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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Year 9 - 2022/2023 Support Thread

339 replies

QueenMabby · 23/08/2022 17:25

Hi
Having got a lot out of the thread for my ds who's just finished year 11 I though I'd start one for anyone wanting support/chat about dcs in year 9 from September.

Some schools will be starting GCSE syllabi this year and for those that don't there'll be options later in the year.

I have a dd starting year 9 in September. Her favourite subjects are languages and chemistry. We've not taken gcse options yet - that joy is to come.

OP posts:
icanbewhatiwant · 16/02/2023 12:02

Half term this week for us. Ds2 never wants to do much. He's had a friend round Tuesday, went to a friends yesterday, no doubt the rest of the week will be spent in his bedroom, he has a PD day Monday too.

icanbewhatiwant · 16/02/2023 12:02

He's ds3 🙈

IThinkIMadeItWorse · 16/02/2023 12:10

Hi @QueenMabby DD did the IMC but didn't enjoy it and thinks she got them all wrong. She doesn't love maths like her older brother does! Last year she did well in the JMC and got a gold certificate and through to the kangaroo round which surprised her I think but it really doesn't matter.

We have had a pretty chill half term, not done much but we have met up with some family and some friends. Having a lazy day at home today. Hope those who have half term next week enjoy it.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 16/02/2023 15:59

@icanbewhatiwant 🤣🤣🤣

@IThinkIMadeItWorse dd says maths is boring but I think that's because she finds it pretty straightforward. She enjoys the maths challenge stuff and does a maths club one lunchtime. I did a quick google search and results are out. Will ask dd later if they told her how she did.

OP posts:
minisnowballs · 16/02/2023 17:59

Maths challenge? DD did it - did none of the prep the school suggested and i've no idea how she did. She's a total gambler so while her friends mostly just did the questions where you couldn't lose marks, apparently she kept going - so i'm wondering if she'll end up with a negative score!

All her friends go to maths club - she refuses.. so I shouldn't imagine she ha the tools they did to tackle it. Seemed to quite enjoy herself doing it though.

Eccle80 · 16/02/2023 20:09

Half term next week here. I think DS did say something about doing a maths challenge some time in the last few weeks, I will ask him if he’s had results for it!

Original poster
QueenMabby · 17/02/2023 08:09

@minisnowballs - my dd doesn't prep for it either. She left two or three of the later ones undone because she didn't want to risk losing marks but like your dd was happy to continue after the first 15.

I did a quick google and results are out apparently but whether we'll ever get them from school I don't know. She did the intermediate last year as well and I don't think we ever got the results for that!

OP posts:
Oblomov23 · 19/02/2023 19:01

1/2 term over. Parents evening and Diptheria vaccination this week.

NotDonna · 19/02/2023 20:54

Half term flew!!
I now can’t recall what vaccines DD had just before half term but there were quite a few in the two shots. Good luck with parents eve. Are yours face to face now?

icanbewhatiwant · 19/02/2023 21:50

Someone asked about vaccines on our school Facebook group, my oldest 2 had quite a few vaccines including menAWCY in year 11. So I assumed that was when they all had them. I don't want dc3 to have them all at once ( long story) so will need to look into getting them separately.

MissyB1 · 20/02/2023 07:49

Half term begins for us today. Wonder what time he Will surface from his bedroom 🤔 Going to ask him for some help with housework today - I’m sure that will go down well 😂

Original poster
QueenMabby · 20/02/2023 08:41

Half term for us too. Dd has gone with her older brother to visit some relatives abroad. First time by themselves on a plane! Ds has done school trips abroad by plane but not quite the same. They are back at the end of the week.

DH and I have taken the day off work and are pretending we're retired!!

OP posts:
icanbewhatiwant · 20/02/2023 12:13

@QueenMabby how nice to be child free. DH and I are going away for 2 nights in March. It'll be our first time ever away without dc's and first ever night without any dc's. Ds1 is almost 22 so feels like a long time. I've been away on my own to visit my dm and dh has been away on his own to visit his dd and grandson. Ds1 and ds2 have both been away on school trips. Ds3 won't go on any trips with school. I think I'd enjoy being child free if he did want to go as the older 2 are not at home at the moment. We have 2 dogs so it isn't easy to just go away.

Ds3 goes back to school tomorrow. He has PD day today. I've not seen him yet today. I know he's up as heard the shower on.

minisnowballs · 20/02/2023 19:46

Mine are back to school today- sooo much grumpiness. Dd2 clearly did better than she thought in the maths challenge as got a bronze certificate so is quite pleased with herself. Dd1 has mocks- seems only to have revised history (her favourite). What she doesn’t know about the rise of the nazis isn’t worth knowing. Pity about the other nine subjects she’s taking.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 20/02/2023 22:32

Well done mini @minisnowballs! We won't get results until we re back next week but 🤞🏻 for a certificate too.

