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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Have we got a starting Secondary School Support thread?

989 replies

JiltedJohnsJulie · 30/08/2018 17:49

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 HmmSmile

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Penguinsnpandas · 06/09/2018 16:09

Mine have just got back but the school didn't have either of them on the register Confused though we did get places a few days before summer term ended.

They seem to be giving them places at least. Fortunately both seemed to cope OK even DS who is ASD. DS has been given a form tutor who he says is OK not the best not the worst, a history teacher who is apparently pretending to be nice but its clearly faked as the work was far too hard Grin, a nice art teacher and a ridiculous maths teacher who said this work is for geniuses when DS said it was super easy squared numbers.

DD didn't get given a timetable just a girl to follow round as they seemed completely Shock we have another y8 pupil. DD said girl was nice. Don't think she got a form tutor. DS said other children were OK but no friends yet. School not set up their dinner money scheme but are doing that tomorrow.

Hope others days went well.

Titsywoo · 06/09/2018 17:24

DS had another OK day. Wasn't so keen on some of the lessons like english and only did testing in maths and PE was just going over what they are doing this term. He has subjects he likes the sounds of tomorrow (apart from geography apparently even though he has never done it before!). He got lost again but his sister saw him wandering in circles and pointed him in the right direction.

DD seems better today as a few things are being sorted out to help her cope. It's almost funny how the child with ASD is fine and the NT one isn't coping! (it's not really funny I know).

SassitudeandSparkle · 06/09/2018 19:16

Best day so far here, liked the lessons today and didn't get lost at all! Slightly late home due to a bus issue but nothing serious, I was more worried about the rain as DD had gone out without a coat.

Penguin my DD would not have coped well if she'd turned up at a school and they were not expecting her, so well done to your two for that! Hope your DD is OK, Permanent

Penguinsnpandas · 06/09/2018 19:46

Glad your DD had a good day Sassitude

DS didn't seem to notice they hadn't been expecting him 😎 and all y7s do same so not much impact. DD said all the teachers were 😱😱😱 at her being there and seemed put out the Spanish teacher didn't let her answer questions (She's never done Spanish and was in top set Spanish class where they have done it a year though claims she understood everything). She was going through the other girls names and said Kitty and our cat came over to her and went meow. She seems to have a new super posh accent which she says is her new fake accent, she changes how she speaks to how most of kids speak at each school but its really overdone this time 😂

FrayedHem · 06/09/2018 19:56

Glad to hear DD is feeling a lot better Lougle.

After a rather rushed morning and some fussing about a purple pen and then coming back to get his phone, DS2 had another good day.

DS2 is certainly making good use of ParentPay and the canteen! DS1 is in Yr8. I put £10 when he started in Yr7 and he still has the same £10 on now as he won't go in the canteen even though it serves burgers and milkshakes good things he would eat and packed lunches are really difficult. (he has ASD and is an ASD base).

Lougle · 06/09/2018 21:33

DD2 got bus 2 home alone today, which was a triumph. Although her neighbour's mum was then really worried, because DD2's assumption that the neighbour had left her behind and got bus 1 (which was too overcrowded for DD2 to get on) was wrong, and it turned out that the neighbour hadn't come home at all. After some investigation, it transpired that neighbour decided to stay behind at school and cover a book without telling DD1 or her Mum, so didn't get on bus 1 or 2! I've told DD2 that she's going to have to just carry on coming home at the right time and tell her neighbour that she needs to follow the rules I've given her, and if that means that they sometimes aren't together, that's too bad.

Tonight was 'parent information night' and 'meet the tutor'. I thought DD2 would come (DD1 and DD3 were going to their grandparents), but she informed me that she had already been at school for 7 hours, that it was 'parent' information evening, and she couldn't see how she needed to meet the tutor when she had just spent the last 4 days with her! So having 3 very strong arguments against attending, she felt that she should go to Nanny and Grandad's while I went to the school.

I'm glad I went, as the form tutor was lovely, and said that she'll check in with DD2 daily to see how she is, and reassure her that she can tell her any worries about any lesson. She's said that it's no surprise that she's waiting for ASD assessment, and she's already finding her quite comical in her little ways, but thinks she's very lovely.

The SENCO was great. I got lots of cuddles with the new school dog (which made DD2 Curtis and jealous when I told her) and we're going to start keeping a "what if" worry log, and she's going to arrange a once weekly pre-school session where she can go and chat with the SENCO and the dog about those worries, and they'll write down the answers to them.

Titsywoo · 06/09/2018 23:13

I spoke too soon. DS just said he doesn't want to go tomorrow because it's "boring". Same thing he said everyday for the past 7 years of primary. Oh well, I'm not too surprised.

SassitudeandSparkle · 07/09/2018 07:50

DD was saying this morning that she needs a break and was hoping it was Saturday. I hope it's just tiredness, I had to remind her she was on the bus this morning after she tried to get into the car (I did offer her a lift but she plodded off down the road!).

I'll be glad to get the first week out of the way myself tbh! DD's school does the two week timetable thing, so we have another week of firsts to go. We'll have a celebration tea tonight and some big breakfasts over the weekend to restore ourselves!

Hope everyone else has a good day!

