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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:
magentadreamer · 17/09/2008 17:55

Aww thats a shame!

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 17/09/2008 22:52

hope everyone has a good day tomorrow
am glad too that ds doesn't have to travel by bus - that'd be one more thing to fret about !
Bunsen burners seem to be very popular all round !

OP posts:
TheFallenMadonna · 17/09/2008 22:53

Told 'ya!

bellavita · 18/09/2008 00:16

Tonight I have spoken to someone who has just gone up to 6th form at the same school as DS.

He said bus monitors will be elected soon and they will sort anyone out and report them if this sort of thing happens again.

Making flapjacks next week. Am a little annoyed because he has to take his own weighing scales in and the ones I have are really heavy (the old fashion type with weights), so have to now go buy a cheap set of scales at the weekend.

Thank god tomorrow is a day nearer the end of the week!

magentadreamer · 18/09/2008 08:06

Bellavita Did they say why DS has to bring his own scales in? Sounds odd to me! Least it's not the cooker Good news regarding bus monitors!

DD has CATS today and tomorrow - she was grumbling about it last night saying how many more tests do I have to do? I've done 3 Maths tests 1 Art test 1 music test 2 English tests and I've only been there 3 weeks! She gets all drama queenish dunno who she takes after...

bellavita · 18/09/2008 08:37

Not sure about the scales, I just assumed that the school did not have any?

I said we could weigh the ingredients out the night before at home, but DS said how am I supposed to take in the syrup then or if I take the bottle in how much will I know to use? I do however have some spoons that go from 1/4 tsp to a full tbps so maybe I could just send him with those for the syrup? and do the other ingredients at home.

I have just gone and looked at his recipe - it asks for 3 tbsp so problem solved!

Yes - very good news about the bus monitor (just have to keep my fingers crossed that it does not happen again in between time)

I can understand though magenta about she feels about doing all the tests - I used to dread them at school.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 18/09/2008 15:02

how odd about scales ! ds took a squeezy bottle of syrup for his oat biscuits this week - we had measured everything out at home to avoid carting in bags of sugar and flour etc. Next week it's 2 different recipes and I don't think I have enough suitably sized containers..

OP posts:
roisin · 18/09/2008 17:16

ds1 has had loads of tests too, but I think they are all finished now. As well as 3 CATs tests he's had 2 tests in Science, 3 in Maths, and 3 in English!

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 19/09/2008 12:37

as far as I know ds hasn't had any tests but he doesn't always tell me stuff ! have only just discovered that he does have merits - listed in his planner - he didn't think to tell me

OP posts:
OrmIrian · 19/09/2008 12:41

DS has an inset day. But the school that most of his friends at hasn't. So he's playing PS2 with neighbour's son. He took DD and DS#2 to school this morning, enjoying being the grown-up and lording it over the LOs

Polgara2 · 19/09/2008 12:45

DD1 was looking forward to doing cooking but they don't seem to be doing any as yet, I assume they rotate the things they do in Tech?
How do lunch times go at your schools? DD1 has been taking packed lunch because she spent all her lunch time just queueing and eating earlier on in the week when she had hot dinner. I know there are a lot of children but I feel they could be better organised somehow.
I think they are doing CAT tests next week but am not sure.

bellavita · 19/09/2008 13:38

Polgara - DS has D & T, Art and Cookery. He has all three every week, although the cooking is one lesson theory and then the following week practical.

He is doing CATs tests next week.

With regard to lunch times - sometimes he can be at the front of the queue and other times finds himself at the back, he does prefer the canteen though to taking pack (he did take pack on Wed because of dodgeball).

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 19/09/2008 14:24

Polgara - lunch times are a lottery really at ds' school - he has gone without any twice and other times eaten things like a bread roll and a cookie - it's the long queues and also his not deciding what he wants to eat !
His tutor group seem to be doing cookery this term, not sure about the others - think they must rotate it all.

OP posts:
Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 19/09/2008 15:24

today lunch was garlic bread and chips - I despair !

