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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Year 7 Starters

578 replies

pippistrelle · 30/08/2015 14:18

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.)

OP posts:
moonshine · 31/08/2015 23:20

Signing in as ds starting on Wednesday. None of his friends is going to his new school so am really worried about him new ones as his interests are not the usual football/XBox etc. His sister is going into yr 10 but they are adamant they won't walk to school together ever Hmm

I'm also worried that I will lose my sweet natured boy soon as his sister turned into a moody monster after one term.

moonshine · 31/08/2015 23:24

Newlife4Me I found with DD that she got into a routine quite soon and, despite the aforementioned moodiness and needing to sleep more on hitting teenagedom, she has never been late for school (despite her brinkmanship!)

NewLife4Me · 31/08/2015 23:32

moonshine

That has filled me with confidence Thanks
She can get up if there's a reason but she certainly isn't used to it as routine.

var123 · 01/09/2015 07:25

Newlife4Me Unfortunately in Ds1's (year 9) case the short answer is never, and now DS2 (year 7) is trying to form the same late-rising habit.

However, neither child wants to be in school late, and face the consequences of that (I will not cover for them by lying). So, in the end they both haul themselves out of bed and get ready in time. Then as soon as its a weekend or a holiday, they go back to late rising.

IguanaTail · 01/09/2015 07:40

Get your big girl pants on today everyone!

Iamnotloobrushphobic · 01/09/2015 08:36

My DS is starting year 7 this week. He is the only one from his primary school who will be going to his school and he has an 8 mile, 2 bus journey to get there. We have practised the route 3 times and I think he has got his head around it but he is a space cadet and could miss one of his stops. When he did the solo,or active run he did miss his stop but managed to figure out how to get back on track from the next stop.
He has a phone and can contact me if anything goes wrong.
I am confident that I will be a nervous wreck for the first two weeks and then everything will calm down and it will just be normal and I will wonder what all the fuss was about.
I'm hoping that the £400 of uniform will still exist at the end of the first term as DS has form for losing things. I have labelled everything!

It's nice to know that I am not the only one with starting y7 worries.

moonshine · 01/09/2015 08:41

Oh yes, our secondary school issues warning stickers for lateness, forgetting equipment/homework etc which focuses their minds ;-)

Good job first day back is tomorrow as I've just found an equipment list I've missed Confused

Good luck to all those starting today.

franticpedantic · 01/09/2015 08:41

I have to say at our school everyone seems surprised (every year!) about just how young/small/cute (even if they don't seem like that to you) the Y7's are and they all bend over backwards to be nice to them and make the start less traumatic. Good luck all round.

moosemama · 01/09/2015 10:43

Newlife my ds1 went from not getting up till well past 8.00 am in primary to having to be in the taxi for 7.20 am. He was tired the first week, but coped fine and got into the habit of it really quickly.

He's just going into y9 and we've never held the taxi up yet.

Good luck to everyone with dcs starting today.

WingMirrorSpider · 01/09/2015 10:50

My DS is starting secondary tomorrow. His big sister already goes there so he's already had the lowdown on the good/bad teachers. He's so excited though which I'm chuffed about as he (like some others on this thread) is the only one from his primary school going there.

I'm still a bit sad that we're all done with primary school thoughSad

Heifer · 01/09/2015 12:55

My DD starts on Monday. No obvious sign of nerves at all. We are all ready here, uniform sorted, work station prepared. Bring it on.
I know I will have to stop myself from getting too involved, I want to give her more space whilst still be supportive but not sure exactly how to do that.... I know she will be absolutely fine, as long as I don't try to manage her too much... She definitely wants me to back off so fingers crossed I can.

DontCallMeBaby · 01/09/2015 13:20

franticpedantic DD's intake have been told they'll only need to hesitate in the corridor for a moment before someone will pounce on them in order to help the adorable newbies Grin In fact it happened on the taster day when she and her friend realised they didn't know where to go once they'd reached the school gate.

She starts tomorrow ... prevailing mood all summer has been sadness at leaving primary, but today she's feeling a bit nervous.

Clutterbugsmum · 01/09/2015 14:30

Newlife I've started this week, getting the dc up for 7am, having breakfast and dressed by 8am as this is what they/we need to do from Friday as I need to walk them to my mum's and then walk dd1 to high school which is about 20/30 min walk away.

YeOldeTrout · 01/09/2015 19:30

36 hours and counting.

Electrolux2 · 01/09/2015 20:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
pippistrelle · 01/09/2015 21:08

I have put a name on everything humanly possible. Pencil case has been rationalised and filled with approved stationery, bags packed (including massive thing with PE kit which I hope will mostly live at school), and I think she's good to go, but with one last day to enjoy lounging around tomorrow.

Nervousness diminishing, excitement rising. Good stuff. It'll all be FINE.

OP posts:
TheSecondOfHerName · 01/09/2015 21:17

Both DD and DS3 start tomorrow. I think I'll be OK if I keep busy. Not sure how much sleep I'll get tonight though.

Emochild · 01/09/2015 22:17

Dd2 doesn't start until Tuesday but we've just watched educating Cardiff together -i'm not sure it was the best idea Grin

Persephone70 · 01/09/2015 22:43

My daughter starts secondary school on Thursday and I am dreading it! We had nearly 3 years of bullying at primary and the perpetrator is going to the same secondary. My main concern is the school bus, honestly, I am so anxious about it, I feel like I am the only one worried about it. What a nightmare ????

IguanaTail · 01/09/2015 23:24

What are you worried about? She will look out the window, spot 800 people dressed the same as her and get out. No problem.

Original poster
pippistrelle · 02/09/2015 06:48

Have a heart, Iguana. If Persephone's daughter has been bullied, then it's hardly surprising that she's worried. I hope a fresh start in a fresh school turns out to be the best thing all round, Persephone.

OP posts:
Persephone70 · 02/09/2015 08:28

Thanks pippistrelle. We are really plugging the 'fresh start' mantra here Smile! I really want it to go smoothly and who knows, maybe it will, but it is hard. It is her 12th birthday tomorrow! Let's hope having her birthday on the first day gives her a spring in her step!Cake

NeverEverAnythingEver · 02/09/2015 09:06

Hope it all goes well for your DD Persephone!

notsomanky · 02/09/2015 09:42

DD started this morning. The school bus was later than expected but she got on it ok.

I was more stressed than she was!

AnneOfCleavage · 02/09/2015 10:15

DD started at her all girls Secondary school yesterday and it went well in her opinion (only opinion that really matters). She hooked up with two girls from her class at the local park so that was a fab start however they bumped into some year 8s who seemed to recognise them (perhaps from the induction day last term) and they asked which form tutor they had so they said and got the candid reply 'Oh you're so f*ed' which was very disconcerting for them as the teacher had given out doughnuts at registration and seemed lovely. Also one of them asked very personally 'Do you shave?' to which they said no even though DD does a bit under her arms. How rude is that!! Think they were just showing off and exercising their new found grown up status as non newbies.

She was down to catch the school bus from today but we already had the pass so when I arrived to pick her up yesterday a load of school buses also turned up (she had a later start as only year 7s started yesterday so no morning bus) I suggested she get on it - it was so quiet with only one other year 7 boy from the next door school so she was able to sit down. I tailed her bus home to check she got off okay Blush

Today was another story. Turned up at 7.45am to a packed bus with only standing room so she squashed on with her bulging rucksack looking so little & nervous and I was on tenterhooks waiting for the 'arrived safe' text which came in 12mins later although just said 'here' Grin

Good luck to all new starters this week and next Smile