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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:
bellavita · 17/11/2008 22:21

Fingers crossed for your DS roisin.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 17/11/2008 22:32

jope he finds it - can't see ds wearing a coat to school - there's nowhere to put it for a start and none seems to wear them !!

OP posts:
Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 17/11/2008 22:33

uh, bad typing - sorry ! am in the dark here...

OP posts:
Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 18/11/2008 16:54

did coat come back roisin ?
ds got his money back from the boy he lent it to yesterday - hooray ! and half a bread roll,as interest,I guess !
Safely back from after school singing group. He seems to have lost a piece of homework he was meant to do for science, so have made him write himself a note to see the teacher and catch up...

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OrmIrian · 18/11/2008 17:00

PITA about the coat roisin!

Does anyone else feel that secondary school is a big black hole. I just watch DS leave the house in the morning and he comes back in the afternoon and I have no contact with the school at all. So different from primary.

We were worried about him being picked on yesterday and I didn't know who to speak to. His first tutor is on mat leave, and I don't know the name of the new one. At primary you just go in and explain to the secretary, or grab the teacher. It's very odd and disconcerting but it does prevent over-anxious parents junping in off the deep end I suppose.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 18/11/2008 17:27

agree with you there Orm...it does make me think a bit first and bide my time- at primary I was in there like a shot to sort stuff out !

OP posts:
bellavita · 18/11/2008 18:06

MAS - glad DS got his money back.

roisin - let us know about the coat.

Orm - did you speak to anyone at all over DS being picked on? Is he ok?

On Saturday, DS came down without his tshirt on and I noticed some bruises on his arm. I asked how he had got them. Turns out another Yr7 boy (not in the same form) had gone up to him last Tuesday and started giving him "dead arms". DS asked him to stop and he didn't.

He never told us, but he went to his form tutor on the Wednesday morning and explained what had happened. The other boy got a detention (I am hoping there are not going to be any repercussions because of this)

In one way I am glad that he did not retaliate and felt he could go and speak to his form tutor, but on the other hand my baby did not mention it to us

DS is doing cookery tomorrow, I have just come upstairs to get ready for work and he has yet to weigh out his ingredients well will just have to leave it to DH (when he walks in) to help!

roisin · 18/11/2008 20:22

He seems to be dealing with it well. He went to check the classrooms he'd been in, checked the lost property desk, then went to the office. He explained to that lady what had happened...

Apparently during a concert a friend poked him because another lad they didn't know had opened his bag and was removing his coat

ds1 has reported this and apparently it will be looked in to. I have told him to keep checking lost property on a daily basis til it turns up.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 18/11/2008 21:25

hope it does roisin
and bellavita about your ds- good for him for dealing with it in a mature way, but sad he didn't say anything to you.
Hope his cooking goes well !

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magentadreamer · 19/11/2008 07:15

Bella - one good thing is the fact he felt able to talk to his form tutor and get it sorted out and just maybe he thought once it was it was no big deal to bother his Mum with. It's amazing how grown up they can be once they start High School.

Hope your DS's coat turns up soon Roisin. DD has lost a couple of things but they've always turned up at Student Services -think she must be on first name terms now with the nice ladies on the desk.

DD starts cookery today they have the same teacher for all of the DT stuff. Did make me chuckle when I thought back I could just imagine Mrs T our formidable sewing teacher teaching us woodwork as well!

bellavita · 19/11/2008 08:41

magenta - is it just a theory cookery lesson today?

DS is making Fat Rascals today, which are famous in Betty's Tea Rooms - yummy.

I know what you are saying about him being grown up - he probably thought I was going to have a major meltdown over it . I do seem to over react on a lot of things these days

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 19/11/2008 10:22

yum ! - what are they - cakes ?
I think ds thinks I interfere too much,so probably doesn't tell me everything...

OP posts:
bellavita · 19/11/2008 12:48

they are a cross between a scone and a rock bun with a cherry on top and mixed spice in the mixture.

bellavita · 19/11/2008 13:02

here you go

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 19/11/2008 13:06

they look like faces with teeth !!

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bellavita · 19/11/2008 13:10
Grin
roisin · 19/11/2008 16:19

He's come back tonight with his coat

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 19/11/2008 17:32

yay !!!
and how are the fat rascals ?? I could eat one right now

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roisin · 19/11/2008 17:40

I fancy a fat rascal too!
We got a letter today about parents' evening. I thought it would just be with the form tutor (we haven't had a settling in meeting), but it talks about subject teachers, so I guess we'll get to meet some of his actual teachers. We can't possibly see all of them though, I wonder how it works?

bellavita · 19/11/2008 18:00

Fat rascals are delish , one poor boy took the wrong ingredients in - he thought they were making pasta salad. He was away on the day of giving out the recipe and picked up the wrong one when back in school! So, when it comes to DS doing pasta salad the other boy has to make what he should have done today

Good news about the coat roisin.

DS has come home today and informed me they have a day off on Friday! Seems the letter he should have brought home today has been lost, but did go on the school website for me to show what it said.

roisin · 19/11/2008 19:32

That's a bit late notice bellavita

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 19/11/2008 19:51

next week is pupil review day where they have the day off,though can go into school to study (!) but have to attend a 15 minute meeting with their tutor to discuss their goals etc...

OP posts:
magentadreamer · 19/11/2008 22:56

Erk that is short notice Bellavita. I want cakees in cookery Dd is making a sandwich next week!

bellavita · 20/11/2008 07:49

DS has apparently known about this day off for the past couple of days - wonder when he was going to tell me!

But, serves me right, because I have just asked him to log me into the school website and lo and behold it does advise on there. The employees of the local council were awarded this extra day off in recognition of it being high achieving and the school choose Friday.

Parent Consultation Day - in April, not sure if we just see the form tutor or all of his teachers - this is going to be fun as I work on a Thursday. Why does everything fall on my only working day?

roisin · 20/11/2008 17:38

for parents evening ds1 was given a card today to go round his teachers and make appointments with them ... unfortunately he's lost it!

I think maybe I spoke too soon about him being super-organised and not losing anything

He was keen for us to see everyone but I have managed to persuade him that it's not necessary, and we mainly just want to see the teachers of the core/academic subjects.

I don't want to be there all night, and I'm sure his teachers don't want to be either.