Yr7 new starters

[simpson]

Hi...

Just wondering if other parents/kids are worrying about starting secondary school. We have had tears (from DS) tonight and we still have another week to go!!

I am sure he will be fine but I am worrying (as is he).

I agree Patricia. I know of several school who do that, and I think it is great.

We had the last minute "this has to be done by tomorrow" thing the other night, but luckily it wasn't too late when he remembered.

Boy just got home now, his muddy PE kit is still at school (half in the English classroom, but his boots are in the Science lab). He has PE again on Monday, so will have to a) find it by then and b) wear it very muddy!

Moral of that story is don't leave your PE kit behind in random classrooms, I suppose.

We've decided not to do homework on a Friday night so he is wasting time watching people playing games on Youtube. Surely even more pointless than actually playing the games yourself.

God yes the watching gaming videos drives me mad. And they seem to idolise the you tubers who do it. Some of them are not entirely appropriate viewing for kids either so I have to keep a close eye on that.

Dd had a good day. They set them in maths and she is top set! Amazing since she used to hate maths but her year 6 teacher was fab and really helped her improve and start enjoying it.

DS has come home with another 2 pieces tonight. One of which is due in on Monday. Once he has eaten, the plan is to bang out 2 (of the now 6 he has to do) tonight & 2 on Sunday (I like him to have one full day off a week which is usually Saturday).

This is the plan....doesn't actually mean it will happen

Hello, new to this thread, but it seems like the place to ask this question.

Have any of you come across 'global grades'? Had a letter this weekend from school (DS has just started year 7, he's pfb so it's all new), which says it 'explains the assessment system for the school'.

Each child is given a 'global grade' and there's a table outlining the expected trajectory from year 7 to year 11. It doesn't really explain it at all, but it does say that his global grade is formed based on his performance at primary school and is an average across all subjects.

We've had the whole of primary school being told he's a bright, articulate, curious child who asks good questions, is engaged with his subjects and enjoys learning, although he has trouble getting his thoughts on paper in the time given (this has consistently been an issue since reception).

His global grade is D, with an expected trajectory to C at the end of year 11.

I'm a bit speechless. I've done a bit of googling research and I can sort of see how this works but they do appear to be predicting - in week four of year 7 - how they think he will do in his GCSEs. If his predicted outcome is a C are they going to challenge him with work at a higher level? Where is the room for those sudden moments of inspiration? For suddenly meeting the right teacher and something clicking?

DS is despondent and at age 11 wondering if there's any point in pursuing his ambition to do a zoology degree.

Freezer 'global grades' sounds a bit rubbish. They cannot know how a new y7 will perform in GCSEs, and an 'average' across all subjects is a bit pointless.

Have you looked into dyspraxia?

My understanding is that schools are measured on progress from KS2 SATS to GCSE. A combination of reading and maths SATS are used to predict grade for all GCSEs not just maths and English. This progress measure is set by the government and not the schools choice. What score did he get on his reading and maths SATS papers?

Hmm. Did they do any testing as they entered high school? My boy did baseline assessments (MIDYIS tests) - these give a GCSE prediction, based on lots of previous data. Or they used to - with the changes in SATs and the changes to GCSEs I suspect nobody knows quite what is going on.

I wouldn't take it too much to heart at this stage. Are the children set for core subjects? Does junior Freezerbird know which set he is in? Is there movement between them?

We're in Wales so the SATs thing is a bit different. They did tests in y6 in literacy and maths. He's bang in the middle of average for both although his maths was worse in y6 - the whole year group dropped in that as apparently there was something of a disconnect between what they were told to teach and then what was actually in the test...

So the testing thing is relevant. There's been no testing as he started secondary so this is all on the y6 tests and what the y6 teacher passed on to them.

I popped in to see his old y6 teacher when I picked dd up this afternoon and asked her what she thinks. She advised me to tear the letter up in front of him which I have done and he is cheerier. I also feel better about it - just seeing his grin as he realised what I was doing was great. (She didn't say anything we hadn't already said but anything coming from Ms H has a lot more weight than what I say.)

There's no indication of dyslexia or dyspraxia, he just seems to be a slow processor (and also a bit of a perfectionist who is unwilling to start anything he's not sure he'll be brilliant at - we're working on it).

He has a congenital medical condition which can cause brain damage but he has always appeared to be completely unaffected in that regard (his neurosurgeon agrees on this), and we've been so busy dealing with the wider medical ramifications of it all we've never needed to think about whether he is actually affected academically in some way and I don't really know where to start with that.

They have always done this. It is partly an ofsted issue, the school is expected to get children so many stages further on from where they were at end of KS2. It is the same at primary, they are supposed to be some many steps on between KS1 and KS2.

I lve your Y6 teacher saying tear up the letter

Can I join please? My ds has just started at a grammar school. The homework he has is quite intense which isn't helped by the fact that he will spend a significant portion of his time avoiding doing the actual work by making it look pretty with pictures downloaded from the internet.
Socially I don't think he has settled at all. We have had a few issues with a supposed friend (went with him from primary) who has been downright mean to him. He seems to spend his breaks and lunches wandering by himself. Is this normal?

bearded are there some clubs he can join? My son has joined up to a couple of puzzle clubs, he's not sporty. It might be worth emailing his form tutor to ask them to keep an eye out.

It does take a while beardy. Please let his tutor know, they really do want to know if there is a problem, he/she may be able to direct him to a club, or pair him up with someone.
dds school has a buddy system, and this is a classic case where a buddy would help. dd has alos found that she likes the library at lunchtime, it seems that other girls like her hang out there too!

ds and dd are both at grammar schools, the homework hasn't been too bad, but the jump up from primary to secondary is such a change in homework style, and I found a lot of it requires the internet, so the potential for faffing is HUGE.

