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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Year 7 Spring Term ....

503 replies

MaryAnnSingleton · 02/01/2009 21:52

our thread, part two - all ready for the new term !! ds goes back on Tuesday...

OP posts:
Simnelbellavita · 01/04/2009 00:19

Gosh, I did not expect anyone to be here - I have just come in from work and having a cuppa before going to bed.

It is annoying especially as they will be breaking up soon and if it is not found before Friday, then I don't think there will be a hope of getting it back at all.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 01/04/2009 00:20

I should be in bed. I know. I am going soon now.

Simnelbellavita · 01/04/2009 00:21

night night!

magentadreamer · 01/04/2009 06:47

Fingers crossed it turns up Bellavitia.

It sounds as if your DS needs a lesson in delegation Roisin!

MargaretMountford · 01/04/2009 10:49

oh bellavita - that is so annoying, really hope it turns up.
Ds is not well and at home - I told him he should stay at home today as he was out of sorts on Monday and came home yesterday with a very sore throat..he was anxious about missing school though - he has never been off since he started in Sept. and is seldom poorly - but as he has to sing in the concert with his choir tomorrow evening,I thought he should have a day to recover..he was a bit sad to be missing a geography presentation which he had been writing with some others and was also worried that his classmates might think he'd fallen for some April Fool's Day hoax in which the school was closed today ! he is a bit of a worrier (wonder where he gets that from ?!)
Bless Roisin's ds and his taking on all the group work

bellavitalikesthesimnellife · 01/04/2009 11:41

I think you did the right thing MM keeping DS at home at least it will give him a chance to recharge for tomorrow. My DS's are seldom off school and I know DS1 would worry too.

I told DS not to worry himself over the pe kit but to go to the office this morning and again before he gets the bus and to also go to the pe changing area to see if someone has put it on a peg.

Apparently, all the kids leave their bags in the corrider leading up to the canteen (I can see the reasoning, trying to carry bags, trays etc etc) and because he had an extra packed lunch in his bag for yesterdays tea, his pe kit was separate instead of being in his main bag. Someone has just picked it up by mistake because there was one pe bag left although no name in it. It could also have been someone from any year. I felt really awful for him though when he told me he had to wear odd pe trainers out of the lost property box that were 2 sizes too big!

Roison - I think magenta's idea on delegation is a good one!

bellavitalikesthesimnellife · 01/04/2009 16:14

No pe kit [sad

He went to the office but "forgot" to go to the pe block in case someone had hung it up on a peg.

DS has just said to me "what if I go and it isn't there?"

me - well I won't say what I said, needless to say he is glaring at me now.

I have said that I will go to school with him on Friday and check with him (that will do nothing for his street cred!) if he does not make an effort to go tomorrow.

Gah!

Me thinks he will still be wearing trainers two sizes too big for him after the hols, because I am not replacing stuff if no effort is made.

OrmIrian · 01/04/2009 16:23

Hello.

Haven't been here for a while. Can I glean some experiences from you all please?

Have posted about this seperately but thought as you are all at the same stage you might have comparative experiences. DS#1 has been given an end of term report - showing his current attainment levels and his target level at end of ks3. he is on level 4 or 5 for most things atm but his target level is 5. Which is patently absurd - if he can;t shift his grades a bit more than that in more than 2 yrs I worry for him

What have any of you found re grades and targets?

bellavitalikesthesimnellife · 01/04/2009 16:49

Sounds the same as our system Orm, but we have and of year target level and an end of KS3 level.

KS3 target level's on DS's range from 6a/b/c to 5c - the 5's are for foreign language and music.

We also had a sheet explaining about each subject and the grades for an average yr7 pupil and typical entry levels.

Based on the info received, we are quite happy with the levels.

OrmIrian · 01/04/2009 16:57

Thanks bella. DS is very happy and his grades for effort and behaviour are good. But I don't understand the targets really.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 01/04/2009 17:07

We have been told where DD1 is at the moment but not her targets for end of KS3. But if he is already on 5s in subjects like maths and science it is odd that his targets are set so low. I would expect two full levels between end of KS2 and end of KS3. Do you know in detail what his levels were at the end of Y6 - eg were the L4s a, b or c?

bellavitalikesthesimnellife · 01/04/2009 17:08

I could photocopy the explanations for you if you like and post them? We also have a sheet on the National Curriculum Levels for Languages.

If you would like them e-mail me at

angelina at the mullins dot co dot uk

without spaces

roisin · 01/04/2009 17:46

Target levels of 5 at the end of KS3 are 'very average' targets. It doesn't sound as though they are encouraging him to make maximum progress possible.

At my school (the one I teach at) for a subject like English we set 1 or 2 sub-levels of progress per year as a target. So for example:
KS2 SATs 4c, end yr7 4a, end yr8 5c, end yr9 5a.
KS2 SATs 5b, end yr7 5a, end yr8 6b, end yr9 7c.

ds1 got 5a for all 3 subjects in KS2 SATs. He has very challenging end of KS3 targets in all subjects - mostly 7s and 8s. He will have to keep working hard throughout to achieve them.

The actual 'progress' can be a bit blippy sometimes though. ds1 got L8 for a Science assessment recently, which is fab. But it's just one area of the science curriculum iyswim, it doesn't mean he could get L8 for "science" now.

But certainly subjects like maths, english and history and so on, you should expect to see steady progress in levels each year.

HTH

OrmIrian · 02/04/2009 10:49

Thanks all.

ladyg - he had 5c science, 4a literacy and maths.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 02/04/2009 10:53

So in that case he should be looking at level 7 in science and good level 6s at least in maths and literacy. I would query this with the teachers to be honest - if you don't set the children challenging targets what have they got to work towards?

OrmIrian · 02/04/2009 11:33

Agree! He has a tendency to let things slide as it is

OrmIrian · 02/04/2009 11:50

Have left message at reception for tutor to ring me. Fingers crossed.

MargaretMountford · 02/04/2009 13:26

bellavita - that sounds exactly like a conversation with my ds,regarding the pe kit ! I would go in too, though he would die of embarrassment !

OrmIrian · 02/04/2009 14:55

Thanks bellavita. I will email you from home.

bagsforlife · 02/04/2009 19:50

Butting in here,hope you don't mind, re. the lost PE kit as have 2 DSs who have lost PE kits regularly. Some good news and bad news.

DS2 'lost'PE kit and new (£60) shoes 2/3 weeks ago. Searched and searched to no avail. Eventually bought new shoes (a lot cheaper) and wore them X 2 (so can't return them). Now has found all PE kit plus shoes in the Geography room.................aargh.

Sorry, just thought I would share this with you

(BTW wish I had known about MN when my DS2 was in Year 7, it is all SO helpful)

bellavitalikesthesimnellife · 02/04/2009 20:52

bagsforlife - I wish I had known about mn when mine were babies/toddlers... I only found it about 18 months ago!

I think what I will do with regards to the pe kit is (if after no luck tomorrow) put a note in his planner to say it has been taken by mistake and not returned and DS will be wearing non school branded kit until it turns up. I can sort of reproduce it - black joggers, black silky shorts, white polo shirt.

There was one bag left in the corridor but when he looked in it the kit was not named... maybe this boy dumps it in his bedroom or the corner of the kitchen for a few days until his mum nags him to put it in the wash (this is what happens in our household) and that is why it hasn't been returned as they are unaware - the uniform shop supply the pe bags so all the same colour etc.

bagsforlife · 02/04/2009 22:25

Yes, I should do that re the PE kit and hope it turns up in the end.

My DS1 (now at university) lost whole brand new P.E. kit (including rugby boots/sports bag etc)in 1st week at secondary school. We never found it but learnt to replace bits with odds and ends, as it were.....hence the delight at finding DS2's stuff this week!

bellavitalikesthesimnellife · 02/04/2009 22:35

MM - did DS enjoy his concert? I listened to the you-tube thingy on fb - lovely song. Is he feeling better now?

bagsfor - fingers crossed eh!

magentadreamer · 02/04/2009 22:48

I was going to ask the same thing MM!

DD appears to have lost her overpriced PE socks Grrrr! So I can emphasise in a small way with you Bellavitia. She injured her knee in the lunchtime areobics class today as well so luckly she won't have to get changed for PE tomorrow as I'm going to send a note in asking for her to be excused apparently ice bags were placed on it and it was all very dramatic in a drama queen yr7 way - her best friend told me all about it! DD apparently was very brave. Thankfully most of the swelling has gone down and DD hasn't been complaining about it as I really didn't fancy a visit to A&E again with her.

magentadreamer · 02/04/2009 22:49

Orm did the tutor get back to you?