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

Crikey @GirlsInGreen . Hope you’re recovering ok. Glad the year 12 bunch are a nice lot!

Ds (and I) were very keen to see the end of his cast today. He’s in a splint for a couple of weeks but at least he can wash his arm and hand properly! They’ve advised to wait to restart driving practice until the splint is off which he’s disappointed about, but so be it.

Oh my goodness! Hope you are ok 🥰

Hi all - I mistakenly posted on a year12 thread a couple of days ago😆. Having a bit of a moan they were very nice & said I could stay.
I'm currently in hospital having had a brain bleed on Monday morning😵‍💫. Got seen quickly & went into theatre & i've been so lucky.
DD rightly distraught (she had her CAT last Friday & im so thankful my aneurysm waited).
Driving tests for so many - good luck & everyone take care💐

@Tebheag What we have also found useful are the cost-of-living analyses provided by the different universities on their websites. E.g. this one for Edinburgh:

https://study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-funding/fees-costs/living-costs

@Tebheag This is the student loan calculator - you’re in England, is that right?

https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator

Congratulations to all that have had offers.
@gingercat02 so envious your son has finished his Geography NEA just getting from DS no rush got ages aah.
How do you find out about what level the uni maintenance loan that they may qualify is for ? After reading how much some will be paying and St Andrews a possible choice is expensive feel I need to start planning for DD in 2 yrs.

Teachers can make a huge difference to grades if things aren't quite right can't they. DD had new chem teachers for Y13 which threw her off a bit at first because of their different teaching styles to the Y12 ones. She really loved her Y12 teachers and was sad to change, I'm still not sure one of them will be that good but I've just told DD to focus on areas she is unsure of learn it herself or ask other teachers to go through it. So far seems to be settling and her grades haven't altered but it is a shame they can have the same teachers for both y12 and 13.

Oh that sounds so stressful for you all, I hear you, my DD's first driving test is in just over a month and we had a mini breakdown after she had a mini mock test recently and stalled the car. Luckily her instructor is good and (poor man!) has seen how emotional DD can get when she is stressed and he seems to have a knack of calming her down. No idea if she'll be able to hold it together for her test but like you, we are very rural so it would really help if she could pass. She is a good little driver, if a bit slow still but the test does involve a bit of luck too on the day.

All we can do is take DD out as much as possible, her main area to crack now is town driving, she has to go out when it is really busy but that is the most stressful time when you are sitting next to her!

DDs subjects are ok, still on track but she is now in interview prep mode, with the wait still on to see if she gets any. Still probably at least another month before we find out, I am trying to put it to the back of my mind, unsuccessfully!

Finally got some time together to talk about it with oldest. He seemed to have a handle on why - one of 2 history teachers isn't very good and has been setting too much work that's not relevant and Biology has stepped up since last term, but he's consolidating with past stuff and thinks he can catch up. Also agrees maybe EPQ was taking a lot of energy. He is planning to spend time sorting things out this half term.

Yes half term this week, thank goodness, it’s been a long term. Best of luck to your DS. Her instructor doesn’t book tests, I think she only has a few students, driving is a bit of a side hustle, but she is lovely! We shall do lots of practice this week (wish me luck).

That’s a lot for her to cope with all at once @wonderstuff. Is she on half term this week? Last half term was full
on so hopefully she can recharge her batteries this week.

All being well DS should get the cast off his wrist this week (it’s quite pongy so I really hope so!) and get back behind the wheel too. His test isn’t too far off, but with 6 weeks with no lessons or practice we’ll have to see if he’s going to be ready. His driving school book all of the tests so can jiggle things around if someone else is ready and he’s not.

Happy half term!

Dd really struggling at the moment, I’m not sure if there’s more to it, but her driving test seems to be causing most stress, we had a complete meltdown last night with snotty tears, which isn’t like her. Thinking on it she’s also had braces tightened and her period in the last couple of days, so maybe they are contributing factors.

She failed her first test and has only managed to get one in the next town, which her instructor won’t go to, so she would have to go in her own car and with my mum or stepdad as neither I or DH can get time off and she’s got herself so anxious about it, she’s not been going out regularly and when she does she gets panicky, part of me wants to tell her just to cancel, but the public transport isn’t great and a driving licence will give her more options for next year. I really feel for her.

My son’s report also has one grade below predicted. He was fine and said all his cohort had the same. He thinks it’s so they don’t rest on their laurels ahead of mocks just after Christmas.

