Oh! Oh! My firstborn starts secondary school in September. Surely that warrants a support thread?

[Cadelaide]

Am I a bit too early for this?

I mean it's months away yet, isn't it?

Know just how you feel jenduff.

Last September I watched all the new year 7's traipsing past our house to the local comp. They all looked so small and innocent...with their too-big blazers and worried faces.
8 months later, I can't tell them from the rest of the school cohort .
too scary to think about.

As I hadn't heard from dd's new school since they sent her an offer letter, I went to explore their website, found their calendar and lo and behold, there it was, the induction evening for new Year 7 parents, and the following week, the induction morning for the new Year 7s!
I am quite excited, I know dd will be too! Dh is just being his usual flegmatic self.

Can I join in here? My DS starts secondary in September and I'm dreading it. There are "bigger boys" there and DS is so small and innocent

I've not heard from the school either since I got the letter from the council saying he'd got in. I only know they have an induction day in July because I saw it on the website!

Hope I hear from them soon.

our LEA is boycotting the SATS, DD is upset as she was really looking forward to them

think I may have a swat on my hands obviously doesn't take after me then !!

we have our letter from the school letting us know she has been accepted, now all I need to do is cut off my right arm to pay for the uniform!

our council has phased out grants for uniforms

Can't believe how quickly this term is going!

I've had a letter from DS1's secondary school today inviting him to an induction day in July and a seperate information day for us neurotic keen new YR7 parents where we will get to ask lots of stupid questions. We will also get to meet DS1's tutor, order uniform, sort out his bus pass and dinner swipe card, sign up for music lessons etc.

I am very excited, can't wait

Looks like we are the only ones who haven't heard anything from the school yet

I have not heard from the school yet, either. I've a bit of a uniform nerd and like everything bought way too early. I'm more excited about the uniform order form than anything else I think

Hi everyone, just been reading through the threads, all true but so funny! Froid, I always leave buying September term until as close to the new term as possible as my DD is growing a rate of knots - already wearing my shoes and not far off my height - unfortunately getting the hormonies to go with it! The strops are unbelieveable, and she is such a sweet thing usually. Friends always told me that girls are twice as much of a handful as boys at this age. I'm trying to put that to the back of my mind or I will go totally bananas.

I'm excited about the uniform too Froid

At the parents information day in July the school outfitters are going to be there so the DCs can try on blazers, sweaters, rugby shirts etc and we can order them (hoping I would have an involuntary cry when I see him in his blazer [saddo emoticon])

I'm going to wait and get the trousers / shirts etc (that you can get from anywhere) until M&s / debenhams / John Lewis etc have their Back to School offers on.

Yahoo, our letter arrived today! We all felt ridiculously pleased, not quite sure why. I think its probably because after all the stress of applications, priority lists etc, it finally feels like its turning into reality.

No uniform at our school tho'. Wish there was, am quite envious of the rest of you

Glad you've got your letter Anna

I've been wondering how I will replace my current set of school mums, with secondary ones. There won't be any school gates to hang around and I don't know any other children who are going to the secondary school.

Perhaps school friendships are just not the same at secondary school
Perhaps all the info and gossip I'll get will be filtered through DS

oooh, this thread has been rumbling along nicely.

Anna, yes, sometimes the only time I speak to anyone other than my family is at the school gates (I work from home most of the time). I'll miss the walk, too, although I'm looking ahead a bit as I will still have 2 younger ones at primary.

My son will be going to school and back on the bus, Anna, so I've been thinking about that too. I won't have much day to day physical contact with the school / other mums at all I suppose apart from attending events etc...

...although I will still have one at primary, one at pre-school and a newborn by then so I suppose I will see plenty of people!
How about joining the secondary school PTA?

i have been through all this as i have a year 10 and a year 8 i'm not saying it is easy and i did cry for about the first week both times. i was constantly asking questions like have you made any friends yet especially with my oldest as she was the only girl from her school going to this secondary. but 4 years later she has a really good circle of friends and i well liked by her peers. my son, my baby it was hard but he was luck a few of his friends mum's wrote to the school requesting if they could be in the same form class and the school did put them in the same class so he settled in really quick. it will all work out and you will look back and wonder why you were so worried.

That's reassuring karen, thanks

My son is the only boy going to his new secondary school from his primary school so I've been really worried about him making friends and fitting in but he doesn't seem fazed in the slightest - he says he's looking forward to making some new friends! I did speak to the head of YR7 at the open morning though and he said that the previous year they had children from 25 primary schools - so my son definitely won't be the only one going through this!

I'm excited in one way and scared in another. As DS is pretty "individual" so I'm hoping he'll make friends easier at secondary than he did at primary - without standing out too much that he gets bullied!

He does have the advantage of his older cousin (hugely popular girl in year 11) there to babysit him for me though and as she's popular with the boys, I'm hoping they'll leave DS alone in order to keep in with her

We now know ds' Year 7 language option and I have spoken on the phone to his HoY, so that's all reassuring

Ooh yes, I'd forgotton about the language options.....

Got to wait till July now for the induction day!

Ruby, surely that should be ?!

19 years of school runs, ruby! Although if I think about it, I will have clocked up that many years when I'm finished with school runs too. My eldest is starting secondary in September and DC4 is due in Nov so a few more years ahead of me yet!

Just found this thread my PFB will be going to secondary school in September and is an August baby.
We are going to the school tomorrow so he can have a look around. I haven't been in a secondary school for 21yrs
I dread to think how he'll manage the bus (which isn't a school one)

mINE TOO wINGStheANGEL..HE IS aUGUST BORN.[VERY END!]I wish he could go next Sept instead[eek]