Y11 2025/26… come and join

Finding it frustrating/worrying rather than miserable, I do worry about DS but have a tendency to worry generally about the DC anyway. He has always been mature and focused at school, always the kind of child to get the 'good role model' comments in a school report (albeit still has a reluctance to get off his bum at home and revise!) and I am relieved that he seems to be taking GCSEs in stride so far. I really feel for other posters whose DC are severely stressed/working all the hours etc.

At the same time I feel DS is almost a bit too laconic about it all so I think he'll find the step up to A levels a shock, and I also worry about lack of physical activity - he gave up an intensive sport that involved a lot of training hours at the beginning of Y11, which was the right decision overall, but he hasn't really replaced it with anything and all my suggestions seem to fall on deaf ears. So there's a danger of him becoming a bit of a couch potato too.

Definitely finding it a miserable year here. DD is having a hard time with teachers, got one who keeps making stupid digs ( boy A wire came loose asked teacher why did that happen teacher replied tebheagDD looked at it. Then said should stop making comments like that about tebheag DD but it makes girl A laugh.)
She stopped running around Christmas and thanks to injury, weather and mocks hasn't done much Rugby or athletics this year. Last year she was doing about 12/15hrs hrs this week 90 mins.

Oh @Caddycat that is sad that DH told her not to go to dancing. It's important they don't stop doing the things they want to do and I think when they go or don't go should be led by them as long as they are generally getting on well with their revision etc. DS has also cut back as he used to swim 19 hours a week which just wasn't sustainable but he still swims and runs a lot.

I agree with both of you @eurotravel and @Littletreefrog - I can see DD maturing, learning how to organise herself, work independently, testing gaps in her knowledge and revisiting hard topics and I'm super proud of her diligence and maturity, but gosh it's a miserable process too! She's given up so much of her dancing (She was doing 12/13 hours a week, now is signed up for 5 and hasn't been this week as it's mocks...) the very thing that keeps her happy. She wanted to go on monday but had 2 mocks the next day and DH felt it wasn't a good idea. She felt guilty and stayed home revising and I felt so sad for her.

I think year 11 is largely better than year 10. At least this year they have learnt the material being tested. DS has done 7 out of 18 of this set of mocks but he is working through very diligently. I wish he’d take slightly more breaks but year 10 nearly broke him with 2 exams a day for a week, at least this time some days only have one!

Dd is doing ok. She’s never been a child I have to nag to do homework, thankfully, so she’s very independent about cracking on. I wish she’d go to more lunch time sessions that are on offer but then I get it, she needs a break! End of term is 25th March and then the fun really starts…

I did warn DS that year 11 is a slog and so it is proving to be. Years 10 and 12 are way more fun. I’m hoping we’re through the worst of it - I hate the Jan/feb time of year when it’s dark, cold and muddy and fun stuff seems a long way off. I’m hoping that now we’re beyond half term and final mocks are nearly done that it’s all feeling a bit more positive for DS - almost begins to feel that the end is in sight. 4.5 weeks to go until Easter holidays, then next term will all be a bit strange. DS goes running in the early mornings and was very excited today to go in the light and warm, for a change. Spring is coming!

Not really to be honest, I can pretty much see DS maturing in front of my eyes. He is doing so well self motivating himself to revise, voluntarily attending everything his school is offering in terms of after school revision. Keeping up with his running and swimming to give his brain a break and looking forward with excitement to the challenge of going to college. He seems a different boy to the grumpy bored child of the last few years.

I do feel for some of the children I hear being discussed on this thread as there seems to be a lot putting a lot of pressure on themselves or a lot of pressure being put on them by schools so I don't doubt for some it is a miserable time but that's just not my experience at the moment anyway, fingers crossed it may continue.

Anyone else really thinking that yr11 is misearable?

I got a 3 in CSE, even Y7 stuff was like a foreign language to me (in my defence I was sickly and I had school phobia, English was fine, but Maths you needed to be there for).

I'm hoping she will do both English subjects (they do Language and Literature), she wanted to do English Language but got a 7 in the mock and a 9 in Literature). She wants to drop Maths for Sociology, I think (if I'm honest), I'd be happier with that, she is capable, but I think it will too much of a challenge, and she said she doesn't like Maths, she chose it thinking it would be 'best'.

I'm sure she will be fine if she usually gets 8s and 9s without much work! My DD is hoping for maths and psychology too, with french and an epq.
Maths A level scares me, it seems even those with high 8s/9s find it incredibly hard and i wont be able to help either 😕

We got a conditional offer for sixth form yesterday. The offer states she need 7x4s, but for her subjects she needs 6x6s including english and biology and a 7 in maths. 🤞
Her second set of mocks started yesterday, she has spent every awake hour revising so i hope it pays off. She missed her favourite dance lesson yesterday as she felt guilty going and was sobbing over a past paper she thought she did terribly in. I tried to convince her to go as it's the highlight of her week but she refused. Im so worried she will have a breakdown if she carries on like this and wont do well in the real ones. Im hoping the mocks go really well so she relaxes a bit. It's biology today, she got a 6 last time and worried that was too borderline and they would make her do foundation, which would mean no psychology A level. I spoke to school but the line is very much if we decide it's foundation, then it's foundation, parents dont have a say...

They have to do higher tier, she was predicted an 8/9 in Maths and gets 100%, it was a set of questions they haven't been taught yet.

For A Levels she wants to do Englis, Maths and Psychology. I spoke to her Maths teacher before she chose them, and she said DD was capable, but ive since tried to persuade her to change.

Shes not doing further Maths, so its unclear why they did the paper.

Does she have to do higher tier, even if she risks failing it? Or does the school decides at the last minute which one to enter them in?
Was her whole mock paper a further maths one from a different board or just the one question? My DDs mocks for maths have been papers made by the multi academy trust for all their schools rather than actual papers, and shes found them harder than actual papers. Further maths is a lot harder than maths, my dd got 8 in her first mock, but only 5 in FM. Granted, she didnt revise it as she was thinking about dropping it, but still a big difficulty gap.
Your DD still has time, its never too late to start. Perhaps their schools do more and dont need as much revision. The private school kids around here dont seem to work as much...
What does she want to do for A levels?

Using Google lens is a brilliant idea.

Parents evenings at DS's school don't have set appointments. All the teachers are sat at tables and we just queue up until they're free.

I'd like to join. Haven't read the full thread yet though.

I've no idea whether my DD's school has revision classes over Easter.

I feel like an impostor as I've no real clue what I'm doing. DS took his GCSEs in 2008, and it was very different then,

I've had nothing but arguments with DD over revision.

She wouldn't agree to me helping her much. The only agreement was to do some 10 minute tests in Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics ( her school do separate sciences). She us doing highe tierr Maths (everyone in her school has to), and got a shock when her mock score was a lot lower than her predicted, and way to low for A Level (which is one of her chosen subjects). I am useless at Maths, even the easiest bits are like a foreign language to me.

I did something tha Musnet would disapprove of - I used Goiogle Lens on the photos she took of her mistakes on the mock paper, and it came up with how to do it, she also disapproved (as she hadn't been taught it yet), and resisted my suggestion of looking up similar questions to understand how to do it. Turns out is an OCRf urther Maths paper. I'mnot sure why they did that, when it is AQA who is the examining paper.

Unlike other schools, she only did one set of mocks - in January, unlike most schools here.

I feel bad, as my best friend's son is at a secondary school and has spent everyday since September, revising. Even Christmas and last week (half-term), he was revising. She is far more laid back, but goes to a grammar, so should be doing more.

She has an Engieering practical that is due this Friday. She brought it home for half-term to work on it, them didn't tell me until Saturday - so she wasted the whole week! Her dad, (brilliant at engineering), was also off, so she had time and opportunity, but squandered it.

We have Parent's Evening this week, and for the first time at her school, itis in person. I'm terrified. When DS was at school, in person Parent's Eveniings were stressful. The previous parent would continue chatting, meaning you were late to the next and often missed out. Does this still happen, or are teachers good at kicking parents off when their next appointment is due?

DD says her close friends and most of the other kids talking about it today said they hadn't done much/any revision over half term (their mocks were Jan). I'm happy that I got her doing a decent amount for 5 days of it.

Know exactly what you mean @NotDarkGothicMama re being 'bright but so excruciatingly hard to get moving on the revision side' - that absolutely sums it up! DS is similarly hard to 'get moving' - we were away for half term and he did a few bits and pieces but is very laid back about it all. Then he got quite panicked on our return because he thought he'd lost a whole wallet of classics literature booklets and notes. We couldn't find it anywhere. Then he realised that it was still in the zipped up lid of his suitcase from holiday - he'd diligently packed it 'for revision' and not even taken it out of said suitcase the whole time!

In his defence what he did do has worked well for his mocks but I am acutely aware from supporting my older DC that there is a big jump from GCSEs to A levels in terms of content and difficulty. I just want him to 'learn to learn' and be prepared not just for GCSEs but for the future need to be more structured in terms of study. Gearing up to go into nag mode shortly...

(DS is also wanting to take maths/further maths along with physics and chemistry. I will be literally no help with any of those as I'm a humanities graduate and loathed maths/science with a passion!)

Thank you thats good to know. Ill wait and see what school offers...

That’s good. Our school doesn’t do Easter revision classes, hence booking Justin Craig. The only thing I’d say is they cap the classes at 8 pupils, so be mindful of spaces filling up quickly if it’s something you’re considering.

He's safely home and moaning about "having" to go to Cirque du Soleil tomorrow Honestly, I'm sure the swings of emotion from worry to happiness to exasperation are worse than actual teenage mood swings!

I know what you mean about not feeling very useful. DH and I aren't slow by any means but neither of us have done the type of maths he's studying since we sat our own GCSEs. All his sixth form choices require a minimum of a 7 to do maths, 8 for further maths. He wants to do both.

Awww bless you! Never easy is it!

I'm worried about maths too. DD is fine with maths, gets 7s and 8s but our school wants a 7 as a minimum to do the A level. My friends son got an 8, a few marks short of a 8 and gave up the A level as it was too hard. I cant help but worry, partly because Im not the best to help with maths!

I looked into Justin Craig sessions over Easter but DS's school is running sessions so I'm holding off to find out the details. Hopefully ASAP so I know whether he'll need extras. I'm mainly concerned about making sure he gets the marks he needs in maths to do his A-Level choices. He's bright and enjoys maths but so excruciatingly hard to get moving on the revision side.

He's gone out with friends today and I'm nervously checking his location as they meander through town. It's the first time he's really just gone to hang out without a plan and I'm trying not to imagine nightmare scenarios. Reminds me of his first "school" trip at nursery. They took a bus to the local park and I was a complete nutter about it. Seems I haven't learned!

I was looking into the easter course, but I think her school is also running sessions. They haven't given details yet though, so not sure what to do for the best. That's a good idea to alternate every 5 lessons, it allows to do some meaningful work on a subject but also change as she wasn't keen to swap every week. I will suggest it, thank you!