An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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Eccentric
Posts: 738
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 8:58 pm

An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by Eccentric »

Dear all,

As promised another update on how my daughter is doing at AHS after her 12+ non qualification, successful appeal and entry to AHS in September this year.

She absolutely loves the school, couldn't be happier, has made loads of friends. All the anxieties that she had last year have melted away and she is back to being her normal carefree confident self. She says the teaching is brilliant, that the teachers respect the children and have fun with them and that they are all a bit like one big family. The other girls are well behaved and she says being in an environment where everyone else wants to learn too is great. All the girls are very supportive of one another too which is very special.

All homework is always relevant and purposeful. Art can be excessive but all the others are within the bounds of reasonableness.

Having had dd's first school report it shows that she is doing very well and hitting all her targets, which I am delighted with as her targets were very high as based an very high CAT scores. The music department is brilliant, there are great extracurricular clubs. DD is proud to be a part of the school and loves every day. From my point of view. I am delighted and really cannot find any fault with the school in any way shape or form which for someone who spent the entire year last year complaining is a great relief.

My fears that my daughter may not fit in because she had failed both her 11+ and 12+ were unfounded. My worries about all girls environments being bitchy were so off the mark that it is almost laughable. Somehow this school just seems to get it all right.

There have been one or two moments where my daughter has found it hard to except that she has not got 100% in tests anymore but from my point of view this is a good thing because it means that she is getting used to not being perfect and getting used to failure which is giving her more resilience on the occasions when she doesn't achieve what she expects.

Have a merry Christmas everyone and a happy new year. Thank you all for your support in getting us to this good place.
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
BlueSmarties
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2014 2:23 pm

Re: An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by BlueSmarties »

Thanks for the update, so pleased for you and your daughter. It sounds as though she has settled so well and is deservedly happy.
heartmum
Posts: 1154
Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:35 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by heartmum »

Thank you for the update Eccentric, great to hear your DD is settling in well as AHS :)

My DD is in sixth form at AHS and been at the school since Y7, a lovely school and I am sure your DD will do very well there. One of my DDs best friends started in Y9 (did 13+) and has never looked back :) x x
Heartmum x x x
Eccentric
Posts: 738
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 8:58 pm

Re: An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by Eccentric »

It is a lovely school. I get a warm and cosy feeling knowing that dd is safe and happy just like she was at primary school.
Rags
Posts: 130
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 6:43 pm

Re: An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by Rags »

Early days yet - but my DD is in Y7, having not passed 11+, and being accepted on review. She too is loving it, having a great time, with lots of friends (no issues about bitchiness - one small concern that my DD has noticed that another girl is not being included as much, and we've made an effort to change that..)

And art homework does seem to take longer than it should!

But yes, I agree with everything you said, Eccentric - we're very happy with AHS so far. Happy your DD is having a similar experience.
Eccentric
Posts: 738
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 8:58 pm

Re: An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by Eccentric »

Rags I am so glad that your daughter is happy too. I think we are very lucky having our children go to such a good school.

I emailed the art teacher, with trepidation, after a term and a half of art homework taking up entire weekends and it turns out she is new to the job, didn't realise that it was meant to be every other week and 40 mins so fingers crossed that will reduce now. Maybe your DD has the same teacher. Just goes to show sometimes a comment may help. I phrased it that I wondered if DD was not completing work in lessons or if she was doing the set homework with too much gusto.
Rags
Posts: 130
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 6:43 pm

Re: An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by Rags »

Gosh, you're pro-active! Emailing a teacher..!

I hope you're right - it's been occupying a lot of her time at home, and I have to say, is probably the subject she's least enjoying (correlation is not causation ...)

We'll see - if it doesn't reduce, maybe I'll take a similar approach.

Cheers.
Eccentric
Posts: 738
Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 8:58 pm

Re: An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by Eccentric »

Not that proactive… it took me a term and a half. Like your DD my child no longer likes art as a result, which is a terrible shame. However the good news is that my DD's class has actually not been set art homework this week for the first time. I hope that this is the beginning of a new era. From what the teacher said in her email, I think she genuinely had no idea that homework should be on alternate weeks. Fingers crossed.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by Guest55 »

I find it amazing that a new teacher is not being monitored for homework set; most schools have systems for recording what homework was set centrally.

A Y7/HOY tutor checking homework diaries should also have noticed ...
silverysea
Posts: 1105
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:32 pm

Re: An update-thanks for support and Seasonal greetings

Post by silverysea »

Gosh, I have emailed phoned and visited teachers almost every year over one thing or another! I thought I was a slouch.

Be proactive! It's worth it.
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