GCSE’s summer 2020 thread 5 - And then there were none..

@Oblomov20 I think you’re taking a very realistic view about the whole thing and you’re not alone in feeling rightfully pissed off.

I also think my DS would have got really stressed in the build up to GCSE so feel blessed relief for him to be spared that anxiety and intensity of exam after exam after exam.

gaming !!

I didn't include gaining in my list of wholesome things to do!

Disclaimer :attempt at light humour!

I tell you who is dong well.? Bloody sellers of computer and gaming kit. Tried to get DS an extra X Box controller with birthday money today £70!!!!

Oblomov we are in a very similar situation to you but we are where we are. We are being set some bridging work and some sort of EQual thing. DS is doing a little bit of work and some dualingo off his own bat but mostly he is gaming.

Please don't think I am being snippy, lovely people, but why is there such a desire for bridging work? Is it just to keep your DCs ticking over with work (fair enough), to keep them occupied (also fair enough) or is it an anxiety that you think somehow they are missing out on what is normal? Because it really isn't. Many schools give a very small amount of bridging work in some, but not all subjects, after induction days in July. At the moment , my DH is worried (fee paying school) because he is having to deliver maths A Level ridging work to year 1s (fee justification I guess) and he thinks they are going to have to reconstruct the first four weeks of their A Level course as a result, and that will definitely a) be a pain and b) create a gulf between students who have enthusiastically attended and learn remotely and those who have not , or not been able to.

To be honest, I like my subject to remain a bit of a mirage in the distance : a promise of new learning and enlightenment come September and , therefore, have always resisted reams of (sometimes off putting !) work. In fact, I do know: shhh!, that some subjects set really hard work to try to put some students off!

I think reading, watching some documentaries (happy to recommend some that are better than Netflix fare), stepping away from the screen from time to time, listening to music, playing board games , learning to cook, or knit, playing music, zooming loved ones (should your family be less Luddite than mine!) are all character developing and DCs could learn great things.

My DS has watched a few suggested history documentaries but they are actually on GCSE topics so not really bridging work. I have watched two Spanish films with him. Otherwise , he is lolloping. He does have good boredom threshold, to be fair, but I am allowing him to lollop. Life is too stressful.

Please don't be pissed off with teachers oblomov if you are : you are raging against the wrong machine there. If you looked at a few staffroom posts you would see how much angst the grading is giving teachers but also how seriously they are taking the whole process. At my own school, I can see the grades and they are definitely erring on the generous side. Don't forget any downward shift may not be the teachers : it could be the exam boards.

Thanks all.
Shimy, Realistically I'm not going to do anything!

I don't expect him to do resits in September, even if they do offer it, because he won't do as well in September as he would've done in the June exams and he hasn't studied for months now.

plus he'll be doing A-levels, and I want him to concentrate on that.

so whatever he gets for his maths, English, chemistry, biology, physics, etc we will just accept.

but that doesn't mean to say in the bottom of my heart I'm not severely pissed off.

@Oblomov20 Sorry about your predicament. It’s sucks doesn’t it? And now it seems even resits might not be certainty anymore. Try not to think too much about, we’ve got another 4months to go and it will just drive you mad.put it out of your mind, Depending on actual results you can convene here and you’ll be able to get more constructive advice, plus there might be new info from government re grades in general.

We have had bridging work from the new sixth form yesterday and from the current school last week.

Oblomov my DS did work reasonable hard at school but did nothing outside. He achieved what would be considered decent grades in the latest mocks but he put very little effort into them as he didn’t think they counted for anything. He would have crammed and worked really hard for the actual exams and would without doubt achieved a higher level. Whether teachers realise that or not and take it into account at all is doubtful.

piggy my choir wants us to do zoom sessions too. I have avoided so far as I can’t see much point in singing in a room on my own while hoping the rest of the house doesn’t listen in .

