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Secondary education

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

Original poster

pfb -in fact only child - off to secondary on Thursday...

788 replies

MaryAnnSingleton · 02/09/2008 08:07

am being calm but every so often panic strikes me - ds is fine about it, it's just me fretting about roads to cross/ money for the canteen - will it get lost/stolen, what about the lockers, arghhh ! Plus,as with the beginning of every term,I'll miss him - I love having him here in the holidays !
It also means that I have no excuses not to sit at my desk and work on the job I'm meant to finish by the end of Seot...

OP posts:
Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 15/09/2008 16:23

oat crunchies very nice - I thought they'd be flapjack-ish but were biscuitty and I've eaten several (I had to evaluate them)
Ds burned his wrist on the cooker though and typically didn't tell anyone.. he made it ok to singing lesson which went well ( he is learning that A Whole New World Song - lesson is with an older girl)) and brought back entire PE kit as he couldn't open his locker to put it back. PE kit all present and correct though, which is good. Hope all dcs had a good day...

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bellavita · 15/09/2008 16:37

DS1 seemed to have a good day.

Haven't really spoke to him much as he has brought an old yr6 friend home with him and they have gone straight out, stuffing their faces with homemade chocolate and marshmallow muffins.

MAS - glad the oat crunchies were nice

magentadreamer · 15/09/2008 17:15

The IT teacher gave himself lines - there was a worksheet for them to do but wasn't given out phew! So DD is feeling alot happier! English teacher was off sick so they didn't get to do their presentations.

MAS -sounds as if the oat crunchies met with your approval

I know what you mean about cracking the whip a bit when it comes to homework Bellavita. Hopefully they'll soon realise that once it's all done they can do as they want!

roisin · 15/09/2008 22:20

Crikey I can't believe we're into the 3rd week already.

MD at English teacher off sick already: that's not a good sign, is it?

One of ds1's teachers forgot to turn up to their lesson and arrived really late he said! Ha ha ha!

Homework and routines going well here. Most departments seem to have complex systems basically to reward effort and achievement, so ds1 is putty in their hands, as he loves that sort of thing!

So far we are trying to have blitz homework days (Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday) and then keep other days completely free so he can chill. He is enjoying that approach so far.

magentadreamer · 16/09/2008 06:53

Erk@teacher turning up really late!

DD's hoping to do her presentation today - last night she was doing more to it! She's got scans of all the books in the series to hand around the class so she wrote a synopsis of each book underneath the front cover scan!

At the moment she's tending to do any homework as it comes in. I'm just hoping that on Friday she doesn't have a shed load that needs to be in on Monday as we're off to London Friday night to see her beloved Chelsea play on Sunday and go to the Natural History/Science musuem on Saturday We won't be back till late on Sunday night. I suppose she can do it on the train as we go down Friday night, but not ideal!

OrmIrian · 16/09/2008 10:05

Will anyone confess to feeling a bit nostalgic about the primary school that your DC has just left? I do. I have to go back twice a day to take/pick up the other 2 and it feels so odd that DS#1 isn't there anymore. 7 yrs is a long time. Primary seems so small and friendly in comparison - little red brick Victorian buildings - and I can still go and chat to the teachers if I need to and I know lots of the other mums - in fact quite a bit of what I've heard about DS's new school came from mums of boys in his class who still take siblings to the primary. I got quite sad walking past the Yr 6 classroom this morning. Get a grip eh?

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 16/09/2008 10:58

Orm - I feel the same..I have to go back there today to pick up friends dcs and meet our yr 7 boys outside and it'll give me a pang - I met ds outside there on his first two days at secondary school and it was odd - I did think things would be a lot easier and less stressful if he was still there ...

OP posts:
bellavita · 16/09/2008 11:24

oh gosh - I just must have a hard heart

magentadreamer · 16/09/2008 21:28

DD came ome with a letter today stating that Yr7 will be doing 3 Nfer tests on Thursday and Friday - Am I right in assuming that these are CAT tests????

magentadreamer · 16/09/2008 21:29

Home even lol

bellavita · 17/09/2008 00:05

ahhh - DS has a note in his planner about doing CATS tests later on this month - not sure what they are though?

magentadreamer · 17/09/2008 06:13

CATS are thought to predict outcomes at the end of KS3 and I think that schools also use them to predict targets for pupils as well. I had a look on nfer nelsons website and after looking at a demo test was rather glad it was DD taking them and not me!

SqueakyPop · 17/09/2008 07:00

It may be MidYIS tests they are doing this week.

magentadreamer · 17/09/2008 07:36

I don't think I can keep up with all these different tests! wanders off to sit in the confuddled corner

And another thing why oh why do they have to mark things in NC levels? Dd had to do a test drawing for Art - I thought it was pretty good but I'm biased The Test drawing was marked 4b Soooooooooo is that good/ok/bad/try holding your Pencil and applying it to the paper Magenta jr? A Good old fashioned A B C or F would have helped. Why they have to be formally tested in Art is a different matter and I'll not go into that mini rant but can't they just do Art for Art's sake and be allowed to have a bit of fun while exploring their creativity??

bellavita · 17/09/2008 08:05

Yes, markings of A, B or C's etc are much better imo to understand.