OP posts:
NotDonna · 20/02/2023 22:43

Mine are back to school. DD2 with A level mocks and DD3 with a chemistry test today & a biology one tomorrow. So she was in a great mood this morning 🤣 They do the maths challenge thing at their school as I remember DD1 and DD2 doing it but maybe it is just the top sets as DD3 hasn’t mentioned it. Maths is not her forte!

minisnowballs · 21/02/2023 07:43

@notdonna, tough start! I’m not with my girls as my mum died over half term so I’m at my dad’s sorting arrangements and trying to help organise the kids by WhatsApp. Yesterday dd2 forgot to take her lunch and to look for her cello which is mysteriously ‘missing’- praying it is at school. Somewhat horrific that she didn’t even notice this over the hols but she was on a music residential with another instrument so perhaps ok. Now getting texts from older one about whether I’ve ordered leavers hoodies- there is always something!

with the maths challenge quite a lot get something I think- it’s a non selective school and dd is not mathsy- she said 16 in her year got bronze and three silver- out of 60 top set. I’m only surprised as she’s never shown any interest though she does like sudoku and other logic stuff. Suspect it will mean she is on the maths’ teachers radar though- no more avoiding all the enrichment classes.

FeinCuroxiVooz · 21/02/2023 07:53

hello. I don't know why I haven't found this thread before.
DS, only child, in y9.
The school lets them drop a small number of subjects that definitely won't be gcse at the start of y9 and whittle away again for y10. the deadline for y10 choices was the Wednesday before half term but I got the dates confused and thought I had until the Friday and submitted the form 2 days late. DS is very stressed and upset with me as he thinks this may mean he's forced to do GCSEs in subjects he doesn't want if the classes he has opted for are oversubscribed. I have no idea if this is likely.

NotDonna · 21/02/2023 08:33

@minisnowballs I’m so sorry for your loss. That must be so hard for you all. 💐 And fingers crossed the cello turns up. A cello is hardy small and unlikely to be hiding under a jumper or in a coat pocket. A drama you can well do without at the moment!
@FeinCuroxiVooz welcome! Two days late will make zero difference. They won’t have even begun to look at the timetabling in those two days and probs haven’t begun it yet. It’ll be fine. What has he chosen? Do they have to choose from blocks or us it free rein?

FeinCuroxiVooz · 21/02/2023 10:08

@NotDonna
@FeinCuroxiVooz welcome! Two days late will make zero difference. They won’t have even begun to look at the timetabling in those two days and probs haven’t begun it yet. It’ll be fine. What has he chosen? Do they have to choose from blocks or us it free rein?

It's basically free rein for the non-core subjects, but they then take a few weeks to work out viable blocks and don't guarantee to meet everyone's choices - everyone has to nominate a "backup" tgat they are willing to do if a viable timetable for their main choices can't be achieved.

DS reckons that in the event of a situation where it's not possible to meet everyone's first choices, the fact that his form was in 2 days late will be considered a "tiebreaker" and he will be the one to lose out

NotDonna · 21/02/2023 10:40

I seriously doubt they’ve even noticed his went in late. Are his options unusual as in my VERY limited experience it’s the courses with very little interest that get culled rather than the most popular courses. But it’ll depend on teacher availability too. What’s he chosen?

FeinCuroxiVooz · 21/02/2023 11:04

his choices are Computer Science, Design Technology, and Drama - they will all be popular courses but the danger will be if one of them is too popular for everyone to fit into one classroom, but either not quite popular enough to split into two parallel class, or if there aren't enough teachers or rooms for there to be two classes (especially likely for Drama and CompSci which need dedicated rooms).

The other possibility is that if there's hardly anyone else wanting to combine drama with the other two "geeky" subjects, then they might end up scheduled in opposition to each other, such that they can't be combined. That's what happened to me thirtysomething years ago, I wanted to do both Latin and R.E. but they were timetabled at the same time and I wasn't allowed to do both.

But I know we just need to wait and see. maybe it will all be ok.

icanbewhatiwant · 21/02/2023 11:34

@minisnowballs sorry for your loss.

Welcome @FeinCuroxiVooz

IThinkIMadeItWorse · 21/02/2023 11:41

@minisnowballs sorry for your loss. Hope the cello turns up! And well done to your DD on the maths challenge.

minisnowballs · 21/02/2023 16:14

Thanks for kind thoughts, all..

@FeinCuroxiVooz I can't imagine they'll be so organised that they'll have started the process of options allocation yet - they'll be chasing loads of disorganised parents. Hope he gets what he wants though - my dd wanted a really weird combination last year - they choose early - and they juggled everyone to get her what she wanted (Dance and Latin, anyone?) but it does help she's in a very big school.