@Oblomov20 I feel the same tbh. DS didn’t revise for mocks, came out with pitiful results which served to be the rocket up his arse he needed. Worked really hard since November, was even looking forward to having his chance to prove the doubters wrong. I haven’t bollocked him or said it’s his fault, because frankly in my opinion it isn’t. Nobody could have foreseen this situation and certainly not the cancellation of exams and he’s upset enough without me adding to it. He’s learned a very valuable life lesson, but I’d reckon most kids save the hard work for the real thing, I know I did all those years ago. So I’ve gone the opposite way to chastising and bought him a big treat to cheer him up because the rug was seriously pulled from under him and I wanted to show recognition to the hard work he did put in over the last 5 years. My heart really goes out to them all.

We haven’t had any bridging work here.

Also, my DS didn’t work hard all year like he was “supposed” to. I have no idea whether he would have pulled it out the bag. He said he would have worked harder but who knows.

In Nov they took science mocks, the separate ones. But they only did one paper for each subject. He failed physics.
In March just before lockdown, they took the other paper for science mocks but he then did the dual award instead of the separate. He got a 5 in that physics paper.

I have no idea if this grade situation is better or worse than him taking exams

I haven't had bridging work oblomov and nor do I want it tbh!

Interesting crazy!
I wait to see how motivated Ds1 is when it actually arrives!

I am still thoroughly thoroughly pissed off about the GCSE's.

My Ds1, barely any other posters understand my point of view.

I think I've seen one thread where a similar poster felt the same.

but the fact is my DS1 is slightly autistic, bright, but very lazy.

but would have crammed and would've absolutely flourished in the final exams.

Did reasonably in mocks. 4,5,6,7,8's. but I still reckon he would've absolutely banged it in the final exams.

he wont get that chance. I have told him off about it, said that is your own fault, and it's come back to bite you on your bum, your own laziness.

but the fact is a lot of exams these days do depend on how you perform on the day.

my son would've benefited and he is severely disadvantaged.
Fact.

now I'm sure that lots of you can't appreciate how I feel.

because your children, worked hard all year. Like they are supposed to!

but I still maintain my son, in the minority here, is severely disadvantaged.

@Oblomov20 dd has bridging work available to her, did a bit the first week and then decided it was a waste of time as it’s not actual A Level content!

Dd is very independent, has always been pretty motivated and I’ve never had to nag her. She’s told me to let her get on with organising her own life and daily plans so I am. I actually can’t see she’ll be disadvantaged by not doing the work so I’m not too worried.

Ds1 has done nothing since easter holidays.

Apart from making the most exciting quiz for ds2's football team, that you've ever seen .

No gcse old work. No bridging A'level work available as yet.

Pissed offer that so many of you have had bridging work since pre easter.

No Uni till Jan 21?
Am I naive to hope that schools will still go back in September then?

Emailed HoY today. Apparently bridging packs are due out next Monday 4th May.

But we had had previous emails from headteacher saying just relax.

and then another email which I thought was really shitty from the same head of year saying: we will be monitoring who does the work online to show that they're committed etc?

WTF?

Ds1 doesn't want to do any studying for his old GCSE subjects, most of which he doesn't like! and quite frankly I agree.

and I don't expect scorn from head of year !

I'm more than happy for DS1 to do some work once he gets the bridging information for the 4 A-levels that he wants to do.

sprouts Google classroom ; no 'live' lessons as such but plenty of work.

My DCs schools are both using Teams.

Zoom is an app that can go on either phone or laptop.
Out of interest what is your school using to deliver online lessons?

Don't use Skype either crazy

Is Zoom an app? if so, I wouldn't have space on my phone. My choir keeps trying to get me to zoom sing but I have avoided this far!

My laptop is a school laptop so absolutely no new software allowed!!

also I have no friends and hate my family

We seem to be on Zoom every day. Both out jobs are using it, also yoga, dance classes, Explorers, music lessons, meetings with friends. It's very useful.

Never used Zoom either. I guess if you don’t have any reason to partake in groups, then you won’t have used any of the apps. Frankly I hate anything to do with videoing and avoid it like the plague.