Anyone want a thread for starting year 10 this autumn?

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If so, here it is!

Hoping not to be Billy NoMates...

Thanks @Mumski45 - it all feels a bit strange at the moment - hoping to get info through from the university this week as regards accommodation allocation, reading lists etc.

And now it all begins again with DD2...!

Is like to join please. DD starting year 10 and is highly anxious. I'm trying to be calm but it's hard !!

Hi all

Please let us know if this combination is sustainable. As my DD is keen on STEM.

And wants to keep medicine and engineering options for GCSE:

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Computing
Design tech ( ???)
French
English language
English Literature
Mathematics
Religious Studies

Thanks

My DD is taking the following options:

Triple Science
Maths
Double English
RS
French
History
Geography

@lrish that looks like a good selection for keeping options open including medicine. Did you have a particular worry about it.

The only comment I would make is that I think most do either Geography or History but you do have RS and Eng Lit on there which provide a bit of balance to the 'techy' subjects.

A levels for engineering would be Maths Fr maths and Physics and for Medicine would be Maths Chemistry and I think either biology or physics although there seems to be some flexibility (based on my limited research) in the third subject depending on which Uni she wanted to go to.

Hey, yes I’ll join - though trying to cling on to the last couple of weeks of summer before getting my head into back to school! My about-to-be-y10 ds1 is my oldest, so coming into all of this new.

On top of the usual English x2, maths and sciences, he’s chosen Geography, Computing, Spanish and Business. He might be doing Further maths too, but no decision on that yet. He’s fairly conscientious, but his social life picked up in y9 and he coasted a bit more, his school report said he needs to step it up for y10.

Another 2022 Y10 here. DD actually took options at end of Y8 so is already only studying her GCSE subjects but pace will pick up now.

Her options are:

Triple Science
History
French
Business Studies (hates it despite it being my background and never asking for help )
Religious Studies
Drama

She'll need at least 6 7's plus a 6 in English and Maths to stay on at school sixth form so am expecting lots of stress. She's fairly set on reading law so is particularly worried about securing high grades in History, Religious Studies and English Lang/Lit as these will likely be her A Level subjects.

Hi mines another who started options at the start of year 9 so he has settled well into them now. Aswell as the usual he's also taking music and computer science.

@prepared101 What doesn’t she like about Business? I’ve had a quick look at ds’s spec (they do edexcel) and I have to say it doesn’t sound particularly exciting to me!

@Irish if the options are within the school's standard timetable there's no reason why they shouldn't be sustainable.

My older son did all those (German rather than French) except Design Tech, as well as History, Music and Statistics, as part of his standard option blocks. It sounds a lot but I think things have changed since (his GCSEs were 2016).

At sons' school the top science sets did separate subjects while the rest did Double Combined, which I think is pretty standard, so I'm assuming your D is in the higher-attaining group; in which case I think she should be able to keep that up so long as she spends time every week making sure she's doing what's asked of her.

(There is the argument that the brighter kids need to do lots in order to experience pressure before FE and university, which going by my and S1's experience I incline to agree with...)

Finds it boring, doesn't like the teacher, can't relate to it... she can't change her options now which is a shame!

@Mumski45 How lovely, thank you. I'm sure I will be asking lots of questions!

Eldest DC is about to go into Y10 and doesn't seem at all worried. Not sure if that should make me worried or not!
Neither me or DH had our schooling in England so don't have that to fall back on either.
Very good at school but rubbish and I mean really rubbish at homework so that's not going to be pleasant. Hopefully he enjoys his subjects and that will help.

@doristheelephant , thanks so much for your kind offer, but please excuse my stupidity, as I actually don’t know how to private message on this site. I’ve tried using the dotted functions but they don’t seem to work?

Wow so pleased to come back to this thread and see so many have joined! Not Billy NoMates after all 😆
Options started in year 9 for us too but definitely more pressure on year 10. My eldest has just finished year 11.

