2022 Year 8 parents support group

[WhatTheFuckingHell]

Thought this might be a good idea, for advice, support or just a shoulder to cry on as our little baby’s are getting so big!!
my dd is 12, starting year 8 in September. We are in London.
apologies if this has already been done!
whatthefuckinghell xx

@Singleandproud Uniform shopping is the worst! Before school started my daughter was obsessed with getting the right style of Kickers as school shoes (allegedly everyone had them). I was so proud when we finally managed to get them the day before school started, only for her to now say everyone is wearing black Nike airforces 🥶And she already has white airforcers but apparently very urgently needs the black ones for school. I thought schools didn't allow trainers/branded school shoes 🤷‍♀️

Hope @Singleandproud has sorted uniform issues and that @XelaM has managed to convince her DD that new shoes aren’t actually essential.

Here so far DS has lost his new form room 2 days running, protested because they aren’t getting paper planners this year (academic diary now on order), and failed to either write down or remember when/where the clubs he wants to go to are. Also is v upset as they have moved orchestra to before school and he’s not sure he can face waking up even earlier. He can’t remember what time it is (think his brain shut down at the concept of before school tbh), but given his alarm goes off at 6:30 already I have some sympathy tbh - not very (nearly) teen friendly!

Any tips on teaching a slow, methodical kid how to roll out of bed/ get dressed and eat in no time flat? (his brother can easily do it but he just doesn’t seem to have the knack, he’s much more the slow and steady type).

How is everyone else’s children doing?

All smooth here so far, the bus timetables have been rejigged a little so we have a little more time in the morning (have to drive the DC to the bus stop). Timetables seem to be fine - he has all of his lessons with the same class, so as long as one of them knows what the next lesson is, it seems to work!

I feel for you @Walkingbkwrm ! I had to physically drag my 9 year old out of bed this morning to get her to her before school club- I'm not sure if I could do that with a 12 year old!
So far DS is upset that his timetable has been completely re-jigged so that he's no longer with any of his friends for any of his classes. I know they've all been put into sets for Maths, Science, English and Drama but DS seems to think he's in sets for all of his other subjects too. Is this normal? To be set for everything at this point? I think he's got it wrong and he's not in sets for the rest of his classes... would be good to know how it works at other schools!

I think it varies a lot by school @MissDollyMix . Some do set for pretty much everything. DS still has several things with his form (eg history, geography, music, art, IT). He’s set for a lot more stuff than last year though.
Is there a language stream? Some in DS’s year take an extra language this year and due to that they are in different classes for foreign languages, PE and I think something else but can’t remember what. I don’t think they are set as such (after splitting off the able linguists) but it might mean being split from friends and feel like it? Tough him not being with your friends at all however it works.

Dd is now in year 8 and has settled well. She attends a small village secondary. Unfortunately living in the wake of her extremely difficult, SEN older brother who is now in year 10. But she's doing really well, has lovely friends and works hard. I'm sure year 8 will be a really good year for her.

I have to agree year 9s are absolutely dickheads. Year 10s seem a little better 🤷‍♀️

How are all the dcs doing! My dd enjoyed the first couple of weeks but friendship squabbles and mean comments seem to be starting again…she’s finding it all a bit overwhelming. Anyone else? Any words of advice?

No advice on friendship squabbles I’m afraid @Summersunhopefully Here DS1 is mostly doing ok only we were away for a family do last weekend and he’s finding fitting in all his homework into just the evenings very tiring.
I took DS2 to his school for an open evening earlier this week - think it went ok and he still feels good about joining his brother there (it’s our local school and he will get sibling priority so he will get in no problem). My first time really seeing round really as DS1’s was just an online video due to COVID. So that was nice.

Oh no, so sorry to hear that. Does she have any kinder friends she can hang out with during lunch or maybe organise to meet up after school? Or get to know kids in the years above/below? My daughter is friends with some kids from Year 7 and some from the years above. Best way to meet them is at after school clubs/activities. My daughter goes riding after school and a few girls from the years above go to the same yard, which is how they got to know each other. But your daughter may already be doing all those things.

How are all your year 8's getting on? My DD seems ok- she's moved on after being excluded from her friendship group towards the end of year 7. She's had a few bumps in year 8 but thankfully things seem to be ok for now.

DD Seems older. The best friend who dumped her for Uber cool kids at Nov of Yr7 has now been horribly dumped by those same kids. Really awful. Nasty on line stuff by the cool kids.
DD glad now she's out of it all. She is in a cool group but not the Uber cool.

So glad I found this thread…How are all the year 8’s doing? It’s hormone-central here. My daughter had a good year 7 and start to year 8. Her friendship group left her out for a couple of weeks last term (she ended up eating her lunch in the toilets a few times as she couldn’t find her friends). Hope it will I’ll be ok after Christmas (the last few days were ok). She has good friends from outside school so seems happy.

I've come on to find this thread as I remember reading it when it was originally posted. How is everyone getting on?

Year 8 has been a disaster so far for us. DS's behaviour at school has taken a nose dive, he's very negative about school and some of the teachers, wants to be the class clown, seems impulsive and is making silly decisions that he knows are wrong. Low level at the moment but definitely not the smooth and easy year I was hoping for. Year 7 was by far an easier year. He has dropped down sets in maths and English, which makes it worse because he's now with his new friendship group as they are in those sets so he's acting up even more.

He speaks so sensibly at home about his future and plans, what he wants to do and how he knows he needs to work hard. He walks into school and it's all forgotten and he's talking and not following instructions. He's gone from being well likes by his teachers to "that child". Anybody else struggling? I know he's going through a lot of changes hormonally but all I seem to hear is how wonderfully other children his age are doing. Any advice?

I’m really struggling - too exhausted so i’ll post later

@AuntyBrenda that's really tough. Thankfully we haven't had that but I my second child could easily go that way. I actually don't know what I'd do

My year 8 has lost most of his friends on purpose. What can I do ?

Why he done that

Positive reward is only thing I can think of. Take away things like lifts / spending money etc when not knuckling down.

My DS is year 8 and almost a year younger than his current friendship group. Mostly kids he moved up with. I’ve noticed he’s been excluded from a few things recently and he doesn’t play online with any of them much. He says nothing is wrong (I don’t want to ask too directly and make an issue out of it) and that they all play older stuff now. I did ask him how he felt about a trip in to town he wasn’t invited to (having previously gone before) and he said he wasn’t bothered but I’m not so sure. I’m finding this a funny age with his friendship groups but I wonder if it’s more the age gap and maturity level of my child rather than the fact it’s year 8! I wasn’t one of the mature ones at his age and he’s inherited my emotional/sensitive side too!