Starting year 13 2016

Sorry to hear that dingit xx

That's just awful Dingit. That poor girl xx

Oh dingit That is just awful, that poor kid.

Sorry for the typos. I so need tonight

Thanks all. They weren't close but as the year group as small they knew each other well. She's had an inset day today ( entrance exam day at school) but hasn't been able to focus on work. The rest of her cohort went to college, so at least they gave each other, and the college are offering counselling.

I myself am struggling, 17 years old

Oh Dingit, that is dreadful

oh dingit, how bloody awful.

Oh no dingit

Oh fuck. Today Dd heard that one of her old school mates committed suicide. She is really cut up about it. Makes all her problems seem so trivial.

I'm totally in awe ... at the other end of the independence spectrum, my DD made her first solo train journey last weekend. TBF she'd simply never had any reason to do this before.

Mirabelle - I was off MN earlier and missed out on hearing where your DD was off to and why. (and it took me longer than it should to work out what a mirabelle is ). Anyway, hope the skype tutor continues to go well.

That is exactly what I am looking forward to!

BTM, 1 year and you're there ! I love her dearly but it must be said the level of drama in the house has fallen considerably.

That's good! It must feel pretty weird organising it for a DD that isn't actually here. Not that I am at all

Thanks BTM. Heard back from College who are making encouraging noises, fingers crossed..

Wow Mirabelle - great that you are getting all that sorted from abroad!

Great news Rooby! 👍

Good to see things are generally going smoothly for them all. I hope you get somewhere with the extra time HSM.

First lesson for DD today with her new Skype tutor and it has gone pretty well by the sound of it, I was relieved to hear she hadn't dropped off her standard with a year's break after GCSE. The tutor has set her an AS paper and will see how she does with the idea being if she's ok with it she can self study for AS and she will teach her the A2 as it contains a lot of literature.

Emailed her old college to ask if she can sit the exams as a private candidate and if she might be eligible for extra time, DD's job hunting isn't going well as you need to be 18 for most of the jobs plus speak the language so not looking to hopeful for her earning the money she needs to get to Asia next summer and there are discussions of her returning to the UK next summer for a bit to get work if college will let her sit the exams there and advise about the extra time etc, I think I'll be on top of the situation.

I know they are BigTillyMint but this is for entrance to a New School and I'm sure the other applicants will be familiar with the test.It would be different if it was testing within her class.Maybe I will see if there are13+ vr & non-verbal in the 11+ ranges.

Rooby - whew, that's good news. I'm sure she'll be fine with the new groups, some/most are mature enough to be beyond cliques by this stage. Pity you had the worry, but TBH timetabling must be a fantastically complicated task to get all the combinations not just for the one year but bearing in mind teachers have other years to deal with as well.

4 languages at GCSE There are clearly some very able DC on this thread!

I will ask DH, but I think they are used as a predictor of future achievement, so if you could practice, that would kind of invalidate the results IYSWIM?

Rooby I'm relieved for your daughter.If a school had said that to my dd I would be doorstepping the headmaster until full lessons resumed.
Errol I agree with you there.I still wish dd had done a Langage at A level as she did 4 at GCSE and did brilliantly .But she was indoctrinated by her school to do 3 only.I currently don't have much faith in the school as their exam results were terrible this year.
Anyone know anything about Cats?Dd2 has to sit a Scholarship exam for year 9 entry.Can we practice similar questions anywhere ,as dd last did 11+ type questions 2 years ago.

Dd's just called me. After talking to another member of staff she's been moved to different groups for a couple of her subjects so she can fit everything in. She's sad to leave her familiar groups (and loose a 3 early finishes) but hopefully she'll adjust. I don't know why she was told by the administrator yesterday that the only option was to drop a lesson

Yes, 5 tends to be a few and usually includes double maths or maths, 3 sciences and something else. Not that many doing that for A2, most are down to 3 now. I do think its a shame that the way offers are often structured means that kids may be advised to drop one if the prediction might be eg A*AA versus AABB, grades rather than breadth - A levels seem to be too much a means to an end (uni place) rather than an end in themselves (learning!)

So it would make sense to miss one of the Physics so there are 4 of each?

Thank God DD was able to drop 4th at AS!