Is there a Y7 2024-25 support thread?

[Eastie77Returns]

I’ve been following the 2023-24 one as DD starts secondary school this year so was interested to read about the experiences of pupils who started last September. I’m ancient and things have changed so much since I was at Secondary school. I’m already struggling to keep up with the e-mails and flood of information from her new school and the new term hasn’t even started yet!

Next week she is attending a week long summer school / transition week which I thought was a really good idea to help her get settled ahead of September but she is complaining she doesn’t want to go and it’s unfair she has to spend part of her summer holiday in school (which is fair enough). She has already spent a day at the school and came home overwhelmed saying the buildings are too big, she felt lost and lunch was rushed. On the other hand she really enjoyed the taster lessons and as she likes structure she was excited about having a timetable of different classes.

I’m sensing the months ahead might be a bit tricky and DD is my oldest so the first to attend Secondary and I’m really not sure what to expect!

Lots of tests here too.

And a trip next week. I'm s bit jealous... Supreme Court, Houses of Parliament, dinner than back home. They said 9pm si ill work on 10pm knowing the A1!!!

Lots of end of module assessments here too. And we had the first monitoring report through, though this early on the year it's just recording attitude to learning so just numbers and no comments.
They are doing cross country this week. Ds2 is pleased he made 4th. Kit covered in mud but happy boy so all good in the end.

He's very tired after school now though, thank goodness just over week til half term then two weeks off.

We're very ready for half term here too, DD has been really tearful this week. It's been quite the start to year 7 and she's so ready for a break.

Yeah DD is really exhausted now. She is saying she needs a break from the school bell and all the rules. The early starts, new environment and ongoing tests (another one for science today) have taken their toll.

She asked if we can go abroad somewhere hot for half term and I had to break it to her that our budget doesn’t quite stretch to that! We are doing a few days in the Yorkshire Dales, not quite what she had in mind but never mind😂

Well, the meet the tutor event was pointless. They barely seemed to know who my child was. When I asked about some SEN stuff for my child they didn't have a clue. Going to email the SEN department instead. I was emailed 2 weeks ago saying DS was going to be in a group but not what the group was or when it would be. DS has heard nothing and tutor knows nothing. SEN department haven't replied to any of the emails I sent before DS started. I thought I would give them time so haven't been back in touch but as nothing seems to be happening it looks like I'll need to start making some noise.

Another one whose DD is exhausted!

She's caught two colds since starting in September and been quite run down. I guess it's even more germs as tonnes more kids than primary.

Hoping she doesn't have too much homework set for half term as we are going away so would like her to be able to switch off.

We've got a form tutor evening next week so one 5 minute appointment. Seems a bit pointless!

DS seems happy at school so far, some baseline assessments, lots of sport / clubs and out of school sports too. Seems to get on with homework although I'm not involved so might get a nasty surprise when we get the school report before Christmas!

We've had a few Y7 parent socials but no parents evenings with teachers yet - that will come towards the end of the year I suspect.

Other than that - he's made a lot of new friends within his form group as well as clubs, so happy child, happy mum

More transportation drama here. A teacher at a different secondary school near DD's mounted the pavement in their car and knocked over 2 pupils and a parent in front of that school🙁We are all hoping the pupils and parent are ok (teacher was fine).

An air ambulance came out and roads were closed so DD was late to school but on this occasion she wasn't handed a detention in view of the circumstances.

Counting down to half term now. DD has finished all her baseline tests and is looking forward to the break and a reset. There still hasn't been any mention of parents evening so I'm guessing it will be later in the year.

Ours is towards the end of November. Online only, we pick up to nine subjects and put our preferred start time, the computer allocates us a block of 5 minute appointments with it all slotted in neatly. 4 minutes per teacher, 1 minute in the waiting room. It just rolls on with or without you. When each timer reaches zero it cuts off and moves you along, no extended session, no holding up the queue.

It's quite efficient I suppose. A bit impersonal but as a teacher I imagine having 60 or 90 or 120 children to talk about separately on one day is pretty wearing so better for them.

How awful @Eastie77Returns, hope all concerned are OK.

I was on a Scouts competition with a team of six year 7s on Saturday and all six seemed absolutely shattered. They attend five different schools so it seems like it's across the board. We don't finish for half term until next Friday but very ready for the break.

Oh wow, that does sound…efficient! It is a bit impersonal as you say and probably not a lot of info shared or a chance to discuss anything in depth but with so many kids it’s hard to do that.

DS is still at primary school and his parents evening was yesterday and in person. His teacher is lovely and it was nice to have a proper chat with him. I haven’t met a single one of DD’s many teachers and don’t think I could pick her headteacher out of a line up (have seen her a couple of times but can’t recollect what she looks like) so definitely a bit removed compared to Primary although the school does send a very detailed Y7 newsletter home once a month.

@Eastie77Returns I have only spoken to the head via email and that was to complain about the state of the toilets around school following some minor vandalism last year. He was very nice and replied to my Saturday morning email by Saturday afternoon.

No idea what he looks like without referring to his mugshot though.

It does seem impersonal but when dealing with the numbers they teach yr 7 to yr 11 a lot of the data will be numerical. High school is a very different beast.

