Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread

I've got Parents Evening for DS2 (Yr11) on Thurs.
I hate Parents Evening as it's not very private and the other people are waiting behind you for their turn.

Tell me about it Sparkling. Report has just appeared, effort score gone up which backs up my feeling that she is buckling down more. And there seems to be a chance she might get Geography. Science not a hope and her teacher told her as much. The sad thing is she is actually ok at Biology and if they were separate as back in the day when I did O Levels she would get it.

Maths is the big big issue. I desperately need a tutor she gets on with and understands. Friend asking someone she knows for us. She's watching the Mathswatch DVD her teacher gave her which she watched for 30 seconds previously before declaring it was rubbish. Second time lucky maybe ?

The Wildlife Trust places near us do have volunteering opportunities for under-18s (and some even for under 16s) but it's not necessarily related to the actual wildlife.

Thanks Sugar. I get really stressed at parents' Evenings. I find it all a bit claustrophobic, and i can't always concentrate properly on what's being said.

Good luck Sparkling. I have similar on Thursday and feel the same.

Shame about the Zoo Crazytights. No chance of a local vets, farm or riding stable if you have them around or even an aquarium or aquatic shop ? He probably won't be into this at all but what about the Cinnamon Trust ? Our local cat shelter takes volunteers from 16 I think or any Wildlife Trust sites around ?

Littleham I am glad you do have a break sorted.

MrsS, glad the teacher is sympathetic and I'm sure DD will listen to her - isn't it teenage law that they will listen to anyone other than their parents ?!

Errol that is a bit difficult if she isn't going. Part of me says you shouldn't and thd other party says who not so I have splinters in my backside.

I have Year 11 Parents Evening tomorrow. I have 5 appointments between 6.25 and 7pm. I really hope there are no surprises.

Sugar we haven't thought about voluntary work at all, the local zoo is fully booked and other places won't take under 18s :(
There is the chance of a summer job but it's not anything to do with animals unfortunately.

6th form interview tomorrow afternoon, eek!

I had a lovely email back from the music teacher. She was very understanding. DD is not the only y11 music student, they are all in the same position. She will have a chat with dd.

DD's youth orchestra don't rehearse during the summer term for exactly this reason. Too many of the young people doing (too many) exams.

Def sounds like you should talk to the teacher, MrsS. It would be a shame to stop, and maybe the teacher can find a workable solution but in the big scheme of things, maybe a term (or half a term) off wouldn't be a disaster?

My DD's passion is windsurfing and sailing, the all-too-short season for the youngsters starts in May but I think she's resigned to not doing any till June 20th! Mind you, with that there is a finite possibility of physical injury quite apart from taking out most of a saturday. My dilemma is that I love it too... would it be horribly mean to go without her?

Maybe not important, but she does want to carry on with lessons. She still wants to do her grade 7 exam next year. I did check with her just to make sure I wasn't barking up the wrong tree.

OK I appreciate the flute playing will not be her main focus, but it would be a shame to miss a whole term of lessons.

MrsS - is it particularly important your DD carries on with the flute lessons at the moment? Maybe if she had a break and could just play when she wants for relaxation till the exams are over it might work better for her?

DS has been asked to make a 'firm commitment' for sixth form subjects this week.

I suppose the school want to start time tabling, allocating resources etc.

He actually surprised me by saying he has made his decision and shoved the form under my nose, already completed.

DD had to decided ages ago as she's moving schools and needed to tell the new school of her choices with her application.

With regards to half term, both DC have decided to spend the first few days getting organised. Everything needs to be properly in order before the Big Push.

Poor dd told me she will have to stop her flute lessons at school next term. She didn't see how she could fit them in with all her exams .

I tried to reassure her, talked about different ways the flute lessons might be rearranged to fit around her exams. All I got was crossed arms and eye rolling.

In the end I decided to email the music teacher and ask her to reassure dd. I'm fairly certain dd will listen politely to the teacher .

Littleham, I hope you are stocking up on .

Re A levels choices, having watched dd and her friends (now at university) go through it, I think school's advice to choose subjects you enjoy and are good at, was right. Of course, have a think about whether they keep options open (that RG guide is very useful for that), and if you want a very specific career like medicine then make sure you do the right ones. But most careers don't need specific A levels - and you do spend hours on them, week in week out.

Littleham I feel for you too. I'm so glad there are 6 academic years between my girls. I think I'll need the whole 6 years to recover!

