Year 13 -2025/26 - Support, discussion and looking after each other (new thread from y12)

I think Warwick with Bath as his insurance is the current plan @ComingInByAnsible but we’ve also had mutterings about applying to Oxford again, especially as they’re now using the TMUA. It’s such a lottery even for the top performers that I’m not going to be actively encouraging that as an option!

If he does defer it would be to do some more qualifications in his sports coaching - something that he’s really enjoying and as a summer born I don’t think having another year would do him any harm. Who knows?

The later offers are definitely very frustrating for everyone who’s still hanging on. I’m not looking at accommodation options or when those applications open as it’s just more pressure that DS doesn’t need, or any of our dc for that matter.

@gingercat02, congratulations to you and your DS on the UCAS decisions! He sounds exhausted, this year is such a marathon for them, isn’t it? Will he be able to take a break around Easter to recharge a bit before the final revision and exams?

@Muchtoomuchtodo, those do sound like close offers, with Bath being a bit more flexible. Would he consider Bath as insurance to Warwick or is that too close for comfort? What is he thinking of doing in the gap year if he defers? My DS has been muttering about reapplying to Oxford if he gets his predicted grades (which tbh I’m not that keen on as it would still be a lottery even with grades achieved, but it would be up to him ultimately).

@pinkdelight, congratulations on the KCL offer! Even if not taken up, it’s a great achievement!

We are still a way off UCAS decisions, as DS will wait until after the Exeter OHD (next weekend) and Warwick OHD at the end of April. It’s still between these two as firm choices for him.

In the meantime, we had the last ever parents’ evening for DS, following his mocks. He had a bad day in one of the history mocks and still has quite a bit of work to do across the board but nevertheless still on track to achieving his grades. More importantly perhaps, lovely words from all his teachers about the pleasure of teaching him, so it was bittersweet. It really feels like the ‘lasts’ of the school years are accelerating, he had his last football match too.

Did anyone go to the York OHD today?

Brilliant to see people firming/insuring on UCAS already and things getting real. DS has all his offers in now after finally hearing from KCL this week - an offer, which is nice, but it's higher than his preferred option so is out of the running and not worth waiting for the OHD in mid-April I don't think. He's going to take till Easter just to see if his inclinations change, then he'll finalise his choices. Phew!

Been a long old journey since first visits to very different unis on the road to understanding where he fits and what his chances are. And exams still to do ofc, but feels like we're getting there. Good luck to all still waiting on offers and making decisions.

Incredible to see the final choices being made for some of your dc. It’s all feeling very real now!

@ComingInByAnsible there’s not a lot of difference between the offers tbh.

Warwick for MORSE have offered A⭐️A⭐️B. With a C in Welsh Bacc

Bath - maths and stats with professional placement have offered A⭐️ A, A or A⭐️A⭐️B (A⭐️and A in maths and FM)

He seems to prefer the Warwick campus and living options after year 1and they have said that deferring isn’t a problem. He needs to ask Bath about that being an option.

We have UCAS done too. Firmed Northumbria and insurance Leeds Beckett.
Seems happy with this but very stressed with teaching ongoing, loads of coursework still to do AND revision. He's now whittering on about post 18 apprenticeships!
DS fell asleep in the chair at 8pm on Monday night. I made him clean his teeth and go to bed. He slept until 8am!

I don't know what to do about MenB vaccine. It's so rare but obviously devastating if it does happen.

Hope everyone else is coping, good to see offers and OHD continuing.

That’s brilliant news, @Lalux, congratulations to your DS! He must be elated!

@ArchitectureMum wow, UCAS decisions done! What a milestone! And great choices too. Hope your DD is feeling better today.

@Muchtoomuchtodo, that’s a great tip from the Warwick tour guide about uni jobs and parking. My DS would definitely be interested to know (provided he passes his test!). How do the Warwick and Bath offers compare for your DS in terms of achievability/safety?

@JessyCarr, I think you are right about vaccination for my younger DD, I’ve spoken with her and she would prefer to be vaccinated sooner rather than later. The Kent outbreak seems to be developing at the rate of knots.

I’ve been following but not posting much and it’s so lovely to hear of great offers and choices being made along with so many other things going on.

After a torturous application process, 4 interviews last month, followed by mocks and a rejection. DS had an offer last night for Dentistry from Sheffield.

A few clicks this evening and the UCAS decision is done. Feels momentous. I am much more excited about the process than DD who is taking it in her stride. I am happy with the accommodation situation for insurance students at Sheffield. The Edinburgh accommodation seems more difficult even as a firm but at least she will be early to the applications.

We had a great weekend in Edinburgh and DD intends to firm it and insure Sheffield. We went to look at some accommodation from the outside and I think she has made her short list. She hasn’t done UCAS yet, partly because she is really ill today but it is an advantage to do it earlier rather than later for getting her accommodation application in.

