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Secondary education

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

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Original poster

How are all the children about to start secondary school feeling? Nerves? Excited? And how are all you Mums?!

65 replies

MummyPenguin · 20/08/2007 09:08

My DD is starting grammar school in September. I can't believe how quickly it's coming around!! The holidays have gone so fast! She's a bit nervous, which is understandable. I'm more so though! Just the thought of her going on the school bus and not coming to school with me and DS's and me not picking her up with them. Gulp. Will seem so strange at first.

All uniform and shoes etc purchased? Are you all ready for the big move?

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christywhisty · 09/09/2007 22:14

Ds and his friends have all loved it. They have had quite a bit of homework, but most of it is more "fun" type things, like designing heraldic shields for themselves, rules posters or covering books.
Friday they had a team building day, with rafting, archery and shooting. Ds's class came second by half a point so he was really pleased.
We did have one little disaster when DS came out of class early and decided to go to the station by himself and ended up getting lost

He has no sense of direction and we were getting plaintiff phone calls. But thankfully he got home on the next train.
He also wasn't keen on games and is begging me to get him off a cross country run on thursday. He does have a painful graze on his foot, but it should be better by then.

MaureenMLove · 09/09/2007 22:31

DD is loving it! Listening to her and her mate this afternoon, its almost as if they've been there years already. They seem so confident about it all. The homework is pretty non-existant atm, but the first full week begins tomorrow....

cat64 · 10/09/2007 21:31

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christywhisty · 10/09/2007 23:32

Thats sad.

There is a little girl in our road who got herself in such a state about going (she didn't know anyone at her new school), she couldn't sleep the night before and ended up throwing up after just 2 hours and had to go home.
Saw her coming home a few days later and she seemed better.

Original poster

MummyPenguin · 11/09/2007 12:39

My DD is doing just fine. I'm a bit calmer too! She hasn't been hit full pelt with the homework yet, but it's increasing. She had some last night, Geography, which involved some drawing (which she doesn't like as it's not her strong point.) She has been a bit alarmed by the French lessons - as they're all in French! I told her not to worry, as the teacher can't expect those that haven't done French to understand straight away, but they must have methods of making them learn it. Surely enough, she's picking a bit up already.

Still hasn't yet got into the routine of leaving books in her locker, and only carrying around the books she needs. They're all in her rucksack. She's going to have shoulders like Fatima Whitbread soon!! I think she's worried she's going to forget something, she is a bit forgetful, I had to take her games kit in to her this morning.

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suedonim · 11/09/2007 18:42

Snap re the Fatima Whitbread shoulders, Mummypenguin! I don't know how dd lifts her bag, it's so heavy.

She is adoring the new regime, thoroughly enjoying having lots of teachers. I looked at some of her textbooks last night and they are so much better than the books we had at school (mind you, printing had only just been invented when I was at school! ). They make the subjects very appealing to learn about.

What I'm not enjoying is the hours in traffic. It's averaging out at four hours a day for me. Today we left at 7.05am, got to school at 7.50. It then took 40mins back home. Collecting dd meant a round trip of 2hrs. I've bought some face masks today as the traffic pollution has been so bad, I feel my lungs are full of diesel fumes.

cat64 · 11/09/2007 21:39

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Original poster

MummyPenguin · 12/09/2007 12:15

Last night she went through her bag and took out the books that she doesn't need today. I think she'd rather leave books that aren't needed that day at home, as I think she's a bit concerned about not being able to get to her locker or something.

I think that's what we'll do, but it will involve careful checking of the planner each evening and organisation. I'm happier about the lighter bag though.

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suedonim · 12/09/2007 18:18

DD has brought all her books home as she can't manage the combination padlock on her locker. I'll give her a key padlock and see if that's better. I'd rather she kept her books at school because, should she forget one for homework, she can borrow it from the girl downstairs, who is in her class. (And vice versa, of course. )

Dd had a wobble today over algebra homework. The teacher seems to expect them to know the basics of it and thus the entire class is at sea. Luckily, dh is a maths buff so explained it to her and now dd says 'It's really easy!'

Original poster

MummyPenguin · 14/09/2007 12:37

My DD had sex education hw last night! she squirelled me off into her room and shut the door!! I had to enlist DH's help though, as some of the questions were really hard. It was all about the sperm and the egg, I can't even remember a lot of the questions as they went straight over my head, but it was a lot to do with cells and a funny word that I can't even remember (think it was a ph word...) some of the questions were like "why doesn't the egg need a tail?" "why is the egg the shape it is?" the sperm questions really threw me though, so in the end I said to DD "I'll have to get Daddy in for this, he should know more - he's got them, I haven't"

Despite the reorganising of books, the bag is still really heavy..

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Magicmayhem · 14/09/2007 13:03

Hello, My DD started secondary last week and is loving it
She came 9 out of 45 in cross country, and now wants to joing the cross country club.
She walks about a mile to school with her friends, and looks like a turtle going out the gate with her heavy/bulky rucksack.

cat64 · 14/09/2007 13:48

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Original poster

MummyPenguin · 14/09/2007 19:43

My DD is dreading cross country. Running is not her thing.

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DumbledoresGirl · 14/09/2007 19:48

OOh ds1 did cross country this week - he loved it and he is not at all sporty (eg rugby didn't go down so well). But he was quite good at cross country. I think he said he finished in half the time of the slowest runners.

Ds1 is really enjoying secondary school but I have to say it is causing me some headaches as he is incapable of organising his homework, still needs help to pack his bag each day and has never been a good communicator between home and school so I have a feeling I am not being told loads of things I should be told about.

Original poster

MummyPenguin · 15/09/2007 20:12

Know what you mean, I'm driving DD mad constantly asking her "have you got this, have you got that, what subjects do you have today, have you got your games kit/enough money/all the books you need for today/your homework in your bag.... poor kid!!

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