Sugar I think the timetabling constraints are the downside of in-school 6th forms. The 6th form colleges round here seem to let you do any combination you want, but with 1500-2000 pupils per year it is much easier for them. On the other hand you get more continuity and also possibly better advice over whether a DC can cope with any A level.

We had a meeting with school last week regarding how DD was (not) coping with essay based subjects. It all seemed quite positive, but has gone rather quiet now ...

Littleham I really feel for you . A friend is going through the same thing snd I have seen the huge amount of things we all have coming at us in years 12 and 13. I think it is a good thing that you don't actually know what is coming at you when they are little really. Have you got anything in the diary between now and the end of exams for you to escape for a bit in the name of self preservation?

Errol, that sounds very sensible. I find it very annoying when they can't do what they want for 6th form due to teaching constraints but do understand it is hard for the school and there are all sorts of constraints we aren't aware of. I think you are probably bang on the money with CS being oversubscribed.

6th form interviews not happened our end yet and hoping no curveball as was hard enough to find 4 to put down.

DD's school seems quite good at A-level/careers guidance. They've been doing 'careers' in among the PSHE/RE type stuff - I think it's about an hour every other week or so. DD already knew she wanted to stay where she is, and what she wanted to do, except for not being 100% sure whether to choose Comp. Sci or DT systems and control. She'd rather do the latter, but they may not run the course because there may not be enough others wanting to do it. She was thrown a bit of a curveball in her interview with the HT last week when the HT seemed to be very keen for DD to think about some other possibility (in addition to the 2xmaths and physics) and not just put comp sci down as the reserve 5th choice. We're guessing that they may be oversubscribed for this as there's only one proper CS teacher so presumably they're limited to one A-level set. DD really doesn't want to do anything else though. Not at all keen on Chemistry (despite both DH and I being chemists - doesn't find it particularly hard just not enthused by it), and really doesn't like biology teaching staff. And she's one of those who finds maths and sciences much easier than 'wordy' subjects so there really doesn't seem to be anything else appropriate.

Anyway, DD filled in her form and just put down the maths, physics, DT as the 'definite' choices and then CS as the 5th 'possible' but added 'definite if systems&control doesn't run'.

Not sure about DD'S school on that front to be honest. She had mentioned a Careers person in passing. She knows what she wants to do though so I think probably not listening to much knowing her. I think the School want to retain as many as possible for 6th form to be honest. They have had an Ofsted disaster and Head retiring so in a state of flux which makes me nervous. However Head of 6th form fairly new snd seems to be good and the school has hugely boosted her confidence so I think on balance is will be ok.

Yesterday's interview was great as it has confirmed she wants to stay where she is and also have her a boost as the interviewer said her short film would have got her at least a merit on the BTEC .

I am nervous about A levels but have always felt that when doing subjects she wants to, she will work hard and come I yo her own . She spent hours this weekend preparing for the interview which was very encouraging. Plus she has taken on board what a lecturer on a course she is interested at local University said re BTEC vs A level students and analysis skills, which is pushing her towards A levels.

Yesterday she also found having an unusual language on her application form is a good talking point I absolutely have to come up with something to get her through Maths though as this year has gone horribly wrong and hopes of a C have vanished.

Does anyone else feel they need a whiteboard or something to keep track of all the things you are trying to sort ?!

Can't link, as on my iPad, but has anyone looked at The Student Room website. There are some useful tips on there about options post GCSE, aimed specifically at, erm students. (Obs!)

DD's career help at school is in theory quite good.

However she has been slightly scuppered by initial over-optimistic predictions which have gradually been being lowered to where they should have been in the first place.

We have been quite on the ball at home with respect to 6th forms, but I know the school chase those who haven't.

(Pushing of information re 6th form colleges, Careers person interview, interview with senior management, personal statements done in tutor time, tracking of who you have applied to).

Ds did have a careers interview, but who knows how that went!

It must be a little difficult to guide him when all he says is "dunno" but I'm hoping he is a little more articulate at school!

I'm a little cross at all the science Alevel teachers who have told him their subject is "hard"....for DS science is a lot easier than RE or art!

Just out of interest, how much guidance are your dc getting from school with regard to sixth form/uni/ carrier choices? The feed back I get from my dd seems like it is minimal.

That does sound sensible to look at Crazy. Could he do some voluntary work somewhere relevant possibly ? Talking to people in the field might help clarify his thoughts a bit. And will help personal statements when the time comes.

I figured it was all very good for her Erroll but did have an 'Oh no' moment when DS vomited first thing. She's had a successful day today as been awarded money towards her trip abroad this summer by a local charity.