Y11 2025/26 The Final Stretch

I had NO idea either. It was a fluke find on a chest X-ray! It was a minimal curve right until the day of her op. All diagnosed and operated on within 8 months. Thankfully she recovered really well, has an invisible scar and now has enviable posture! I hope your dd isn’t in pain with it

I would love that t-shirt @Caddycat !!!!

I bought some today too. Im going to make her a little basket with bits and pieces - so far i have rescue remedy sweets, eye mask, a couple of her favourite coffees, a little pebble saying you got this and a top from hollister with the quote from Legally Blonde " What, like it's hard?". I debated the appropriateness of the top for days, but she loves the musical and she will find the reference funny... 😅🙈

Off topic but just wanted to say my dd had scoliosis; she had full spinal fusion four years ago. Happy to chat if you need!

Oh your poor DD.

My next question is going to be informed by being a long time invigilator, so i hope I don't overstep- is the Exams officer fully aware of her hyper-mobility? Are they able to adapt to her using a WP if she does need it even mid-exam? I usually invigilate 1-1 and have had candidates swap from handwritten to either Trelson or WP mid-exam if they need it. It just needs to be correctly recorded so there is no doubt it was a half and half or whatever. It might be that different schools have different approaches so I hope your exams officer is keeping you posted about it all.

Yes, they'll have access to teachers, and DS works reasonably well at home - though is all too good at taking breaks @36and3 and not necessarily quite so good at getting started again after a break !!

The academic side isn't really an issue tbh - he's predicted straight 9s, has consistently achieved these across the board in every mock taken and will willingly seek feedback and support from teachers (though I am trying to manage expectations sensibly and prepare him for the fact he might not manage straight 9s in the real things). It's more the lack of social interaction with peers that worries me. DS is actually pretty sociable when presented with the opportunities on a plate (ie chatting to friends at school or if invited to something) but doesn't have the social 'oomph' to initiate contact or maintain this outside of school.

Study leave for us in 9 days too! She works really hard at home but I’m sending her to the grandparents whilst we’re working. If anything, my mum will make sure she’s eating properly and taking breaks!

They ought to have access to their teachers too at this time?

If it helps any child to make a decision I invigilated for an A-level mock earlier this year. The young man was chatting about GCSEs afetrwards and he said that staying at school and having access to the library and his teacher turned his predicted Grade 6 in English to an 8. Because he was lucky enough to be able to hunt his teacher down and ask for clarification on things as and when.

Good luck! I can’t wait for it all to be over, roll on 15 June!

I’m going to try to persuade him @MabelsBeats and they also will have access to the school library. Not sure if he’ll be receptive to the suggestion but I’ll try!

Hi @FlyingPandasmy DD will also shortly be off on study leave. She has said that some of her classmates are going to keep coming in through study leave as they work best in school and the school library will welcome them. I’m sure you’ve thought of this already but would your DS consider going into school regardless?

I’ve yet to hear anything positive about art GCSE tbh - friends with DC who have taken it have commented how it’s had a detrimental impact on all other subject revision and pretty much destroyed their original interest in art too. DS is taking DT which has a 50% NEA and that’s been bad enough. He also opted to not to do either history or geography, which worried me at the time, but reading all the comments about history content here maybe he made the right decision.

DS is back to school today for a princely 9
days (!) before going on study leave. Dreading that tbh, not that he’s difficult to have around the house because he’s not, it’s just the constant nagging about revision that gets me down and at least whilst he’s at school I know he’s productively occupied whilst I’m at work! Plus I don’t think it’s good for him to work from home all the time and he’s rubbish at staying in touch with friends when not at school. Just those brief social interactions in between classes, during lunchtime, at the beginning and end of the day etc are so good for him. And study leave will take all that away. Hey ho. Can’t do anything about it so just need to keep encouraging him to stay in touch with people.

Good luck to everyone for MFL speaking and any other early exams!

I think posters are right about history . I think it’s great for them to study history just to give them awareness of societies past mistakes if nothing else . However DS1 turned a 9 prediction into a 6 … DS2 dropped it in January as it was causing crippling anxiety

My son still not finished learning history in class!! The content is enormous

My son still not finished learning history in class!! The content is enormous

So glad I found this thread, DD has art today and french speaking tomorrow, only done 1 mock of the higher paper which is adding to her stress

If it's any consolation DS1 also had to finish off swathes of history himself as they just didn't have time to teach it all- and they were having an extra hour after school a week on it. I think he finally has, but it was only in the past couple of days.

Agree art is brutal. DS1's best friend is doing art and his mum told me that it's really as if he has no time for any other subject.

Ah good luck for the speaking! Dd was petrified but her teacher was super lovely and she said smiled at her throughout her chat. I think that’s the best part, it not being a total stranger.

I think im glad it’s close now just to get it all over. Child is very very bright but cramming at the last mo is not going to get fantastic grades. I agree with others that this experience has only taught me That I think it all needs an over haul. Too much content, finishing topics right before exams etc. everyone who takes art seems to say the same. But tbh even PE coursework was huge hours for very few %

German speaking tomorrow here. Really feels like the first proper one - though he does Drama too so has done 60% of that already so it’s not the absolute first thing. Then next he has German (reading?) and citizenship on 7 May.
I’ve bought him some rescue remedy spray as thought it might be at least a placebo to calm him tomorrow but he’s a bit reluctant to take it to school! Will give him a spray before he goes…

DS has French tomorrow. My French is currently better than it has been for 30 plus years! I have also done DS PIP application with him which makes GCSE revision very very easy in comparison. It does help put things in perspective.