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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 · 07/10/2008 21:41

DD informs me they do the resistant thingy, plus cooking and textile design - I never realised that was a fancy name for needlework!

OrmIrian · 08/10/2008 12:58

DS#1 is off for a 3-day camp. Very excited. Hoping it's not going to rain much more though.

bellavita · 08/10/2008 13:00

3 day camp this quick into Yr7 wow.

I am sure Ds1 would be excited too.

Hope he has a good time

OrmIrian · 08/10/2008 13:03

Thanks

They arrange it this early so that the new classes get to know each other. Sort of bonding thing I suppose.

bellavita · 08/10/2008 13:05

I think it is a fab idea.

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 08/10/2008 14:35

hope he has a brilliant time Orm.. ds goes for a 2 day one next Friday - I was fretting but the lovely teacher organising rang me to reassure after I'd sent an email with a few queries
Also ds has got a Commended certificate for a piece of creative writing done for a local competition

bellavita · 08/10/2008 14:40

Love the name MAS

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 08/10/2008 14:41

thank you it came to me in the high street !

bellavita · 08/10/2008 14:58

hope you did not say it out loud?

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 08/10/2008 15:09

no, though I do catch myself humming and muttering in a bit of a senile way !

bellavita · 08/10/2008 15:11

I do that all the time

OrmIrian · 08/10/2008 15:49

DS#1's school was ofstedededed last month ("as you are aware", the letter said. Well we weren't - DS tells us nowt ) And it was judged as outstanding. Despite being in a deprived ward, inspite of many pupils starting with lower than average academic levels. It also improved it's a-cs grades at GCSE to pull it out of the National challenge school category! This is a school that no-one wanted to send their DC to 10 yrs ago. Now it's oversubscribed. Head teacher is a bloody miracle worker!

magentadreamer · 09/10/2008 07:14

Thats really good news OrmIrian. DDs school often gets compared unfavourably to the other local(ish)and was in a very similar situation about 5 years ago when no one wanted to send their DC's there. Over the years and under the present headship it's attainment at Ks3 and Gcse is practically the same. But given prior attainment and it's deprived catchment area DD's school as probably worked harder to get the levels it has got iyswm. It still has the label in the playground at Primary as not being very good but hopefully with this years results etc parents might realise it's not the "bad" school it's made out to be. apart from the homework niggle I'm really glad I sent DD there as she seems to be thriving.

DD went to the Art club on Tuesday after school - it's sculpturing for year 7-9 and had a ball. I had visions of her with safetly googles, a hammer and chisel in her hand creating master peices out of a block of stone

magentadreamer · 09/10/2008 07:15

MAS - love the new name!

bellavita · 09/10/2008 08:18

Aarrggghhh

Just went into the dining room and noticed DS's pencil case lying on the table.

I am not even showered/dressed.

Pulled my jeans on and tucked my nightshirt in (no bra eeek), put my coat on, no socks just summer sandals that had not been put away and had race off in the car and go to the bus stop.

Would you believe it? DS1 saw my car and hid behind the post box! He was drinking a bottle of lucozade and obviously did not want me to see it. Me thinks that he will be having packed lunches from next week if he is spending lunch money before he gets to school.

This is DS who was supposed to have packed his bag last night

OrmIrian · 09/10/2008 08:24

Sorry bella but rofl! Naughty DS

I suspect that the change from my DS's lunch money got spent somewhere similar. £1.70 for lunch, he got £2.00 every day but mysteriousl no change, ever

bellavita · 09/10/2008 08:28
bellavita · 09/10/2008 08:30

I am not bothered about him spending the money that is left, but I do not want him going in the shop before school.

Thing is even if he had drank the lucozade before I got there, he had tell tale signs of "orange" around his mouth!

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 09/10/2008 10:40

bellavita !

bellavita · 09/10/2008 10:53

DH has gently told me off for pandering after DS!

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 09/10/2008 10:55

awww

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 09/10/2008 12:04

oh dear,bellavita this will make you laugh.. just looked in my bag and discovered ds' purse which should be in his rucksack, so left everything ( fully clothed but just flipflops on my feet) and drove to his school to hand it in as it's almost lunch time. On the way home I remembered that today is reading club at lunchtime and he has a packed lunch so he doesn't need his money at all ...

bellavita · 09/10/2008 15:31

MAS - rofl

my oh my, what are we like?

(at least you were fully clothed )

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 09/10/2008 15:39

he said he was embarrassed because he thinks his purse looks girly - have now swapped it back to his army style wallet even though it's more fiddly...can't win really

roisin · 09/10/2008 18:26

Fortunately for us there are no shops between here and the bus stop and when he gets to the next town he has to hurry to get to registration on time, so spending ££ before school is not an option.

I told him he can save up any left over cash each day and then each week he can transfer it into his pocket money account or go down town and spend it.

It's really great actually because it's made him think carefully about what he buys for lunch and what is good value for money and what's not worth it. (He gets £2.25 per day).