Had it with people telling me not to worry my year 10 is bright and will 'catch up'

[thisisthebestoftimes]

Feeling thoroughly fed up today. DS was on track for high grades in all his GCSEs - I was almost smug about it. I'm getting so annoyed with lots of people in RL and many on MN saying it's only a few months, they'll catch up. How the hell is that going to happen, plus time to revise as all previous GCSE years have had? Just had my SIL moaning that her year 2 is missing out on handwriting practice because he won't do it with her but my ds will be fine because 'he's bright'. I could scream!

I don't blame you. It's a shit time for a young person to be facing this situation.

I don't blame you,
BUT
has he been working?

If so, then if he is bright and has been working he is going to be amongst those least hit. GCSEs are marked 'on a curve' not to an absolute standard.

My DD is an academic struggler, and her MH has crumbled and she is managing nothing. She can't currently even cope with being in school as a 'vulnerable child'. She was on track to just about pass things. God knows where she will be at.

It’s because many people have been brainwashed in to believing this virus is as deadly as the plague.... they are happy to keep schools closed for the next few months, years etc... they actively want that. That’s why the government has dove a U turn.

The fuss people are making about this is something I don’t think will be comprehendible I’m a few years. We’ll look back and think what an overreaction.

‘Sod the kids’ and they’d education is what many think sadly OP and they couldn’t care less how our children will suffer.

The back lash of this and the affects will be felt for years but some people can’t see the woods for the trees and won’t be happy until the schools aren’t allowed to open until Sept 2021.

It’s absolutely disgusting

I feel for year 10's . My dd is year 11 and will hopefully get her very high target grades . Year 10 and 12 are a different matter . I presume they will just remove the part they have missed from the curriculum and exams .

ooh They can't remove things from the curriculum/exams unless they are things definitely to not be done before y11, as different schools teach things in different orders.
What they could do for some subjects is say things like only best 3 from 4 topics/questions to count. However whereas that might be OK for English Lit, it wouldn't be helpful for e.g. Eng Lang or Maths.

Of course it is shit, but how else do you get through difficult times? By letting your dc think this is the end of it and they can never catch up again?

My dd went through far more difficult times during her year at secondary, affecting far more than a few months and which certainly did not give her the option of working at home. It is what it is. She is still young, she can find ways around, accept that sometimes things have to be deferred or will require extra work, but that in the long run there are usually things you can do to catch up.

I think we spend far too much time telling young people that everything must be just so, that they've got to get everything exactly right and if you've missed your one chance, that's it. It doesn't help to build resilience.

Fair point but I'm sure there is a solution like you have offered . I don't overly know how it works but they will do something I'm sure . I feel for our year there will be uproar if the kids don't at least get their target grades if they have consistently hit them during secondary .

YANBU

I hate it too - and yes DD1 Y10 is working.

She's done the pitiful amount set by the school,and yes I've been in touch with the school, and the extra we ask Tassomai, Secena, duolingo, WJEC workbooks in subjects we've found and the exercises in the revsison books we have.

Is it enough - no idea.

I'm worried now about our younger children but not to same extent as they have time to catch up. I'm also concerned about p/t learning next year and worried about pressue she may come under next year to "catch up".

Having our concerns dismissed whether by people who schools are doing full time tables or by people with no children or by people with younger kids - is very annoying.

The fuss people are making about this is something I don’t think will be comprehendible I’m a few years. We’ll look back and think what an overreaction.

Those of us who have friends who had sustained what now looks like permanent damage to lungs and cardiovascular system might prefer if people didn't refer to this as a ridiculous fuss. And no, I'm not talking about 90yos who would have been dead by the end of the year. I am talking of previously healthy young people who thought they had a lifetime of work in front of them. But who will not feature in any statistics because nobody's keeping tabs of people who aren't actually dead. They now reckon 1 in 10 people will be ill for longer than 3 weeks: some of those are people who fell ill at the start of the pandemic and are still ill.

I understand that sometimes risks have to be taken and at some point we are going to have to get back to normal. BUT COULD PEOPLE PLEASE STOP MAKING LIGHT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S SUFFERINGS. Having long-term damage to your heart and lungs is actually rather different from having to retake your GCSE's. (And I speak as the mother of a ds who did have to retake GCSEs).

I am not saying schools shouldn't go back. But seriously ill people should not be made light of in the process.

I have a 'bright' Y10 group.

I think perhaps people trot out this line to reassure you but I can see why it feels dismissive.

I have tried to set meaningful work for my class that makes the most of their time. I honestly believe they will 'catch up', because progress isn't linear, and they tend to make the biggest leaps in the final few months of Y11 as the reality of exams hits and they mature.

It's not ideal, but missing 2 out of 29 terms of secondary education is 6% of their total school time, and so as long as they get a decent chunk of hours done each week, I am confident I can get them to where they need to be by next year.

The exam regulator in Wales have said they'll look at the situation - so hopefully they'll have some plan in time for teachers and schools to plan around it for next school year.

YANBU.
I keep being told this too and I think people are trying to be supportive, but I just feel a bit patronised by it.

Yes he's doing the set work but I've no idea if that's enough or if he's doing it right as the work isn't actually submitted and marked. Not criticising his school, the lessons look pretty good - power points with links to videos etc.

I have a yr10 too and no way is he doing as much work as some of my friends who’s kids are at private school.
My ds is trying his best with the work school have set but with no teaching and guidance he struggles with some things and spends hours trying to learn from websites.
He was so sad the other day trying to learn logical gateways in IT saying he wished he was at school so a teacher could just explain it to him.
I really feel for all the year 10s.

If you are so worried, presumably you are checking what he is submitting and giving as much constructive feedback as you can? And ensuring that he has a textbook for every subject and is reading ahead? And watching all the relevant Oak Academy stuff at his level? And doing practice questions and papers from the wealth of easily available books on the market? No point wringing your hands about it, you need to do something practical.

Hmm that's odd, every teacher I have spoken to in different schools has at least some way of marking/ feeding back on work, even if it is only every couple of weeks. I'm in a very big, inner city state school and we are marking a Y10 piece every 2 weeks.

I would either a) ask to see the instruction emails from his teachers to check he hasn't misunderstood how to submit work and/or

b) email his tutor/ the school and say 'My child 'x' seems to be completing the work but has not had any feedback. Can you please clarify the marking policy for work set during school closure so I can check he is completing work properly? Thank you for your support, I have been pleased by the quality of the lessons so far'.

I have replied to about 6 emails of a similar ilk so far today. I don't mind - it shows parents are supportive, and sometimes teenagers are very good at spinning a yarn that does not quite match up to reality!

@waytheleaveswork I have decided I will do that. I've checked every piece of work he's been given and teachers have just said 'do these questions etc., the marking sheet will be sent with the next lesson'. In fairness, he knows he can email them if he needs to but assures me he's fine which is why I've not said anything about it.