New Year 7 tips...

[starryeyed19]

I was wondering if anyone had any tips that would help with my DD starting Yr 7 in September? What do you wish you had known before your child started? What really helps? What really doesn't?

All advice gratefully received

One tip I picked up on MN is to buy 5 cardboard magazine files & label them with the days of the week.

At the end of each day get your DD to put her school books (plus dictionary, calculator etc) in the relevant file for the next time she has that lesson.

It makes it easier to pack her bag knowing that all her books are in the right place. It also means that if the book isn't in her bag or in the file then the teacher must have it.

It's been especially helpful as I have twin Yr 7 DDs in different schools plus they both have fortnightly timetables so we've had to be very organised!

DD has a lightweight pack-a-mac permanently in her rucksack so if it tips it down she doesn't get soaked, but without the need to have a proper coat on the off chance. Other girls carry a fold up umbrella.

The 'pay by finger' systems for lunches work better than cards as they can't lose their finger (except in a tech lesson). The actual fingerprint isn't stored, it is turned into a number, so it is all very secure.

Put a name tag on anything which you would like returned.

Minimise after school activities - they will be knackered. Make sure they get lots of calm and sleep.

Buy roll of Sticky backed plastic. They needed to cover their books Must be particular to individual schools. I've 3 dc (2 left, youngest in Yr11) at 3 different secondaries. Never covered a book.

I was going to say the Key one the Can'tKeepawayforever has mentioned. Keys are very easily forgotten, and, if lost outside the home, big implications for home security. I labelled ds's keyring "if foud, please hand in to Xschool" and we did get it back once, via that way.

Put the 'emergency period kit' into a pencil case, as it is apparently mortifying to thing that's might be what is inside a nice wash bag, whereas a 2nd pencil case blends into your bag better.

That 2nd pencil case idea is brilliant!

At both the schools I’ve worked at they are asked to cover books so it must be specific to the school. They will soon let you know.

If you get your child a new phone for secondary school (and it’s not necessary at all) then get the rules in place before you hand it over.

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but one thing my DCs have learnt ( year 7 and year 9) is to keep any revision notes made for end-of-topic tests, copies of tests etc so that end of year exams revision is a doddle. Even better is to make flash cards of important facts/ info as they go along. Then, when summer exams come around, it's just a case of revising, rather than making a whole set of revision resources from scratch.

On the subject of keys, DD's is on a long lanyard which is attached to a zip on the inside of her school bag - that way, she won't lose it and won't leave it in the door after she's let herself in.

Buy duplicate text books for things like maths & languages. Leave one text book at school and the other at home, reduces the weight in schoolbag dramatically (and also useful to have the old text books for reference as they go through the school).

Keep all books at home in ONE place. Then if it is not there they know it is either with the teacher or in their locker at school.

Work out how much sport they will be doing each week and buy enough PE kit for the week. Don't try to wash it mid week - one big sports wash at the weekend.

Agree a time to do homework each night adjusted for any clubs. Get in the habit of spending that time doing any work needed and not only what is urgent. Spare time go over language vocab etc (we have failed on this point in yr7 but next year we will do this!)

Do lots and lots of extra curricular stuff in yr7. You never know what you may enjoy - a lot will depend on who is running the club and how good they are so give lots of different things a go.

Remember you have to be with these kids for 5-7 years. Be "bright and breezy" - don't sweat the small stuff. Avoid conflicts. Avoid people you don't particularly like but don't make enemies if you can help it.

Some lovely advice here for all of us Y7 mums to be - thanks!

YY to letting them get on with it. Check they've done things but don't DO it for them.
Don't pack their bags for them
Don't micromanage their homework (soon you'll find you won't be able to help them).
The school will have systems in place for those that struggle with organisation in yr7. If your dc is one of those don't cover for them!

Homework in secondary school can be sporadic so it is sometimes difficult to establish a regular routine. My regret is not making a habit in Y7 of getting DS to do half an hour each night going over languages or science etc. even when there was no set homework as this would help when the workload gets heavier nearer GCSEs.

