OMG I am in a right two and eight. The urchin’s first day at school is on Tuesday.
So many things I need to remember. Why has my brain turned to scrambled egg?
And why am I so nervous?
I can’t even remember my own first day at school so it couldn’t have been too bad
really. I am just in flapping mode and expect to lay an egg any minute.
I worry in case I have made a boo boo. I had to fight like a dog for this place in
this school, and I just hope I made the right decision. It is in a different county’s
Education authority – even though it is less than two miles from our house. I
really had to stand my ground and prove that my own LEA couldn’t provide
a more suitable school.
It couldn’t anyway. It is one of only a few in the uk (many more in Europe) that is
Called a ‘forest school’. The school is situated at the foot of the Lickey Hills country
Park and every week all pupils spend a half day out exploring the wilderness. In all
Weathers. They learn basic stuff about tree’s, berries, and how to hold a stick and
how to make a temporary shelter.
The Lickey Hills
The school garden
They also have an outdoor classroom, a garden
in which each kid gets a plot, and the school itself sits on wooded slopes, it has
two large playing fields, three playgrounds and a deciduous coppice of approximately
one hectare. I wanted the urchin to go here because they have an eight place ‘autistic
unit’ in it’s mainstream environment. I thought it would be ideal, but it turns out that
he won’t be starting in the unit. They don’t think he needs it. He will start in mainstream
with support, and of course the unit is there as a back up and extra support facility.
My own LEA have no schools like it. They only have ‘special’ schools, or mainstream.
I hope my being so ‘picky’ will pay off?
Anyway the school have been really great, they have arranged visits for him to meet
his teacher, and he played in the playground and had a good look around. They visited
him at nursery to evaluate his special needs . They have made a special transition
timetable so he starts school gradually. Yes it all looks good. (why am I looking for
faults?) The urchin has several ‘special interests’ – one of which is plugs. He is a devil
for unplugging stuff and then plugging it in elsewhere. How amused was I when I learned
the name of his new teacher? A Miss Socket! Oh the irony. It was like it was meant
to be. He keeps saying his teacher is called ‘plug socket’ when asked at home!!
I am now busily trying to get his school uniform, and the PE kit, etc but am in
a bit of a flummox and have given myself a headache. Was going to add a poll
to this about uniforms but will start a new thread.