I am worrying about meningitis but she isn’t ill enough for that. She is worrying about missing lessons. I am keeping an eye on her. Fully planning a Meningitis B vaccine after A levels, so sad for the families affected in Kent. The news reports are not making it clear that this age group won’t be routinely vaccinated against meningitis B but that it is available privately.

@JessyCarr i hope your friend’s dc makes a quick and full recovery.

looking at the meningitis vaccines for after ds’s exams has been in my to do list for a while but this awful outbreak in Kent has reinforced the need to actually do it. It does seem bonkers that even if the NHS won’t vaccinate this generation of kids against the B strain, there’s not more of an awareness campaign particularly for those thinking of heading to university.

@ComingInByAnsible we spent some time in Leamington Spa and had a drive around Kenilworth, some of the closer parts of Coventry and the just off campus private halls as where to lived after year 1 was one of ds’s concerns. Most of the students that we spoke to opted for Leamington after their first year and just accept the bus ride. DS seemed to think that was an ok trade off to live in such a nice town with plenty going on. Getting a job within the university also seemed to be a top tip from our tour guide - that way you get a permit and staff parking rates 🤣. For now Warwick seems to be in the top spot, though DS is going to a Bath OHD too so it’ll be interesting to see if things change after that. An offer from LSE would be the icing on the cake and throw the cat amongst the pigeons but if that happens (it’s a big if!) it’ll be a nice problem to have.

@ComingInByAnsible Of the 2 fatalities in Canterbury, one was an undergraduate and the other is reported to be a Y13 from a Faversham grammar school who went out to a nightclub popular with students. Eleven others are in hospital. This is a very rare tragedy and it’s not known which strain caused it, but if you have a 16 year old I don’t think there are any advantages to be gained from waiting to vaccinate. They will retain good protection through their student years if vaccinated now.

Thanks @ComingInByAnsible. DD had viral meningitis, which (although obviously suboptimal in Y13!) is less scary than meningococcal disease.

I need to correct an important error in my earlier post about this. Meningitis B is not rarer than the ACWY strains. Although meningococcal disease itself is rare, the B strain accounted for over 80% of UK cases in 2024/25. It may be that this is because of the vaccination gap, with the vast majority of pre-2015 babies unprotected. There is a current thread here running on the Canterbury outbreak, and it is alarming to see how many parents say “my child had the vaccine at school” without realising that there are two different vaccines needed for effective protection.

My son has men B privately when they brought it into the babies vax schedule. I have read in the US they top up after ten years so I will be taking him to a private GP for another booster in the summer holidays.

@Muchtoomuchtodo, I am with your DS on the importance of green spaces! One of the reasons why DS ruled out London applications in the end.

We are just over a two hours drive from Warwick, so will be doing a day trip, but your overnight trip sounds lovely. Great to know that use of the gym comes free with the hotel stay! What did you think of the area? DH and I are both alumni but it’s been a looong time!

Oh no @JessyCarr, that’s awful news, especially after your DD’s own illness. I hope your friend’s DC recovers fully. 💐

I was reading about the Kent outbreak last night and thinking this is probably the right time to get DS vaccinated for Men B (he’s had his Men ACWY vaccine already). I believe they need two doses at least one month apart, and then a few weeks after the second dose for the immunity to develop, is that correct? Also pondering whether we should also be vaccinating DD (16) at the same time or waiting till year 13.

Just catching up, and great to see things falling into place for so many.

DD is OK, but suddenly lots of stress is boiling over as the exams draw nearer. It’s all feeling a bit close for comfort.

We have received the awful news that a friend’s DC is critically ill from meningococcal meningitis, in a university outbreak. They are not in the UK, but there is also a dangerous outbreak currently in Canterbury, involving students at the University of Kent https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxg35dv7npo

With apologies to those who have heard me banging on about this before, I do feel it’s important to think about meningitis vaccination before our Y13s launch into their next phase.

Meningococcal (bacterial) meningitis comes in 5 main strains: A, B, C, W, Y. These are covered by 2 vaccines: a combined one for the ACWY strains, and a separate one for the B strain.

ACWY: In England this vaccination is routinely offered in Y9, though some (including my DD) may have missed it due to Covid disruption. A catch-up vaccine is available free on the NHS to any under-25s who have not yet had it, via the GP.

B strain: This is rarer, but also dangerous. Nowadays the B vaccine is part of the infant vaccination programme, but that didn’t start until 2015 and there has been no NHS catch-up programme for children who were beyond infancy then. It can only be obtained privately (from chemists), and requires 2 doses. Current price at Boots is £110 per dose, so £220 for the course.

