Current Year 10 2020/2021 support thread

DS found out yesterday that he has a science test on Friday of everything learnt since the start of term, it doesn't seem to give them much time to revise

There don’t seem to be any tests happening here but DS2 in year 8 seems to have lots.

I’m hopeful for a parents evening post half term.

I started looking at revision guides and bought some vocab and grammar cards for Spanish. DS doing very well in a spanish and enjoys it but I thought worth getting small amounts in from now as I think it could be an A level contender.

DD says all subjects being tested before half term, week and a half away here - RE and maths done so far and she got a 7 in RE and 7+ in maths which was highest could get.

Orthodontist tomorrow for her and DS just hoping can get braces before a lockdown but not too hopeful, at least we are rural though.

School said a huge list of GCSE guides to buy.

DD's birthday coming up - she had her present early of a sewing machine.

Sorry to those who are in and out of school. Another example of how school provision will vary so much.

DD has also started on a raft of tests. To be fair, they quite often have tests before half term, but I do suspect these are benchmarking how they have caught up after lockdown. I have stressed to DD that she cannot any more treat these as "just tests" - they may be used for evidence in the future.

Tests for DS as well, he had some last week which were apparently all ok and the other subjects this week. I’ve just been helping him with some chemistry and maths revision (usually he wants zero input from me so it was nice to be needed). He pretty much knew it already so I’m sure he’ll be fine. As we’ve had no progress report since January it will be good to see where he’s at soon.

Lots of tests incoming here too........three next week, both languages the week after then half-term! Was hoping to get away for a few days (not booked yet but looking last minute) but looking at all the news we may not be able to travel at all as we're in an area which is already under local restrictions and rumoured to be put into the harshest set of new rules .

On the assessment train here too. Two down, three next week, then two weeks for half term and another round of assessments.

Glad we’re not getting the boy dramas here, I’m not sure my fragile brain could handle that plus GCSEs plus Year 7 transition for DS. Am on countdown to half term now. And we have no bathroom, really want that finished by Fri.

DD is getting lots of assessments too though probably just as well if schools may close again and it goes to teacher assessment. Not much fun though.

One week to half term here as well. DD definitely wants History and Politics too Mercedes, think she will do with double maths. She has said she won't do an Economics degree as I did that but the other day she was asking perfect combination for Economics degree and I said Double Maths, History and Politics which she said is what she's doing. This week anyway.

She spent half a day out today with the boy she's 'not interested in' and another male friend and had a nice time.

After discussing here and then coffee with a friend where we talked about Sixth Form (her DS has just gone) I wasted yesterday on various sixth form websites. History is our constant but I think DS will plump for politics when he looks at the options available. English and Spanish probably in the running.

One week to go until half term here. We are just about limping across the line. DD has maths, Welsh and physics assessments next week, and a pile more after half term. Lucky for her we’re in local lockdown, so she might as well be revising.

Re A-levels, if she were to choose today, it would be Art, PD, Geog and Welsh.

It adds due to lack of staff it maybe more than 2 weeks off. There's a rumour shielding people will be told to stay home from Monday, that brought the school down to 4 years being taught out of 5 last time. I'm just hoping they keep year 10 and 11 in as much as possible. Y11 computing did none of the GCSE course in y10 due to covid and changing teachers. DD thinks 3 of her teachers may go with shielding rules though we will see.

There's weed in our secondary as well as kids buy it for £10. It's a rural very safe area where nothing normally happens so I was surprised though my 6th form was full of drugs and a lot worse ones.

I misread school message it says 2 weeks on 2 weeks off apart from key worker and vulnerable kids. That I expect will mean it goes to teacher assessment so told DD to communicate with teachers - her current predicted grades are very high, all 9s except English and computing which are a bit lower though computing was due to lack of teacher. Trouble is the evidence though.

DS will be a nightmare with this with his ASD, he gets so grumpy with change for 2 weeks, DD said to take him out but not sure would get him back in.

@KoalaRabbit oh no, that sounds like a nightmare. We have managed two weeks back in which seemed like a huge achievement.........
A bit off-topic now but DD is another who doesn't seem to have boys on her radar, she's saving herself for Loki or Dean from Supernatural!!! She spends most of her time out of school playing football or reading, I dither between being worried she's not social at all or being grateful that it means very little drama!

