Thread 30 Covid Cohort, Mad March Hareing Towards Exams

I somehow posted this on a completely different thread. No idea how...

Congrats to all those hitting the button.

I have finally managed to get Ds to fill in student finance online. Those with older dc's...did you sign in to student finance as you did for the older dc's? I'm assuming I can. Dh can't remember his sign in though. Annoyingly I forgot to photocopy our tax returns, so will get a copy from our accountant. I must remember to do them this year, I knew they'd be needed as had to photocopy them for Ds1. But still forgot.

I asked Ds what the envelope was for that has been on his bedroom floor a month, I knew what it was as I'd looked, it was forms that needed signing for his A levels. So we signed them, they said return by 28th March. Ds said no one else has handed them in. The forms would have stayed in his room had I not asked. Goodness knows what will get missed when he's at university.

No idea Just I assume just marketing.

Is it the norm? Both mine are at grammar schools so maybe they can get away with it.

@Cantonet sorry to hear your ds has been unwell and missed school. Has he applied anywhere for next year?

I thought it was the norm that schools didn't have study leave until half term these days tbh. DD isn't happy about it as she would much rather be home beforehand - especially during the actual exams - I have a feeling that her attendance will be down that week. She is old enough to decide for herself if she turns up when not in exams..

I'm worried about covid too. DS still hasn't had it and his booster was before Christmas (he was in the original group 6 so has had them all early) but now they'll be wearing off. Also they don't have study leave at all unless agreed individually with school but DS will want to be at school. Going to be a nerve-wracking term.

DD (y11, different school) has full time school till 13 May then its up to them whether they come in or not.

Actually dd's study leave starts on 10th May. So ds has a full week and a day off before the GCSEs start and dd has two weeks before her A Levels. It really helps in our case, as both of them travel around an hour on public transport to school, so being on study leave gives them a couple of hours extra to play with. Plus they can get more sleep!

Just took a look at Up Learn, how can they guarantee an A*/A grade?? Sadly they don't do Edexcel.

No study leave before half term here.

Anyone heard of Uplearn?

DD says that others have recommended it as really good, but it's rather eye wateringly expensive.

DS first day of Gcse's involves two exams.
I wanted him to do a music retake but that would be the same day making three so thats out.
No study leave here either, but Ds does his own thing.

@Isthisjustnormal - that's what I'd like the school to do, but they are showing no signs.

@Heifer - in school during exams? That's awful.

@crazycrofter - Gosh 6 in one week - that's rough.

Our school has A levels on the calendar from w/c May 23rd, I thought they started w/c May 16th?

Both our schools are doing study leave from about 5th May I think. I can't wait not to have to try to force ds into school. But I'm dreading the exam period. He has 6 the first week.

Ds' school has revision sessions in the holidays but there's no way ds would ever go. I haven't heard of any for dd.

I spent about £80 on revision guides for ds. He has only used the Business Studies one so far. Hope I can sell them on second hand!

Our school doesn’t, I’ve had to pay a significant sum for the revision stuff for DS @ChristopherTracy

@crazycrofter yes that's how my Covid started this time around. DS has gone into school today for a physics holiday tutoring session - are other schools not doing that?

@Wheresthebeach ours have pulled it forward to try and minimise the risk of catching something at school prior to the exams.

@Heifer that’s crazy! How can they be in lessons while revising for exams?

@Seeline DS not had his booster yet either. Can’t seem to get him to do it.

The sore throat and headache were DD's first symptoms.

I have no idea why schools aren't doing study leave - apart form feeling the kids have missed so much school already that they are better off in class trying to catch up.

I'm debating between being brutally honest with the school, v claiming illness to keep her well until exams start.

@crazycrofter I still have very painful memories from the gcse mocks / final grades fiasco but DS seems to have quite selective memory. 🤔

Getting a B for DS would be a disaster as he has no insurance place in reality. I have signed him up for a revision course over Easter which, despite agreeing to at the time, is now furious with me about as obviously he’d rather spend his Easter holidays with his girlfriend.

There’s a nasty sore throat cold doing the rounds, hope it’s that rather than Covid. Actually, I hope it’s not that either and turns out to be a mild cold at worst.

Sorry to hear about Exeter @GoldenRuby. Glad you have a Durham offer & finger's crossed for more offers v soon.

Sending virtual hugs @Alsoplayspiccolo. I really feel for you in a constant firing line from your DD. It's draining and upsetting. Try and keep going for the next 11 weeks, and hopefully things will be better once exams are out of the way.

DD still hasn't had her booster. The day the text came to say she could book was the day she tested positive, and under -18s have to wait 12 weeks between a +ve and their booster - the week before exams start... She reacted quite badly to the second jab, so is reluctant to have a week of feeling poorly at that moment in time.

DD last day is May 27th apparently, so they have a week of exams whilst in school full time and then the other 3 weeks she only has to go in for exams. Luckly DD only has 2 the first week.

Same with both of mine @JustHereWithMyPopcorn, planning to work harder for the real things and feeling quite relaxed . It doesn’t even cross their minds that they may not go ahead/they could miss one. Dd also got A*,A,B so it wouldn’t be the end of the world but ds’ latest report is still showing 4 and 5 for two of the sciences. He’s done loads of revision for them now and feels confident - but he hasn’t demonstrated that at all at school because he’s been focused on his own personal revision and not bothered with homework/school work But if he got the grades from his latest report it would be ok I suppose. He might have to switch from Business A Level to BTEC.

Both kids are off today with blocked nose/sore throat/headache - sounds like covid again?

Why are some of the schools not doing study leave this year? DS goes on study leave on 13th May. He got his last set of mocks back which are pretty good thankfully, he got A*AB 1% off an A for Bio. I wish they’d ‘found’ him the extra mark or two just so they had some ‘evidence’ in case of Covid crisis! He is not worried at all about the exams being cancelled or not sitting one despite my explaining the issue. His head is firmly on the sand.

Yikes - 4 weeks? That's not good. There's so much at stake for these kids it's madness that they are not on study leave.

I thought it was 3 months immunity. But that's not the case DD will def have time off to wfh.

@crazycrofter That sounds very tough. And GCSE's are a real marathon. Hope he stays well.

@Shimy thank you for the alarm click recommendation. One of those sounds like it will do the trick!

@crazycrofter I'm another one in that position with Gcse's. I really don't know what's happening as Ds missed a whole term of schooling this year due to severe ill health. He's done his mocks, but I don't know how he's done. I also don't know where he will be going to school next year and I can't plan either.