The last year of school. (For us).

Here we are, the new school year has started and Ellie has gone in to year 11 the final year of school which means it's my last year of being a mother to school age children. It's crazy how quickly it seems to have happened but at the same time it seems a life time ago since my girls started school. I remember taking Becky for her first day in reception class just a few days after Ellie was born. It was quite a surprise for a lot of the other mums in the school yard as they didn't even realise that I was pregnant as I didn't show much and those who did know I was pregnant didn't think I was that far along. lol

Anyway, back to the point of this blog post. This year is such a big year for Ellie at school. She is the oldest and supposedly the most responsible year group in the school, she has her GCSE exams and she really needs to think about what she is going to do after school.

When Ellie went into year 7 at her old school they didn't have much hope for her, she hated school and didn't do well but since we moved house and Ellie started a new school she has excelled herself. I wish her old teachers could see what she is predicted to get for her GCSE's and with more revision I think she will do fantastic.

We have said since Ellie's last parents evening at school in December that once she starts year 11 she will be doing an hours revision each evening focusing on her maths, science and geography to start with. She is less than overjoyed about it but understands that it needs doing. She can remember me making Becky, her sister revise when she was preparing for her GCSE's so she knew it was coming. We have lots of textbooks, websites and revision tools to use we just have to motivate Ellie enough to revise properly which at the moment seems easier said than done.

Ellie also needs to decide what she is going to do after school. She really doesn't know at the moment. She is really torn between doing a full time college course or an apprenticeship. I want her to experience life at college before she goes into work but I think if it is too much written work and not enough practical she won't do well. At least with an apprenticeship it is more hands on. She had been thinking about an apprenticeship and that was a certainty for a long while but now she just doesn't know. I suppose she has a good 6 months before she has to commit to anything and even then she can change her mind. There will be careers advice given at school and I think that is going to be really helpful. When people say no two children are the same, they are right. Becky knew from about year 9 that she wanted to go to college to do health and social care so it seemed easy, it isn't so much with Ellie.

We then have the prom to think about. For a couple of years Ellie was determined that she wasn't going because all of the girls wore fancy dresses but she has come to realise that not all the girls do and in fact a few of her friends are saying that they will be wearing suits, not a dress so that has totally changed her mind.

What years are your kids going into at school?