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

Brilliant for DS witchend getting into the club. and him sharing his newly found knowledge with you.

Well done DD Hersetta on her netball and all round doing well at school.

at the soft toys.

We're plodding along here, picking him up for his blood test soon. Have worked it so he should be back for afternoon registration but also misses PE! Need to get the follow up GP appt booked. DS2 now saying it feels like it's moved down on to his chest. His glands don't seem as enlarged, but I will just see what happens when I take him to one of the better GPs there.

I've had paperwork through from the new organisation which is taking over from CAMHS re. DD2's ASD assessment, so I've filled in my bit and sent the school's bit to her tutor. Apparently, once they've got both questionnaires through, we'll be sent an appointment for ADOS and psych/paediatrician appointments within 8 weeks, although the actual appointments could be for many months in the future, as their list is huge. DD2 has been waiting over a year from acceptance for formal assessment, though, so she should be fairly near the top of the list, I think....

School itself is still ok, thanks to the dog. But homework is a real struggle. DD2 doesn't seem to be able to do any qualitative work independently at all. She says that she just can't 'see' facts, even if they are right in front of her, unless someone is pointing them out.

She also gets completely stressed about the criteria for homework because she somehow imposes "rules" on it that she's made up. E.g. she is doing a fact file and she decided that it had to be just one page, and that it could only be one page, and that nobody else would do more than one page. Then she was completely stressed because her information wouldn't fit on one page. I was reassuring her that it could be more than one page and she was yelling at me that it couldn't and that I knew nothing! I asked her what fact file she'd seen that were one page and she said "None! But everyone knows they're one page!!! And they fold!!!" I realised that she was thinking of the leaflet that she'd made for English, and managed to calm her down, but it makes it all a real trauma!

I love DSs giant soft toys Witchend but they do start to take over the house - at one point DH threatened to leave if DS got another one to which DS replied I would prefer another soft toy to you Had to come to a peace deal of a car panda.

Sorry your DS is still ill Frayed, hope he starts to improve.

Glad your DD is OK at school Lougle and you are doing better than me on the homework, I don't think DS is doing any.

DS does seem to be happier at school now and they do seem to have support in place at present - how long it lasts I don't know but they've given me basic details in writing.

I hope you get the assessment date through soon Lougle. Sorry homework is still a cause of stress. I've been googling executive function and working memory difficulties re my DS3 and a lot of what you've said there about DD2 is stuff I've read recently.

Glad DS is happier and support is still in place penguins. Fingers crossed it continues.

DS2 does seem better but is still very tired. I have a GP appt booked for next week so will see how that goes.

Signing back in as this fell off my TIO. This is our first week back after half term. DC managed to go down with a sickness bug at the weekend so we had Monday at home - I was more than ready to go back to work myself! Both dc went back on Tuesday although DS was still not 100% so it’s been a long short week. Is it Friday yet?

Hope you are all better now Cheminotte, nothing like a family sickness bug.

Hope your GP appointment goes well Frayed

DS happier all last week but school calling us in to review arrangement. Their old primary seems to be in choas, Head got removed, no Deputy and now all governing body have resigned and LEA is appointing an Interim Executive Board to manage school. Wondering what's going on there.

We have to email the school by Monday - after thinking things had settled down, the bullies who were vile to DS in primary and over the summer started on him again on the way home on Friday. He normally walks with his three friends, but one of them is in hospital having a heart op and the other had been picked up for a weekend with his dad, so it was just DS and one other (who's a girl) walking home, and four boys surrounded him calling him names and pushing him. He and his friend crossed the road to get away from them and they followed him, and then one of them ran at him to push him into a bush. Unfortunately for him, DS is a fencer and quite quick on his feet, so he stepped out of the way at the last second and the bully couldn't stop his lunge and ended up with his head stuck in the bush. (Oh dear. What a shame....). DS's friend's mum was waiting in her car so she picked them both up and brought him home - he's actually OK about it, considering, but we're definitely going to make the school aware.

Hope you're all fully recovered now cheminotte

Glad DS is happier Penguins. Hope the review went/goes o.k. Our primary is in a permanent state of chaos, but Ofsted seem to love the Executive Head so they get a pass whilst all the parents are just left

Your poor DS & his friend spiderlight I hope the school are able to do something. Hope the friend who had the heart op is doing o.k.
at the bully ending up stuck in the bush!

Chugging along here. DS2 was most indignant at being falsely accused of talking in a lesson on Friday. He is seeming a lot better in general, still going to take him to the GP on Thurs though.

Glad your DS is getting better Frayed Really obvious there were problems at primary with governance as I pointed out at the time to Ofsted and LEA but they ignored it rated school good and sent a letter out saying how wonderful they were a year ago. Now they've removed the whole governing body and presumably school is about to go into special measures as no Head or Deputy either. The Ofsteds are going to make interesting reading one a year ago saying a "small minority"(that's 30% on their survey) think there are major problems at this school and basically implying they are bonkers. Then they will apparently have another one imminently which should put them in special measures.

Spider Would make school aware and hopefully they will at least watch them closely.

Head of year phoned me at 9.30 this morning to say that all four of the bots had been spoken to and put in isolation for their first lesson and to let her know immediately if there was any retaliation. She said that if they do anything else their parents will be brought into the school and that she intends to nip this in the bud. Hope DS is happier when he comes home today. He was saying yesterday how much he wished he could change his hair colour so they'd leave him alone :( He has beautiful, beautiful strawberry blonde hair but it's close enough to ginger for him to get a hard time over it.

