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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:
roisin · 25/10/2008 10:23

Yes - happy half term one and all.
I wish we had two weeks

roisin · 25/10/2008 10:27

I'm pleased and relieved that ds1 had less homework than usual set last week, so has finished it all already.

I was a bit apprehensive that he might get tons of extra stuff.

magentadreamer · 25/10/2008 10:45

Hope everyone has a very restful half term! I can't believe how fast it has gone and how well she has settled in DD told me the best things about school is better science, DT and having smaller classes - there are only 24 of them in most classes - she was one of 32 in Juniors. Homework wise DD has got the usual amount so hopefully she'll get it all done today and enjoy the rest of the week. She's been given her targets for this year which look to be realistic ones that hopefully she will achieve.

DD got the results of her half term Maths and Science test and was so pleased. She doesn't know if she'll go up to the top set for Maths yet but she's hoping she will so she can learn even more and if she doesn't she'll just have to try harder in the Xmas test - I'm wondering when the aliens aducted her as this just isn't my DD - long may it last!

roisin · 28/10/2008 15:23

ds1 has been at school for 4 hours today (half term) with the choir and a recording engineer getting some tracks down for a radio programme the school are producing next month.

He didn't want to go today, and needed a lot of persuasion, so I hope he's enjoyed himself. (Dh has just gone to pick him up.)

bellavita · 28/10/2008 15:52

I am sure he has - tis just that thought of having to go back into school when you have the whole week off.

I am so glad it is half term, because if it wasn't DS1 would be off ill. They broke up last Thursday and came home poorly, had a bad day Friday and Saturday, was slighty better Sunday, went downhill yesterday and is about the same today. Just the thought of all the school work/homework he would have had to catch up on........

DS2 has also come down with the throat hurting, temperature and coughing as well today.

We had plans to go to the cinema, swimming, over to see grandma and grandad, but everything has gone out of the window so far.

roisin · 28/10/2008 16:13

Oh, that's such a shame bellavita. I hate it when the hols are a wash-out because of illness

I hope they're both feeling loads better very soon.

ds1 didn't exactly come back enthusing about it, but I think it's just his grumpy teenager act for our benefit. Some of his mates from form sing in the choir, but none of them were there today, and he was one of only two year 7s there.

I think he likes it really! He's signed up for an all-day singing day plus concert in a few weeks' time then three concerts in December.

bellavita · 28/10/2008 16:58

Wow, seems like you have a budding singer on your hands - what a lot of concerts. Well done your DS

We ordered this for DS1 the-bed-shop.com/j-study-bunk-study-bunk-frame-by-joseph-international-p-114.html and DH put it up for him at the weekend. He has been attempting to do some homework this afternoon at his new desk. Let's hope he can keep the homework in one place now!

roisin · 28/10/2008 17:22

That looks great, hope he likes it!
We were relieved that ds1 didn't get stacks of homework for half term, so he's mostly just enjoying chilling out.

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 29/10/2008 09:33

hey,great bed !! hope ds is feeling better bellavita - and am very impressed by your ds' singing roisin

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 29/10/2008 09:34

oops,that's both of your poorly boys bellavita

magentadreamer · 29/10/2008 09:37

Hope both DS's are feeling beter soon Bellavita.

bellavita · 03/11/2008 08:04

Typical, DS did not want to get out of bed this morning!

I hope they all have a good first day back.

Oh by the way, in Staples, I found some A5 excercise book covers which should hopefully preserve his books for a little longer. They were £1.99 for 5.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 03/11/2008 10:13

INSET day here, so one more day with ds ! hope all dcs have a good first week back

OP posts:
roisin · 03/11/2008 18:27

ds1 was a bit reluctant this morning, but has had a good day and seems to be straight back into the swing of things.

7 weeks til the next holidays

bellavita · 03/11/2008 19:25

7 weeks - oh my.

DS has come home with just 2 pieces of homework tonight, so not bad going. He is tired though.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 05/11/2008 17:54

ds has been choosing activities from the selection for Activities Week in July - various things ranging from a sailing/watersports thing in The Dordogne and a PGL week to a Literary Tour and Child Care... his first choice is a curry making week !! Off to meet his tutor tomorrow- yr 7 consultations.

OP posts:
bellavita · 05/11/2008 18:10

Those sound interesting, I am sure DS would like the curry week also (he loves them)

Have to post and run as I need to get ready to go to work, but just need to vent my frustrations.

