AQE Exam Results

Ex-Spendaholic

How is it going everyone? Its hard to believe that this time last year we were up to our necks in practice papers and facing the unknown. :eek:

How are the Grosvenor kids doing? So far I'm very impressed with the school and believe we made the right choice. Child is happy and thats the main thing. Homeworks haven't been too bad yet although I'm sure they are breaking the little darlings in gently. :rotfl:

I was amazed that when they went swimming we didn't have to pay. That is a novelty. My only irk is the school dinners/canteen. At the beginning a note arrived saying that dinners were £2.40 per day so I proceeded to send £12 per week in the belief that a dinner would be bought on a daily basis. So far all I'm hearing about is slices of pizza and cans of appletiser. I phoned the school and they said there isn't a set meal. Surely that can't be right?

relievedmum

Hi ex-spend,

Glad your son has settled and is happy! Mine is too thankfully!!!! We did have a wee blip last week when he was sent home by school nurse on fri then monday again (was fine at weekend in between:mad:) but turns out he had got himself soooo stressed out about the residential and didn't want to go. Has now been and home again and loved it! I am very impressed with the way they handled it - his form teacher was fantastic last week over this issue and was so supportive and encouraging to him (and me)!

Did you get the "lunch menu" home - small a5 size page with the choices for each day??? There are 3 hot meals and then a soup, pastry, salad and choice of veg. I assume these are in the £2.40 price then on the back there are prices for all the extras - sandwiches, baked potatoes and the good old pizza slices! Funny thats all I have heard about - oh and the tin of appletizer he brings his dad nearly every day:rotfl::rotfl:

He takes packed lunch at the minute - I think the dining hall frightened the living day lights out of him. It was just too busy and he didn't have time to look and see what there was - just moved along in a sea of people!!

Homeworks again have been ok! Having said that he nearly had a melt down a while ago as he was getting his stuff ready for tomorrow - he realised he had forgotten to do a science homework! 15 mins though and it was done. Give him his dues he seems to have got into the swing of getting bag ready, pe stuff etc all by himself.

Talking of pe - have you got all the kit yet - we are still waiting on both tops????

As you said I can't believe we are now this far down the line - it seems like yesterday when we were doing papers and wondering and waiting and panicking!!!!

Ex-Spendaholic

Thanks Relievedmum.

Mine was sent home sick last Friday too - not sure whether it was the thought of rugby that did it. His residential is this week and he can't wait.

I thought the kids ate their pack lunches in the canteen too? Yes I have that A5 leaflet but he tries to tell me that half the stuff isnt available. If he doesn't start eating something other than paninis and pizza then he'll be bringing a packed lunch soon.

Yes we are still waiting on 2 tops and a pair of socks. He came home a couple of weeks ago insisting that he needed a white T shirt for the following day because the tops hadn't arrived. I refused to go and buy one so he went in a navy nike T shirt. I don't know whats going on they've had the orders nearly 4 months now.

neveranymoney

So glad to hear other parents thoughts and views as the first month draws to a close! I'd love to hear from Kingston or anybody else whos' child goes to BHS, I have to be honest and say my daughter has quite a bit of homework and tends to get a bit flustered and draws it out but other than that, she seems to be making friends and settling in well, I think she views it as a great social gathering and the work is a bit of an irritation! It really is hard to believe our babies have finally left primary school. I know it is par for the course, but I am a bit fed up with the seemingly continual requests for money - H.E, technology, a sponsored walk and already a note about the 1st year trip to France costing £550 and only 4 days notice was given to get the deposit of £150 in! However, I wouldn't change a damn thing, every day, when the moaning about homework starts, I tell her how lucky she is to have got a place and the opportunites she is going to have!

kingston_2730

Hi neveranymoney!! It has been a while, hasn't it? My son has also settled in well to Belfast High and is loving it. His main difficulty is organising his books for school the next day!! There is often a lot of shouting going on at home as more often than not he has forgotten books in his locker etc etc...typical boy traits I think!! I too was a bit shocked at the short notice given requesting the £150 deposit for the france trip in June!!! My son also loves the social aspect of it all and has just asked out some girl in his class and is awaiting a reply :eek:...maybe its your daughter lol...she's not in 1R is she??

Ex-Spendaholic

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: I'd be warning the kids what their potential mother in laws are going to be like.


£150 with 4 days notice is a bit shocking. :eek: We have had the residential at Portrush which was £56 or maybe it was £59 (can't remember) but we were made aware of that at the beginning of June. I don't think there are any other year 1 trips.


Grosvenor have been great on the money front. They haven't even asked for the school fund of £40 yet. We had £5 to pay for a locker and then had to buy a paintbrush, art portfolio and a couple of other bits and pieces but thats all they were bits and pieces. We didn't have a stationery list before school started. They are making an open sandwich next week in HE and have been told to bring a tupperware container but there is no talk of bringing/paying for ingredients. Long may it continue.


There is the music to be paid for £80 per term (but then thats personal choice)

kingston_2730

Hi ex-spendaholic, glad to hear your son is enjoying Grosvenor! Sounds like you haven't been hit too bad at all with having to pay out for things. We haven't been so lucky. We paid the voluntary contribution this year as the letter we got from school did not put across like it was really voluntary, more like it was expected! I will maybe rethink that one for next year though. We had quite an extensive list of stationary items to buy although so far my son hasn't used much of it. We had to also buy ingrediants for HE this week and as neveranymoney said a surprise amount of £150 deposit for the trip to france which is in June. I was a bit taken back that the school would think it normal to give a few days notice for parents to come up with £150!! All being said though, we are thankful that he got his first choice and the main thing is that he is happy! What will your son be doing on his residential?

neveranymoney

I think Ulidia had a residential also, thank flip we haven't that to fund as well. My daughter is in 1.T, Kingston, has your son got a dreaded mark on the blue card thingy they carry yet??? Madam is mortified she got one for forgetting her H.E book, she'll not do that again. What do you think about the amount of homework? She has quite a lot of tests (nothing major, just all happening at the same time) for French, Maths, Latin, um lots of stuff really and the whole evening is taken up with it and I still think that she would need to do a bit more although she is just too tired. Ex-Spend, Grosvenor sounds great money wise, we'd to pay £7 for stuff like grease proof paper, condiments etc through out the year AND send in stuff for them to make a smoothie in H.E!

kingston_2730

No points on the blue card yet but he did forget his homework book and lost his text books for two different classes :eek: Thankfully someone handed them in and the teachers took pity on him. He has been told off several times for his shirt hanging out but amazingly no demerit points for it (must be his blonde hair and big blue eyes lol)! He says the teachers are very strict about uniform (maybe a bit over the top if you ask me). The homework is a bit intense. He failed his RE test the other day where they had to give the 20 books in Old Testament. He did not have test written in his diary and therefore he did not study for it and we didn't know about it. There was a note in his diary from his home room teacher to say he failed it and has to resit it on Tues. My son thought it was funny...but not after I banned him from his Xbox for two nights. Everyday is a drama in our house :rotfl:

Ex-Spendaholic

The residential is really a get to know your class mates thing. They will be going to the causeway, dunluce centre, joey dunlop centre, shopping etc. They will also have talent shows etcHid class is last to go out of the 6 classes.

We have the uniform card too although I lifted his out of the dryer this morning.