Have we got a starting Secondary School Support thread?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I’ve just just asked DD what the sandwich box and bottle are for in the fridge. It turns out she’s made her first packed lunch ready for school. She doesn’t start till next Tuesday

Oh blimey. Massive upheaval for you all then! The school sounds lovely on paper and hopefully there will be nicer people there but she needs to ditch this girl somehow! No idea how you'd get her to see that, though :/

Just had DS form tutor on phone, can we pick him up, he's throwing his planner on the floor. The f/t said he had upset him discussing planners but I said no its his sister, she was announcing what she had said to him and saying she was going to get Mummy put in prison. Poor DS. DH just off to get him but at least can tell him its OK.

Blimey penguin it's all happening for you this week

penguins

wow been lurking,i have a DS in year 7 and have enjoyed reading this thread for those having a tough time

penguins you can have double sounds like you deserve them

Thanks and welcome Flopsy

DD fell asleep at 5.45pm after 2 hours of its not fair, I am going to annoy you so much you let me out, can't I just go out tonight, my whole life is over, I can't live without my phone. Phew long may sleep last 😎

Yikes *Penguins, sorry things have been difficult. It's great the school are supportive and I hope DD responds to making some better choices. Is DS o.k now?

DS2 decided not to hand the note in to his mentor as he was feeling better but did use the PE note. He seems o.k. though has been a proper smart arse tonight and I got a tad fed up of it. Perhaps he was hangry as since dinner he has been a lot less irritable. DS3 has enjoyed his day off and wants to go back to the hospital again tonight. Err nope.

Yes DS is fine. DD has woken up and is screaming first at me told her I was ignoring her as had 3 hours of this so she's gone to scream at poor DH. 😭 Apparently she is also refusing to eat but ate 2 chocolate bars!

anyone else gets half of endless letters and notes from school? we could fill a folder now...

Not here redshoes - almost paper-free compared to primary. Just found one letter informing me of upcoming tutor evening in DS’s bag but otherwise has been via parent pay (English trip, locker, school dinners) with info on portal.

We have had precisely one letter, which came home today and was to 'remind' us that it's a fecking Inset day on Monday!! First I'd heard of it and none of DS's friends' parents seemed to know either.

Am having difficulties posting so I hope this works...
Penguins

Just one letter home here so far. Think they leave it up to the pupils whether to take the letters home about clubs etc so DS2 hasn't brought anything like that back. Had a couple of emails.

Thanks Well DD won't go to sleep but is currently knitting (and slept before) 😱

Letter-wise, we had a request for a voluntary contribution within the first week for one subject DD has an inset day coming up this half-term which I knew about by getting the term dates, and we've had a few letters about other things.

Homework is proving to be a bit of a pain tbh, have one big project to do so will keep her on track over the next few days! I am loving show my homework, so handy!

Does anyone feel like their kids' school are a bit OTT with detentions? I don't have a problem if they are for rudeness/messing around/bullying but they get after school ones for being late to a lesson (even though the second bell hadn't gone. A bell at the end of one lesson and second one 5 mins later at start of next lesson.)
For getting a low mark in a test.
For forgetting PE socks.
Not my child yet but we've had tears a couple of times with dd worrying about getting one.
I've tried to reassure her that it's not scary if she did get one, it's just sitting in a classroom for a bit.
None of the above would have merited a detention in my high school and definitely not in the first month of year 7

dc tells us about lots of detentions.
lots of whole class detentions for phones ringing in class.

so far the detentions seem sensible, the pupils get a warning first and a chance to rectify the issue then only a detenton after that.

DS2 said Yr7s are given up to 5 minutes grace for being late until October. When he forgot to bring his homework the teacher allowed him to bring in first thing otherwise it was a lunch detention. He has said other groups have had a whole class detention.

My secondary used to suspend pupils regularly over uniform. Things like non-regulation skirts, wearing Doc Martins. Bullying was o.k. though

Ours its fairly strict but do make adaptions for detentions. DD got one for laughing in class. DS has none, being excused for ASD.

CrumpettyTree - it seems that the threat of detention for just about anything is pretty much par for the course in Yr7.

It may scare them in the first term but after Christmas it'll become a 'badge of honour' once they realise it's generally 10 minutes at lunchtime.

By Yr8 (which mine are) they're almost blasé about it.

I've actually got one in year 10 at the same school and i remember being shocked at how strict it was in year 7, but i can't remember the details of why people got detentions back then. I think i thought it was just dd1's form tutor who was strict. This seems to be more widespread. There's been a change of leadership so maybe that's it.

Also these are after school but i don't know how long for. I remember dd getting a break time one for not having something signed. She never gets them nowadays

Mine hasn't mentioned anyone having any detentions yet so I don't think his school are particularly strict about it. He keeps coming home saying how lovely all (bar a couple) of the teachers are so they may be easing them in gently!

My son has also mentioned that the majority of people have had 15 minute detentions for petty things like getting lost on the first week
I'm not sure 15 minute detention is a real punishment for bad behaviour, obviously they handout hour detentions for worse behaviour but if everyone gets 15 min detentions I think they become used to them and it's not seen as a punishment at all