DH not home yet, I have been asking DS to do his homework for a while, finally, he gets the books out and says he needs help. Ok I say, whilst I am trying to wash up. History, a poster of the film "The Gladiator". He has to choose some words from a list that he thinks describe the poster - herioc, mysterious, fun, etc. I start going through the words and the meanings and DS starts shouting at me that I never want to help him. He said how can he look heroic when it is the roman empire and they were not heroic? I try to help as much as I can, but work three nights a week 7 till midnigt.

Is he grasping the wrong end of the stick with the homework or am I? The gladiator can look herioc without actually been a hero?

Sorry if this does not make sense, had better go and get my shower.

roisin · 05/11/2008 18:51

We have (first) parents evening in a few weeks' time. I think it's just with the form tutor, but we haven't had details yet.

I'm wondering whether to mention the following:

Generally school is ace and very on the ball about everything, and staff really work very hard. But in English it all seems a bit more chaotic. Ds1 has 2 teachers for 2 lessons each. (They are both ft, so I'm not sure why they job share his class).

  • He hasn't been given a target in English, whereas he has in every other subject.
  • He earned a merit certificate in English (for 10 merits) weeks ago but it hasn't materialised yet. (Other subjects sort this out immediately or next lesson at the latest.)
  • Homework in English seems quite rare, undemanding and is certainly not set to a pattern.
  • The amount of 'work' in his exercise book seems low compared with other subjects.
  • He's had a number of lessons with supply teachers in English.

It's not that I think he's getting appalling service in English, just that it's not up to the usual high standards of the rest of the school atm. English is one of ds1's strong points and he really hasn't been inspired and motivated by the subject so far at secondary.

magentadreamer · 06/11/2008 07:10

MAS -The curry making week sounds fab!

Bellavitia - I'm with you on a gladiator looking heroic if thats any help.

Roisin -DD has two English teachers as well and the same in Maths. As for targets DD has got them for the most subjects - I'd rather they'd given out the half term grades! I know DD has done very well in Maths and will no doubt get another target in it at some stage but it would be nice to know how she's doing in the other subjects and not just how she's expected to do. We were told that each half term they'll get grades and effort grades - mind you if they're NC levels I'll be on here asking what does this mean! . We don't have a meeting with her form tutor till December. I took a look last night at her English book and it does look a bit "scrappy" work wise but Dd says alot of the work they've been doing is not just as she put it writing stuff down but talking about poems and meanings and stuff like that!She has had various homework subjects to do - a presentation, a poem and a story, a book report plus she's now writing an account of a school trip. If your worried about it in general then I would mention it.

bellavita · 06/11/2008 07:48

Thank you magenta - thought I was going mad. I was upset because when he said "you never help me with my homework", it sounded like he thought I did not care which is not the case, it is just difficult with working 3 evenings a week, but DH always helps him. I felt I had let him down.

I have just approached him again on how I perceived the poster and he listened to what I had to say rather than get upset, which was a bonus - maybe he was just tired after a long day!

Roisin - DS's targets were set a couple of weeks into the school term in September and he two has two different English classes and teachers and one of his books also does not have a lot in it as he said they do a lot of reading in this class and discussing.

He has a list of stuff in the front of the planner and it does say Consultatation Day, by appointment, but there is not a date next to it.

magentadreamer · 06/11/2008 08:03

It did sound to me as if he was as I call Dd when tired a bear with a grumpy head!

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 06/11/2008 09:45

yes,agree too - think a gladiator can look heroic !
Ds has put the curry thing first,followed by the day trips to various places in the area and third choice is a pick'n'mix week of art/first aid and other jolly things.. really hope he gets the curry one though !!

OP posts:
roisin · 06/11/2008 20:58

curry week sounds great
ds1's school seem generally on the ball regarding targets. Most homeworks are graded on a rather nifty 3x4 grid, so there are 12 boxes iyswim, one of which is ticked. Up the side you have below target, on target, above target. Across the bottom are 4 grades for 'effort'. If you get 1 for effort you get a detention, if you get 3 for effort you get a merit, 4 for effort you get 2 merits. The results are then transferred to a chart, so they have a running record of whether or not they are 'on target'... apart from in English where they don't seem to have got it all organised.

Anyway, I'm pleased to hear that 2 English teachers is not unheard of, so presumably is thought to be a potential success ...!

Hmm... I'll keep a watching brief for the moment

magentadreamer · 07/11/2008 19:23

Please may I have a proud Mum moment? DD has waited all week to find out if she was going to be moved up to the top set in Maths. She came home tonight and told me that she wasn't but never mind she'll just have to work harder and get a better grade in the end of term test! She proudly told me her end of year target had been changed to a sub level higher and she wants to beat it. I'm just really rather proud of the fact she's so motivated - long may it last!

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 07/11/2008 21:04

yay magenta's dd

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