DS is starting a lunchtime activity today - Dodgeball, he is excited. Has taken a packed lunch which will save time on queuing etc so he will have more time to get changed.

He is also looking forward to the cookery lesson - they get to find out what they will be making next week.

Magenta - I hope you have a good time in London - sounds fab, DS would love to go see a football game.

OrmIrian · 17/09/2008 08:23

DS did CAT tests at the school at the end of Yr7. He said they were very easy Don't know the outcome. Perhaps at parents evening they'll actually tell us.

Polgara2 · 17/09/2008 14:05

Things still going ok for DD1 (keeping fingers crossed). She was late getting out yesterday though because her maths teacher took exception to most of the class (not me Mum!) putting everything away as soon as last bell rang and he made them get them all out again and put them away again and then leave row by row! Had to laugh at her indignance at suffering for others! Oh and she came out all excited today because they had used bunsen burners and she had been lighting them (on my own with a flaming stick Mum!). Oh this is taking me back to my first days at secondary.

bellavita · 17/09/2008 14:34

hey Polgara2 - DS was using and lighting bunsen burners yesterday - he loved it.

I have just got one little gripe though - nothing actually to do with school but here goes -

one of his friends did not get bus pass when new term started so did not know which bus he would actually get on but at the outset until pass received he could get on either.

He started from day one calling for DS and then they would go on to call for another boy - fine this carried on until the middle of last week and then this boy's mum rings council to see where the pass is for her to be told it is on its way however he is allocated on to the 5W bus (was getting on 6W), so he start calling for another boy who gets on the 5W.

Now yesterday, DS informs me that himself and the boy who he still calls for are now going back on themselves to call for the boy who now has bus pass - he is actually to get on their bus, tis like err just snapping fingers and they go running.

I have tried to say it would be easier for said boy to come to us, then they go for the second boy who has one of the bus stops near his house arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh

he is not having any of it!

bellavita · 17/09/2008 14:34

and breathe ...........................

Polgara2 · 17/09/2008 14:48

Oh I know what you mean! I HAVE to drop dd1 off at her friends so that they can meet up with another friend down the road at a time convenient to HER! This means I have to make 2 almost identical trips to get both dd's to schools which are next door to each other.

bellavita · 17/09/2008 14:53

I don't want to appear like the nagging mother, but I cannot see any logic in what they are doing.

Next time that this boy comes to see DS (and I normally let him in the house and have fed him on quite a few occasions because he has turned up at tea time as his mum does not get home from work until about 7.00 so quite often he does not get his tea till late) saying, no he cannot come in because it ain't convenient.

Yes, I know, I am being pathetic........

bellavita · 17/09/2008 16:54

Well, DS has come home to say that a Yr9 boy physically pushed him out of his seat this morning on the bus (he landed on the floor) and was told that was "his" seat. I said to report anyone that does this to the driver.

The boy that I talked about earlier (one without the bus pass) I have just had to ring him and give him a piece of my mind - arrrrgh

Last night when I was at work, there was an incident between DS1 and a (younger boy - but bigger in size to DS) whereby the boy kept ramming his bike into DS. Now DS is quite soft and rarely stands up for himself. After about 10 rams, he hit this boy in hindsight perhaps he should have gone and knocked on his parents door and explained what was going on, but I think in the end he just saw red. DS's so called friend was witness to what happened, but he has told DS today that he is going to get the Yr10's to "get him".

So DS has come home with a very heavy heart.

I told him to ring the said friend up and to say to keep out of his business - nothing to do with him and I could hear him on the phone going like yeah yeah blah blah. So I rang him and said if this did not stop, I would go to his parents and to the Head of Year - he turned round and said oh but I did not say that - I told DS that I would say to the Yr10's to leave him alone - well hello, why would you come out with a statement like that if you have not had something to do with it in the first place. Trying to cover his tracks imo.

I have told DS not to worry and not to put himself out over calling for this boy in future.

Kids eh!

magentadreamer · 17/09/2008 17:27

Your poor DS Bellavita, I'm just so glad DD doesn't have to do the school bus. Hopefully it won't happen again. How did Dodgeball go? DD used to play it in Yr6 and loved it. As for the other boy hopefully he'll have learnt his lesson!

Polgara - my DD loves lighting the Bunsen burners and science is the best thing EVER! I was talking about it at work and all of us remembered the thrill of doing experiments with the bunsen burners!

magentadreamer · 17/09/2008 17:29

Your poor DS Bellavita, I'm just so glad DD doesn't have to do the school bus. Hopefully it won't happen again. How did Dodgeball go? DD used to play it in Yr6 and loved it. As for the other boy hopefully he'll have learnt his lesson!

Polgara - my DD loves lighting the Bunsen burners too and science is the best thing EVER! I was talking about it at work and all of us remembered the thrill of doing experiments with the bunsen burners!

bellavita · 17/09/2008 17:44

Dodgeball - they lost