GCSEs 2018 (15) The Reckoning

Me too. I'm way too invested in how the Mumsnet class of 2018 is going to do on the 23rd!

Thanks for your very thoughtful post Juggling. DD1 goes to a very socially mixed comprehensive and rubs up alongside people from all sorts of backgrounds irl. But even so I can see how the challenges of working alongside a totally unfamiliar group could be character building in unexpected ways. And not necessarily in the ways that are advertised!

Oh, don't change until after results! I want to know how all your DC have done!

I’m probably due a name change too. Pretty much most of my usernames have been musical theatre references though. Years ago I was Elphaba

@Stickerrocks I work in audit/compliance...which unfortunately means I'm boring and everything gets evaluated....

@juggling - I totally understand your post... I am so glad that your DD seems to have achieved all the benefits of the scheme because I think that is what it was set up for - confidence and overcoming various forms of adversity.

I hope nobody is putting together a jigsaw of me, or I'll have to change to TheFourthOfHerName...

Teen I'm now putting together tiny pieces of a jigsaw puzzle about you & I'm slightly concerned that you could feasibly have a role that I used to have (or very closely associated with it). In fact, I think your role may actually involve putting pieces of a jigsaw together.

mmzz
I was TheFirst... until Jeffrey, then TheSecond... until a former colleague identified me.

As I think I started the NCS stuff on the thread I will say what I think DD has gained from it as she completes Week 3 today to answer AChickenCalledKorma question.
She has made some friends that are very different to her usual type - she has been thrown together with 'types' that she never knew existed. It has broadened her mind - she is still shocked by some of the behaviour but not scared of them the way she was in week 1.
She goes to a naice state school in a good area which is full of very confident girls who push themselves forward at every opportunity- so the easy option is to let someone else be the one giving the speech, volunteer the answer, take a group presentation in the direction of their views because she feels that they are more capable than her. But, in the last few weeks, she has now realised that she is more than capable and often the most able in some group situations - she is pushing herself more than she normally would - sometimes a long way out of her comfort zone.
She has found an inner strength to deal with some really uncomfortable situations and from what she says feels she can survive 'anything' now. She has also realised she is physically stronger and fitter than many as the majority of the group struggled with a 10K walk, rock climbing, kayaking etc. and these are all things that 95% at her school would do easily.
She has broadened her vocabulary(ahem!) - though when she will next say 'allow it man, allow it' 'mandeme' or 'clap in' I am not sure....
Has it been great - No. Is she glad she went back for a second week - Yes. Was it what she thought it would be - No. Has she got benefits out of it - Yes. Will I send DD2 - absolutely.
Thank you all so much for your support on my day of crisis - Mumsnet rocks!

I do like a nice audit report! Sorry should take my work hat off!

The correspondence on DD's course has been very good but DD doesnt start for another week.

Sixth form uniform should arrive this week, then need to take jacket to tailor to get two back darts.

Terfterf one of my friends DD's has just finished Cambridge NCS course and it seems to have gone well - although I think parents seem to have contributed most of the charity donations...but it was for an extremely good cause.

I am surprised that NCS dont look to use the FSC properties - some of them are huge and in amazing locations and not overly used during the summer.

sticker that's the reputation that NCS has in Cambridge too - it's a desired thing, well run with decent teenagers. except my teen dislikes all those decent teens so didn't fancy it at all, plus he hates the camping outdoors thing What a shame it has been spoiled in other areas by poor organisation and grotty kids who haven't been brought up to behave decently with others. I feel so guilty about living in this bubble sometimes. Wish I could be a secret millionaire and round up all the kids in the country with aspirations and give them a month doing something amazing that isn't usually available due to shit schools or backward-looking local authorities.

Sorry, rant over. Anyway and for all your DC who encountered idiots and poor management on their NCS.