Year 10 the worst . 15 is such an awkward age . I remember the spots , greasy hair and thinking everyone was prettier than me and cooler .

DD going into Y10 in sept. She's a real stress head. Very able but falls apart under pressure.
She's had some art pieces to do over the summer which she's spent far too long perfecting.
I'm not looking forward to the next few years!

My ds is another one starting y10. He’s an only which means I only have him to think about and get far too stressed! Even reading the posts here makes me worry that he’s chosen the wrong options. He’s doing both history and geography - loves them both and is good at them. Predicted 8/9s. I’m hoping that’s not too much hard going.

Oh no, I was hoping that year nine had been the worst! DD going back this week, she's absolutely dreading it, really struggles with friends and is just in tears constantly. I'm trying so hard to remain calm and positive but it's really really hard...

That's really tough @Snowdropsarelovely the teen years can be horrible.

Thank you, I'm trying so hard to get a balance between listening and being supportive but not feeding the drama!! I feel like I'm sending her off to the slaughterhouse. Why are teenagers so mean? I have spoken to School about but they are limited in what they can do to help with friendships, and they describe her as an academic highflyer... at this point I want her to be happy and less anxious. My worry is that she must spend so much time being anxious about break and lunchtime that she can't concentrate on lessons

Sorry to hear that @Snowdropsarelovely . DD had a very miserable time at a previous school (we moved her for Y9) and I vividly remember all the tears when a return to school loomed. The school did very little and saw it (social exclusion) as a friendship issue rather than bullying - despite their bullying policy saying all the right things. They still had little to offer when it then escalated to full-throttle bullying and cyber-bulling. It was awful, and I really feel for you and your DD.

(Sorry to raise this now…but I don’t suppose there might be another school with a place she could take up?)

Thank you for your message, I'm finding it really helpful knowing that other people understand! We looked at other schools, but unfortunately the only other one she would get a place at is a really shocking school in terms of academics. Because of where we live we are out of catchment for many of the secondary schools in the area. DD herself says what's happening isn't bullying as such, certainly no cyber bullying, she just doesn't feel that she's got a friendship group of people like her. She is fairly studious, works hard and doesn't vape which seems to be marking her out as unusual! I would say she is very strong to her own beliefs and morals, which doesn't always work well with other teenagers... On the rare occasion she has been out with people from school she has sometimes chosen to leave them and come home because she doesn't agree with what they're doing. I'm hoping that different classes this year will help her form new friendships? The one helpful thing she does have is a very strong friendship group out of school, geographically they live quite a distance from us because it's through a hobby that she does but I'm happy to drive her to meet up with them and they really are her saving grace.
So glad I found this thread!

@Snowdropsarelovely
You're definitely not alone. Mine has 'friends' IE people she can talk to in class, sometimes lunch but they're not loyal, or interested in meeting up outside of school.
She just hasn't found her group and she says it's so lonely.
She also finds the two-faced nature of many of the girls really difficult to cope with as she isn't like that at all.
She is so matter of fact and just can't be bothered with the drama. I've had to point out that it does her no favours to call out poor behaviour when the target then defends the mean girls and goes back to hang out with them instead of her. And then comes back to her when they're too mean, rinse and repeat.
I'm hoping she'll have more opportunities this year as they've mixed the groups up again.
I was so fortunate to make real friends at 13/14. They're still dear friends now but I see how unusual that is.
You just have to hang in there I think and encourage where you can.

I'd like to join - my son is autistic and in a mainstream school. Seems to be doing ok so far but I feel that homework has been extremely light during and post covid so he might be in for a shock shortly!

He's doing alongside maths and English x 2 he's doing triple science, music, computer science, art (3D design) and French.

He is hoping his choices and sets will largely get him away from the mean boys who have plagued him since Y7. We are waiting for his timetable to appear on the app and he is starting to get anxious about whether he will be with his friends in lessons. Fingers crossed 😫