Year 11 2023-24

All this is making me think that their are subjects to avoid and subjects to go for when selecting GCSE courses next year for my younger DS!

Oh god yes. Art is causing stress for the whole household! The frustration is that it's her least good subject. She's predicted 7-9 in all her others, and a 5-6 in art.

I'm of the mindset to slack off the art and concentrate on achieving the best she can in the others. She wants to spend all day every day perfecting her art in the hope she can raise her grade.

If only! All I could say is that it's nearly over, then he won't have to bother with GCSES again ( as long as he passes!)

I think you've the nail on the head, it's just miserable tasks to complete each week to satisfy a tick box. Well, if you have any tips on how to get us through this without losing the plot I'm all ears! 😂

Tell me about it! I took him on a trip to the National Gallery at half term to try and re re enthuse him ( we don't live in London!) I agree it is the prescriptiveness of it. All the GCSES seem to be designed to be some kind of endurance test. If you enjoy something its clearly not difficult enough so they'll suck the joy out of all learning. Well done Michael Gove!

@Angrycat2768 Yes, my DS is talented and creative BUT only in the art he likes, then he takes hours getting it perfect. GCSE art is so prescriptive and boring now compared to when I did it, he's just not engaged with it at all. It does take tons of time up - mostly with me and him arguing about what the hell he's actually meant to be doing followed by sulking and then the actual work. Also I seem to be spending a fortune on it. They also don't seem to actually teach them how to paint / draw or show them different techniques, they just seem to think they all know how to do everything. Sigh.

Yes mine! It's a bloody nightmare! My DS is a talented artist and loves art. It's the ' This blue line I have randomly added to my drawing of the 50p building in Croydon represents Caravaggios use of shade' ( I'm not artistic as you can tell) which he never stops complaining about! I have no clue if he's exaggerating, but art is now his least favourite subject. It's also taking up tons of time.

Are any of the DCs doing Art GCSE? I am finding this subject the biggest nightmare at the moment. DS does nothing for ages then goes into a full melt down because suddenly all this work is due in and he's got nothing. As someone who did Art to A level, I can't bear it, I won't to help him but he 'wants to do it himself' and so I have to sit back until panic mode hits and then take all his stress while trying to direct him the right way. This is the only mock he has prior to January and it's doing my head in! God only knows what it will be like in January.

Well we're still on half term here & as with every half term DD has come down with a stinking head cold. I'm sure she saves them up for breaks!

Bashing away at the revision, I can't believe the amount of stuff they have to remember. My menopausal brain writes a shopping list, forgets to take the list shopping.
The A level evening went well, she came away really enthused & excited but also anxious about hitting needed grades.
The Study Buddy looks like a really useful. DD has taken over the dining room table & seems to have sorted a revision method that works for her, so I'm not interfering, for once😬
Elderly mother is up & down with health issues, work is really busy & elderly cat needed teeth out! Worrying about movjs/grades/revision methods is proving to be quite the welcome distraction.
Hope you're all having / had a good half term.

Thank you, I will have a look

@SM33 This is the one I was thinking of: https://thestudybuddy.com/originalmethod/

home page here:

https://thestudybuddy.com/

Note I haven't used it. But it ran on similar lines to how I helped my DD1 plan 8 years ago so I think it sounds useful. No idea on price. You buy a pack for each subject/board.

The cgp guides are good, especially for science.
A parent on here devised a revision planning system based on agile programming a few years back which is now sold commercially. Can't remember its name offhand though. I'll try to remember.

Has anyone used this ? https://products.parentguidetogcse.com/the-gcse-toolkit
. My child is struggling with organisation and knowing where to start. I tried to find him checklists for each subject but it was hard to match to the correct exam boards. This has the checklist but it’s quite expensive.

I think some of them ( in my area anyway) know that they can attract private school kids who's parents want to try and game the system for Uni by going to a state sixth form, but I think Uni's have got wise to it now anyway.

My DD2 was at the agricultural college @wonderstuff , other DD went into the New Forest. Spoilt for choice round here!

So interesting how 6th form grades differ, must have an impact on the number of children going on to study Alevel compared to vocational education, I wonder how different regions vary. So glad we’re in Hampshire. Dd is set to get good GCSEs but for DS currently in year 9 it’s going to be a different set of decisions as he’s likely to be more marginally qualified for 6th form. Although he’s had an awful time of it at school and we’re moving him to a small independent after half term, we’re hoping he’ll do much better there.

Choices here are large 6th from college, technical college or agricultural college. We’re between 3 towns so have some choices but for most people there’s one of each of those centres that are easily accessible.

l should have said that we are not attracted but put off by the 6th form with sky-high entry requirements. DD has to move as her school doesn’t have a 6th form - the one with silly requirements would have been high on her list, but we are now not sure whether to apply there at all. She’s capable of very good grades but doesn’t thrive if undue pressure is heaped on, and personally I much prefer a setting which values them as whole people and not just a string of grades.

It’s a headache, though, not having an option just to carry on where she is. We really need to get this next step right.

Thanks @Angrycat2768 I hadn't thought about funding, but that makes sense.

Interesting about A level acceptance grades. The colleges we've been to have been sort of standard, but subtly different. They all require a 6 minimum in the chosen A level subjects, except maths and further maths. For Maths the minimum GCSE grade is 7 and for further maths the minimum maths grade is 8.

However they differ on general grades - one wants 5's in maths and English plus 5 other passes over 5, another wants 6's in maths for STEM subjects and 5's for others. The last wants 6's average from the top 8 GCSEs.

We are going to the super selective grammar open evening next month. They want 56 points from the top 8 GCSEs if taking 3 A levels (7 mean average). 60 points from top 8 if taking 4 and 64 if taking 5 (very few do this and one must be further maths).

Our school has these requirements for A Level subjects too.

DS still not started revision but they have been doing regular class tests.

I’d worry about a 6th with such high entry grades, we have one locally that kicks out anyone not getting at least C grades in mocks, it’s an awful lot of pressure. More inclusive ones near us still get a decent number of kids into Oxbridge and medicine courses. What’s the attraction of these super selectives?

Gosh our 6th form isn’t as strict as that.

DD has been doing anything from 20 minutes to 1/2 hrs a night for a couple of weeks, more at weekends.
Blimey @Marisquita those are such high grades to achieve. Just checked DDs school & I thought these sounded quite an ask.

One of DD’s possible sixth forms requires 6 GCSEs at grades 8/9 and the rest not below a 7😫

My DD is doing 7 plus hours a day. Her choice- and she needs 7/8 in the exams to get into her chosen sixth form. Her exams are next week.

DD is doing around 4 hrs a day Sun-Thurs and then has exams on Friday.