Y11 2025/26… come and join

Thank you for your comments, I've not been on here for a week, as so much was going on.

We've still not applied to any other schools, but DD has had her meeting with the head of sixth form and he said she has the necessary LAGs. Maybe it's a precarious situation, but she will need the necessary grades for what she wants to do anyway. She could apply to a more 'lenient' school, but I fear we have missed out (she goes to a grammar, I assumed the secondaries had the same grade boundaries, but they don't).

Reading about the leaver's hoodies, we have ordered ours, despite having a sixth form, and they don't have them for Y13s, but I only know about ours.

DD is really difficult. She's been doing the CGP 10 minute tests in Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I've been making her do two a night, as she had her final Drama performance last week (now it's just the exam), she also had to hand in her Engineering practical and then the NEA for Engineering. The next thing is Spanish speaking, so a lot of actual GCSE work has been going on, now we can crack on.

I know I sound utterly pathetic, but it's a long time since DS did his GCSEs (in 2008), so I feel totally lost. Everyone else's child seems to be doing tons of revision. DD does do a lot in her room, but because I can't see it, because I'm not 'controlling/overseeing' it, I feel I am failing her, but she is resistant to me trying to tell her what to do. I don't want to burden, but I can't help but compare with my friend's son, who goes to a secondary, but has been revising everyday since September, only having Christmas Day off.

She does really well on the CGP tests, getting 100%, except in one Maths test in the half-term holidays, where she didn't do as well. She explained that she hadn't been taught graphs yet, but I panicked (I do have MH problems, so panicking is something I'm trying to address). She has now done them and did two graph tests last night and got them all right.

My stepson is coming this weekend for a week (he is also 34, like my son), I am really worried that this will stop DD from revising.

Should they be doing past papers from every day at the end of this week onward? DD said that she found something called 'active recall' and thinks that is better, but I guess I hear about past papers and think they should be doing lots every day?

It has to be downloaded, then the school has to verify it, via a QR code, for it to work and their records to be available, it doesn't work unless the school verifies it.

We've been told that DC wanting to do it have to download it by sometime in April, then they will be verified in form time. So until the school announces that they will be verifying it, it may be better to wait, or to maybe email the HOY to see if/when they're doing it (bearing in mind that time is running out).

Sixth form places... can you accept more than one? DD applied to 2, one as a back up. They have made a lower offer, so it is a "back up", but she wants to go to her first choice, which we have also accepted. As all offers are conditional, do you accept more than one?

@Littletreefrog i heard about that app. I think the app gets updated several hours after they get them in school from my memory.

my son got his PE results today. 75 out of 100 for his coursework / 3 practical sports assessments. He’s fairly pleased

Has anyone's school given any information about an app that is apparently being launched by the government this year that will show the GCSE results and be able to used as evidence of qualifications for applications etc? I read something about it somewhere but haven't heard a thing from the school as to how it's actually going to work. I assume they still go into school on results day?

Art exam for my DD tomorrow. It will be a relief to get it done as it’s her top subject, and she’s been focusing on art only for the last week or two.

Good luck to your DDs @Caddycatand @Stowickthevast😊

@MabelsBeats DD has got hers today. 2 duologues. agree it'll be good to get it out of the way. She's also basically finished art as the exam was a couple of weeks ago, although it's meant she hasn't had much time for revising anything else. She seems quite confident though!

Such a relief when these are done! All drama and dance "coursework" done for my dd too. I just dont understand why they cant do the practical elements in y10 like the other local schools offering dance...

DD had her drama performances yesterday, she did two monologues and they seemed to go well. In previous years the external examiner has come in after the Easter holidays apparently, so I’m glad it’s out of the way for her and she can now focus fully on written exams!

Dd has got 9,9,9,8,7,7,6 for mocks so far with two more results to come in. Tomorrow is the last day of term. She’s so upset about the 6/7s which I can’t fathom but seemingly there is a culture of a sense of “failure” by these kids.

We have both hoodies and year books. Our 6th form is "smart casual" so no hoodies can be worn but for y6 dd only wore the hoodie in the summer before y7 (and not a lot as it was pretty hot lol)

Flagging here too. Today is the last dance practical exams. DD is mostly stressed by the fact that it involves relying on others to do well as she had to pick other students to perform her choreography and the other part is a trio with girls who couldnt care less about it.

I also find the "must get an 8/9" silly. 9 is meant to be the top of A* and is typically achieved by 2 to 5% of pupils (i think even less in english lit). In my DDs eyes anything below a 7 is crap. She got a 5 in chemistry (1 mark off a 6 and a strange mark on one of the 8 markers, so likely to become a "just" 6) and she sobbed all evening. Mind she had worked hard and it didnt pay off, but it's also not a subject she needs for A level... The pressure is insane. She got 78865 in her mocks, still waiting on 2 results, i think it's absolutely amazing. I've managed to convince her to take 2 days off revision during easter but i think she feels better when shes working so we will be "locking in" (seems to be the new in expression in my house) the rest of the time.

DDs school has a 6th form but intake is less than half the school year never seen yr13 where hoodies.
My DD said she would rather a school Yr book than a hoodie.

Ah see DSs school is only up to 16 so everyone is leaving. I imagine if schools have 6th forms they maybe do leavers hoodies after year 13 instead.

Leavers hoodies sound nice, I don’t think DS’s school do those. He had one in primary and spent most of yr7 in it so a bit of a shame but also it’s a bit weird given that a lot of them will be right back at school for sixth form.

I know you are right that he probably needs the bank holiday off but also I have booked opticians, dentists appointments and we sort prom outfit (I know, very late) all of which he will find very stressful and will also put him off revision and his birthday so the holidays suddenly doesn’t seem very long! But I’ve had a think and reckon we have 6/14 days we aren’t doing anything so might just insist on lots of revision on those days.

I think a break over the Easter 4 days could be a good idea for any that have been working hard up to now.
They need time to rest recuperate and recharge ready for the slog of exams.

I am definitely going to give DS the bank holidays off at least as he is definitely flagging when he needs to be ramping up instead. A little break seems like it might help.

We got the leavers hoodie email today and pleasantly surprised they are only £25. I was expecting more than that.

DS1 also struggling. Part of me wants to be low key over Easter and give him some days off so he gets some stamina back for the final straight and the other part thinks he needs to do all the work I can get out of him. He had a bit of a melt down over Sociology over the weekend and I think he’s started to feel that it’s all a bit hopeless :(. To be fair, 1 8 mark question (set for homework- on the area they had just done in class) took him over an hour to do so I was feeling a bit hopeless too - I did not of course say this!

Definitely feels relentless DD got told by head (also her subject teacher) to avoid competing in athletics this year ! It's a mix of DD and school pushing for 8,9s she was disappointed to get a 7 in Feb mocks. I had to convince her she had great results.

DS seems to save his poos for a once-a-week effort that inevitably blocks the toilet. We have a plunger behind the sink specially.

He's chosen Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Physics. Although he's trying to drop Physics to do Business Studies instead. I've said it's too similar to Economics but he wants to do it as an "easy" option.

DD’s had her alevel options accepted and confirmed (staying at school sixth form) which is great news - English literature, history, biology and psychology (new for her). They start with four with a view to dropping one.

What have your kids chosen?

@FlyingPandas my son disappears for leisurely poos too 🤣
He is also too chilled, I have to ‘remind’ him to revise and chivvy him along. I hope he’s going to develop some self efficacy soon. He did well in most mocks, but he’s forgotten a lot of content now as mocks were early December. He also did poorly in history and French, but has put more effort into these subjects, but, I still think not enough

DS seems quite chilled out about the whole thing at the moment despite being in a private school where the majority get 7s 8s and 9s. I do know of some DC in other schools who are really anxious about things though - I suspect partly because they're in friendship groups where everyone is super conscientious and they're working each other up into a frenzy.

On the one hand I'm pleased DS is not stressed and panicking but I would love him to have a little more structure and a little less procrastination. He must spend at least 50% of every revision session on the toilet!

Big push for 8/9 here too (private school) but dd has her own very set high expectations and gets really anxious at the thought of not achieving these.