Secondary Considerations

[olive]

I’m shocked at any hatchlings being over 5ft fall. In my head they are all little.

[Kleio]

The Ismee children always seem so tall!

I’m only 5 foot so hopefully all my children will tower over me! Cube is about 4” shy of me at the moment but I expect I’ll blink and he’ll be a head taller.

[Rosa]

He looks very grown-up too!

[Luce]

He really looks like you, too!

[Flora Poste]

They look so grown up! I can't believe we'll be in the same place next year!

I need to start the application process for A really. Or at least work out what needs doing and when - we're close to a borough boundary so will probably apply to schools in at least 3 boroughs, which all have their own banding tests

Anyone else got applications this year? I know emma_p has.

[Kleio]

I have to apply for Betty this year.

[Flora Poste]

Will she go to the same secondary as Cube? Do you have loads of choice?

[Texaco Shirley]

I need to apply for A as well, hopefully he will get a place at L’s school.

[Kleio]

Will she go to the same secondary as Cube? Do you have loads of choice?

We’ve got 3 choices locally with another 1 just out of town and 2 more local enough to count.

I’m hoping she goes to the same one as him and I made her come to the open evenings and suggested they make a joint decision on it.

However, her place isn’t guaranteed and it is out of our catchment area so I’m sure she’ll get in but it isn’t guaranteed.

[Loralei]

I need to apply for Berty, too. I think there's a small flock of Y5 Hatchlings.

[olive]

Yep, I need to apply for T and figure out how to do it remotely.

[emma_p]

For secondary school in the UK, olive?

I've applied for the entrance exam for one school but the competition to get in is really high. It's such an amazing school it's worth a shot.

The Wandsworth test (borough we are in) has been put back until December (it's usually September) but they haven't released a timetable for applications. Usually there are a couple of weeks between getting the results and the deadline for applications. We have moved really close (2 min walk) to an outstanding secondary that takes kids from each band so I am reasonably confident he will get into that one on distance, and I'd be happy with that. He's less sure, as it has a reputation for being really strict.

[Flora Poste]

I don't know how they are going to do that as isn't it the same date for secondary applications across London? I'm still toying with whether or not to put A in for the Wandworth test or not - it's only really Gr. aveney we'd be interested in, and it's a bit of all ballache of a journey from ours. Plus I've also been reading a bit about some of the issues they've had there, and I'm not so keen.

We've got 2 local ones we should get into - both are good, but I'm not wildly keen on either for various reasons. There's an outstanding a walk away which is a bit marmite, but we loved, but that's lottery entry so no guarantee we'd get it anyway. That's our favourite. I think we're going to apply to a couple of independents as well as insurance.

[olive]

For secondary school in the UK, olive?

Yes. Mr O’s contract extension is until June 2021 and our rough plan was to come back for T to start secondary school. But Mr O would need to find a job in the UK to come back to which neither of us hopeful about given the current state of things.

I don’t know how he’ll be able to do any entrance exams either as we can’t travel back for them as our immigration status is up in the air.

[Pippedydeadeye]

So Squeak went for her first day today. After sending out the new mentor groups via email earlier in the summer to much fanfare, she arrived today to find it was all turned on its head. And she’s about as far from any catering arrangements as you can get, with only a 30 minute lunch break.

I’m kind of furious because the Exec Head seems to be a dolly bird who fawned just a touch too much at the Prime Minister, and also because they kept telling us how hard they were working all bloody summer (sending emails that only said this late on Friday evenings), and it doesn’t feel like they’ve done much at all.

[Luce]

Ruby has reminded me I have secondary school question re coats.

What do year 7 boys typically wear coat-wise? F has no choice to walk to and from school every day, it's less than a mile but we live in Yorkshire so...he's not allowed to take his blazer off and the uniform includes these massive hoodies that apparently they can wear over a blazer at break time. That seems weird but is it? Surely be needs an actual coat made for Weather as well.

Also, what kind of coat can you get that can comfortably go over a blazer? There must be an obvious answer but I don't know what it is.

[Cerise]

J has a winter coat. I think it’s a Peter Storm or similar. Lots of them don’t wear coats but J doesn’t appear to give two hoots about the “done thing”.

[Marth]

SB2 has a big black padded jacket.

He would never ever wear his school jumper because it wasn't the done thing, but he would wear a coat.

[Ruby]

Mine won't wear their coats because it involves complex putting-them-in-their-locker timing and they can't be arsed. In my experience teenagers are either loathe to ever wear a coat or have a massive one surgically attached. It seems like there's no middle ground.

As discussed reviously, I've talked mine into a pac-a-mac from Decathlon. It's just a plain black one. I got them relatively big so they could wear them over their blazers.

[Marth]

Mine won't wear their coats because it involves complex putting-them-in-their-locker timing and they can't be arsed. In my experience teenagers are either loathe to ever wear a coat or have a massive one surgically attached. It seems like there's no middle ground.

As discussed reviously, I've talked mine into a pac-a-mac from Decathlon. It's just a plain black one. I got them relatively big so they could wear them over their blazers.

SB2 carries every single massive book in his rucksack rather than use his locker. The bag is so heavy I can barely lift it up!