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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Year 10 - 2023/2024 Support Thread

642 replies

QueenMabby · 10/08/2023 15:59

Hi all

A new thread for those needing support (or just wanting to chat or rant!) with teens heading into their GCSE years.

OP posts:
NotDonna · 10/08/2023 16:21

Hi queen. How are the holidays? We’ve not been away yet and DD has commented how she can see everyone on Snapchat overseas whilst we are still here. We stupidly fly the day of A level results so we are praying DD2 gets the grades and we are not faffing with clearing. This time next week… 😬😬😬

CherieBabySpliffUp · 10/08/2023 16:22

Popping in to say Hi.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 10/08/2023 17:28

Hi both.

@NotDonna - yes we've been away. Feels a long slog going away early in the holidays.

Dd is moping a bit as her friends don't seem to want to meet up unless they all can make it (7 of them!) but they're all away at different times so are just not meeting up at all!

Fortunately she has a couple of non-school friends from hobbies that she's meeting next week and a music thing to look forward to so that will help.

Dd takes Greek gcse next year and has loads of translations to do and vocabulary to learn so she's working through that.

We bought school shoes today....

Hope everyone else is having a good summer.

OP posts:
AlexanderArnold · 10/08/2023 17:35

Hi all! Just seen one through exams, settling in now for the next...! Double whammy of A levels and GCSEs in two years!

SB1971 · 10/08/2023 17:58

Hello All

The holidays are bankrupting me as DS is eating a LOT and is out and about with mates almost every day.
How do you all manage costs in the holidays-do your teens have an allowance and pay for everything out of that? Cinema, powerleague,McDonald’s etc?
I have said he can’t commit to things without asking me first but I am spending heaps at the moment. I don’t seem to remember my DD doing as much at his age but maybe I have blanked it out!

elkiedee · 10/08/2023 19:06

Hi, thanks for starting a new thread.

It doesn't look like we're getting away this year. I'd hoped for a chance to spend some time with family but I think a number of things at the same time (elderly relatives' health, work commitments and exciting holiday plans for my sisters and their dhs/kids) have made that trickier this year. And I do worry about the costs of doing stuff here - we've been very stretched financially over the last few years. The boys get allowances via a generous grandfather but those have been spent, they will have their own money again later this month (in time for DS1 to celebrate/commiserate over GCSE results). DS2 is the one going into year 10. I'm also worried that trips out/treats all revolve around junk food - we had a cheap takeaway at home yesterday but DS2 has been to McDonalds on Monday and bought chicken & chips again today while out with his friend from school.

minisnowballs · 11/08/2023 07:10

Holidays are expensive aren’t they! Fortunately London transport free for dd2 and so I don’t need to taxi her around to see her friends. She also does a lot of music residentials- off to york with the national youth choir next week- which keeps her busy. Dd1 earns well babysitting and nannying in holidays, so I barely have to pay for her.
fortunately main hobby for both of them is shopping in charity shops- so not too pricey

NotDonna · 11/08/2023 08:21

queen DD also in a group of seven but they’re happy to meet up individually as all holidaying at different times. She’s gone into town a few times ‘shopping’ without purchases other than lunch. Friends have been over quite a bit. I’ve paid for her train to town & the lunch and although not expensive it does add up - but it hasn’t been often. She gets pocket money too. I don’t think she’s too bored. She’s still not finished ‘An Inspector Calls’ nor the maths booklet sent home albeit I think the maths booklet is ‘do as much as you can’ out of the 100 or so pages, or so she tells me. All their work is on iPads so I never have a clue what work she’s got. It’s very different to seeing proper books.
DD1 is home this weekend to celebrate her 20th birthday so DD will be thrilled to see her. She’ll no doubt decorate her room with balloons today.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 11/08/2023 13:56

That sounds fun @NotDonna - hope the balloons are cheap and cheerful!

Dd will also be doing An Inspector Calls. They've read it in class already I think. Our school does the iGCSE for Eng Lit so there are two pieces of coursework (from memory on AIC and Macbeth) and then exams on Of Mice and Men, the poetry anthology and the unseen poetry.

The AIC coursework will be done the first term back if I remember correctly from DS's time.

I've just helped dd input all her measurements for her costume for a musical they're doing in October. She has two full days of rehearsals in the last week of the holidays!

OP posts:
NotDonna · 11/08/2023 17:09

I’m not too sure if school has changed the board but my other DDs did different books. DD1 did A Woman in Red, Of Mice & Men, Mansfield Park, a really odd poetry book (different to DD3) & maybe The Tempest. DD2 was Blood Brothers, Macbeth, Pride & Prejudice but poetry binned due to covid. So zero overlap

SB1971 · 12/08/2023 06:49

Good reminder re An Inspector Calls-i need to search to see if we still have my DD’s copy and buy it if not. I believe my son has some homework on it over the summer so will remind him on that at some point. He has said repeatedly that in Y10 he will start to do more than the minimum required to avoid a detention so let’s see😂

Original poster
QueenMabby · 12/08/2023 08:26

@SB1971. Fingers crossed for ds knuckling down.

