I know there is a starting secondary school thread somewhere but I cant find it and really need some flaps and honks!

[Ineedmorepatience]

Dd3's stress levels are going through the roof and I know why but cant do anything to help

We cut our holiday short this week because she was going downhill fast and didnt want to stay. I had planned to be away until Friday so she was occupied and not thinking about it.

She has melted down this morning over not being able to have a coloured door key, apparently our lock is too old And over not wanting me to have a cushion on the sofa!!

We need to make a new visual timetable for the mornings but not sure its a good idea, what do you all think?

I can now breath again, DD had her first day today and she had a good day! Yeah! I think I now deserve a glass of wine to celebrate!

Good news polter and molly

I am exhausted too

We got a big plastic box with hanging files, a couple of plastic popper files and a couple of clear pencil cases. The aim is to help children with difficulties organise themselves. (We were actually put under pressure by her junior school to give it back - as they said she was pretty organised- of course the issue is she is orgnaized because being even slightly disorganized raises stress levels.)

We're using one section for homework that has to be done, and then one for each day of the week. We then have a few left over for other things we need later.

She does have a locker, which will be important on Fridays when she has both PE and Food Tech.

The box sounds great mummy, it would be just the thing for Dd3 to leave spares in!

We have made a colour coded timetable so that she only needs to look for the colours on each book to see if she needs them on each day and I have emptied 2 toy boxes in her bedroom for all her schooly stuff.

So far so good in terms of organisation, Dd3 also gets very stressed if she is not organised, we refreshed her visual timeline for getting ready for school and she made a "Things to go in my bag" list which she is using each day.

I so wish we could still have lockers, both my elder Dd's had them but hey ho, not much I can do.

Glad everyone has survived the week and the schools are, so far, being helpful.

ds1 has continued to have a good time although said the work was too easy - I suspect they are just easing them in gently. He is enjoying the school lunches - apparently ate three pork pies and two scotch eggs yesterday. I wondered why he didn't want his tea!

ds2 has had two better days although the taxi is still an issue as he is still refusing to get into it. School seem to have taken on board our demands requests and certainly some had been implemented yesterday. Poor HT it was only his second proper day and he had to deal with two very irate parents. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the transport issue will be resolved next week.

Great news one and @ Ds1 with his lunch overload! So pleased he is settling in

Hope you manage to sort out the taxis for Ds2 but good news that school have listened to you, it makes such a difference doesnt it!

I am exhausted and I only have one Dd at home at the moment!!

Mine like humanities too especially history - their best day ever at mainstream primary was when the school got someone in to talk about ancient Greece. Shame the rest of it was so disastrous.

Anyway ds1 came home enthusing about science lesson involving Bunsen burners and metals and seems to have built up a relationship already with his taxi driver who is very nice & chatty.

ds2 on the other hand has spent the day at home as he refused to get in the taxi again and dh has gone back to work after his so-called holiday. They have agreed today to rethink the transport arrangements so I am planning to take ds2 in for at least part of the day tomorrow if I can otherwise he will refuse to go to school completely.

polter when Dd3 got upset the other day she wasnt able to tell me why but when you think about it it is new rooms, new subjects, new adults, new children, new routines, new clothes!!!

No wonder they cant cope all the time!

Glad he is finding some subjects he likes though, both my quirky Dd's like geography but Dd3 is going to struggle with history I think because of all the writing!

One Glad Ds1 is happy, Dd3 and her very quirky best friend who has gone to Grammar school were both raving about bunsen burners on Sunday They seem to have been the highlight of the week here

So sad that Ds2 isnt coping and I really hope that you can get it sorted for all your sakes. Is he able to tell you why he wont go? Is it just the taxi or is it what waits at the other end?

Good luck tomorrow!

Better day today as despite a difficult start I got ds2 to school for a few hours. His mood was lightened by me driving South instead of North down the M6 - my excuse is that the junction where we join is dreadfully designed - which he thought was hilarious. Hopefully, he will go again tomorrow. He undoubtedly still finds school very stressful but at the same time gets a lot of positive things out of going which is why we persevere still. ds1 had a good day too. Hope everyone else is still going strong.

Great news about you managing to get Ds2 to school and that he is getting something out of it And good news that Ds1 is still Ok

Dd3 went to Big Band rehearsal today and was the only Yr 7 to turn up!! It sounds like she bamboozled the music teacher by playing him some complex tunes but then telling him she cant read music!! LOL Poor man!!

Hey ho, I will leave that one up to them because her cousin who is an Aspie Jazz musician has told her to play by ear as much as possible before she starts worrying about the dots on the page!!

The bad news was that she lost her planner and had a panic about "Being Killed!!" Luckily the email system around the staff came into place and it was quickly rescued from the science department by her form teacher!! I was suitably impressed

Good news polter

Hmm, Dd3 has come home really stressed today
She says she is fine and that her day was ok but she is touchy and snappy so I know she is stressed.

I think we have a build up situation going on! Losing her planner and being told she will get extra homework if she has music lessons made yesterday very difficult and I dont think she had recovered before going again today

I am worried but dont really have anything specific I can tell staff!!

How about everyone else?

Oh dear Ineed I hope she opens up to you during the evening. I have started to relax about ds1 as we are getting none of the pent up stress at home and he is calmer than in the holidays. It sounds like your ds is handling himself great Polter - that must be a relief as I think kids like ours are so easily the targets for bullying behaviour.

Well she is slightly more chilled this morning, I didnt find anything out last night because I went out to a support group, I really needed a break!

We are going to the seaside for the weekend so hopefully we can all chill a bit

Fantastic news about Ds1 one

polter good on your Ds for rising above the immaturity

Hope all of them have a good day today

Well done Master PolterGoose - sounds like he dealt with it spot on and the other kids could see what was happening and chose to ignore the puerile behaviour too.

Well done young Polter for coping so well under deliberate provocation. I hope that as it didn't produce the desired effect the PITA boys will get bored and not try again.

ds2 managed 4 hours today so inching up slowly. Hoping they contact us soon about the taxi as I seem to be barely home before I have to go out again. ds1's teacher just rang and said he has settled in really well and isn't being rattled at all by another child in his class who is sadly finding it more difficult.

Have fun at the seaside Ineed - if the weather stays like this it should be lovely.