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

@Oblomov20 my DS also has very little homework, no parents evening until Feb and no grades/predictions feedback until then.

Also, no idea when parents evening is but it feels too soon for that. I think the feedback will go to the kids at this stage. Whether they tell you how they’re doing is another matter! However, if they really weren’t keeping up with the work I think we’d find out?

No mention of work experience yet, although I know they’re supposed to do it in the summer.

Snap Alsoplayspiccolo a gap year is very likely here too for same reasons. It's infuriating isn't it when you are watching a series that they want to watch but they are giggling and snapping away and not concentrating. Also always having to have music on in background to studying but you know they are distracted by it but it's A levels so they have to learn the hard way. I've stepped right back now as she won't have me chivvying her along at uni so she has to self motivate herself now.

@Alsoplayspiccolo this could just be the novelty factor of having lots of new friends. Hopefully those new friends will start knuckling down to work at some point? I understand your concerns as ds has ADHD and I do also think they’re more likely to be affected by peer pressure? So at the moment she’s needing to keep in with the crowd, with the socialising, but hopefully she’ll follow them when/if they start working hard?!

@Oblomov20 apparently the teacher expected Ds and Es at this stage - and dd was thrilled as she was the only one to get a C.

I’d have thought it’s too early for predicted grades? I mean, I know there’s a system that gives predicted/target grades based on GCSEs but that’s a bit generic? DD’s school calculate their UCAS predicted grades at the end of year 12 using final year exams (70%) combined with a number of assessed pieces from half term 2 onwards. It’s still early days and it sounds like they need to learn new techniques, particularly in essay subjects.

Good news re the negative result seeline - DD wouldn't be thrilled with pe either. She's putting in her enrichment choices and running/ cycling is an option so she's hoping she doesn't get that. There is a limited choice now on enrichment choice as she can't do first aid any more as the teacher is in a different bubble to hers and DofE also can't be done or BSL apparently. She's gone for Italian which is hilarious as she hated French and learning a new language but it's the best of all the options she reckons. Not sure when she'll have time to do it as they have taken away lots of her free periods where she did her homework so that the year 12s can go into year 13 classes and do their work too - what a joke since the syllabus hasn't even been covered. She's said she will wear headphones and do her own work in year 13 classes otherwise she'll fall behind as she volunteers twice a week and does two dance classes after school so is quite busy.

Anyone else's DC been asked to secure a work experience placement yet? DD has to find a suitable place by early December for next July but no one knows what will be in place then so she's hitting a blank wall. The dates are 19-23rd July which seems like the first week of Summer holiday so any schools will either be closed or near to closing which is where she'd like to do w/e as she wants to work in an education capacity.

My DDs school doesn't reveal the outcome from ALIS tests. The only predicted grades we get are for the UCAS application this time next year. Based on what DS was predicted, I'm fairly sure that at this school, they are not necessarily predictions for actual A level results 😆 We only get 'working at' grades in reports.

Oblomov, DD's teacher said it was expected. If you think about it, it's a new subject, they're only a month or so in, and it's A level, so your hardly expect them to be getting As and Bs. That's my thinking, anyway.

Paddington, I take your point about uni looming and the need for independence/self-monitoring, but DD shows no sign right now of being able to manage distractions. As she told us last night, she has "loads" more friends now and they all want to message her throughout the evening. Even when she's watching something she really wants to on tv, she's constantly snap chatting at the same time, so school work doesn't stand a chance.
She's not doing subjects we can help her in, so she has to get on with it on her own, at least.
In all honesty, I think she'll be taking a gap year before uni, precisely because she won't be ready to live independently.

@Oblomov20: ds isn't doing anything like that amount after school either - in fact he seems to be getting most of his work done in his frees at school: I can see two of his subjects (maths, comp sci) won't have much additional work at the mo, so I'm trying to hold my nerve ;-)
Ds has psych assessments this week too: apparently yesterday's was easy.... We've not heard anything on ALIS grades either - I might chase that one (not all schools use the system, it's a follow on from MIDYAS in Y7 iirc) I need to check when parents evenings happen too: I am not on the ball yet this year!

My ds mentioned that the teachers were assessing their predictions and we would get notification soon. Not sure how they will be assessed as there have been no tests. Perhaps it will be based on submitted work so far.. His school has always been excellent at sending termly prediction reports up to gcse so I assume that will continue in similar fashion showing current working level and prediction.

