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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be LIVID with DS's secondary school

74 replies

LemurintheSun · 05/03/2017 12:32

OK, so it's a couple of months or so before GCSE's begin. DS's best subjects are Chemistry, Physics & Maths; so his A Level applications mainly focus on those subjects. In November, his target grades for all three sciences were As. He didn't do brilliantly in his mocks and got a B and two Cs; but his predicted grades in all three sciences remained Bs, according to info provided at the parent's evening last month. To stay in his current school he would need an A and two Bs in science; to go to another local school to which he has applied, he would need to get those three Bs, and then there is a local college as the final back-up, where he could take A levels or BTECs. I've just seen his exam timetable, which shows that he has been put down for the foundation level exams in biology, which means a max grade of C is possible according to DS. No-one from the school has formally told us any of us this, which has huge implications for his future. (Also applies to one other subject, but that is not something related to his future intention, so I'm inclined to let it lie.) I will be phoning the school on Monday. What should I say, without swearing profusely? AIBU to be LIVID that they would think of doing that without discussing it with us properly?

OP posts:

BlackDoglet · 05/03/2017 14:32

he may end up going to a much rougher school because of this decision, if it is a decision & not a mistake. And so bullying, dodgy friends, poor results etc become more likely

BlackDoglet · 05/03/2017 14:34

hit button too soon...

Woah... < he may end up going to a much rougher school because of this decision, if it is a decision & not a mistake. And so bullying, dodgy friends, poor results etc become more likely >

So, if a 'C' is achieved, more bullying/dodgy/poor results. My DC will hopefully, with a lot of work, achieve Cs, I can assure you, this does not mean they will be a bully and have dodgy friends! My DC will work very hard to get those Cs...

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 05/03/2017 14:36

As I see it, he may end up going to a much rougher school because of this decision, if it is a decision & not a mistake. And so bullying, dodgy friends, poor results etc become more likely.

You what?

puglife15 · 05/03/2017 14:40

I got a D in my biology mock (with a U in part of it!) and a B in the real thing. I studied much harder for the real exams and was always a bit of a last minute Larry. If your son was just having an off day and usually performs above expectation in exams then I'd push for the higher paper. My teachers didn't know me as well as they thought and encouraged me to apply to ex polytechnic unis needing C grades. I got straight As at A level with commendation in one subject and could've applied to Oxbridge.

puglife15 · 05/03/2017 14:41

But you are of course YABU to be livid.

unlucky83 · 05/03/2017 14:43

It is likely to be a communication thing - teachers have lots of pupils to think about and they do get it wrong/forget. (And maybe the teacher has said something to your DS that he didn't quite follow/appreciate its importance...)
You can still be cross...just don't go in guns blazing - phone the head of dept and query it. Remain calm and polite...
MY DD1 has ADHD and I am supposed to have a higher level of communication with the school, especially regarding things like coursework). This is Scotland so different exams but I was told at a parent's evening in one subject in February (in a dept that was really disorganised ime) that DD would have to repeat the year...she wasn't on course for an A or B so couldn't continue to the next level anyway and would fail that year because she hadn't completed her coursework....
She didn't want to do that subject to a higher level, she just needed to pass...and repeating a year would have taken away a choice of something she did want to do. The teacher had spoken to DD but she didn't really understand the implications and also thought she was being told that is what had to happen. As it was she got the coursework done for the exam board deadline (March) and got a C which was all she needed (and I cheered that she and I no longer needed to deal with that dept...)

Original poster

LemurintheSun · 05/03/2017 14:54

BlackDoglet, RafalsTheKingOfClay - it isn't the max grade C itself that is the problem. Of course, many DCs - including perhaps my own - will work hard to get that. It is the resulting unavoidable change of school that I worry about. And maybe unfairly - but his first primary school was chosen with a certain naivity (good school but tougher area) and he was nastily bullied. I do not want him to have to face that kind of stuff at both ends of his school career. Do you think all schools are completely equal in that respect, or that I have enough information to judge the likelihood. 'Cos I don't.

OP posts:

ghostyslovesheets · 05/03/2017 14:59

before going down the BTEC/Apprenticeship route (different learning but not easy btw) maybe start with what your DS was hoping to do after A levels?

3rdrockfromthesun · 05/03/2017 15:05

I don't know if this will help but I didn't revise for my gcse mocks so I obviously got a bad grade. I was told that I was being put forward for the foundation science paper - I begged my science teacher to put me on the higher paper (which he did) and I got AA.

