Y11 2025-26 Results Day and Next Steps

@cherrywhite that is a hard decision, especially when your hearing about people have big marks up. Are you able to get anothet teachet to look at it for 2nd opinion ?

DD is not to happy about school rules joys of staying on at school 6th form. No late starts got to be there at 8.45 regsrdless of first lesson time and earliest they can leave is 2.20pm.

I also agree about about college 6th form having better extras. Not much on offer at school 6th form.

Ds had induction yesterday and first lessons today.
I told him he didn't need to go in until lunchtime and he said what about form? I explained that is gone. He's autistic and always used to go in early to get settled for the day before form even started. Somehow we need to work out a new routine for him.

In the end he went in early because we couldn't get Teams to work on his laptop and all the subjects have set up Teams channels. So I said to go and see if he could find someone to help.

@FlyingPandas Can congratulations on your ds winning a prize.

DD had her first day seems lots got to stay on even ones who hadnt met the grades so not sute if numbers are down. Think about 100 to 125 kids.
DD does not need to do PE after all as it clashes with further maths.

DD starts back tomorrow, her school accepted her on her chosen A-Levels despite the disappointing English Language result.

I'm stunned to see the grade uplifts for the AQA English Lit remarks! We'd decided not to go for an English Language remark as she only scraped a 4 (had consistently scored a 6 all through Y10 and Y11, so it was a shock).

However, I'm now up in the air again trying to decide what to do. It's 8 marks to a 5. The English teacher has looked at it and says that in some areas the marks are low, but she agrees with the marking in others. We've had the warning that the marks could go down, which has scared us as we can't afford for the mark to go down as she'd then 'fail' it. Are there any online marking tools that might give an idea?

DS is at an all boys school with girls in the sixth form - this morning we spotted two girls from his primary school going in. I am hoping he lets me in on the romance gossip!

Oh that's interesting thank you! I've encouraged him to speak to the head of sixth form today so let's see

My DS starts tomorrow, in our area schools don’t have 6th forms really as there are 3 very big sixth form colleges, one super academic, one more mixed, one with very applied. Schools have tried to compete but so many had sixth forms but closed as students all left to go to one of the colleges. If you want a small sixth form here, and not to do the IB you go private.

My daughter did RE A Level and never once was it called that by anyone except on exam documents. It was always just called ‘Philosophy’, as that’s essentially what it is.

Good luck to all the starters!

DS got some of his teacher details last night and is delighted that he has the same English teacher. History teacher he doesn't know very well. He is still umming and ahhing between Psychology and RE for the 4th choice. He really wants to do philosophy but they don't offer it except for within RE. Really hoping he manages to have a sensible conversation with someone at today's induction.

DD’s first day today (just induction I think - the actual lessons don’t start until next week). She’s really nervous - I went in to wake her and she said she’d hardly slept. I’m sure she will be fine when she gets there - hopefully. She doesn’t know anyone which makes it scarier and I think she’s worried about missing the bus too.

Ultimately kids are all so different and some thrive in small settings and find huge ones terrifying, others vv. Dd got a place at a massively oversubscribed college with 2000 kids in across the two year groups- that’s far more than her school from age 2-18! She had a huge wobble about it and decided to stay at her school sixth form where there will be 70ish kids in the year group and that’s absolutely fine. She doesn’t start until Monday and just needs to get going now I think.

@ifonlytheydlistenour sixth form requires minimal grades to get in but I concur that there are many positives to the big college.

i agree that comparing a levels across institutions does not always show if the cohort achieving the results has been selected or is a comprehensive intake.

Some state non selective comps near us have small 6th forms as they demand very high entry grades eg all 7+
So most kids can’t stay on at own schools.
Those school then brag about how many As they get at A level etc and how academically excellent they are.
Nuts.
DD is going to a big fantastic outstanding college with endless enrichment and lots additional support. Equally great results across a broader spectrum and much better overall offer imo

DTs started sixth form today, back at their secondary school. Looks like not many stayed on and everyone went to the college instead. Not sure how these rural school sixth forms will compete. Lots of schools have already closed their sixth forms soon there will be no alternative to the college.

DD sorted her A level choices today without any fuss in the end. Head of sixth form apparently was happy to sign her up to what she wanted - 4 A levels with the plan to quickly drop one - including 1 she was a few marks off the required grade. She had sent an email in advance stating her case though. DD had requested 2 scripts a week ago but not come through yet, hopefully will be quick now school is back open.

That’s amazing news but also quite shocking!

@JTro that's incredible, and quite concerning TBH. Well done your DD!

DS enjoyed his first day of VIth form. He knew a few people from football, went out for pizza at lunchtime and is delighted with the concept of a sixth form common room. No lessons today but plenty of pep talks and he got his timetable.

DD started 6th form today. Phoned me very excitedly to tell me she's swapping A Level History for Drama 🙈 but keeping English Lit and Politics. Oh well, if it makes her happy, that's the main thing, she really has had a tough few years and deserves a bit of joy in her life.

She has been out of school since Yr8, so her actually getting the grades she needed for 6th form is nothing short of miraculous.

Good luck to those starting tomorrow and @Littletreefrog your lad sounds fab, what a bloody trooper he is!

That's an amazing amount, almost sounds like they missed out marking a whole section or something. It would be nice to think if the marking is found to be that incorrect all the paper would be checked again. I imagine there are a lot of kids out there for one reason or another don't get papers remarked that could also get improved grades if they did.

Oops quoted the wrong poster but this was in relation to the poster with a 30 mark increase.

Wow @JTroyou’ve given me the impetus to email DS teacher. Hopefully it’s not too late

Sixth form starts tomorrow!

Wow!! I thought our 13 marks was huge but that was just one paper.

Or give them a week and then follow up with them.

Ah ok, thank you. So if they think it is worth it they will let us know so we can request it. Thats very helpful.

I will wait to see if I hear from them and if not then presume they felt the marks were correct

Teachers can't put in for reviews of marking - it has to be done by the student requesting it. I've emailed a couple of my students today - one to say "leave it" and one to say "go for it"