He has found the work easy to keep up with so far using his free periods to work through assignments. He is lucky as his friendship group are all fairly academic and they do a lot of work together if they have a subject in common. I feel lucky he is loving sixth form so much.

DD had a psychology assessment the other day but we haven’t had any feedback from the school at all. I think the first thing we will get is a report in November.

What is ALIS predicted grades?

ALIS predicted grades ?

half term grade reports. ?

Why am I getting neither of these?

CrazyCrofter: "In Psychology, most of the class got Ds and Es in their first assessment!"

Same here. That's not good is it?

Bit miffed that so many of you have had parents evenings or feedback already. We don't have parents evening till mid March.

I am worried. DS is not doing anywhere near the 5 hours that all your children are doing, is hardly doing anything at all! he's got assessments this week. when am I going to get the marks from that? when am I going to know how he's doing? how am I going to get any feedback here?

Good news Seeline

@Alsoplayspiccolo we used to have to take DDs phone off her just to stop the distraction but since starting back at sixth form I’ve realised I need to leave her to it more as I’m not gong to be there with her at uni etc. It’s also good that DD is taking subjects that I can’t help her with anymore so she needs to take ownership but I’m still there with encouragement and prompts of reminders about things not to forget. Although she often leaves something at home/Sixth form but that’s to be expected with ADHD. Good luck with the friend who’s a boy.

DD came home with her ALIS predicted grades today and was disappointed that they were lower than she’d hoped. I did remind her that the tests were based on all the things she has learning difficulties with. We dug out her GCSE predictions from year 10 and had a good laugh about how inaccurate they were (up to 3 grades below what she achieved) and that she just needed to carry on with working hard and there was no reason that they wouldn’t be what she wanted.

I don't know whether yours are going extra fast @crazycrofter, but honestly the amount of work my DS had for his A levels was astounding. I'm sure we didn't cover anywhere near as much stuff when I did mine back in the Dark Ages.

Great news, seeline - phew!

No assessments for DD, other than for psychology (crazy, the whole class got Ds, but the teacher said that’s where she’d expect them to be). I think her school are going easy until half term, to help build the students’ confidence.
DD has a meeting scheduled with the SENCO today, to check she’s up to date with everything and discuss any issues, but DD forgot to turn up, so now she has a meeting tomorrow to discuss how to remember to turn up for their weekly meeting. 😫😂

DH and I tried to chat to DD tonight about what would be reasonable expectations at home, but she told us in no uncertain terms that we are too involved with her life, and all her (new) friends are allowed to do exactly what they want, when they want...yadda , yadda...
Apparently, it’s weird for your parents to show any interest in your life.

Glad the test was negative @seeline! Dd isn’t stunned exactly as her previous school worked them ridiculously hard but she’s definitely noticed the step up in the standard required. And yes, the amount of content they’ve got through in a few weeks is crazy! I wonder if they’re speeding through it extra-fast in case of closures?

Phew seeline!

@crazycrofter X post

Yours feeling a bit stunned too?!

Negative! Text just arrived.

DD is not happy about returning to school tomorrow as it's PE day

We can now get back to our lives.

@Alsoplayspiccolo Has your DD had any assessments yet? My DD is having half term tests ATM ahead of their half term grade reports. I think she is a bit taken aback by how much stuff there is to learn already after only 5 weeks. That may focus your DD a little.

@Alsoplayspiccolo maybe the current restrictions are a good thing for her, in the circumstances. If it’s an unhealthy relationship, there’s less scope for damage to be done? Hopefully the school will be giving them lots of assessments etc to check progress so she should begin to see if she’s slipping behind? Even if she can’t foresee the consequences now, you’d hope she might be able to work out what’s going on if her grades do plummet? I know dd has suddenly been set lots of tests and essays and the scale of the task at hand is sinking in. In Psychology, most of the class got Ds and Es in their first assessment!

I understand your concerns about lack of exam experience. They’ll do tests and exams throughout the year though.

If you want her to open up about the boy, maybe a car journey would help?

crazy, your comment about whether the relationship is good for her is exactly what’s worrying me. You’d think DD would be walking on air, high on endorphins/oxytocin, but she’s not...at least, not at home.
This boy is smart, confident (read:cocky) and seems fully in control of the situation, whereas DD is very trusting, not emotionally mature and easily led.

