Year 10 - 2023/2024 Support Thread

In our 6th form pupils aren't there all the time, especially by year 13 my oldest was mostly in just for lessons, then he'd drive home. Ds2 had to stay there more, mainly due to missing school during covid. But he could come home afternoons if no lessons. Plus a lot go off to college and there are a few schools further away that don't have 6th form, so they come to our school. Maybe these are reasons why heads and prefects are year 11.

Ds didn't get head boy. We knew he wouldn't really. But the most annoying thing, his best mate who he's known since reception, who he's always competed against in everything, is now the head boy. Ds has always wanted to beat this lad in sports, all tests from spelling tests, to SATS, to end of year tests and mock GCSEs they've always compared. Ds is starting to get better grades than his mate now, so that is great. But to lose out on head boy to him is frustrating. Ds didn't get deputy head boy either. There was a head prefect for science too, he didn't get that either. Ds is a senior prefect. He has to go on the school council. At least he tried.

We have head students in y11 and head of sixth form students in 13

I’ve never heard of heads being in yr11 when there’s a sixth form. When do they find out?
There’s no roles in yr11 here. Not that DD would get anything. 🤣

@QueenMabby yes 6th form at school. But head boy/girl are year 11.

@NotDonna yes, ds3 won't listen to ds2. He might pretend he has listened.

@icanbewhatiwant yes, that’s what I mean! Your DS3’s nature is to be on the front foot and he probs won’t listen to your DS2 about taking it easy. It’ll seem too risky to him. My DD1 (20) is the same. Always has been. I do hope that if he doesn’t get Head boy, he’ll get the other role. 🤞🏼🤞🏼

@NotDonna it's ds2 who put in as little effort as possible. I never saw him do homework, he didn't revise that much either. Now he's at uni he leaves everything to the last minute. He'll be up all night finishing essays. I've given up nagging him. He used to go out to the school taxi with his jumper, shoes and tie in his hands and only get up and go in the shower 10 mins before leave time. It always caused me a lot of stress. Ds3 is the opposite. He's very organised. He showers at 6.15am though doesn't come down for an hour. He's always dressed, shoes on, bag on his back ready to leave a few mins before he needs to. He's always doing homework and revision too. So they are both very different. Ds3 puts too much stress on himself though.

At least 18 have had interviews for head boy and head girl. So I know it's unlikely ds will get it. A friends dd was head girl 2 years ago, she had volunteered at all the open eves at school, helped with after school sports, volunteered in her village etc. her brother is in ds's year and also applied for head with ds, his dm said she knew her dd would be head girl as she does so much volunteering. She says her ds has no chance, so I know it'll be the same for mine. The only chance will be if none of the boys have done out of school stuff. I just hope he's not disappointed. One of the other roles he's applied for will be good though.

Ooh crikey the handing out of results in envelopes for internal exams seems a bit stress inducing @QueenMabby Is your DD cool with that?
End of years here are followed by results week where they get their results in class but more importantly go over papers and the major errors - the stuff everyone got wrong.
DD had her first exams today - English & History. She had a laptop and reader on her desk which she’s never used before so that threw her a bit. Need to check with senco that she’ll have that set up for all exams incl GCSEs and it’s not some mix up today.

@icanbewhatiwant is your DS3 a bit of a perfectionist? Or has he got a good balance? There’s no way any of my DDs would put minimal effort in as they simply wouldn’t want to take that risk. Plus if that’s not his nature anyway the most you can encourage is good breaks and stepping away from study, being with friends etc. So hard to get that balance.
We let DD3 take DD1’s room when she moved out last year - she’s back again next week so will have to squeeze all her stuff into DD3’s room. I have had it decorated though! I’m wondering where you DS2 is going in Oz? Is the uni he’s at now linked to the Aussie uni? My DD2 wants a placement year in Oz (she has a passport) but I think that’ll be a tough call.

@QueenMabby - ah yes, I think there is one of those. No-one ever teaches you how to negotiate these different school systems do they - I was all sorted with her old school - where it definitely would have been the head of year.

Well done to your DD - the 9 sounds like it would be well deserved!

@QueenMabby yes there is a chance it will not be music. The school does know this. And it may be 'music and' at uni rather than conservatoire even if it is. Knowing her, I can't actually imagine her not doing music in some way, but she needs to know that it's not set in stone by us or the school.

I think I'll check with someone at some point - I am finding 'head of year' is a much less important role at this new school than it was in her old one, so perhaps that's not the right person... She will do eight GCSES for sure and her predictions are good - I'm expecting it will be 8 7-9s of various types, possibly all higher than 7. The only thing she doesn't have any more is a language, but she does speak some spanish. But we will clearly have to keep an eye on it all!

@QueenMabby Good luck to her for today! DD2 still slogging through the exams - too busy to ring me last night as was revising history. Slightly concerned by the WhatsApps about how her head of dept for music is 'talking about what I can drop so things don't get too stressful' - she's just been put into another bit of the Symphony Orchestra as someone has dropped out and she also seems to be in an opera this month she didn't know about. And she has Grade 6 singing, a woodwind assessment and the audition for next year's school play. And three or four other ensembles and the Chapel Choir.

This, for her, is bliss - she has moved to this school as she wants all the music and hasn't had enough of it, but I hope someone is keeping a proper eye over there- especially since she is going into Year 11 in September!

Ah sorry! Nice that you can take her in

How did the exam go today @QueenMabby ?

I am dreading this time next year with Ds taking GCSEs. He's taking it all so seriously. He has several mocks next week and the week after.

Ds2 is home from uni. He has been telling ds3 that he doesn't need to revise and to just put minimum effort needed in to get the grades he needs, like he did. Ds2 going to Australia in 4 weeks to do his third uni year abroad. So ds3 wants to move into his bedroom for the year as his is tiny. He's moaned at Ds1's room being empty for 18 months now as he's gone travelling. It'll give him more space to work.

I hope those doing exams over the next few weeks get on ok.

Good luck to your DD today for her Greek exam @QueenMabby
DS started some revision last night for the exams that start a week today!

@NotDonna DD didn't have the GCSE either - she did history - and is doing History A-Level too and there is a lot of crossover. Politics is going brilliantly, and there is certainly plenty to write about at the moment. Would totally recommend!

Oh yes @minisnowballs being so far away for GCSEs will be testing! DD is now thinking of politics for A level (no gcse) how’s your DD finding it?

Oh calling from her bedroom at break must feel odd! Yes, the school site here is tiny too. There’s no hockey/football pitch for example. The 4/5 picnic table/benches aren’t enough for the hundreds of kids. They don’t play at this age but even if they did there’s no space to kick a ball around anyway. There’s nowhere to ‘hang’. It’s a new head and he’s started the rule about not being allowed in the classrooms. It’s not going down well. He’s also removed the yr11 common room, which was a privilege to look forward to.