GCSE Summer 2020 - Thread 11 Carry on Corona Cohort - Starting New Terms and Settings

DS's school only allows 3 A levels. Further maths is an extra but if doing that it's linear so A level maths end of yr12 and further maths end of yr13, so only 3 in an academic year. DS is starting off with that but all have been told that approx 50% each year are advised along the way not to sit the A level in yr12 & just do that at end of yr13. The pace is challenging.

@PaddingtonPaddington That's good news. I imagine word will get out when she's not in class anymore..

DD is hoping to get permission today. The Head of Sixth Form announced that all must do 4, except for a few that have good reasons to drop. DD hoping that dyslexia plus doing a sport to a high level count as good reasons. We'll see.

I think 4 is madness. Clearly they are going to have reduced teaching time this year at some point and how they can't be focusing on getting through as much of the curriculum as possible is beyond me. I get it for those doing maths, as the leap is huge and some don't make it. I get it for those not sure of their path and who need time to decide. But for the rest its just wasted time and energy. Grrr...

DD also enjoying the food/tea/coffee rota. Feels very grown up and she's really enjoying the time in the common room.

DD has taken a loaf of (white, Mothers’ Pride) bread in today, as apparently it’s her turn on the ‘toast rota ‘!

Well done Paddington DD for speaking to the Head. I don't understand the need for 4 at all. At an open evening here for the Girls Grammar school 6th form, they made it clear to the parents that they won't allow 4. They even included Further Maths with Maths so it still counted as 3.

The boys school grammar said they don't encourage 4, but do ask them to pick something alongside (not sure what exactly, I think DoE, Core Maths etc).

My DD school will allow 4 Alevels if very high achieving. DD is doing 3 with a Core Maths over 2 years (2 hrs per week).

@Piggywaspushed - I hope the Spanish is going ok. Fingers crossed her work visa gets issued quickly.

@FoolsAssassin - good luck when you pick him up - hope he is ok (and you're journey home more enjoyable)

I think DD would LOVE that teeshirt folder!

She has a Biology test today so a little edgy.

I'm really pleased that people have kept posting how their child is getting on. It's really interesting. DD is my 1st (and only) so I've no experience of other schools or children coping at this age.

Hope all have a good weekend.

DD went back again to the head to argue her case yesterday about dropping her 4th A level and was finally successful but under instructions not to advertise the facts to others as apparently “everyone will now want to drop one“. She is so pleased to be able to spend more time on the other 3 as it was already becoming too much.

Ha ha. Ok so it didn't post with it highlighted. Just took my stars out and put the word instead.

Ds is doing 4 A levels up to AS next summer. Then they drop one. We have 2 secondaries in the area. The other secondary/6th form my friends son went to. He's the same age as my oldest (19) At that school they all take 4 A levels. Her ds needed 3 A levels at A* star to get into firm choice university.*
He got two A's and 2 A* star So had to go to his second choice. I couldn't help thinking had he only taken 3 A levels he may have got the 3 A** grades he needed.

No matter how many times I type this out it keep highlighting some of it. I give up now 🤷‍♀️

Love Big Bang...

Yep Sheldon was first to mind. DS big fan of Big Bang.

T shirt folder -

It really is that easy and that neat!

DS is doing 4 and is expected to keep it going until next June unless he’s really struggling. The school, in reality informs parents way before that - indeed, by Christmas, if they have concerns about attainment.

Another CS here without the GCSE. The school didn’t offer it at GCSE So only the minority have the GCSE advantage and finding the start easy. DS, for reasons only known to him, delved into Java programming during the summer as opposed to Python which is what the A level is delivered in. Book on Python now ordered from Amazon. Otherwise, DS is taking Maths, Physics & DT. Slightly worried about DT which would be hard to deliver online should we have multiple school disruptions.

OK, I need a link for the best T shirt folder now -spill ! ;-)

Definitely for me though - neither of my two are likely to become obsessive tidy freaks any time soon (neither am I, but I did go all Kondo on my draws a year or so back and my god, folding well makes a difference!)

I'm sure I would love a T-shirt folder and find it a really satisfying and enjoyable experience, I do like things to be ordered and neat. DS, however, uses his floor as a wardrobe and folderer (!) so it really would be lost on him!

I just had to call the helpline to see if they could help with dd's maths gcse. It is not even on her timetable and we need to book her in with her private tutor and don't want it to clash. They basically said oh these things take time, eventually all the systems tie in together and we realise that if the student hasn't contacted us we will be in touch with them Helpful when you're 16yo and stressing about everything anyway!

As it turns out, it is from 4-6pm on a Monday. She finishes lessons at 12.15pm on a Monday but she doesn't have to stay in college because it is all going to be online learning anyway! I just can't believe how online learning maths will be at all helpful to those students who quite clearly struggle with maths. She didn't even know the exam board so I can't let her tutor know yet what syllabus to follow.

