Gcse 2018 (10) The one with half term

Some of you may remember that I felt v.anxious the day before DS2's first GCSE exam, to the point where it was making me feel ill.

This afternoon I'm starting to feel like that again. DS1 has his first A-level exam tomorrow (and DH is away with work this week again) so I've been able to identify the reason for it, and I remember that last time I felt better once the first exam was out of the way.

I am not sure whether state schools can ask for a compulsory contribution from parents - I would just say that I was not willing to pay until results day...
No excursions booked yet @stickerrocks - I only booked cruise 2 weeks ago. I plan to go to Honfleur...my sister mentioned road train in Olden (apparently its something quite special when the ship leaves Olden) ...she also mentioned the Flam railway. Just hope teen club is OK we have only cruised with RCL before (so should be interesting).

AH I don't know what the fee is for specifically, but it definitely wasn't optional as the students couldn't matriculate without it. It was just called contribution to the "school fund". Also, it wasn't clear if it was a one-off payment or something that would regularly be required, but that would be oar for the course with this school as they tend not to let you see the whole picture from the beginning. So far, there has been no communication to us tear 11 parents that it will be coming.

It doesn't matter that much as DS us likely to be leaving anyway, although it does seem like I may get an email next month requiring the money, when we won't know where DS will be going until August 23rd.

I wonder if the school reimburses those parents whose DC don't get the grades that they need to stay on after GCSEs?

Feel for you all with so many exams left. Keep strong

@stickerrocks - thanks for that! Because she is now so close to completion my focus has been diverted to worrying about results.
Part of the problem is that she has her heart set on going to Uni in the USA where they go through your entire high school school reports and grades as part of the selection process (GPAs). So these exams are pretty important for her especially since she can only go if she gets a scholarship.
Funny to think that when she was 8 she was struggling to read and write so she has already achieved so much and I don’t want her to feel disappointed. She has already succeeded in my eyes but whether it feels enough to her is a different thing.

Oh the joys of parenthood!!!!

DD needs 8 x C/5 to stay on at her school (all at one sitting) and A Level choices need to be at 7/A (8 in maths if she also wants to do further maths). Also needs to do a minimum of 3 A Levels.
Unfortunately no back up colleges here - before the exams started it never dawned on either of us that she wouldn’t get the grades. Now applying to a local college just in case it has all gone horribly wrong- the one that’s really near said it’s not too later (which may be a bad sign?).

DD and I are off to USA for a couple of weeks after school has formally finished .....university shopping as she calls it

Nettleskeins I'm exhausted just reading that exam schedule

I know sticker no fees but an excellent education. Result!

@stickerrocks - We are going with MSC (apparently they have adopted a British Twist to their Med type cruises). I get travel concessions because I run a not for profit org in my spare time so it cost under £1000 for both of us....otherwise I would have opted for something completely different....My sister did the Fjords on Brit last year and loved it - favorite place was Flam.

Gosh some of your DC's have really busy week ahead.

I've never heard of a payment for 6th form, voluntary or otherwise!

third my sis is friends with a prof at the uni you said was ds's firm, and she told me a few months ago that the prof (not your ds subject but a humanity) said that they definiitely accepted a grade less, but couldnt tell the parents this at Open Days. I've been wondering whether to mention this but didn't want to out on other thread. Please dont worry too much about your ds being accepted at his firm. He has good gsces compared to many applicants and they will almost certainly want him despite his A level grades now that he has made them his firm.

We are in the final push for the History Gsce. Ds2 wants a 6 minimum and seems to be slightly too relaxed about last minute consolidation. I'm leaving it to him though, he wants to do History or Politics A level so if he doesn't get the grade that will be the right result to show him the next step (ie do something different at A level or a Btec) With ds2 I'm very much of the opinion that what he achieves by himself is going to be the key to making the right decisions further down the line. (having said that I still try and get my oar in over Eng Language and Lit

So this week is 4 x History (although ds2 says in reality it is more like 2 very long papers, as they are consecutive small papers in two batches) 2 x English Language, 1 x Maths. That is quite enough for me! Dd has 1 x Geography, 2 x Spanish, 2 x Eng Language and 1 x Maths. I don't know what I would do if they both had done a double humanity, as both have now finished with their "extra" subject (Drama and Textiles respectively) It is looking good for this week, dd has finally got to grips with the dreaded Geography and is finding concentrating on her work so much easier as time goes on, in all the subjects, she said she has finally learnt to sit down and work solidy through her notes and was even enjoying it

There is a fee at the local college of FE that DS2 goes to, approx £50 for 'materials' that is waived for those families on certain benefits. None for the attached to a school sixth forms, though.

Dd declined Bedales to go to PS!

mmzz what’s the fee supposed to be for? Unless it’s a deposit for books or lockers etc I think that’s really not on.

I remember your dilemma over sixth form choice from that year's thread, Third because my DS2 went the other way and has done a level 3 BTEC. TBH, it hasn't really suited him because he's so apathetic about working and you need to keep up a constant (but fairly undemanding) level of work. Two of my friends DC who both have SN have thrived at BTECs, though and are on course for DDD or above. One is heading to Portsmouth Uni to do engineering in Sept.

I think you made the right choice for your DS at the time, as he was doing well with his GCSEs and could have achieved high grades in A levels which would have given him more choice of courses at university. With slightly lower A level grades, he's probably no worse off than having done a BTEC route. I don't know the reasons why your DS is not expecting stellar results, but the step up to A levels can be hard in lots of ways for many students, either disliking their subject choice, the sixth form environment or just finding the pressure of work too much. The fact that he's stuck it out is to his credit.

I know I made the right choice for DS2 because he would not have coped with A levels at all. At least he'll come out of college with some sort of qualification and TBH, he's much too behind in his development to start work, so keeping him in education, even with low results, is right for him. He has an unconditional offer to do an HNC next year, but at our local FE college which does a few HE courses. So not even an ex college of HE! I don't care.

Sandy DD did a Debate Chamber course but not until end of Y12. She thought it was brilliant and was sure it helped in her Oxford interview (not the fact that she did it, more what she learned in terms of wider context beyond the A Level spec). I'll definitely look at DS doing one but again will leave it until next year, not least because I don't think he'd agree to it during his 'summer off' post GCSEs!

@stickerrocks - we miss you by a day we go on the 9th..