Y11 2025-26 - Trying not to melt and pushing through the final weeks

@makemineadecaf @EducaatingRita DD can wear what she likes 95% of the time so going shopping just for jeans new tops etc the other 5% they get notice to wear business style.
@Littletreefrog when I worked in accountancy over 2 decades ago it was business attire every day I had a few suits trousers and 1/2 skirts.

The odd thing is that he really isn't! He's quite happy to stay in his room most of the time, emerging only for brief forays to the fridge. The last time he went camping was for DofE in year 9, where he survived mainly on Doritos. I'm quite interested to see how he gets on with this hike.

Talking of business wear, it always amuses me that I have to dress up more for governors meetings at school than I do to go to work. I have a senior corporate office job so wear business casual. Most of my colleagues wear jeans and band t-shirts. I have a suit jacket for some of my stuffier external meetings but haven't worn one in the office since about 2009.

https://open.substack.com/pub/dominicsalles/p/why-english-examiners-struggle?r=3qh9my&utm_medium=ios

this is a bit depressing especially if you have a boy or tomboy who likes football!!

I'm always intrigued by the business wear for 6th form thing. My 6th form we still had uniform and neither of my sons went/are going to 6th form. However I do work in an accountancy office and regularly visit solicitors, so very 'business' and it's mostly dresses with pockets or trousers with some sort of jumper/top that's not a blouse. Also dress down Fridays and "actually it's really hot today just wear what you want" days. I can't remember the last pencil skirt and blouse/jacket combo I saw. Obviously your children will want to wear what's normal for their 6th form but it does always make me wonder what they think when they join actual businesses.

Good for them. Short short skirts here! (With black tights)

Same here. But def no skirts, the girls all want to wear trousers..

Yep also need a whole new wardrobe for sixth form. She’s staying at her school so although no uniform they have to wear “business wear” so it’ll be lots of blouses, pencil skirts and jackets

I'm a bit behind, but DD enjoyed the music in the WJEC exam. Dolly Parton 9-5, Madonna Vogue, Toto Africa and others. Took lots of effort to concentrate and answer the questions (and not dance through the exam!)

Twinkle Twinkle sounds a bit..... bonkers!

DD and her friends aren't at the partying and festival stage yet so I think the main celebration will be prom which is only a few days after last exam. We already took DD on a theatre trip in half term to celebrate the work she's done. She'll be doing lots of sailing over the summer and has a week camping and a trip abroad with Scouts. We're going to have a few days away in the UK after results to do some fun activities.

Wow your son sounds so adventurous 🤩

What a shame! I went youth hostelling around Wales with my German penpal in the summer between lower and upper sixth. We had a great time.

Youth hostel doesn’t let youth stay!!! Unbelievable

I'm taking DS for a week abroad on the 17th. Very much looking forward to that, although I had no idea when I booked it that he was actually supposed to be on VIth Form transition days 😳He's got prom at the beginning of July and then our family holiday at the beginning of August. In between, he wants to take himself on a coast-to-coast hike and write a book(!). He wants to camp on his hike as the YHA has stopped allowing unaccompanied under-18s to stay. I'm not having kittens about it at all, of course...

DD is trying to sort friendship group so staying home. She has had a few invites to party's and another year group meeting before prom in July. Taking her and a friend to a festival her brother is taking her to a theme park. She also wants to go couple of shopping trips as apparently needs whole new wardrobe for 6th form 🙄

We’ve not actually planned anything but I was inspired and said to him I’d pay for him and a couple of friends to go to a theme park for the day!

Oh I hear you!

After our trip to Italy, DD is going away for a week to France with friends, then on our family holiday for 2 weeks (1 of her friends is flying out to join us for the 2nd week) then 2 festivals (including Reading). All fully paid for by me!

She does earn a lot doing regular babysitting but all that money appears to go on clothes and beauty!

This summer my daughter is trying to fit in somewhere:

• a short horsey camping trip to Norfolk with her friend and our horses for some beach riding and hacking;
• Centre Parcs for a few days with same friend;
• A trip to France to visit another friend who moved there;
• a part-time job (🤞🏻 );
• a weeks' holiday with me somewhere;
• a trip to Germany to visit family.

It doesn't help that I'm absolutely flat out broke 😬😬😬

Unfortunately, the cheapest week to go on holiday would be the week they finish in June and we can't go because of prom and a school-organised day trip to a theme park for the Year 11s. So we can't really take advantage of the cheap holiday prices, as they creep up soon after. It's actually cheaper to go away in August.

We are off on holiday on Friday 19 June. We booked for then as originally DS was having surgery in July. Now we are booking other holidays in July and August. We only have one child and I haven’t had a holiday since August

Off to visit family for nephews first birthday the weekend after the last exam. Then a villa in Europe in the summer holidays. We needed to stick with summer holidays for DS1s job which was a bit of a disappointment but the fact he still wants to come on holiday with us is a blessing so I'm willing to pay the price.

We’re off to Greece for two weeks as soon as other DD finishes at school, at the very start of July. On the 15th itself I don’t think we’ll do anything as work and life just carries on, but that weekend she’s having her hair done at a fancy salon and we’ll then go for a nice lunch to celebrate. Can’t wait.

Our prom is 29th June then we have to wait for dh to get back from the World Cup (!) before we go away mid July

We considered an early summer holiday but prom is early July, and after that the prices for holiday lets in Europe were no better than August due to France etc already being on holiday. Actually being in work every day in August wasn't very attractive either!

DS is planning various things - he's not bothered about Reading but I am sure will be visiting various theme parks and other activities and I think there's also talk of a camping trip.

He finishes on 15th June and will celebrate with friends that week - I'm sure we'll manage a celebratory meal out at some point but we can't go away until later in the summer. We're tied to state school term-times because of my work, and DH has commitments that take him through to early August. We will just about manage to squeeze in a week away between DH's deadlines and results day!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. DS is focusing mainly on science and DT now - he has four exams next week, biology 2/further maths 2/chemistry 2/DT (just one exam for DT due to NEA). Then just physics 2 and further maths 2 the week after. Really does feel like we're on the home strait, I can't wait to clear the revision notes off the dining table!!

Ds is going off with his band, they're playing Isle of White festival straight after exams then 1 in Spain then a few few the summer so he'll be busy.
From us ive promised cash so he'll have money to spend through summer.

We’re going on a spa break when I finish for summer holidays (quite early in my Trust) - it was a 16th birthday present, delayed until after exams. It is the only thing keeping me going atm 😆