Our school has Homework Club until 4pm. Ie the Library stays open until 4, but if you are doing homework you get priority on the computers. You can also ask the Librarian for help, plus there are generally a handful of student mentors on duty, too, so that Y7s can ask, say, a Y9 for help. (The student mentor programme is one of the extension projects for G&T students.)

By the time they got home from school, my dc sometimes found it very difficult to put their 'school head' back on, and knuckle down to homework. So they have at times preferred to go to HC and get their homework out of the way immediately, so that they could have complete downtime at home. This was particularly helpful when there were younger siblings having playdates at home, etc.

One thing I am worried about is whether I should be encouraging my dd to cut down on her extra curricular clubs. I am a secondary teacher myself so know how tired new starters can be and atm dd is doing 1 1/2 hrs wind band on mon, 2 hours drama on tues, guides on wed and sat drama school. She will also be doing a flute lesson with hercurrent teacher as an out of school lesson so that will take another night.. Have previous new year 7 starters found this amount of clubs doable (esp with earlier starts and later home with bus journeys...)

Kate - mine has managed an 8.30 to 4.30 school day (inc travel) plus 2 hours swimming, one hour dance, two hours drama, Guides and archery. However all of these are the type of thing where if you miss the odd week it's ok, she's not working towards any exams or similar. She has been shattered by the end of each half term. However she has kept up all her homework with very little help and is happy to do it all.

I would agree about having an endless supply of stationery, ink cartridges, printer paper all to hand. Also copying the timetable and cut a spare locker key. And get a spare tie, spare PE socks, anything small and essential. Name everything.

But they have to find their own way with filing and organising - I tried concertina files, trays with days of the week and they all got rejected in favour of "stuff it all in a bag and panic if you can't find something". Neither DC has ever actually come a serious cropper from failures of this system, and it has taught them to organise themselves.

Thanks, dd is adamant that she wants to keep everything up so I guess it might be a case of seeing what happens.....

DD did 13.5 hours of dance every week (pretty much her highest weekly commitment in all her years of dance) in her first term of Y7. Plus being in the netball first team and playing an instrument.

She was fine. She was, and remains, formidably organised.

I agree - see how she gets on and if she can get her homework done. DDs school doesn't ask for anything in the next day so she has days when she doesn't do any homework.
Re tiredness also depends how long her day is / journey time.

I would agree with montenuit that it does depend on homework arrangements. DC's school has a strictly adhered to homework timetable, with no 'in for the next day' work and that has always helped DD to plan. (Very occasionally, an inexperienced teacher breaks ranks and tries to do unscheduled / overnight homework, but DD's form tutor has always been really good at helping to sort that out if it has clashed with a 'long' - 3 hour plus - dance night)

See if you can chat to any parents who already have a child at the school as lots if these things will be school dependant (eg.we do cover books, but buss pass phto is jpg online, have to take in own padlock for locker and homework appears on show my homework app).

Start the parent organisation early, practice route order any bus passes and check out uniform. That way more time to deal with any issues before school starts so less likely to have extra stresses.

I think a spare cartridge of printer ink in the cupboard is probably universally useful.

I know the DCs are a lot more independent at secondary but its still useful to have a few other parents to touch base with when you haven't had a letter you think you should have had, are not sure about a mufti day your child says is tomorrow but isn't on the school calendar etc. So it's worth getting chatting at parents eve etc if you don't already know any other parents.

On the subject of keys we have a key safe on the wall outside the front door so dc don’t need to take one to school. It’s been so handy for everyone, just make sure you get the police approved one that is as secure as a front door.

My worry about a keysafe is them taking the key inside, going out again and then its not there for the next person.

We have the spare key hidden in an outbuilding with a combination padlock on. You could put spare in keysafe for emergencies. I did this as I'm at work when mine get home so they would be stuck on doorstep

Everyone always opens the door and puts the key straight back in the key safe, haven’t had any incidents yet! You could keep two in there if you wanted

See, my DCs are supposed to put their keys straight back in their bags but tend to plonk them on the hall table instead, I tend to think they'd do the same with a keysafe. I'm also not sure if our house is suitable for one as the walls are rendered.