No talk of A Levels at all yet here! It feels like he only just chose GCSE options! He’s enjoying those though - History, Business and Music - so they’ll be in the running I expect! Currently he would say definitely not Maths/English/Sciences but of course that might change.

No friendship dramas here! Boys school, earlier years seemed to involve the odd fight but now they all seem to get on.

We've just been sent an e-mail saying school may close but to key worker and vulnerable kids. Great in a GCSE year and would mean both mine out. Argh. At least DD is good at studying but issue is it'll probably go to teacher assessment and she's not good at communicating from home plus will they be able to accept anything done at home.

DS has been sent home to isolate - not his whole "bubble" just close contacts of a confirmed case.

First day today of accessing home learning - we will see how that goes!

Girls are not really on the horizon apart from a select few who are friends and want to mother him!

That all sounds very familiar Rollergirl There's a new boy at school who has come from an international school abroad and there's a group of girls obsessed with him. DD claims she's not obsessed but his name comes up in every sentence and she has told the other girls she wants him as her number 1 friend and he seems to give her more attention than all the other girls including one who supposidly was the girlfriend. DD says he was forced into becoming the boyfriend But there's so much drama and stirring going on it drives me nuts. I said DD you are keeping out of it aren't you and she said yes I'm not involved, I'm just making bitchy behind the scenes comments. The boy is telling them all what each of them say about each other behind their backs which is enlightening but causing more drama.

Sometimes I'm grateful DS doesn't want friends and he's much more sensible, going for the bright, nerdy kids who are well behaved and drama free.

Yes @Rollergirl11 Feb half term trip.

DS is unsure of A level choices but enjoys most subjects so has plenty of options at the moment.

We’ve only just entered the realm of possibly being friends with anyone (his choice) so I think girls are not on his radar.

Y8 DS however ... a whole different ball game.

DD is still not remotely interested in boys. She divides them into "annoying", "really annoying" and "I suppose they are ok" categories (the third category has the smallest number). I've suggested she would perhaps find slightly older boys more mature, and she pointed out that DS and his friends are older boys and still fit predominantly into her first 2 categories.

She has, however, a job as agony aunt for everyone else's boyfriend woes! No end of friendship drama here too!

@KoalaRabbit we are having friendship drama at the moment too! One of the girls in their group of 5 has become very boy obsessed and doesn’t shut up about all the boys she is talking to on Snapchat and seems to want to one up them all the time. Yesterday she told one of the other girls in the group that likes a particular boy that the boy in question is her “No 1 friend” on Snapchat (I don’t really understand it but apparently it means that’s who she’s talking to the most) and he told her that she’s really fit. DD says she said it just to spite the other friend as she knows she likes him. It all kicked off last night and they are all having a chat about it today.

No doubt I’ll here all about it in the next hour. But suffice to say I didn’t miss all this drama either. 🤦‍♀️

We've not heard about any school trips this year other than there'll be none for year 9 apart from days out for week in June where there's normally a residential. My guess is nothing will be running this year and I'ld be wary of booking after having battles for Italy school trip refund this year (got it all back) and our cancelled Thailand / Borneo summer holiday which we about £1.5k on (have credit vouchers for £1.1k of that but not sure are useable) though could have been a lot worse.

Think DD is planning on Maths / Further Maths / History and Politics for A levels though some time yet. She keeps telling me she's studying Maths and politics already though think its better if she does the GCSEs first. She is doing Additional Maths though which is Level 3 so studying the maths makes sense.

Quite a lot of friendship group drama which I didn't miss in lockdown. It's all over a boy, his girlfriend banned him from seeing DD - she sent him a text saying he was banned from seeing DD 'as she is prettier and nicer than me' and then any time DD tried to meet up with others this girl would get the others to cancel. DD met up with the boy at the weekend and on Monday the girlfriend and boy had split up and now they are all arguing.

We have definite History A Level. He has mentioned English. I’m quietly hopeful for Spanish but we’ll see.