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

I think 7 miles is far for them too and DS is small and not too active so may struggle. DD is much taller and very sporty so fine for her.

I think school grading for DS goes it was so bad I'm going to run away rather than discuss it, bad, meh and reaches a high point of OK. Though on Friday DH got a fine out of him - I suspect for Friday at 3.05pm or it was a fine, don't ask me any questions DH.

Sponsored walk sounds good. Is that an end of term thing? I was a PE avoider too but that was due to being picked last for netball etc. Running and walking I can do.
The run was 3k not 3 miles wasn’t it?

Ah yes 3k. My mistake. I'd cheerfully have swum that but my undiagnosed asthma didn't agree with running :)

How is DD Aornis?

Glad DS has been o.k. at school for the last couple of days Penguins

I have the blood test form but I will take him next week now. DS2 was very keen to have the blood test this afternoon, as he's not looking forward to drama! Apparently they were set the task of working in groups to produce a 5-6 minute thing but they had to do it at break times as this was set at the end of the last lesson, and I don't think this has happened for his group due to them being disorganised. TBH I do see DS2's point, some have their lunch at first break, some at lunchtime, both have huge queues. So getting a consensus on when they were going to prepare just didn't happen.

Non-uniform day tomorrow, in aid of a mental health charity. The pupils decided what the cause was going to be and chose mental health. Very fitting, given the sad news the school had earlier in the term.

It's an inherent feature of 11 year olds en masse to be disorganised surely?

Dd's OK pottering quietly. I'm working. The minute we talk about school her anxiety visibly rises though. We're meeting them again tomorrow. I suspect we'll go round in circles with their self imposed things that must happen.

We have non-uniform day tomorrow as well. Has to wear something red. Much angst. Has a red t-shirt he loves, featuring a design from a car anime that he loves, but nobody else is into Japanese cars so he's worried that it will be 'wrong'. Wanted to wear his school PE hoody, which has red sides. I advised that he would probably stick out like a sore thumb, and have ended up buying a plain red hoody that he can wear over the car t-shirt and zip up if he wants to. Some days he worries so much about things like this and other days he wouldn't care if he was dressed in a bin-bag!

Aornis Disorganised is indeed a inherent feature as none of them had managed it. No consequences so all ended well!

Good luck with the meeting tomorrow. It is so bloody hard and I know how futile it can feel. Fingers crossed they see the light. The passing for normal/no support=success is so entrenched. I have it with DS3's primary school. I've brought them up short on it and they were all . I think I'm getting a bit blunt after years of SEN-ing!

I bet he gets lots of positive comments about his top spiderlight. How is he finding his new classes?

Think its an annual sponsored walk - in the past its raised a lot for the school though this year quite a lot of people seem not to be donating. Though they were suggesting £20 donation per child which seems on the high side to me for an average donation.

Hope you get the blood test done fine Frayed

Spider Hope he's fine in his hoody. Sponsored walk is supposed to be non uniform and fancy dress. DS hates non uniform alone - he even wears school uniform on the weekends unless we are going out. I told him I was binning his old primary uniform and he said no I will wear it over the summer so he kept some of it.

Aornis Good luck with the meeting. Hope you get a breakthrough.

Today wasn't bad apparently - did 4/5 lessons just not history.

He's settled into his new classes really well and says he prefers it because the work's so easy and that it's just like set 1 but with more support - which basically means that he's going to coast along and never get back into set 1. Frustrating. I mean, I'm glad he's happy, but I know he can do a hell of a lot better when he actually puts his mind to it. He's incredibly bright (I know all MN kids are bright but he really, really is!) but frankly he's also inherently lazy, doesn't see the point of schoolwork, doesn't see the need to write anything down - if he knows something, he's happy with that and refuses to accept that he needs to demonstrate in writing that he knows it! He's a lovely lad but my God he's frustrating sometimes!

Spider that would be exactly what I would be concerned about when you first said about it.

Ds has had the rest of the week off. I knew once he'd had a day off he'd really struggle to get back, but he has genuinely managed to keep his temperature up, and he's as white as a sheet. Problem is that with dd2 I can send her in knowing that if she's not good she will go to the office and they will send her home. With ds he won't say and just struggle.
He's so much happier not at school though. (he's currently singing "half term, no school...")

Witchend We have 'Y7 Success Evening' next week, which is a sort of semi-parents'-evening in which we see his form tutor and head of year, so we will be raising this concern with them and making sure he's not just left to cruise along unchallenged.

Sorry your DS is still poorly. Hopefully a rest over half term will see him right. We still have another week to go!

Half term here - DS is back from the 7 mile walk and seems to have gone well. He said he was at the front the whole way and his class raised the most in his House. He said some children weren't sensible and tried to go ahead of teacher - I thought DS would do that but he said no he didn't and they threatened the group that did with detention.

They have put an ad out for TAs so hopefully that includes DS, looks like a re advertisement so don't know if they struggle to get staff. Though thought there was high demand to be a TA.

great job on the walk penguin and fingers crossed for the ta.