I do like a nice audit report! I think the organisation responsible for the program in our part of the county works very closely with local schools and they were already running a lot of other community programmes, so they knew what they were doing. They also have the advantage of not being responsible for the 2 major cities in the county which both run their own programmes. They have run one programme each week for the last 5 weeks with something else running in the autumn. Each intake is sent to one of 3 outdoor activity centres, so that's the limiting factor. There are only so many activity centres on the South Coast/South West willing to take teenagers in June & July at peak holiday time. I doubt if the government pays as much per head as tourists would and they are effectively only there for 3 days of activities, whereas tourists are there for 7.

I think the attraction is that you are staying away from home with complete strangers in a mixed group and it's seen as a rite of passage after GCSEs amongst teenagers here. We had never even considered Rainbows. Brownies or Guides for her when she was little, but she had been on every activity break her school could supply. This is the same without the teachers.

It's interesting to hear the varied experiences in NCS. I think they were short of participants round here because DD1 keeps being chased to see if she's still interested (she's not). I'm still a bit unclear what is supposed to offer that isn't already available via other organisations like Scouts/Guides and DofE. It is it simply that it is more universally accessible? Very young mentors with uncooperative participants sounds like exactly the sort of scenario DD wanted to avoid.

It would be interesting in due course to hear what those who had a positive experience feel they got out of it (although I realise that will require them to actually start communicating - feeling your pain on that front oddsocks).

Well DS1 is home from Spain and says it was fun! He met lots of interesting people but sadly no one invited him to stay in their country manor He says he might consider doing it again next year if he could get a couple of mates to go too. I consider that a success!

Off on holiday tomorrow but will be popping in here to rant about my mother I expect, we're going for 10 days and my patience usually runs out after three.... Thank goodness for her neighbour who has become a good friend and is partial to a bit of gin in the summer house

Its good that places have been in demand in your area Stickrrocks but I am so surprised that they could not offer the DC's places given the findings of the National Audit Office. The report was 2017 and I know there was a change of emphasis on how it was marketed in 2017 so perhaps the providers were not geared up or there was not enough providers.

www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/National-Citizen-Service-Summary.pdf

Our local NCS scheme had waiting lists with around 5000 applications for 2000 slots apparently this year. DD says that there has been a very strong hierarchy of group leaders. My only gripe has been the lack of information about where they care actually staying. For example, this week they are staying in halls at a local university, but I would like to know which halls, rather than relying on DD to tell me in vague terms when she gets there. I have no idea what I would actually gain from this information, as I won't be visiting or sending her a postcard or emergency food parcel, but it would still be reassuring to know.

Both my nieces did NCS 3 and 5 years ago and the older was a Mentor too at the same activity centre aged just 18 (I think June birthday). My understanding is that the Gov (taxpayer) ended up paying £10m for unfilled places so there has been a lot of pressure in the last 2 years to fill the places hence it was extended and marketed along the lines of "come with your friends" and is heavily promoted on this basis in schools. I think the scheme worked well in the earlier years because it attracted DC;'s who really wanted to go and take full part in the scheme.

Don’t know about that mmzz i worked as a teaching assistant in a reception class, seen some awful behaviour that you wouldn’t think possible from a child so young, eg; biting adults, attacking other children with scissors, stealing classroom and other children’s property to name just a few.

I remember the summer of 76 vividly!
I didn't realise the NCS mentors were so young! That said, everyone I know who has done it before has had a very good experience.

DS1 (18) is very good at looking after 3-11 year olds and has experience of leading small groups of them at holiday clubs.

He would not feel confident supervising a group of 16 year olds. The age gap isn't big enough and he wouldn't have the experience to cope if a pack mentality set in. I think the minimum age for working at NCS should be 21.

Really sorry to hear about those who haven't had a great NCS experience, its such a shame as the concept is such a good idea but I believe the mentors only have to be 18 so I doubt they have the experience to effectively manage 16 year olds especially those that are there to do as they please.

Oddsocks the ground is so hard if it rains heavily it just runs off hence the flooding........know what you mean though our weather now seems to be so extreme compared to how I remember it when I was growing up!

NCS may be a victim of its own success!
DS was going to watch some friends busking today. Funnily enough they have cancelled having seen the weather and rescheduled for next week!