I spent several hours yesterday sitting next to dd as she worked on her art homework, pushing her to keep going, as otherwise she just fiddles.

with the club thing, dd went to a club that started last week, and came home saying she had met her personality twin. I think it is the first person she has really clicked with.

Would definitely second (& third!) joining a club. DS is very sporty so plays for the school football team and has made loads of friends that way.

He seems to enjoy the school but misses his best friend from primary and is almost on his knees with sheer exhaustion, roll on half term!

Forgot to ask...DS came home with his English book yesterday and I had a flick through and it hasn't been marked once this school year (including homework).

DS said they go through homework verbally in class...

Is this normal?

DD seems to be settling down a bit. Helped by joining the Netball Team, track team and Gym club. Not many of her friends in primary were sporty, so she is making new friends that are.

Homework is still an issue and I'm getting irritated with her Maths teacher who marks answers wrong, but instead of explaining the question/answer then writes "research the right answer/right way to express this at home" - which leads to more angst because she can't do that if she doesn't know the starting point...

We are having a homework meltdown too. He has a ludicrous amount which isn't helped by the fact that he is very disorganised. I have been really helping hin over the last few weeks but I have told him that I won't continue to do so. He needs to learn how to do it and to a decent standard. He is perfectly capable just not ordered enough.
He has had a better day socially. He joined in with a games club and has another one to go to next week so hopefully he will find his feet.

bearded - can you continue to support with organisation, but withdraw help with content?
I do think it takes some of them a LONG time to learn to be organised.
I sat next to dd on the sofa for ages on Tuesday night as she was doing art research and just found it so hard to be efficient. I was just saying, OK, chose the next one, move one, and the next, etc. Otherwise she would spend hours reading every little thing she looked at, the internet is just too big.

dd had a 'bring your parent to school' day yesterday, a chance, after school, for you to show your parents round and introduce them to your friends and their parents. Nice idea.
me -when letter first came home- shall I come?
dd - NO
me - a week later - shall I come ?
dd- NO
me on monday - shall I come?
dd - NO
me yesterday morning - shall I come?
dd - NO

2:30 pm - text from dd - please come, all the other parents are coming. Cue me frantically phoning round to find dd2 somewhere to go after school, and letting school know and me driving close to the wind to get there.

I knew she would want me there, I should just have organised it!

So dd said she was teased for the first time today. They had to write a list of 3 jobs they would like to do and for one of them she put model. One of the girls to saw it and "ooh" and started laughing as did another girl. One of the boys said "your eyebrows are too bushy and you'd have to wear foundation". She has acne that she's embarrassed about and her eyebrows are lovely and thick (think Cara Delavigne). She's a bit upset by the whole thing.

Also they found out that a girl was mugged outside the school at 4pm yesterday. Apparently someone came up to her with a knife and asked for her phone. It was right outside the school gates. Luckily the girl ran away and was fine but we got an email about it and the police are investigating. Dd walks home every day so it is a concern. We've been told to discuss with them how to keep themselves safe. Any ideas?

Oh titsy, that is a worry.

I would say - no phone in hand on the street. If the motive is robbery, a phone is pretty much all that a school kid has to steal.

Titsy, how bitchy of that boy to make that comment and of the girls to laugh. Has your dd got nice kids at the school to hang out with? I suppose you always get a minority of horrible kids in each class, but hopefully your dd will build up a nice, supportive group to hang out with over time.

Horrible about the mugging. Does your dd have anyone to walk to and from school with?

Yes I'll be telling her to keep her phone out of sight from now on. From what I dd has told me this boy is a bit nasty and one of the girls who was laughing has already had a falling out with dd so I think they are just a bit like that in general. She has made a couple of good friends who are really nice which helps. None of her friends walk the same way as her but it is just half a mile or so along a main road and lots of other kids walk the same way so it's as safe as it can get really.

Just when I think ds is settling and making friends it all goes tits up again. A boy he was getting friendly with all of sudden seems too cool for school and has been with another lad trying to get ds to swear and watch porn errrghh. It seems such a shame as they were getting on so well. Ds is sensitive and whilst I always moan he has no common sense he does seem to have good morals and a grown up attitude telling them no thanks it's gross. He has also been paired with another boy from his primary who seems to rub others up the wrong way which then effects him but he feels loyal to that friend. Ds was badly bullied in primary so I just feel like crying :-( he is a lovely boy but maybe too nice for his own good

Things are up and down with my DD (she has no-one from primary).

I'm immensely proud of her organisation skills. She's on top of her homework and timetable and is up before me packing her bag etc. She had lots of positive points from her teachers on our parent school website. also pleased she has joined a netball club, drama club and bug hotel club (?).

However, socially she's still a bit wobbly. She has made friends with people who are in different tutor groups and has a few tentative connections with her tutor group. She seems to chat equally to the boys and the girls. She just says things that break my heart like - "when do you think I'll find my proper friends who are like me?" Or "there's the popular girls in my tutor, but I don't know why they're popular. Why can't I be popular?"

I'm worried because my dd doesn't seem very 'typical' of a nearly 12 yr old. She's incredibly mature in her likes - BBC drama, stand up comedy, politics etc. She had friends in primary but they never truly understood her properly. I'm worried she's destined to always be a bit out of step.

Dh thinks I worry too much and I probably do, however in the one to who dd expresses everything from worries, insecurities and thoughts. I absorb them all like a sponge.