Did you enjoy secondary school?

[Diamond]

Last couple of years were fantastic. Interesting stuff to study, firm friends to hang out with, generally really good fun. Before that twas all a bit meh at best.

 

[N_igma]

I liked it actually, lots of pranking and giving teachers shit in the early years. Smoking lots of dope and fucking about the last few years. If you're in a clique then you're sorted but it doesn't matter what school you attend there'll always be pricks who'll bully.

 

[Fledgling]

Got off to a bad start as I was the only one from my primary school class to go to my secondary school; all my friends went to the local school. First two years were shit socially as the class was composed largely of arseholes, they realy rounded on my mate for the next two years, I never challenged them but also didn't join in, the two of us retreated and made animation films together which was really cool and other people joined us after a while. Academically I never had any problems, I ticked all the boxes and behaved. Teachers liked me because I worked and kept quiet. The last two years (15-16) saw people become a bit more mature, I enjoyed Drama but the rest of it was really dull, I'd become really apathetic and cynical by then. Overall I disliked it but I came out with good grades and great mate.

Survival tips? First two years are the toughest. Academically just get on with whatever they give you and whatever you do don't come across as a loud mouth at the start of the year, teachers won't leave you alone if you're loud and annoying.

Socially it's minefield but depends on lots of factors. I was lucky making a good mate but this took time, I was definitely an outsider but the bullying shifted to other people. Doing drama definitely gained me some respect though, I'd recommend something like that to anyone. Three of us won a talent show one year and people always remembered that, being much nicer from then on.

Setting by ability was a good thing imo, that happened later and my sets were a good mixture of quiet people with a couple of jokers but all were diligent.

 

[elevendayempire]

I didn't have a great time of it; I went to a very academic grammar school until I was 15, then my parents decided that single-sex education was "unhealthy" and moved me over to a mixed school. Thus, I was stuck four years behind everyone else in terms of interacting with the opposite sex on a day-to-day basis, which as you can imagine didn't do wonders for my self-confidence.

 

[Thimble Queen]

I went to four high schools... Parents work blah...

It meant I missed stuff or did the same stuff over again which was pretty frustrating.

Always being the new girl made me kinda reckless. I could do what I liked cos I'd be gone soon, no need to make friends... even though of course like anybody I really wanted to make them. I was scared to make bonds with people then to have to leave in six months time and never see them again. No mobiles or facebook then

It wasnt all bad... i learnt alot maybe not academically but about myself and people...

I never thought I'd get to university and here I am waiting for my results from my finals

 

[Badgers]

Hated it all the way..
Bunked off too much..
Left with a lot less that I could have achieved..

 

[Part 2]

Hated it. Makes me feel uncomfortable thinking about it, every teacher treated me as if I was my brother who'd alreay earnt a reputation for dicking about. I was expelled for not wearing uniform (14 hole DMs that were fine for the previous godknowshowlong until the new headmaster showed up) 3 months before my GCSEs and didn't stand a chance after that.

My son is nearly 14, he hates it and has since early in year 7. We fucked up choosing his school, went for the best one in terms of results etc, although the one he really would've suited needed an 11plus pass anyway.

In fact I was just wondering if he went into college in September to enrol and claimed he was 16 and he'd been living abroad and wanted to do an interesting course rather than GCSEs how they'd check things and what info they'd want.

 

[spanglechick]

In fact I was just wondering if he went into college in September to enrol and claimed he was 16 and he'd been living abroad and wanted to do an interesting course rather than GCSEs how they'd check things and what info they'd want.

not going to work. firstly, his current school will need to know where he's gone to send on his records. otherwise you might have killed him.

secondly, the college will try to contact his last UK LEA.

thirdly, he really shouldn't skip the next two years, if only for the sake of maths and english GCSE.

 

[Part 2]

Oh I know, just wondering y'know

 

[blues]

Yeah, but part of my fear is based on knowing what secondary schools are like these days, from working as a secondary school teacher, and part of my fear is based on the problems my daughter has. It's not an unreasonable concern.

This thread has helped bit, though.

I didn't mean to suggest it was an unreasonable concern, simply that our experiences aren't relevant or helpful to relate to help assuage your fears. Even my own daughters' experience although slightly more relevant time-wise still wouldn't prove they're (schools) better or worse than in my day. Your only relevant "sample group" is the students who currently attend the school your daughter is expected to attend. If you're in teaching, perhaps you have the contacts to be able to discuss with those who have had first hand experience of the school's management.