Penguinsnpandas · 07/09/2018 08:06

My DD was up at 6am singing away so hopefully a good sign.

DS did say his homework was to research a mathematician. I said which one, he said I don't remember it might have started with F Confused So now we are playing guess the mathematician. They were doing sequences and DH guesses Fourier but who knows.

DS is currently stressed as DD apparently emptied his bag to nose at all his things and so half his things are missing. Poor DS is ASD but at least she is repacking it.

Bunnybigears · 07/09/2018 08:15

So the waking up late and mad scramble to get to the bus stop on time happened today. At least we now know if necessary DS can go from fast asleep to out the door in 15 minutes. Shame it is school photo day and he still had bed hair!

Gileswithachainsaw · 07/09/2018 08:23

Well a bit of moaning about the blazer being too big or well every thing being a bit big really but other than that fairly smooth morning

Apart from discovering that despite spending weeks and several hundred pounds getting it all together I sodding forgot to get socks didn't I...Thank God her tights arrived. Organic 100 percent 10 a pair tights cos she has eczema ... They better not be damaged by the time she gets home...

Still she went put the door pretty happy and she said she will text at lunch....

Penguinsnpandas · 07/09/2018 08:29

We also had a mad sock scramble yesterday, sure I bought some but the sock monster ate them. DS loves school uniform and sometimes insists on wearing the trousers and socks in the summer.

MaisyPops · 07/09/2018 08:32

Gileswithachainsaw
Blazers often look big on new y7s. I think a lot of parents (sensibly) err towards the bigger size in anticipation of a massive growth spurt and because they are stupidly expensive for what they are most of the time

spiderlight · 07/09/2018 08:34

We had a wailing tiredness meltdown yesterday but he was fine once that was out of the way. He's brought his history book home to do some homework. Am I allowed to cover it in clear sticky plastic or will that be instant social death for him?

Titsywoo · 07/09/2018 08:35

Probably Fibonacci penguins

Lougle · 07/09/2018 08:46

Yes, I would definitely say it's the Fibonacci sequence. Very famous.

Cedar03 · 07/09/2018 08:46

Penguinsnpandas if it is sequences could it be Fibonacci (sp)?
Bunnybigears at least he made the bus!

Lougle your DD did well to get the bus home on her own. Sounds like the school are paying attention to her extra needs as well which is good.

DD's homework has mostly consisted of decorating the fronts of her exercise books so far. We also have a two week timetable to remember - which is tricky because not only do you have to remember which day it is but you also have to remember whether it is week one or week two. Yesterday they had a Geography test where I fear that she showed a shocking lack of geographical knowledge. She told me that she marked London on the middle of a map of the UK!Today she has her first Spanish lesson which hopefully she'll enjoy.

I am pleased it is the weekend coming up, overall she's enjoyed her first week so that is the important thing.

Lougle · 07/09/2018 08:47

Spiderlight at DD2's school they are expected to cover books in plastic to protect them.

Thinkingofausername1 · 07/09/2018 08:55

My dd on her third day. So far so good. I think I'm more nervous than her!!

Penguinsnpandas · 07/09/2018 09:00

Thanks very much for the maths homework mathematician. DH is French and so probably they had different ones. I will tell DS, DS probably won't accept it being ASD Hmm but its great to be able to give him a name.

Penguinsnpandas · 07/09/2018 09:04

Cedar DD also had a shocking lack of geographical knowledge last year, think DS will be the same asked me which part of London we live in, had to explain we don't live in London Hmm DD didn't seem to care either, she would get Sweden and Switzerland other way round and then say it doesn't matter as they both begin with S.

spiderlight · 07/09/2018 09:13

DS came home last night claiming that his History teacher had told the class that 'Anno Domini' was Latin for 'After Death' Confused I really hope he misheard. DH is a senior lecturer in Ancient History and nearly had an apoplexy!

sproutsandparsnips · 07/09/2018 09:25

I'm glad I've found this thread. DS is struggling, though I'm hopeful it's improving. He's crying every night, doesn't know why he feels so anxious and miserable. He's worried he won't keep up, or get bogged down by homework. But mostly he's just worried and therefore sad he says Sad. Still, it's better than it was. All of your dcs seem to be very resourceful - I'm not sure he'll manage the organisation.

AornisHades · 07/09/2018 09:28

Can I join you all?
I did look at the thread just before school started and thought dd's ASD etc probably put us in a different place but I see that's changed!
After a rocky start I did get assertive on day 1 and it's going OK. School seem to be getting it! We've got the same struggles with clothing as some of you. I'm hoping I've managed to explain to them that dd only wears soft unstructured clothes so the fact she's meeting all but 2 of the uniform rules is nothing short of miraculous!
There are still some issues - she hasn't spoken to anyone in her form - but it's better than I hoped this time last week.

Hersetta427 · 07/09/2018 09:33

DD doing fine but as she is super sporty (a national champion in her main sport) she was dismayed that during their first pe lesson yesterday she didn't even get to put her pe kit on (they just talked about what they would be doing etc).

She has signed up to 3 extra curricular clubs and is is the top set for all of their set subjects (english, maths, science, languages) so she seems to be doing well.