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My Secondary School Experience 2019-2024

Since the end of Year 11 is really not that long away, (I swear like, 8 school Fridays left WOO), I figured it would be fun to document my thoughts on the 5 year experience of going to a secondary school.

SO…there’s really not much to say about Year 7, this was the year that we had all gone into lockdown and needless to say I spent the entire time playing Mortal Kombat. I did do work, to...some degree. I’m a studious person at heart so I feel like lockdown was really just a time for me to stop being a freak about Year 7.

Moving to Year 8, and my school had brought us back in, and each year group were in bubbles, located around different parts of campus. I was stuck with the same 28 or so people for an entire year. In the same classroom the entire time. It was rough, but I surprisingly did…better academically? I suffered no personal consequences for my lack of enthusiasm during lockdown which was cool. In January of that year, we briefly went into online learning for a month or two, and I actually enjoyed it. My schedule was much organised for the most part. My only thoughts would be I think I had a grand total of one friend that entire year. That was weird.

Year 9 is a fever dream to me, school had returned to normal for the most part and I continued to study at a moderate level to achieve good results. This was also when I chose my options (these have changed since):

Creative iMedia (I thank god everyday they booted me to Media, it genuinely is my favourite thing in the whole world.)
Art. I was an artsy person, but 16 year old me is having her moments of truly losing it because of this subject. I love it though.
A forced LANUGAGE! I was given the choice to do one of my parents’ languages (Romanian or Turkish), and I stupidly chose to do German.
Triple Science
History
[Mandatory subjects]

Other than that, Year 9 was chill I think. I made friends and got back in touch with people.

Now in GCSE territory, Year 10 was a very fast year. I certainly was doing well, though I was unfortunately was struggling personally. This took a massive toll on me in Year 11. But for the most part, Year 10 was good. Nothing really to comment.

Year 11, I couldn’t have been more excited in my life to be in my final year, but as my personal struggles grew harder to cope with aside school, in October, I think it’s fair to say my academic life changed a lot. Also Mortal Kombat 1 came out and I went rabid but that was separate.

During my struggles, I began to increasingly miss days of school, mostly because I physically could not go to school in my condition. It all so strange. When I did muster up the courage to return right before mocks, I was sat in a student support room to revise and work in because I had really struggled to return to classes. It certainly was keeping me in school, but I was still having a hard time on the inside.

After Christmas break, and I feel comfortable enough to share this, my matters only got worse as I’d developed insomnia. My habit returned and I did not go to school for a few weeks, truly because I was suffering so greatly. Thankfully, the people around me helped me to begin to recover and at this point I was beginning my mental health journey with doctors.

As I returned to school slowly, I stayed in the student support area for my next set of mocks too. My struggles go from not bothering me to once again ruining me, but as of now I’m still here, studying as hard as I can when I do have the strength to come in. I stay in good touch with my teachers, but a lot in terms of my subjects did change too.

I moved down in both Maths and Science to foundation willingly, because I figured I’d rather get a solid 5 in these subjects I truly will not need for my future subjects than panic on a higher paper. Maybe things would have been different if I hadn’t gone through this, but I do not dwell on the past. I also dropped German, and rightly so, I was working at a higher level anyways and I can hold a conversation, so not seeing a damn language on my CV is not going to make my employer explode. These sets of mocks that had just passed went extremely well, and I’m super happy in terms of my progress.

I’m not seeing the point of returning to lessons, solely because I, 1. As of now am still uncomfortable, and 2. School is almost over. I noticed how better I did when put in a room to study by myself, luckily I’d been taught everything right before getting into this situation, so it was a matter of revising. Though I do realise how precious my time in high school is socially, most of the people in my school are not…precious.

I could not be more excited for College, but on the positive side, we have a muck up day at the end of the year to dress up as what we’d like. I’m either going as Johnny Cage or Lady Gaga, my two icons. I and my friends are not going to prom, we hate everyone at that school and we’re going to dress up for ourselves and have a lovely dinner at a restaurant, just us.

Thank you – if you did in fact read this all. I feel really good getting this off my chest. Please feel free to do the same in replies, I’ll have a blast reading other experiences. AND GOOD LUCK ALL YEAR 11S!!! :heart:

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

ebyrne2036

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Entertainment Forum Helper

I actually really enjoyed reading your school experience. Maybe I will write mine although I did leave 2 yrs ago! How are you feeling about your GCSES and what are your plans for leaving School? Wishing you all the best of luck.☀️

Reply 2

johnnycagefan1

Original post by ebyrne2036

I'm feeling fairly confident I will get the grades I'm hoping for, thank you!

All sciences and math I have a positive feeling I will get solids 5s, History 6 hopefully a 7. Both English's I should be getting 7s, which is awesome. Media, my holy grail, my teacher is pushing me for a 9! I'll be happy with anything, but a 7 and above is the goal. And Art, hopefully 7.

In college, I am taking 3 A-Levels:
Media Studies
Film Studies
Photography.

I'm looking forward to the fresh start in a new area, instead of staying at the sixth form here. And to actually be treated like a person, not a 5 year old with stupid rules. Thank you so so so much for reading all of that! I appreciate it, and would love to hear your experience! :rave: