Year 10 2024/2025 - come and join!

@MyBestFriendKenny Forestry England does year 10 work experience. If there's a site near you then it might be worth contacting them.

Compulsory DofE sounds bonkers to me! DS signed up for it about a year ago but it still hasn't started yet 🙄

We have the dates for work experience but we are really struggling to find a placement. DS wants to work in Conservation so we're looking for something environment or animal care related but lots are saying they can't offer work experience due to safeguarding or insurance.

That is very true. I did WE at our local Asda and really enjoyed it. The highlight was being allowed as much cheesecake as I liked from the canteen, but I imagine they'd put limits on DS. The child is a bottomless pit.

We’ve just had information about y10 work experience too. Having been through it with my older ds who’s now in y12, I think there’s a lot of sense in targeting y10 work experience towards places that they might get a part time job out of - if they are likely to be heading towards sixth form, there’ll be other chances in y12 which are more geared towards longer term career options, and by then they’re over 16 and it’s much easier to arrange.

Thanks @UncomfortableSilence. DS is very enthusiastic about the virtual day so I'll get him started on a suitable email. I'm hoping to offer a couple of places in my department to other students as DS is utterly unimpressed with my job (medtech).

@mamajong I hear you on the PE. DS is taking it too and every evening has something on. At the moment I have a clash between DS' badminton and DD's riding, with both DC needing drop-off at 5 and collection at 6.30 from opposite sides of town. Fun! On the plus side, DS is sleeping extremely well so I don't have to go into his room at 11pm to confiscate his ball/book/notepad.

DS has gone into year 10, chosen triple science, geography, business and PE. PE is my worry as he has sports training or games 3 nights a week plus games both weekend days and goes to the gym at least twice a week - I'm worried about fitting in the homework/ revision, though he seems to be coping at the moment...

Wow compulsory DofE! Really surprised at that, more surprised that extra curriculars are being used for UCAS points? Not sure about all schools but DofE at DDs school was over £500 for Bronze, straight away there's a divide there if a family can't afford it.

DD is completely independent with her homework and has always been on top of it so we've been very lucky there, we do still always discuss what she has and if she's coping ok with it all. She's been in London with friends all day so she has quite a lot to do tomorrow as she's had so much set this week, she's been working every evening but still has a fair amount to go.

We haven't heard about work experience yet, I used to work in Investment Banking and the problem is a lot of these companies don't have the insurance for under 16s. I would start emailing all the main ones and see if they even take on as I would expect it's highly sought after. DD wants to work in Tech/AI at the moment! DD1 did virtual work experience with BA as it was during COVID so couldn't obviously go in. We are lucky in that DDs school has a very proactive careers department and they are constantly posting opportunities on the Google Classroom so hopefully something will come up.

We had a Y10 info evening this week at school. Revision techniques, lots of info, and the results of the pupil survey they did on the girls in terms of their phone usage, sleep etc all very interesting!

Have to say I’m a big fan of that CV so far@RealHousewivesOfTaunton 🤣

We haven’t had dates for work experience yet, hopefully will be getting them early enough to organise something worthwhile.

I’ve seen a few things pop up online about virtual work experience which look really interesting although the ones I’ve noticed have been geared towards science-based careers which are no good for us.

Definitely not too late @CheeryUser. The more the merrier!

DS did DofE last year but it was entirely optional. I didn't know that UCAS points now come from outside activities too. It feels very early to be thinking about it but I clearly need to do some research. I'm not even sure if DS passed actually. He did all the elements but seemed to be pretty hit and miss at recording them

Has anyone's school started thinking about work experience yet? We just got the dates through and luckily there's a long time to sort out a placement. DS wants to do work experience with an investment bank. I know absolutely naff all about that world but he's doing a virtual work experience day first to have something on his CV other than "very interested in becoming a billionaire".

We have daily homework discussions, if we didn’t I don’t think much would get done. His teachers are good at emailing me if he’s overlooked a particular assignment as well, I think it’s starting to dawn on him that he can’t avoid it anymore..

Am I too late to join? My DS is starting Y10, frustratingly he struggles with Maths and Science but works to a global grade A and is more of a History, English and Drama person. Has been going to a private maths tutor for the past year, still hates everything about the subject and seems to lack confidence in the basics but I’m hoping the extra time will help. We have signed up for DofE as he does enough extra curricular to cover it already (swimming, cadets and performing arts) and he is keen to go into policing so I’m hoping he can either stay local -ish for university as we have an excellent course nearby (Wales) or join up early and do the in-house degree on the job.

I usually talk through DS2’s homework with him before he does it but don’t check it after. Sometimes he will ask me to have a look midway. Some (most) homework I have to help DS1 with though that’s a bit different as he has a TA in school so I’m like the at home TA.
I’d hold your ground @Pastlast !

I talk to DD about homework too.

I sit with the Dcs while they do homework. They like the company, we bounce ideas off each other and its when I sort through my various life admin tasks- and pay bills online, sort out online shopping etc. I really enjoy it tbh.

So you are deffo not unusual in wanting to be involved! You could tell your DS @Pastlast that other parents actually physically monitor it and he should thanks his lucky stars!

Arguing with DS about homework. He thinks it is highly unusual that I show any interest in it and want to talk through it when it’s done. I assume others do this too?

That makes sense.

It may be to do with UCAS points. I was talking to a friend who's child is just applying and she was saying how crazy the system is.

Apparently st Andrews now wants around 200 points for some courses and you get 54 for each A, so 3 A isn't enough. And a 4th A level can't count towards it. So you need extra curriculars to bump up your points.

i know I agree! It's an Indpendent.

But I have a friend whose child is in a different Independent and they have either compulsory Cadets or DofE which is why I wondered if it was common.

We are hanging fire on it until Christmas in case he loves it (very very unlikely) then will see if we need to have a conversation with the school. I seriously doubt he can manage a full GCSE workload as it is tbh.

I have never heard of DofE being compulsory. I don't understand why a school would choose to do this. Is it even enforceable ?

I think compulsory DfE sounds like a crazy idea! I think asking to drop that as a reasonable adjustment is reasonable. I can’t imagine how that works? Is it a comp?

Our school also does compulsory Duke of Edinburgh for Years 10 and 11. Is that common? Ds can barely cope with school as it is, that on top is pretty rough for him I think. We are planning to not argue about it until we have to, but I would think it would be a reasonable adjustment to take him out if we need.

I'd love to join.

Ds1 has started Year 10 this year. He has ASD and found the first few weeks really tough. To the point where I keep expecting the school to call and tell me to collect him (which is what happened almost every week in Years 7 and 8).

I'm not sure he will get through these 2 years tbh. I agree with others, the school has been laying on the 'very important 2 years' speeches very very hard and every morning before school he is in hysterics and in tears. It's awful.

It's such a shame when a teacher has a negative impact. They can make our break a child's outcomes.