The old primary sounds a right mess Penguins. Our local primary was given Inadequate Serious Weaknesses when it really should have been special measures. They weren't even doing pre-employment checks amongst a whole range of failings. They've been reinspected and gone up to the giddy heights of RI. Just about to do DS4's school application. Oh well I will only have to keep dealing with them until July 2026

Glad the HOY is taking it seriously spiderlight.Sorry to hear that he is getting negative comments about his hair. There's no pleasing bullies and it's awful how the child they target ends up turning themselves inside out. I hope the school are able to quash it once and for all.

DS2 texted to say he forgot his snack. Never really sure what he wants to me say? He keeps either not getting any lunch because of queues, or buying junk as there's nothing left he likes. So he'll be extra grumpy when he gets home. He still refuses to take a packed lunch though.

Good luck surviving that school Frayed I trust you rushed to school with new snacks.

Glad school are dealing with things Spider

DS came back cheerful today and explained he takes drumsticks lollies to school and all the year 7 boys love them. Asked him if you are allowed to do that and he said yes its packed lunch and I shout out hashtag drugs for drumsticks as people go hyper on them but I don't know if drugs make your hyper.

@ hashtag drugs for drumsticks penguins.

DS2 has now devised a system of buying his lunch at the end of the first morning break when the queue isn't as long. Had much huffing and puffing last night over homework which was only to cut and stick things in a book. He is so tetchy atm and not really enjoying school at all. There's apparently only 3 subjects he likes because he doesn't like the teachers of all the other subjects.

And he's lost another bloody coat!!

Oh no spiderlight I hope he finds it.

Back from GP with DS2. Blood tests were better than last time. But his throat is still inflamed and glands still enlarged. GP will refer to paediatrician as been over 2 months now. She did mention Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hope your DS gets better soon Frayed

Hope you find coat Spider DS has a bright red coat so if he loses it we can find it more easily and if he runs off at school they can spot him. I did only get a cheap one though with track record of losing everything.

DS is currently refusing to eat anything at school unless he can get it for below cost price. So comes home starving everyday saying can I go to Co-op. Had meeting with school today and he's improving apparently but still has his moments and quirks like will only do history lessons standing up presumably for a quick getaway. 😂

Glad his blood tests were a bit better. It must be such a worry for you. Really hope it's not CFS.

Dobbins ds had something similar-nothing on bloods but really tired in year 4. They never got to the point in diagnosing CFS as he was definitely improving once they'd eliminated all the nasty possibilities. He was worst in January, saw paed in February half term, and was clearly improving around Easter. It was probably a full year before he was truly better.

Spider at least your ds wears a coat. Mine looked at me as though I was joking when I suggested one might be a good idea. Being non-uniform day today he's gone in in shorts. The shorts he's chosen are almost identical to his games shorts, so I suggested he might like to wear something different before anyone comments. He said "who cares? they're comfortable."

Hurrah - the coat is back!

Thanks all, I still suspect DS2 has, or has had, Glandular Fever as he still has the inflamed throat and enlarged glands. Hopefully this is a post-viral thing rather than CFS. He's absolutely shattered tonight probably not helped by not eating lunch. He'd bought it at break but then forgot he'd bought it. He's always been a bit scatty but I feel he's achieved a new level of scattiness.

I have rung and spoke to the school and they have agreed to make arrangements for him to go elsewhere instead of PE where he has to act as assistant. Also means he won't have to take his kit in which will be a big help on PE days.

That must have been a tough year witchend but glad DS fully recovered in the end. Hope he had a good day in his comfy shorts!

Glad he got his coat back spiderlight.

Glad he coat the coat back Spider

My DS also is a coat refuser too Witchend At first school messaged me a couple of times hence purchase of second coat but now school have realised with no coat DS doesn't run off outside so he's easier to find so they are leaving him without coat.

DS was very disgruntled today. There was a cake sale at school today and they moved it so he couldn't find it. He's just made some cookies to get over the trauma.

DD2 finally has her ASD assessment dates! I wasn't able to make one of the dates because I'm already committed elsewhere, so the lady said she'd go back on the waiting list, but when I stopped breathing politely asked that they make a note that we'd be willing to take any cancellations, because she's been waiting so long and I just can't be in 2 places at once and am already committed with a competition for DD2 on that date, the lady put me on hold and asked if I could make this Sunday, as they have a cancellation. So, of course, I jumped at it! We then have the interview on 1st December.

Well done on getting assessment dates Lougle

Hope your DS is improving Frayed

DD said DS ran off after a fire drill again today but he's denying everything. DD seems to be having few issues again which am trying to sort out - seem to have her in middle sets for three subjects despite her being at a superselective grammar last year as top sets are full and she is really coasting and getting silly with that which was fine for a few weeks but no end in sight currently. Cat got very ill at the weekend collapsed and vet found heart and kidney problems, she's 14 and think days maybe numbered but spent much of day cuddling with me and purring. Got 2 work contracts on at same time and still trying to sort old house each weekend and DD is nagging for a white mountain dog, exactly what we need Though she is promising the earth to get one - helping every weekend on the house to raise money to buy dog and that she'll go to Cambridge University. She then said I just want to get any grades then you phone up and argue to get me in as you are amazing at that

I'm glad you got a cancellation Lougle, it's been a long time coming. I hope the appointments go well.

Poor DS, hope he is o.k. I also hope you get DD's sets sorted out penguins. Sorry your cat hasn't been well, at least she is comfortable for now. I'm taking my 16 year old cat to the vet tomorrow as she is not herself and suspect she may be on the final countdown too.

DS2 has been off sick, totally wiped out with a cold. Cried himself senseless on Friday and pretty much laid on the sofa until yesterday. He's been perkier today so hopefully he'll be o.k. for tomorrow.

Hope the vet can work their magic on your cat and your DS gets better.