HAPPY HALF TERM

Penguins phew that it went well.
Witch sounds like he really should be home and the struggle to get him back will presumably be the same after half term anyway.
spider the coasting would bother me too. I wonder if there will be something that will persuade him that top set is worth it.

Well the meeting went better than last week! We presented a plan to try after half term and they accepted it. And dd is on board so hopefully they'll see how she can be when things are good. So relieved.

Thanks Red

Well done on meeting Aornis

Witchend My DS sings those sorts of songs but currently he's too busy trying to find where DDs birthday cake from earlier this week is hidden. She asked for a giant cookie cake and its 3 giant choc chip cookies held together with nutella, perfect when you are 11 and 13, a bit much as an adult.

anyone else received a spectacularly smelly pe kit?

No. DS hardly ever brings his back. Says there's no point in washing it as he will only get it dirty again.

Penguin ds spent today making his sister a birthday cake. he said "I'm doing school work. This is technology". It is a miracle of chocolate and he is delighted with it.
He's very careful with his PE kit. I think about year 4 the teacher told them at some point something about them smelling and I'm instructed to wash it between each wearing very carefully.I actually fold it back up neatly and he hasn't realised and only actually wash it at the weekendI'm not sure what was said but it clearly was quite impactful as I have a struggle to get him to see he needs a bath when he's had football and is toe to hair covered in mud-but he's only bothered that his PE kit needs washing.
Sounds like the walk went well. Hope the TA is for you.

Glad the meeting went well Aornishope it all works out.

Glad DS has settled well spiderlight and I hope they can give some reassurance on cruising when you have the meeting next week.
I hope DS is feeling better soon Witchend.
penguins Sounding very positive with DS and school. I think secondary TAs require a more specific skill set, just from what I've seen. Perhaps the previous applicants haven't been right for the job?
brilliant result on the meeting Aornis. Fingers crossed the plan works

red no smelly kit here as there's nowhere to store it at school so they have to take it in and carry it round on the days they have it. DS2 not actually doing PE atm but still has to take it and get changed.

DS2 did really well on some maths tests. It is "his" subject and he's been finding the pace really slow and has been a bit...disappointed? I think I bigged up secondary school maths a bit too much in hindsight. His art result was a completely different story!

It's been a good week all round for all the DC which is a rare thing in this house. I got a letter home about DS1 saying he's been given a commendation in science for his work this half-term. This is huge as it's a mainstream lesson and he normally doesn't really participate, but he's really starting to engage in everything. He hates praise so we all have to be outwardly nonchalant.

I said I'd buy them an ice cream from the van and of course it hasn't bloody turned up tonight! argh!

DD came home and said DS got to walk one of the SLTs dogs all of the 7 miles and she was seriously jealous.

Witchend Hope your DD has a great birthday. We also have issues getting DS in the bath though once in you can't get him out. Same with a swimming pool - half an hour of saying it isn't needed he had a bath/swimming last year then half an hour of I don't want to get out. I remember going on holiday with the kids when they were little and teasing them I had lost their suitcases and DD was very worried about clothes. DS said oh well. I told him you don't need to change clothes anyway for a week do you as you're a boy. And he replied that's right.

Once had a message from school on Monday that DS was wearing the same polo shirt with paint stains as on Friday. He had been given a clean one but apparently decided there was no point wearing a clean one as he was going to get more paint on it on Monday. Then we had why is the teacher nagging me. It apparently gets worse as they become teenagers with ASD.

Glad things are going well Frayed The advert does say help with maths and science. DS has suggested I apply but he did this at primary and primary offered begged me to do the role without me applying - I didn't as he needs to work with others and had a much better paying job then - but he needs to be OK with others and he can't take me to his first job can he!

Happy half term to those of you who have it now and sympathy to those who don't - it'll be our turn to be jealous the following week

We still have a week to go.
DS got into trouble this week for using the N word in a piece of history writing. He’d read it in their source text and was using it. He’s never come across it before so didn’t know it was offensive but he said the teacher didn’t believe him when he said that.
We have bath time avoidance here too, am not glad to hear it’s only going to get worse...

dc likes to 'stand in the rain' under the shower for a long time. but needs reminders to actually use soap...

Just had invite to the first parents evening and you can choose which subject tutors to see. There are 15 subjects. Should I see everyone? I already know where the issues are (the academic subjects that need writing) so definitely need to see those teachers. But it’s going to be a depressing evening if I only see those I think!

We always just do a few and ones that matter for GCSEs so English, Maths, Science etc. The rest I figure he can give up and if there's major issues they should make you aware anyway.

We are on half term here - DD helped clear our old house on Sat after much complaining and has been out with friends parts of today and yesterday. Took DS bowling which was nice but then DH crashed the car into someone else's on way back - no-one injured but two cars needing work. I've had a freelance contract from the Carribean so working on that. Cat is busy eating the rest of lunch DH bought for me - chicken with chesnut, leek and bacon stuffing in gravy with potatoes and cabbage. Hope those on half term are having a good time and those not it's going OK.

Thanks Penguin . DP has pointed out even just seeing the five core subjects (Eng, Maths, Science, History, Geography) will take an hour but longer if there are gaps!