General starting Y10 Sept 21, GCSE's 2023 thread

Thanks Elkie sounds like your DC is doing really well. My DD has now done 2 weeks of GCSEs, gone very well, she always gets near perfect grades, taking 12 gcses and 1 level 3 fsmq and 15 exams over 3 weeks left after half term. Mr Floof the kitten has been catnapped by her and very happy together.

DS has made a bit of progress and wrote for first time in over a year and did 8 out of 10 mocks, he has 10 plus fsmq level 3 and 7 passes out of 8 and other a coupke of marks of, 8 in maths, 6 in physics, 5 plus in biology and 4s in rest. Very low grades for him but big improvement on no writing so very happy. Cancer charity has given us weeks holiday in Cornwall by coast in July in 4 bed place, will be lovely. 8th chemo done, 4 weeklies to go.

Good to see this thread resurface. Y10 are the new Y11 now after all!

DFE confirmed again this week that 2023 exams will return to full content but that
"Ofqual will, as planned, consider the approach to grading for 2023 in light of outcomes in 2022. Ofqual will also ask exam boards to look carefully at the design of the exam timetable for next year in the light of experience this year, to see if the increased spacing between subjects in the exam timetable should be retained."

Thanks Silkierabbit. From the parents' evening (first in over 2 years) DS1 seems to be doing very well in most subjects though I'm a bit concerned by English as I think he can do better than he is at the moment - 5 compared to 7 or higher for most of his other subjects. I think this is likely to be about putting a bit more time into homework and at least reading his set texts properly if nothing else. He had a few years of reading a lot which lasted through year 7, but now he devours Netflix. He's quite clever but there's always more interesting things to do than schoolwork, obviously.

Sorry that you and your DS are having such tough times and that you're dealing with so many things at once. I hope you can get the support he needs.

Thanks Elkiedee Sorry you needed eye surgery but glad its improving things for you. How is your child getting on?

My year 11 DD has done a week of GCSEs and 5 weeks to go, going very well so far. My y10 DS I am still trying to get help for via LA whilst doing chemotherapy and he is still really struggling at school, mute and not writing there. We have just got a new Maine Coon kitten called Mr Floof who is super cute. I have 6 more chemos then radio then hormone treatment and 2 more operations, have done 2 operations and 6 chemos so far. Managed to get to Edinburgh at Feb half term and to Wales to see puffins at Easter which were lovely in gaps but otherwise very tired and quite ill with treatment.

Hi, I hope others are still around here. I've not been online much recently as I couldn't read unless I could adjust settings, and can't work out how to do that on this laptop. This was due to cataracts. I had surgery on my left eye on Wednesday and much improved so am now spending too much time online trying to catch up on all that I've missed!

Silkie, sorry to hear of your cancer and your DS struggling. Good luck with chemo, and to your kids with exams and studying.

I am still around though thought this thread had died but glad there is still life in it. DS in y10 is massively struggling and we are in emergency review for LA and they are dragging their heels to avoid spending money but current school are saying can't meet needs and can't stay there. And I start chemotherapy on Monday for my cancer. Had two lots of surgery so far which they think has removed all of it apart from there may be odd cancer cells around the body which scans won't show. Thankfully its not at stage 4, the adrenal mass was benign though going for tests for that too to see what it is. 3 months of chemo, then radio then 2 more operations and 10 years of tablets. It was found after surgery not to be in skin but in breast and lymph nodes so re-staged at 2B so around 88% chance of surviving 5 years and 71% 10 years from surgery and if I can get through chemo it goes up about 4% more and hormones about 7% more for 10 years not much added on 5 years, maybe 1% each.

DD in y11 is doing really well, another set of mocks currently and has offers from Kings Maths School and another excellent two 6th forms. She got pretty much all 9s in her first mocks despite changing school end y10 and new curriculums. We managed to have a nice Feb half term in Edinburgh and Lake District. Hope everyone else is OK.

Thought I'd see if anyone is still here!

DD working hard, feeling a bit over-burdened at times, but generally OK. I think it's sinking in how quickly KS4 goes though.

Thanks Mini Well done to your daughter, that's brilliant.

Your daughter sounds amazing - you must be very proud of her Silkies...

On the assessments, Tassomai has certainly done the trick for DD on science. Just had her results back - top in the year for chemistry, and near the top for biology and physics (and since she was one of the only children who came up from set 2 to do triple science this was by no means a given). I know it doesn't work for everyone, but it is the 'little and often' that has worked for her so far. Seeing her actually excited over her results for once was fabulous.

Latin - not so good. She needs to learn to work on grammar, not just vocab. At least she learns that now, not in year 11!

Thanks Taswama Yes I think we have been on a few threads together and both have ASD DSs, mine also has an EHCP now and struggling in y10, very bright but cannot reproduce on paper except maths.

His big sister who is a year older is being so kind and has cooked for him last 3 nights as I have been doing hospital tests in the evenings and she announced she was looking after him, they are only a year apart in age but so different in maturity.

