DS starting secondary this year and I’m bricking it!!!!!

[nameymcnamechangeagain]

I’m so scared for him 😔 I nearly walked out of the welcome meeting yesterday because I found it so overwhelming. He is currently in a school with 37 children in the ENTIRE SCHOOL, his new school will have....1400 students. He doesn’t know a soul. I’m regretting his village school education now and getting myself in such a flap 😫

My sons school has a school backpack - they choose from 2 different style plain black ones, makes life so much easier!

So much to think about but honestly they find it a lot easier than we do. Please don't think that he'll be picked up because of a bagpack or shoes. Let him choose. Our son in year 9 hates labels he prefers to have things that he is into like games, anime, music etc.
Ours arrived not knowing anyone but he made a friend within a week and others followed. Bunch of like minded kids not sporty at all.
As for the porn hard to advise other than a strong word followed by monitoring.

Don't send him with a Hugo Boss backpack. He's not in his 50s.

Mine both started with nondescript bags from decathlon and then chose bags after the first couple of weeks.

Your son's school should have a transition plan in place for him anyway OP. I expect your son will be invited to spend a day at the new school and meet his form teacher and get to know the layout. It is daunting, nobody can pretend otherwise, but it's also a fantastic opportunity for him to make new friends.

He's probably a big fish in a small pond at the moment and a new school will allow him to mix with other kids his age and do new subjects. That cliche about the end of one experience is just the beginning of another is really true.

My son started secondary last September and he was really nervous too but he's settled, made new friends and is enjoying the experience.

And definitely claim your FSM, not just for you but for the school so that they can claim the pupil premium. None of his school friends will know as the systems are all cash free.

My son got his backpack from Sports Direct. They'll get battered anyway so don't spend big money on it. Kitting him out will probably be expensive enough without designer backpacks

@ArtieFufkinPolymerRecords I'm in England, we found out on the 2nd March and most certainly had a welcome meeting this week.

Wasn't trying to offend anyone by asking if the OP is in England (because I have no idea how allocation works in other countries, not because I don't think their are parents from outside England on here) and I know that the national allocation day this year in England was 2nd of March.
I am just surprised that schools are holding welcome meetings given that parents have to either accept or reject the offer, depending on the LA, and generally have up till 18th March to do so, when the second round of allocations are. Which is why I said schools don't know who is going there, because they don't know who will accept the offered places.

there not their