DC is generally very diligent and has been sometimes turning down activities to get work done, but I think may have been a bit distracted this term, possibly in part by his EPQ, which he has now handed in. I'm sort of hoping he will have a bit more time for other stuff now that's done.

Thanks everyone for your experience, I was able to tell DH and give a bit of context and he didn't hit the roof, but we will have a talk with DC over half term about how to get things back on track.

@Echobelly very similar thing here. DS half term report says his assessments demonstrates that he is currently working at a level below his predictions.
Half term break has just started here and I am expecting him to do some work though he requires quite a bit of nagging and he just does not seem to have the fire or desire to do it for himself. Argh!

Half term here, DS put a bit of a shift in last week to get his Geography NEA finished and his history is well on the way, so he doesn't have a huge amount of work to do this week

@Echobellyanother one with similar feelings. DS has said that he’s felt the step up this year has been harder than from GCSE to Y12. They seem to be covering the hardest topics (at least for him) at the moment. The only subject that he’s still feeling pretty secure in is Chemistry (fortunately). We’ve also all been struck with what is most likely Covid so think the time of year and this is always the longest term doesn’t help.

Hopefully half-term will give them a little bit of a break to re-set before getting back to it.

@Echobelly Similar feelings here. Coming down from the high of UCAS predictions, DD’s half-term report has been a bit of a reality check. I think the trouble with the predicted grades application system is that it can feel (in early Y13) like you’re there already, when in reality there is still a hill to climb to get those grades. We are a week into half term already and have had a chat with DD. She’s at her final open day today (Edinburgh) and will have a fun weekend there I am sure. But then she needs to finalise the UCAS form and send it off, while knuckling down to her studies. There is still loads of time, so I think it is good to have an unvarnished understanding of where things stand right now and what still needs to be done.

A bit worried as oldest has had a report back and while his predictions based on Y12 exams are AAB, teacher's marks from this half term are ACD, which seems a bit concerning with 6 months to go. A 6th form teaching friend has said the important thing is the predicted mark and teacher's marks don't mean too much but it still seems like a big gap at this stage, and he'll need at least AAB for the unis just applied for.

I don't think DH has seen the email yet and I haven't brought it to his attention because he got some bad news yesterday about not getting a job and he tend to rush to the worst conclusions and I don't want him to panic when he was already in a negative mood.

Obviously the first thing to do after telling him is talking to DC to find out if he expected this, and knows why. Eg, was there a really difficult topic he needs some help with and so on.

I do suspect he needs to slow down on some extra-curricular activities that may be taking too much of his mental and physical energies. I think he was always planning on stepping back from it pre summer exams, but maybe he ought to stop the next half term so he can sit January mocks with full attention.

I'm thinking of selling DH to cover costs! Although DD doesn't think I'd get enough!!!
Her UCAS form has now gone to her tutor for a reference....

I know, it's mad. I'm the student training lead for our trust so I get both sides too. Thankfully I have an only.

@gingercat02, I am so ambivalent about this. As an academic, this is nowhere near enough to make universities sustainable, and as a mother of two (hopefully) future university students this is way too much!

BBC News - University tuition fees in England to rise with inflation every year from 2026 - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkzj87n8rdo

Fees and loans to be linked to inflation

Hi,

DD will get minimum maintenance loan as did our eldest DD quite a few years ago. We funded DD1 by paying her accommodation and she lived off maintenance, plus worked in the holidays. This worked well because accommodation was cheap at her uni. Her undergrad was 3 years then she did a 2 yr masters but lived at home for that (and fees were covered in those days for her course) so it felt relatively easy.

DD2 will be different as applying for medicine, so 5 years help needed, we will again fund the accommodation. Not sure her maintenance will cover living costs now but we will top up if necessary. Also have to find extra in her 5th year as funding changes and no student loans. Luckily we have paid a small amount into her CTF which will maybe cover the first 2 years accommodation costs. We are lucky our DDs are years apart so only one going at once, but if you have 2 or more to fund it really feels like it is becoming too expensive for a lot of parents.

I think it can come as a shock to first time uni parents how much they are expected to contribute.

Thank you! I think St Andrews is the only one on her list that would properly bankrupt me !! , I’ve explained she would have to work a fair whack during the term if she firms that. I also vetoed London so she’s not applied to any London unis. It’s only a few years so I’ll make it work ! She’s pretty good too with money.