@Silkieschickens . Really sorry to hear that. I've seen you on other threads talking about your DS and battles with the school and almost feel like I know you.

I have DS1 in year 10. He took all academic subjects as options (history, geography, german, triple science) and is also doing AS politics as an extra curricular. He has been struggling with the sheer volume of homework after very little over the past 18 months. We had parents evening a few weeks ago and his German teacher said he needed to be practicing using the website and he's better at reading and listening than writing and speaking. But I had a meeting with the Senco on Tuesday to review his EHCP (he's autistic) and she said the German teacher is very concerned as his target grade is a 6 but he's currently only working at 2. So I need to liaise with the teacher and put together a catch up programme for him. I am fluent in German and try and speak it a bit at home with him and help him with his homework and I can see he hasn't got the basics properly embedded so is really struggling as it's getting harder.

Just seen this thread! Will read and come back later / tomorrow to comment.

Thanks Hetty Hope you DD gets through her tests OK this week and isn't too stressed.

@Silkieschickens so sorry you’re having to go through this, you and your dc sound amazing

Thanks Mini Yes its hard on everyone though DD was very sweet tonight and as I had my MRI she said I will cook my brother his dinner as well as mine, they are only 14 months apart but she is so much more mature. Glad Taossmai is working for you.

Silkies that sounds awful. I'm so sorry, that is an awful lot to deal with. These poor teens too. x

DS is struggling with it all, he is asd and has really struggled from last lockdown and also I just got diagnosed with breast cancer, at either stage 3 or stage 4 and he just cried. Am trying to arrange some nice things for him but have lots of medical appointments and a DD doing gcses in y11 so tricky to manage everything.

@helpinghetty I agree ....I feel she had missed out on the foundation due to lock down last year!

My ds has in doing his A levels and even though I was very worried what would happen- he knew his foundation!

My dd is really tired when she comes from school and she has the best intentions but it sometimes doesn't come to fruit...

Does anyone know if they will resort back to normal exams ?

Bluebell and Hetty,

We've just had weeks of assessments. DD1 found it hard work preparing - took it very badly that she was expected to revise in her half term.

We've been paying for Tassomai for her though, which has been a really good gap filler in science (moved from set 2 to top set triple during lockdown so there were some gaps) - and useful for maths, english and latin too. She says doing that every day has really helped but it costs a FORTUNE! But she's just getting her test results back now and it is really paying off. If nothing else it has helped her see the value in 'little but often'.

Hope yours cope OK...

@Blubell46 my DD also has a load of end of unit tests. Most of them are this week and she’s been really stressed as there’s loads to learn all at the same time, especially for the sciences. I really hope she does ok as she could do with a confidence boost and she’s working really hard. I think home learning last year might be making it harder for her as not convinced she’s had the proper year 9 foundations for some topics.

Hi all,

Just wandering how your dc is getting on in Year 10? My dd is struggling a bit from the jump from year 9 and it probably doesn't help since she quite disorganised ! Having a lot of unit tests and not quite on top of it!!

Getting slightly stressed...so am currently helping her plan and boost her confidence up....since this is going to be a long journey!

DS has just been given minimum expected grades for gcses, after y11 mocks they get proper predicted grades but useful as a guide.

DD is in y11 and was going to a 6th form open day and she said DS do you want to come with me and he went, she banned parents so they just went alone. She said one teacher told DS off for pulling a face, DD said she then told the teacher off as DS looked really anxious and has only just stopped being mute at school and the teacher said sorry. She said he seemed most interested in economics which is what my degree is in and was reading all the posters there.

Very busy week here having new combi boiler fitted and old one and hot water tank taken out, all radiators done and dishwasher being put in kitchen, no heating tonight but its mild and also we have electric shower.

Glad I'm not alone with the Sixth Forms. DD goes to our local girls comprehensive and was horrified as the (local independent) Sixth Form we went to assumed she did not know what Classical Civ was as an A-Level but did not make the same assumption about the other girl there in an independent school uniform.

DD was there to ask about A-Level latin in fact (which her school doesn't offer but it does offer the GCSE), and I have a Classics degree. The assumption put her right off. Which was a shame for her I think as it would have suited her otherwise - but probably good for our bank balance.

DS still plays with Lego and transformers and I don't think he cares that people know. I was worried that maybe it would make him a target. It's funny tho I that respect he comes across as still young. But he comes across as really mature in other ways. He did his DofE practice expedition this weekend, which he thoroughly enjoyed, which surprised me as he's never camped before.

Ah, see, my vodka-drinking 14-year-old is a paradox as she also wouldn’t let me give away any of her cuddly toys to good homes in a recent clear-out.

We are also going to a couple of 6th-form open days. Partly because if she wants to do music A-level, she will have to move schools as her current school doesn’t offer it. And partly to keep her out of mischief.

I thought we would be in the minority but at the one we went to this weekend there were quite a few year 10s. No harm in looking early - bit of inspiration for encouragement.