Thanks all. He went into the applications last October knowing how competitive the degree apprenticeships are. It was always his preferred route but he didn’t actually think he’d get on one. However he got a call only 48 hours after the assessment centre so they must have wanted him.

He’s planning to defer his uni place just in case it turns out he hates the apprenticeship, but it does mean we haven’t gone to any OHD.

He’s discovered that outside space and greenery is quite important to him @ComingInByAnsible so I think LSE has dropped down his list. But if he does get an offer he’ll he pretty chuffed!

Will you need an overnight stay at Warwick? They have 2 on-site conference hotels if you do. We stayed the night before in the Scarman hotel to give us time to explore leamington spa, Kenilworth and Coventry as year 2 and 3 accommodation options which was good. Then we explored campus a bit and DS used the gym (free with the hotel stay) which was great before heading to the Arts Centre for a bite to eat. We had planned to go the an onsite pub but hadn’t realised it was the final hours in the SU elections so it was absolutely heaving!

Amazing news @KellySeveride

some great offers and results, so exciting!

We took a very very long train to Liverpool and back yesterday (5.5 hours home and some kids got on the train in Wolverhampton with an air horn - it was grim).

Liverpool is a beautiful city though, the sun was out, the atmosphere was great, that city energy DD loves. But she prefers the course content at Reading, she can study more macro, policy, social justice based material there. Liverpool was very business based. There seemed to be more opportunities at Liverpool, including a group that had set up and was running charities, a women in economics group, a ton of networking opportunities. But lecturers at Reading were more engaging and Liverpool is a really long way away. It’s a dilemma. There aren’t many BA economics courses (she’s doing maths but is likely to get a B/C and is working so hard for that), only Liverpool and Southampton at the top of her grade range. Would she be daft to go for a course offer 3 grades below her predicted at a less prestigious university? Will she regret not going to a city, there’s so much going on in Liverpool, it seems such a nice place.

So who knows, I’m trying to stay neutral, it’s got to be her decision.

@Muchtoomuchtodo, thank you and it’s great that you’ve had such a positive experience at the OHD! When I was at Warwick (back in the Stone Age) I knew several people doing MORSE, and they all seemed to love their course. Hopefully that LSE offer comes through soon too - would it be his favourite?

We are now booked for the Warwick OHD on the 29th of April, so relieved that the offer came through in time to be able to do this. Before then, we have the Exeter OHD at the end of March, so this should hopefully help DS make his decision.

Great news @ComingInByAnsible.

We’re just home from the Warwick OHD. DS applied not having been there but has come away feeling very positive.

I thought the campus was lovely, and the course (MORSE) looks right up ds’s street.

He’s still waiting to hear from LSE which is very frustrating but not unusual judging by lots of people that he spoke to today.

It’s good to hear of all the decisions that are coming along for everyone.

@bluefineliner, so sorry to hear about your MIL, that’s really tough. But it’s great to read about more offers for your DD, including her favourite! Hope you enjoy the NCL OHD today!

@Ventress, how did the Durham OHD go? A detention for missing PSHE in year 13 seems a bit draconian, hope it all blew over now!

@gingercat02, sorry to read about Leeds, but Northumbria sounds like a great choice. I know several colleagues who work there and always seem to have exciting things going on. Well done to your DS for getting those NEAs in!

@temperedolive, hope you had a great weekend in London!

@Countrylife2002, I hope the mock results turn out better than your DD fears. At the end of the day, the main purpose of the mocks is to identify the remaining gaps, to practice under exam conditions and to boost revision, so hopefully they are helpful to her whatever the outcomes.

@KellySeveride, that’s fantastic news on the degree apprenticeship, massive congratulations! And great mock results too 🙂

@AuntyBulgaria, hope the remaining offers come through soon!

The big news here is that the Warwick PPE offer has finally arrived! We are all delighted. It does mean that DS now has some tough decisions to make, with the main contest between Warwick and Exeter (econ and politics), which both have the same offer (A star AA). Bath (politics with econ) is still in the running as potential insurance, but having been to the OHD he’s really not keen on the campus and the limited econ content.

Hey everyone, I’ve been a bit quiet because since the new iOS update I’m finding mumsnet a right pain to load.

DS has had 2 of 4 of his mock results, A⭐️ in maths and A in computer science. Still waiting physics and further maths.

But in other news he got offered a place on a degree apprenticeship today for a very well renowned company so it’s a happy day in our house-there was a confetti canon announcement and everything 🤣.

We’re waiting for mocks results here. DD is in a state of constant panic. She needs 3As, was predicted 3A stars quite easily but she’s now finding it hard to get above Bs. So the mock results are a bit scary and I foresee a bigger panic if they’re not what she needs …. I keep saying they mark mocks harshly - am I right ?!!