Moving up day

[ToadMum]

All children have been allocated their forms, met their form tutor at the information evening last week and know which languages they are studying in September.

So it's not as if the form tutor is going to be a complete stranger on the first day of term?

[anotherdad]

Thanks for the reassurance everyone, but I'm still annoyed There are 5 forms in his year and his is the only one without their form tutor.

I think you're unnecessarily annoyed. I think it's more important he "fits" his new classmates. He'll have perhaps up to a dozen teachers he'll see regularly in year seven, more by the time you include the inevitable cover teacher here and there. Not having met his form tutor will be completely insignificant by the time he does meet her or him in September.

I recall my first week at secondary school. It was tragically eventful. One of my new classmates ran out from behind his bus on the way home on the very first day, was struck by a car and killed. Another was diagnosed with leukaemia, thankfully recovered but ended up re-doing what was then year 8 (it was the 12+ transfer in my day) because he missed so much of the first year. My form tutor was new to teaching, I'm ashamed to say that we weren't very respectful and I suspect his subject classes weren't either and he left the profession at Christmas. We also had a couple of boys leave in that first term, one because they moved away, the other because he really struggled at the school. By Christmas, we were a form of 26 (I don't recall anyone new joining us until the next school year) without a form tutor.

Life happens, sometimes fantastically and sometimes tragically. I'm sure your son will enjoy his early days at the new school and any concerns about not having met his prospective form tutor will be a distant memory.

[Guest55]

Anotherdad - what a sad start to Secondary schooling.

I don't remember ever seeing my new school before we arrived in September; it just wasn't part of the process in those days. [dodging the dinosaurs was the favourite part of the journey ]

At Secondary a form tutor has a very small role in a student's life. They take the register and may not even teach the class; although many schools do try to timetable that [depends on what they teach as well].

[anotherdad]

My father told me that he had never seen his secondary school before starting, either - he lived in a different town. He just got on a bus on the first day and made his way there.

He tells the same story about university. I think he was interviewed by a professor at his secondary school, was made an offer and the first time he saw the university was when he got off the train (on his own) and turned up with his suitcase. He came with us for an open day at his old university two years ago when my daughter was considering it and was amazed at the size and coordination of what was an enormous event. He was less impressed with the sheer number of parents there, all taking copious notes and asking questions on their kids' behalf. He and I wandered off to have a look around his old halls and left my daughter to it. She wouldn't want her dad and grandad cramping her style.

[Amber]

I had never visited my secondary school before the first day, nor met any of the teachers. None of us had - we sat in the hall in our silly new uniforms while our names were called out and we filed off with oversized satchels on our backs to a room about a mile away which we couldn't find next time we were supposed to go there. The big second years misdirected us on purpose just as we then did the following year to the little first years. It was fine, we all survived. I think maybe there is a tendency these days to molly coddle children a little too much. Within a few weeks they will have it all sussed.

[loobylou]

I know I had definitely seen the school because I know my parents let me choose between BHS and Dr Challenors. I don't remember anything about it except that I definitely preferred one over the other at that open evening. I certainly didn't see the school again till my first day.
At my dc's school they meet the form tutor for half an hour on the information evening but don't have an induction day/move up day. They were fine.

[kenyancowgirl]

I had never seen the junior school I boarded in for 2 years before going to the secondary. Got off a plane, from Africa, got on a train to Wales. I was 8 and my sister just 11....

[Sally-Anne]

[dodging the dinosaurs was the favourite part of the journey ]

A little like an ordinary day on the 11+ forum.

[sparklies]

DD had a brilliant day yesterday, and is so excited about September! She met the rest of her (vertical) tutor group and her tutor, who she says is lovely.

They were put into classes of 30 for the two lessons they had, and were told these classes were "similar" to what they'll have in September. So I guess they're still doing a bit of moving around, but they're mostly there. If I've heard correctly from the parents evening last week, they aren't streamed in Y7 at all? (This does not bother me either way, it's just curiosity!)

Funny story - to our surprise, as we'd all forgotten about the local Catholic schools when working out who was applying locally, there is another child from our road going to CGS. Even weirder, when we missed out by 50 yards, I'd say to DD as we walked down the road - "look - this is where the cut-off is" about 50 yards before our house to give her an idea of how close we were. Turns out, against all odds probably, that the house we were standing next to actually *was* the cut off! Their house was the final one in the first round to get a place. Even stranger, as they're the opposite side of the road to us and the numbers are slightly offset, they're the house number before us.

It's like the universe was having a laugh! It's all fine in the end of course, but statistically, what were the chances?

[buzzybee]

I wouldn't worry too much about the tutor not being there on move up day. Dd started secondary school last year and on move up day her tutor was off sick and all she knew was that the tutor had blonde hair. Dd didn't even think to find out her name!