I've been telling my ds for about three years and he's just started now at the end of year 12...

OP posts:
CatsOnTheChair · 12/08/2023 08:51

Hi,
Just dropping in to mark this thread, and introduce myself.
DS1 starts in Y10 next month. We're assuming he's got the options he's requested, as noone has said he can't do them!
He doesn't really go out and meet up with folk - but has been doing a lot of gaming online with mates.
He was away for a week with us, and has 2 weeks away with his youth group, so not masses of holidays to fill.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 12/08/2023 12:01

Hi @CatsOnTheChair and welcome! My ds socialises by gaming too. It's a thing I don't get really but he seems happy enough!

OP posts:
icanbewhatiwant · 18/08/2023 12:22

@QueenMabby thanks for the new thread.

SB1971 · 18/08/2023 14:06

Exciting update from me-have bought DS a new backpack as his from Y7 was looking pretty battered.
He tried his shoes and and said they were fine-this could be though because he didn’t want to go to Clark’s to get new ones 😂

icanbewhatiwant · 18/08/2023 14:29

Ds was given the options he wanted. Computer science and business studies. He also chose geography over history. We won't know whether he's doing triple science until he gets his timetable.

We took Ds and a friend on holiday to Derbyshire last week. It was a disaster. Ds has never liked holidays. He hardly spoke to his friend or us the whole week. It was embarrassing really. One of the days we left Ds at the cottage and took his friend out for most of the day. Ds has always been a bit of an odd bod. I don't understand him at all sometimes. Every year dh says he's never taking Ds on holiday again. But we always go again.

Original poster
QueenMabby · 18/08/2023 15:10

Oh @icanbewhatiwant that sounds tough! I think the Covid lockdowns have had such an adverse affect on our dc's socialisation in many ways. Such formative years suddenly to be isolating.

My dcs are both out this afternoon. DS(17) is out at laser quest with a mixed group of friends and dd is in town with two non-school friends from one of her activity groups. I'm supposed to be wfh but am mostly taxiing and posting on Mumsnet.😳

OP posts:
Oblomov23 · 21/08/2023 14:37

Thanks OP @QueenMabby.

I finally got around to ordering school uniform. M&S school shirts, Next trousers. Clearly I've left it late because there was hardly anything left!

CatsOnTheChair · 21/08/2023 14:55

We're clearly failing on the school uniform front.
His size 7 shoes from last year (which, tbf, he hasn't worn since they moved to permanent PE kit in June) were clearly slightly too small, and we've walked out with 9.5s....

IThinkIMadeItWorse · 21/08/2023 15:13

Thanks for the new thread @QueenMabby

DD told me today that she is really looking forward to year 10 as she will no longer have to do subjects she despises. Summer seems to be flying by. She doesn't seem to have been set much summer work by school (DS going from yr12 to yr13 has quite a bit) but she has been doing some Duolingo each day. We've had a break in the UK but also quite a lot of time just chilling at home.

She does say that she always feels tired so I think it might be worth taking her to the Dr's for a blood test. She is pretty good about going to bed at a sensible time so not as nocturnal as some teens are!

Original poster
QueenMabby · 21/08/2023 17:16

@CatsOnTheChair - wow! Massive increase. DD's gone from a 5 to a 5.5 and she was chuffed with that!

School uniform-wise I've luckily got away with not buying too much but oh my god. £84 for two PE tops????? I nearly fainted! DD's shirts, skirts and blazer fortunately all still good.

@IThinkIMadeItWorse - I find with my dc that the less they do the tired-er they get. Try suggesting a good walk every day to see if some fresh air and exercise perks her up a bit? Otherwise maybe an iron deficiency?

We're currently away visiting family which is a nice break. Dd has brought her Greek holiday work with her and ds his cue cards.

OP posts:
newtothis15 · 22/08/2023 09:40

My ds says always tired too

newtothis15 · 22/08/2023 09:40

Will blood test help?

minisnowballs · 22/08/2023 10:34

I do sometimes wonder whether it's the growing that makes them feel tired at this age, but reckon a blood test wouldn't hurt.

Here we have just done the school shoes. DD's feet never grow (she's a four and a half apparently and was the same last year) but she makes holes in them like crazy.

All new school uniform needed here but I think we have it all now - anything else we can get in the secondhand sale at beginning of term. £84 for two PE tops makes me think I was lucky @QueenMabby I got it all secondhand except the blazer and I've spent less than £250.

Chat with houseparent done (she seems very sensible and nice), and she confirms there is no holiday homework between years 9 and 10, which seems mad to me but what do I know. Feeling nearly prepared, but sure I've forgotten something vital.

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