This has been a stressful time waiting on these. Not that my son has seemed stressed in any way shape or form. He has had full confidence in himself which is a good thing. But as a parent we know the pitfalls, we have been in that position ourselves and we generally want our kids to do better than we did.
Our son just wanted to get back into his schools 6th form ( I think it is totally ridiculous that they don’t automatically get a place- but that could be my age showing). That meant he needed an average of B’s across the board on a points system. There is so much pressure on the kids at school today not just from school but in a lot of cases from parents as well.
We have had several chats with my son along the way and said whatever he gets and whatever the outcome there will always be a solution. My actual words were ‘ If you don’t get the points and grades you need for 6th form it really isn’t worth throwing yourself on a train track over it’. Ok may sound a little harsh but you do hear of the stories of the students who feel they are failures just because they didn’t get A*’s in every subject.
A lot of events recently have seen me take a rosy, nostalgic look back at the past, my 20th wedding anniversary, my eldest turning 16 and taking his GCSE’s and soon to be a 6th former!
I cant believe how quickly the time goes and how we find ourselves wishing it away and then wanting it back to enjoy it for a bit longer. It really only seems like weeks ago that my eldest started school, he was so cute and dinky ( now a hairy, spotty teen!) that I almost forget that he was once that small.
Soooo cute!
When they start they almost seem to small/ young to be there and yet shockingly look so grown up in their tiny uniforms at the time. There have been so many changes over the years too, from being in ‘Infants’ and then into ‘Juniors’, a week long school trip away from home and then the 11+, and then the huge upheaval and transfer into secondary school. Now it’s all attitude, independence and exams.
One thing that hasn’t changed though is the school uniform, as I have boys it’s always been charcoal grey trousers and white shirts and neutral black shoes. Now anyone with boys know you tend to buy more than you think you will need ( because you WILL actually need it) and I would rather have too many shirts than not enough- boys tend to miss their mouths a lot! I have only ever bought my uniforms from one retailer as I have never had cause to go anywhere else. George at Asda have kept my boys well clothed for school at very reasonable prices with packs of 2 polo shirts starting at £2.50, packs of 2 shirts from £3 and trousers from £3. Both the shirts and trousers not only wash up well but go in the dryer week after week over the winter and have kept their shape and quality throughout. Their school trousers also have the fabulous invention of adjustable waists as both my boys are skinny malinkies and although need the leg length their waists fall a bit short when filling the trousers out.
All grown up at secondary school!
This year however, my eldest will be going back as a 6th Former ( still shocks me to say it *consoles myself with wine*) so he will be needing a suit instead. I am going to think of it as normal uniform though and buy accordingly ie: several pair of trousers and one jacket and about 7-8 mixed shirts to match ( yes even at 16 he misses his mouth!). To be honest most places now sell mix and match suits for that reason and so I think my first port of call will again be George at Asda hoping the quality will be similar to that of the uniforms I have bought over the years, we have already seen one that would suit him lovely in a navy pinstripe with slim leg trousers.
As always with uniforms the best time to buy them is literally as they finish this summer term as most retailers have their best deals on- 3 for 2 etc and I do like to get them sorted and out of the way so we can enjoy the rest of the summer holidays. My eldest this year has an extended summer break as he finishes after his exams……………. I think I will need to bulk buy a stash of wine and chocolate to cope…………….. or maybe just send him to stay at my mums for a while!
DISCLOSURE: this is a collaborative PR related article however all views and words are my own.
