morning. From what I've been told it's pretty typical for none of them to wear coats, regardless of how bad the weather gets.

Just got back in from a very wet school pick up for dd and the rain has suddenly become ridiculously heavy - it's like someone throwing bucketfuls at our front window - just as ds is due to come out of school. He hasn't a coat or an umbrella. Silly thing is we have two spare umbrellas, so he could easily have taken one, if I'd thought of it. I saw an older lad from his school with an umbrella last week, so I assume they're more acceptable than coats.

I think it depends on the school - I quizzed a friend's year 9 daughter and she said everyone wears coats in the rain/winter. But our school does seem quite gentle (the children all agree there is very little trouble between pupils and something like a coat is no big deal).

DS didn't learn to tie laces until he was 14. No special issues unless you count easily frustrated as SEN. Lock Laces are great :).

My dd quite happily put on her black pac a mac when it started raining at home time. I don't really think she could care less if others wear a coat in the rain or not so long as she doesn't get drenched.
I did ask her what others in her school were wearing but she seems completely oblivious.