OP posts:
bellavita · 19/09/2008 16:49

DS had a cheesy gonzales - said it was not very nice - some kind of cheese concoction in a wrap!

roisin · 19/09/2008 22:14

ds1 loves his canteen, but there can be long queues. There are 1050 children in the school and just one lunch hour. The oldest students are allowed out for lunch, but not all of them do. So it's understandable there are going to be serious queues.

He's getting the hang of when he has a lesson near the canteen and has a chance of getting to the queue early. If he has a lesson at the other side of school then it's better to do any jobs (put things in his locker, pop to the office, take a library book whatever) first, and then go and join the lunch queue when it's died down a bit.

He's only mentioned them running out of his first choice of meal once, and he was happy with the other option.

seeker · 20/09/2008 01:13

My dd is an amazingly cool and savvy year 8 now, but when she was a year 7, I (on the advice of a very experienced parent of older ones) I gave her a very cheap and basic packed lunch every day (marmite sandwich, water and an apple) That way she had something to eat if all the plans went wrong, but it was something she would"nt feel guilty if she didn't eat it because she got a better offer.

bellavita · 20/09/2008 11:53

Ds has music yesterday, was supposed to go back with the rest of the class after the break to pick up his homework.......... forgot didn't he

SqueakyPop · 20/09/2008 12:07

Two weeks in and my Year 7s are doing very well. They seem to have all established friendship groups and no one is left out.

They are still struggling a bit with organisation - not in the end result of having what they need when they need it, but the length of time it takes them to sort out their lockers and bags. It took them 20 minutes at the end of school yesterday to sort everything out.

I do feel like a bit of a lost property monitor. I am forever chasing after them with missing kit and books, and they are asking me if I have found such-and-such yet (I'm not actually actively looking - that's their job).

about some of your lunch stories. We have two sittings at our school - 12.50 and 1.20, and we are usually ready for second lunch at 1.10. It doesn't feel frantic either.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 20/09/2008 12:41

that sounds good squeaky -am glad they're settling..the 2 sittings seems very sensible for lunch ! Seeker - basic lunch idea v good !

OP posts:
SqueakyPop · 20/09/2008 12:48

We specify which year groups are on first and second lunch each week.

When I was at school over 25 years ago, we had fixed times for each year group to appear. It's madness for it to be a free-for-all. Kids are usually starving at lunchtime and will scramble for lunch as soon as they are allowed to.

bellavita · 20/09/2008 19:15

Seats allocated [hmmm] for cats tests next week (has seat number written in his planner) has to go to the 6th form block. Scary. Seat allocation sounds really formal!

magentadreamer · 22/09/2008 07:07

DD finally did her CAT tests on Friday. From what she says they ended up missing most of Fridays lessons and the one's she did go to it was for a reduce time. She also got a letter sent home telling us her Maths set and explaining how they'll be testing them again prior to half term to see if they are in the correct set. DD was thrilled to find out her set - 2nd out of 4 and naffed off at the thought of more tests! I don't blame her! The running total for 3 weeks of term is 9!

Hope your son doesn't gt into trouble over his homeowrk Bellavita.

DD informs me she has a sandwich and a pudding most days as in her newly acquired High School language she can't be arsed to queue!

Our trip to London was fantastic even if her beloved Chelsea was held to a draw by Man Utd. The Natural History Museum had her captivated for 4.5 hrs - not a I'm bored was uttered at any time - I was amazed! Just a shame we didn't get time for the Science Museum - we'll just have to plan another trip me thinks!

bellavita · 22/09/2008 07:50

I am glad you had a lovely trip to London magenta.

Just reminded DS that he has to go to he music block and get his homework - whether he will actually remember or not - who knows!

roisin · 22/09/2008 08:04

DS1 has gone to catch his bus. I reminded him that if he wants to go to boys singers at lunchtime, he needs to order a 'grab-a-bag' at break and we'll have cooked dinner tonight!

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