Regarding the phone, she has no mind’s eye (typical ADHD), so no ability to imagine what might happen as a consequence of actions/non-actions, and school work will never be as stimulating or gratifying as her phone. Because it has such a high cache, it’s become the negotiating tool on our side, for better or worse.

Ealing, you make a good point about the positives of the current situation - DD is really pleased she changed schools, and has slotted in well. I am worried that studying is very much secondary to her social life; she’s definitely not doing 2 hours work a night, and no extra curricular stuff, other than drama...with the boy.
Because her cohort never got to go through the stress of sitting exams in the summer, I’m conscious that DD in particular has no idea how much work she needs to be doing throughout the next 2 years - she and her peers were very much looked after/spoon fed at her old school, and of course A levels are a whole other ball game to GCSEs.

We’re trying to find some kind of compromise between her and us, so that her free time really is hers to do what she pleases with, once she’s done anything she needs to do, but she’s resisting so far.

I've not taken dd's phone off her since she was about 12, maybe 13. She's learned herself that it's distracting and she's developed the ability to get on with work and manage the phone use alongside it. That seems to mean for her, one night she might work solidly for four hours and just check her messages at 10pm and another night she'll have a 'night off' and spend all evening messing around on it. That's the work approach that seems to suit her.

I think that's the best approach, especially now that they're nearing adulthood. Having said that @Alsoplayspiccolo I know your dd has particular difficulties which may need a different approach.

But it's early days in sixth form, if she starts to get distracted by phone/boy and her grades take a dive, she's old enough to put two and two together and hopefully learn from it. I think that's better than increasing the tension at home!

Sorry to hear she's unpleasant at home though... Hopefully it will be a temporary phase. I wonder if the 'relationship' is all that healthy/good for her if it's having that result? Or is it just that she can't bear to tear herself away to speak to the rest of the family? Fingers crossed it passes soon!

Hang in there Piccolo. The good news is that her school work is going well, she’s made the transition to new school successfully and it’s showing in her newfound confidence!

It’s her first boy interest; it’s going to be novel. I have no idea what is with the trophy hoodie (we went through that in summer) but pick your battles. I know it can be upsetting to hear if the other party seems more, ahem, advanced, but it’s often what the attraction is, and doesn’t always correlate to them being all bad. And these new interests can fizzle out just as quickly!

Cant advise on the phone, it’s very much a personal thing. I take DD’s phone during week at night, but mainly now because it’s relentless in its pings and she needs to sleep. If it’s hindering her work, then possibly, but as you say they are getting older so asking her to perhaps leave it for 45 mins and check in her study break (or whatever her work patterns are) may be a be a more compromising outcome? We are all tested for sure; you are not alone

Catching up...again - life seems to have taken over recently, so apologies for not being around as much as I’d like.

Glad to hear things are looking more positive, Fools. I hope coming home for half term doesn’t set him back. 🤞🏻

Sorry to hear about test stresses, Seeline. Hopefully, you’ll get the results soon and everything will be fine. How will you get the result?

Not really enjoying home life with DD at the moment.
Following her “sesh” the other weekend, she seems to be involved with a boy in her year. I say “involved” because she refuses to say they’re seeing each other, but she’s got a photo of him as her phone home screen and she came home wearing his hoodie yesterday.
The issue isn’t that she’s seeing him, but the fact that he’s seemingly had quite a few girlfriends and is very...forward, while DD hasn’t had a boyfriend and is really quite naive and definitely not street smart.
Ever since she got involved with him, DD has been vile at home, refusing to do anything she’s asked, shutting herself in her bedroom for hours on end, glued to her phone and screaming at us if we try to talk to her.
We had virtual parents evening last week and it was surprisingly positive - head of 6th form said what a pleasure it was to have DD at the school and how well she’d settled in, her subject teachers seem happy with how things are going, and she’s made nice friends.
DD was noticeably more confident when talking to them online (during lockdown, she hated the live online lessons).

We’re in local lockdown, so no chance of her seeing this boy outside of school, but he’s in all but one of her classes and her youth theatre group at the weekend, and she’s spending every minute at home messaging him.

We’ve had to insist on taking her phone away while she’s doing school work, but I’m wondering if that’s too controlling? I keep reminding myself that’s she’s 17 in a few weeks.
It feels like we’ve hit the terrible teens, just as I’m battling with my own diminishing hormones!

Thanks all - I feel fine. Annoying cough, but that's it. Which makes everything seem even worse