The first half of the autumn term is long! Nearly 8 weeks. The second half is 7 weeks. Come Christmas they will be exhausted.

how are you all getting on? My kid has been struggling - we've reported to the teacher a few times and they have been exceptionally crap at getting back to us. to the point where I feel like they are ignoring me. I'm trying not to bother them too often but some communication would be appreciated. Not to mention we had to report an assault off the school property and the school have been disinterested in identifying the student (despite many opportunities and on site sightings reported on CCTV to identify), having asked another student also involved who denied it (! of course he would) so therefore in the eyes of the school it "didn't happen" (although they have not spelled it out exactly like this just stopped bothering to look into it). Am furious. I am worried I am going to have to raise it further. My child struggles with anxiety and also has been picked on the last year or so and confidence is low so often goes to the teachers when frustrated or upset. But now senses their frustration at being in their office so often and feels bothersome to them. It is so hard and school are being crap.

God that sounds AMAZING!!!! I'm a bit of a sad political geek!

DD2 is bloody knackered! Thankfully we get 2 weeks off for October and we're off abroad next week for week 1 of it so she should get a good recharge. We have the can of worms of starting ADHD medication when we get back to navigate though as she's finally got her diagnosis

Our head makes a point of being on the school gate at the end of the day (walking her dog who does tennis ball patrol duty for any that have been "acquired" from the PE cupboard) so at least we know who she is - she will talk to you but it's more "talk at" you really as she doesn't tend to listen.

We have SEND key workers for both my kids as they've got various needs - DD2's is no way as good as DD1's who is fantastic - DD2's doesn't reply to emails so I just tend to email the SENCO directly who is good at replying. We did intentionally pick the small school though so communication's a bit easier.

We've had a letter with the Y8 parents evening details (for DD1), but no Y7 dates yet so I'm expecting it'll be the next letter to come out - you just click who you want to see and the times you're available between and it'll produce a nice timetable for you to go around and see everyone.

@rustyearlier I’m sorry, that sounds very difficult. The school doesn’t seem to be making an effort to help. Was your DS assaulted and if so have you considered contacting the police as a next step?

@DoNotScrapeMyDataBishes Sounds like the HT at DC’s last primary school. She was known for never really having a conversation with parents - only speaking at you and then turning abruptly on her heel without waiting for a response.

Thank god it’s Friday. DD melted down this morning because I asked her to wear a light coat as it’s cold and drizzly here and she has just recovered from a 2 week persistent cough and cold. She insists her blazer is sufficient. Ok. Picking my battles as I cannot deal with the clothes wars any more.

She was late home yesterday, upset because the teacher in her last lesson kept the entire class behind. Apparently the teacher heard whistling during class and when the culprits wouldn’t step forward DD said she wrote ‘collective responsibility’ on the white board and everyone had to stay in detention😭

@Eastie77Returns another teacher using that. I hate it so much. Yes,it is awful for the teacher to have to cope with relentless low level disruption but, at this stage, they did have started to identify the children who act out. Keeping everyone behind just fosters resentment.

Well we are officially on half term. Just been to collect Ds2 and his mates. Ds1 has elected to slum it in town McDs with his friends.

I've just asked Ds2 about collective punishment and he's said not since primary thankfully. I know one boy got given an L4 yesterday for racist comments. He was taken out of class into isolation and a teacher came to get his stuff. Otherwise everyone just gets their own punishment for any wrongdoing.

I discovered the whistling was the result of some kind of bizarre game they play on WhatsApp called ‘Alert’. Every morning someone in the class sends an Alert on WhatsApp with instructions as to some silly thing everyone has to do. The other day all the girls were instructed to wear pigtails in order to ‘confuse the teachers’. Yesterdays Alert was multiple pupils had to whistle in the class but no-one was allowed to tell the teacher who it is.

I told DD fun games are ok but it’s not ok to do anything that disrupts the classroom or learning. Also no plotting to confuse teachers! She rolled her eyes at me.

Hope everyone is surviving Half Term. DD has been off since last week Monday and doesn't go back until Thursday. I suppose I should be grateful for small mercies as most of the other schools nearby do a full 2 weeks HT.

Last week was fine as I was off work but it's been difficult this week to get work done and deal with her constant milling around, needing snacks on tap, reluctant to do any homework and making unreasonable demands (can I give her "just £100" so she can go to a shopping centre miles away with a group of friends. Yeah sure, no problem)

Last weekday of half term here and I am enforcing a morning of actually doing the homework while I get on.

Ds2 is massively unhappy with the DT homework. He has to design something on paper within a set parameter to start making next term. This isn't the issue. It's just that he loathes the theme with a passion and so he says he can't see what to do 🙄. I am rolling my eyes big time, pointing him towards Google and telling him to get on with it.

I can't wait for them to bugger off back to school so I can have my day back undisrupted. Is that awful?

Not awful at all. I was counting down the days

DD hates doing her DT homework.

@Eastie77Returns The theme is Memphis style which, I do agree, is horrible. All 1980s bright clashing colours and sharp geometric shapes. Vile. Tough shit tho. Homework is homework.

Everyone here is on half term this week. Some schools had last week too and some others have next week so he's getting messages from friends just going away on holiday now and he's jealous cos we haven't been anywhere exciting this time at all as no time off work. He's sulking about seven straight weeks of school coming up.