It’s brilliant that she’s so psyched with so many potential new interests though Crazy!

@ealingwestmum thanks for the info on Spanish! I know dd would enjoy it but she's not really a linguist, so that bit would be hard. She did get an 8 at GCSE but that was with a lot of work. Who knows, she'll probably be talking about Biology or English tonight! Geography would be the obvious fourth subject, she was always planning to take it then switched to RS in about Feb. She got a 9 at GCSE with very little effort. But she says it would be too many case studies, with Psych too.

Thank you all, that’s helpful and when the next time crops up I can make some suggestions, my mind went blank last time in a slight panic as wasn’t expecting it ! He does get help so not too bad hopefully.

DS is doing computer science without the GCSE with a view to dropping it if it’s too much. Not sure how it’s going, might be brave and ask this weekend.

Am off to look up t shirt folder!

@ChristopherTracy

Yes @Seeline thats correct!

And I hope I haven't made it sound like cooking for 15 is easy. I just come from a cultural background where the 'aunties' and odd uncle were all able to cook in the most gigantic steel pots curries for, I kid you not, 100s of people constantly coming through the doors of the million annual festivals. Amazing skills.

DD is just loving Spanish right now. As Piggy says, the language learning is not the only aspect, it becomes more about the culture, history, spread across regions etc. She says it absolutely fries her brain, as she wouldn't know half the things in English, let alone Spanish but is pushed to think in spanish. It helps if you are a fan of more than just the linguistic side of languages.

Ob, hats off to you. Enjoy the good streak; you deserve it. I have come across your story on other threads over the years (not stalking, honest!) and your challenges, to put it mildly have always been met with both dignity and resilience to the injustices.

Pasanda, I do understand it can't be easy. I do have an academic DD; it's not from her parents that's for sure. I was more like your DD, but lacked motivation with the school system (for many reasons). Years on when I talk to my mother about the issues she faced on having a more creative vs academically minded child mid 80's, she admits that she wishes she had focused more on what I was good at, vs what I wasn't, as now she sees intelligence in a very different context. But I was driven, and DD has possibly inherited that aspect. I think there was a compliment there somewhere...

Can't add much more to the great suggestions of dinner for 15 Fools, other than a chicken curry and pitta bread? Jar of Pataks what ever your spice tolerance if other spices are too complicated, couple of passata cartons, natural yogurt/cream, seasoning and voila.

@FoolsAssassin I used to go on choir holidays staying in church halls when I was a student, and apart from pasta, a really good one is jacket potatoes with a choice of toppings - baked beans, cheese, chilli, tuna mayo. All easy and you don't need to manage a vast quantity of anything. Unless you are an experienced cook it is quite difficult to cook big pots evenly.

@pasanda I thought the T-shirt folder sounded ridiculous, then we watched the video and were captivated. I actually bought one(!) which DS1 refused to take but his GF loved folding his vast collection of T-shirts when we were helping him to pack, it did a beautiful job and was fast and sort of fun. She said taking the lovely neat pile out and putting them straight on the shelves was very satisfying! DS1 said he would be able to spot DCs of mumsnetters in the laundry room.

@FoolsAssassin I’d go for a pasta bake with jars of sauce and garlic bread! I really hope he’s had a better week this week.

Dd has just texted me talking about adding Spanish as a fourth subject! Not sure what happened to Economics but I won’t mention it.... I’ve no idea why she’s suddenly wanting to add a fourth, just as the work is starting to kick in. It must be something to do with who’s also doing Spanish! She loved Spanish at her last school but found it difficult and had to work really hard, plus she had a great teacher. She hasn’t touched it since March. She’s not a natural linguist.. none of it makes sense.

@ChristopherTracy Good to hear your DS is enjoying business. I think DD was just taught what she needed to know for her GCSE, whereas her knew school seem to have taught Comp Sci if you know what I mean!

I saw your name on another thread which made me think we might be localish to each other - possibly neighbouring Boroughs. I'm LBC, are you LBS?

Piggy. That made me laugh about the blind. I was following the uni thread you're on with him for a good few months last year as ds19 did A levels but took a gap year so I kind of dropped off it. I hope he's getting on ok. Sometimes I think I / my kids live in a different world to some on Mumsnet tho. I remember there was lots of talk about what to buy for dc off to uni. I think T-shirt folders were mentioned and people had been buying so much stuff. My ds has asked for nothing yet and all I've bought is a bottle of head & shoulders for him! I am determined to make him write a list but at this rate, I'll get off lightly and not have to buy him anything!! He goes in 10 days!!! 😵