So teachers are willing to change if asked

BlueBerryBiscuit · 05/03/2017 15:06

Exam entries are done now but amendments can be made for no cost (dates depend on which board) so you do need to speak to either the Exams office (they can check the entry is what the teacher intended) and then the head of department. Some schools enter cautiously and then have another set of mock before the amendment deadlines to double check.
It's not too late to check and change now.

Londonsburningahhhh · 05/03/2017 15:08

The highest grade is a C I checked online act quickly.

Witchend · 05/03/2017 15:10

I would have expected them to talk to him and him to sort it out at that age.
Dd1's year 11 and when she got the provisional entry she'd been missed off one exam. She went and sorted it (I hope anyway!)

Trifleorbust · 05/03/2017 15:24

Make sure you are not conflating your anger about the lack of communication with your anger about the change of tier itself or his academic performance. Lots of students do not achieve their target or predicted grades; targets are based on ability and ignore work ethic, and predicted grades are supposed to reflect what a student might achieve in their best day, since they would be used in the event of exceptional circumstances leading to lost/missing coursework or extenuating circumstances on the exam. It is not the school's fault if your DS hasn't been working hard enough this year.

Original poster

LemurintheSun · 05/03/2017 15:28

All a bit vague, ghostylovesheets. But so was I at that age. He's long had uni "ambitions" (mainly for the lifestyle - knows both of us loved the uni years, made great friend there - and thrived on the academic stuff btw), but I'm encouraging him to look at all the options. I am well aware that anything worth doing needs work & hope I get that across. I suspect he may do best when faced with something real world & less abstract. He's also attracted by ICT courses at which would play to his strengths & provide another possible route. I honestly don't know what is best. His choice, ultimately, within whatever the circumstances allow.

OP posts:

Original poster

LemurintheSun · 05/03/2017 15:29

friend"s"

OP posts:

lavenderandrose · 05/03/2017 15:30

I would be angry at this too, OP.

I hope you manage to get it sorted.

donquixotedelamancha · 05/03/2017 15:48

Have him do at least one past paper a week for one of: Biol, Chem, Maths, Physics (not all, just one each week). For each paper, make him mark it himself and do at least one hour of googling the stuff he didn't know and rewriting model answers (using the mark scheme for clues) where he dropped marks. Get him to make question cards for the stuff he repeatedly struggles to recall.

That's about 2.5 hours a week. Make sure he covers all the papers for a series (e.g. for AQA Biology that's B1, B2, B3) by the exams- so extra in hols. If he does 3 of every paper and makes sure he learns everything he doesn't understand he'll get As, even if he's a C student. Even if he just does one full year's worth of papers he'll do OK.

A B in English is equally important, get him to chat to his English teacher if this isn't certain.

Crumbs1 · 05/03/2017 15:53

I too would be quite angry that school had not communicated that he had a restriction on his achievements. Foundation tier is very limiting and whilst it might see more children getting c grades it is really unfair on those who could be stretched to more.
Our housekeeper's daughter suffered from similar and wanted to go to university but was only put in for Foundation tier so hadn't got the grades for entry to the sixth form locally. Her mother didn't understand the difference this made - was told the girl was doing really well etc etc and by time she realised it was too late. Poor girl was devastated and sadly ended up working in a local laundry.
Go and get it sorted ASAP

ghostyslovesheets · 05/03/2017 15:57

A level tend to keep things vague - BTECs and apprenticeships are job or job area specific which makes things hard if they change plans

Are their any other subjects he's doing well at at GCSE that he could take at A level?

Ingles2 · 05/03/2017 16:04

It'll just be an admin error, which is why they send out the statement of entry. Ds2 is also about to do GCSEs and his first statement said he was taking core/additional science not 3 singles and foundation level geog. All sorted by speaking to the exam office. In the case of geog, all dc were entered for foundation until the results of the coursework were finalised. Here the level of paper depends on how well they've done in the coursework.

RaspberryOverloadsOnChilli · 05/03/2017 16:29

OP, you seem to be worried that a change of school might affect your son's chances at A level.

In our town, all children have to change school to take A levels, as all our secondary schools are 11-16 only.

Doesn't seem to have done DD any harm in this last year. In fact, she's gained a lot of independence as she opted for a college in our local city, and not the college in town. It's not all doom and gloom.

Original poster

LemurintheSun · 05/03/2017 17:55

Thanks donquixotedelamancha - sounds a good plan.

OP posts:

ZZZZ1111 · 05/03/2017 18:55

Surely the school would have discussed the change with him? When I was doing my GCSEs everyone knew what paper they would be taking.

cricketballs · 05/03/2017 19:08

A level tend to keep things vague - BTECs and apprenticeships are job or job area specific which makes things hard if they change plans

But bad A level grades are expecting end worse. There are generally BTECs like Business for example that keep many doors open

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