Year 12 - 2024/25 - Support, Discussion and Looking After Each Other

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How is everyone getting on? We’ve done one open day and dd doesn’t want to do any more until autumn. She’s had a conversation with dsil, who is a senior leader at a university about her choices and I think that was helpful although she advised her to rethink most of them! She did say there’s often more room to go below the published grade requirement than people often think. It’s tricky though isn’t it, do you look at subject rankings or overall rankings, do you consider Russell Group if you’re looking at As and Bs rather than A*? Does that really matter? How far from home is too far? IDK. Careers advice sessions at college now fully booked for the rest of the year.

She still wants to do a year out and was keen on Camp America, although now wondering if Canada would be a better option with the current political climate in the US? There is a good thread on this in MN with parents of kids who’ve just left, if anyone else is interested.

3 weeks into driving test, not sure she’ll pass first time, on a good day maybe.

She doesn’t want to come on holiday with us in February, which is a little heartbreaking. And she’s off to a London concert without any adults for the first time in a few weeks. She’s an actual adult in 5 months, which is freaking me out a bit. She still seems so young. No idea what to do for her birthday. Her main present is going to be car insurance I think - not cute, but eye wateringly expensive!

Apparently core maths paper 2 was the hardest one shes ever seen according to dds teachers. A lot of unexpected questions when nothing close to them has ever come up before. Dd got the same answers as a lot of people , so she was happy!

@BlackBean2023 We’re going to need a new thread!

@JustHereWithMyPopcornyes the amount of emails is ridiculous.

@Waspie hope your DS is feeling better now and I'm sure he will have done well. Maybe let the school know about the appointment just in case.

Great news about the theory test pass @bluefineliner I would recommend boking a test now because if it's anywhere like round here, you'll be lucky if you get one for 6 months time!

Anyone else's DCs being email spammed by universities, even ones they have no interest in? I'm sure it's since he set up his UCAS account.

Our mocks aren't until the end of June @bluefineliner

Well done to your daughter on passing her theory test @bluefineliner. One thing less to study for Her school seem very organised. It's good to know how they are going to approach next steps in advance.

Ah, work experience! I hope it goes okay for you and @Tebheag having your DC work with you. DS' WE is first week of June. He's working within the legal department of the company I work for so at least he's not working directly with me but is still a little too close for comfort.

DS has his last mock exam today. I feel rather bad because he had an orthodontist appointment yesterday afternoon and, as a result, had toothache all night and didn't sleep well. Perhaps I should have cancelled the appointment but they are difficult to get, so I decided to go ahead with it.

He's not sure how the mocks have gone. He ran out of time in the first history paper so isn't confident, but thinks he did decently in both of his Economics papers (which he feels is his weakest subject).

Good luck to those doing AS levels and mocks and resits

Morning,

DD mocks seem really late compared to others now! She is off next week for half term then 2 weeks of mocks whilst she is on study leave. We had an email from school detailing what happens next term as they are full on next steps/uni/ucas until the end of the year. DD gets mock results and predicted grades first week in July, I can't believe how quickly y12 has gone.

DD passed her theory test now and luckily it didn't take too much time for her to prepare so that is another thing ticked off. As she has only just started lessons she won't be looking to take her practical until the end of the year so we can put that to the back of the stress list for now 😂.

@Tebheag good luck with your DS working with you, I too have an argumentative child that way. She will be trying to get some WE in my dept too but I am going to share her around my colleagues as she won't listen to a word I say!

Continuing good luck for any exam takers this week.

Spoke to a couple of frewhose kids stayed on at the supposed high achieving outstanding 6th form shocked 2 bright kids and highest grade was a C one got 4 DS 😱Very nervous for my DS now after hearing that.
Also given up on finding 2 days work experience so I will be having him with me teaching quickbooks and year end accounts trained many youngsters when I was in practice DS is just so arguementive with me 🙈

Good luck to your DD Friday. DS Says his college didn't do any revision classes or suggest areas for revision.

3 more AS papers to go this week then DS is all done in time for half term.

Just as well as it looks like there’s going to be a couple of extra choir practices ready for the Eisteddfod next week!

Hope everyone else’s scabs are going to plan.

Dd had core maths as well this week. Says she liked the paper. Her sixth form is a massive high performing one with tons of experienced teachers so they had predicted most of the questions correctly except for the prelim one. Shes a lot more nervous for paper two!

@Waspie and @JustHereWithMyPopcorn I’ve obviously been vey lucky so far!

I just looked up the college’s published policy on predicted grades and they look across the whole year giving greater weight to the later results - dd says they’re telling them it’s all on these exams but it’s obviously not!

First Maths A level is on the 4 June so at least has the half term to really knuckle down as I've not seen much evidence of hard work!
Son will only therefore have economics mocks but he has not told me when that is - laid back is an understatement!

DS' school say that these exams are an important part of the UCAS predicated grades but that performance through the year will be taken into account. There will also be a resit opportunity in September.

DS seems confident in English Lit and History, less so in Economics. They have had a temporary teacher for micro for the past several months who has not been very good at explaining terms and concepts. DS has found him frustrating. However, he seems to have gone now and the HoD is now taking his micro classes and has confirmed that she will be teaching them from now until the end of year 13. DS is very relieved as she is an excellent teacher. He will spend the weekend revising before exams start on Monday.

I'm glad your son was happier with his Core maths paper than he feared @Tebheag

Best of luck to your daughter @Countrylife2002

Hope your son's prefect interview goes well @JustHereWithMyPopcorn Year 12 has been stressful in our household too. I'm already dreading year 13!

@silverbullet our school usually give predictions of what you get in the June exams, if they've gone a bit wrong but you have got consistently higher marks prior to that then they may be a bit more generous. Schools all do their own thing it seems.

@Countrylife2002 Yr 12 has not been stress free at all in this house! 😂 DS has his prefect interview today, I'm hoping he gets over his chronic authority fear and actually lets them see a bit of his personality. 🙏

DD says they’ve told them it’s mainly on end of year exams.
sigh..

You will need to ask the school how they do predictions. It's very variable between settings.

I tried to say plan b could be a gap year and apply with grades in hand but that was not received well! I thought y12 would be fairly stress free year !

no idea why half that post went bold

How far do they predict up? DD is semi hysterical about politics. I’ve had to take some time off work to go through and explain flash cards to her (knackered !). She is desperate for an A but fears a B or a C. So far this year she’s got all As and A stars and one B . Her top 3 uni choices will all need her to have a predicted A. She should get A star predictions in her other subjects - will they look at that?

This is so alien to me - I thought Bs were brilliant when I got them!

@Tebheag good news on the exam. How many AS level exams will he have?

I guess there will be some who are doing A level Maths now who then do Further Maths in y13 - good luck if so.