Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread

Sparkling, that sounds great. And doable

HSMM, MFL CA's are the worst. Has she done her speaking ones yet?

DD is having a complete meltdown about her written french controlled assessment tomorrow. Parents evening tomorrow night, so maybe her teacher can reassure her.

Yes, it is good, and I am very pleased. I just hope he can hold it all together when it matters......

that's good!

Hi all. I am back and relatively unscathed. Very hot, very busy, long queues etc....

Every teacher was very nice, very positive, said as long as he keeps at this level, and does the necessary revision etc he will do very well in the exams.

Sounds simple when put like that doesn't it?

Sparkling, hope it's going OK!

Crazy, that's great news about the place and report. So will your DS get the support that he wants?

Apparently DD "flopped" Biology today. However, she has gone back to her friends to revise for Physics tomorrow and he is relentlessly positive, which is a very good thing for DD. Only 2 more days and then "dread-the-results" time!

Good luck. We had the school reports today, I think we're OK so far.

Parents Evening in 2 hours.

DS has a 6th form place, no idea what grades are needed as I just got a text.

I just heard that they are all getting new tutors after half term according to whether they need extra maths or English help. DS is getting either the head or deputy head so is the group that doesn't need extra help but he says he wants extra maths support.

I think at DD'S school all A levels taught by 2 teachers too. DD'S tutor who is one of the science teachers has recently gone on maternity leave and there has been faffing around. But I was really shocked to hear there has been literally no teacher for A level for that length of time. Wonder if a bit of Chinese whispers has gone on. Two pupils killed themselves at that school last year Very glad DD didn't go.

I agree that missing the Prom is harsh and think you are wise Lynette to have a word. We had a 6th form ball in the school hall, first year they did one.

BTM, I think going is good !

Yes, there definitely is a shortage of science teachers. DD's chemistry teacher left on maternity leave sometime last term, and I think they juggled the teachers around to give the A-level and GCSE classes an actual chemstry teacher - lower years mixed science covered by the biology/physics and that was ok. But then the replacement teacher became ill - somethign serious, in and out of hospital with the result that for the last half term, half of DD's chemistry lessons have been taught by a retired maths teacher who really wasn't up to it. They sent out an appeal to parents for whether they knew any teachers and seem to have found one to fill in after half term. This is the sort of school which rarely has a problem filling vacancies (nice school in the sort of area people want to live for lifestyle reasons) so if they struggle it must be really grim elsewhere. Having no teacher for A2 is appalling - at DD's school, nearly all the A-level classes are taught by two teachers which I guess is some insurance against total disaster.

Crazy, we didn't even have a school prom!

SugarPlum, I'm not sure they are going well, but they are going!
Good plan to ask the Maths teacher. Sorry about the other school. DH says it is incredibly hard to recruit science teachers.

Glad the Mocks going well BTM. I'm going to ask her Maths teacher tomorrow at parents evening. The one friend is asking was recommended by her DD'S school but specifically for A level maths mechanics. I need someone who can cope with Maths mental blocks.

Talking of the other school , One of the science teachers has been off ill for 12 weeks leaving the A2 pupils totally minus a teacher. My heart sank when I heard that as it is our catchment school and DS is supposed to be going. It has a new Head and seemed to be doing well but gives me no confidence hearing that. The girl's Mother has had to get a tutor. We thought DS would do better there than at Grammar but think we might have messed up. He failed by half a mark after deciding last minute to enter and only a minute bit of preperation. Think I might need to start a thread about that one.

Lynette that's too harsh as he's been putting the effort in after all. Make him miss something but not the prom, it's such a big deal for them nowadays. It's not like they are in the school hall dancing to YMCA after all like we did in my day

Parents evening is quite good at our high school, in and out in an hour usually with appointments being kept to quite well. Getting the appointments is like gold dust though :(

Lynette, that sounds harsh - can he catch up in time to get to go?
DD put in a lot of extra hours to get her ICT done. Too late to realise that the teachers advising them to do it in Y10 were right!

DD is nearly halfway through her mocks. She said they have been hard but maths was really hard. But she's keeping going, thank God.

Good Luck to those with Parents Evenings - DD's was before Christmas. I have to say that the school has a very effective system although everyone is squashed in together. I can't believe anyone really tries to listen in - I am just trying to hear/focus on what they are saying about mine!

Fingers crossed you can find a good tutor SugarPlum.

That does sound a bit off. Some of the coursework stuff can take an awful lot of time - DD's electronics she's been consistently diligent, putting in a lot of lunchtimes and some after school too since before xmas, and she's only just got it completed in time (partly because of delays beyond her control); sounds like quite a lot of the other girls won't have properly finished theirs by the end of this week (not sure if that's the official deadline or the teacher's).

I wouldn't bring it up at parents evening....but when DS became a she for several subjects, and his surname became his first name a few times, I did point it out, and the report was re-written.

DS told me this evening isn't allowed to go to the prom as he won't have finished the practical course work for one subject. All course work is done in school, and he has put in an extra hour a week since the beginning of December, and will be doing two extra hours starting this week. I've emailed the school to find out what's going on!

Hope you can find a suitable tutor, sugarplum. Have you asked the school if they know any? One of my friends has a DD who was exam phobic in general, and maths in particular apparently she'd never passed an exam, but her school recommended her a tutor and she got a B in her mocks! Maths I think in particular is one of those subjects where some teachers don't explain at the right level for some pupils.

Thing is you only have a few minutes, bring it up and that's all your time gone.

Oops, are you going to point out the error Littleham?!

Parents Evening is 4.30-7pm. My Five appointments start at 6.25. When will I get out? I already know Maths is double booked.