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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

New Year 12 starters parent support thread (snappy title eh?)

999 replies

OhYouBadBadKitten · 31/08/2016 19:19

here we are.

OP posts:
Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 31/08/2016 19:21

old thread here

back later!

OP posts:
FantasyAndHope · 31/08/2016 19:26

Hi
Gosh we've come far

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 31/08/2016 19:54

we have!!

Nice that some of our dc are starting to find out what they will be doing come next week :)

dd had an email from her second choice sixth form asking her to reconsider accepting them. No chance! dd is happy with her place.

OP posts:
Flowersandthorns · 31/08/2016 20:06

Hi,

Can I come and join you? My DS is due to start a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Engineering but has had a change of heart and wants to do a course based more in the construction industry. He has an interview next week and depending on who he speaks to there may or may not be a place come his interview. I think he will just be glad when he knows for sure what he will be doing but is really hoping for the new course. And so the uncertainty continues.....

FantasyAndHope · 31/08/2016 20:14

DD is desperate to see her timetable but won't see it till next Tuesday. We have subjects confirmed. Hard to believe this time last week DD couldn't sleep or eat as she was fretting about results

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 31/08/2016 20:20

of course you can join us Flowers, welcome! good luck to your ds, it sounds like he is at a real crossroads. I hope the interview goes well. It's difficult to not have a clue what will happen next. Makes it very hard to plan.

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ExitPursuedBySpartacus · 31/08/2016 20:27

Sigh

EllenJanethickerknickers · 31/08/2016 20:34

DS2 enrolled today at college but only after we got home (after 2 hours of seeing 10 different sets of people) I realised that at stage 7 (!) with finance people his course seemed to have changed from a level 3 diploma moving to an extended diploma in Y13 (worth 3 A levels) to a subsidiary diploma (only worth 1 A level.)

By the time I realised and rang them it was 20 minutes before the end of the day and the student support lady couldn't get to the bottom of it.

It was very busy there, they have a huge number of students starting and enrolment goes on until Tuesday. Today was computing, catering and something else beginning with C!

I'm sure it's just an error, because he's easily met the requirements. But he has ASD and an EHCP and the uncertainty over it has caused him a lot of anxiety. We're not sure his timetable is right now as that was step 9! So he's not even sure when he starts. I would imagine this subsidiary diploma will be less hours.

I go back to work tomorrow (at a secondary school) so won't be able to visit to sort it out. Everything will have to be done by email and phone, but I'm so busy at work in September it will be tricky to find the time during the day.

I know it's fairly minor but it's not to DS2. Sad

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 31/08/2016 20:40

That's not minor Ellen, it sounds like a bit of a nightmare and would make even the most sanguine of teens anxious.

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228agreenend · 31/08/2016 20:42

So we braved the further ed forum then.

228agreenend · 31/08/2016 20:50

Would you like the good news or bad news. The good news is that ds got two,of his remarked scores and maths went from an A to A*. English stayed the same (French hasn't come back yet). Ds literally whooped with joy (and so did I when I realised I'd get one lot of refund).

The bad news is that it means he has enough points (just) to return to his old school, so,ds is in a quandary again. Does he return to the famaliar super selective academic school (further away) where he is one of the lower ability, or,go to the nearer, academic school (also grammar) which he doesn't know, and probably will be in the top third of cohorts. As he said, it was easier when the decesion was made for him.

Ellenjane - I hope you manage to sort everything out soon
Welcome Flower. The uncertainty is horrible, isn't it.

Shineyshoes10 · 31/08/2016 20:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 31/08/2016 20:57

Wow 228, that was quick!!!! Dds teacher has disappeared from email so we still don't know wether she is going to go for a remark or not yet. Difficult decision but big congrats to your ds!

shiney, I can't remember (or perhaps don't know!) how your dd did in her GCSE maths?

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FantasyAndHope · 31/08/2016 21:01

ellen
That would shake DD up massively and she's not ASD. Hugs and I hope you get it sorted. With large quantities of students there's no wonder mistakes are made. Cake
228
Have a chat? Where is his heart saying to go? Maybe he needs a change? Some of DDs friends have being at her school since 3 months old and have moved. And yes you read 3 months old Correct

Shineyshoes10 · 31/08/2016 21:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

228agreenend · 31/08/2016 21:17

Can she start both and drop one if she finds it difficult?

TheSecondOfHerName · 31/08/2016 21:19

New thread title makes it seem real that they're not in Y11 anymore.

Welcome to Flowers.

228 I think he should go with which one feels right. Sorry, that's not super helpful, is it?

Operation readiness-for-A-level-Maths is about 40% complete. DS has gone out with friends this evening and will do some more tomorrow. He grasps concepts quickly but forgets them almost as quickly and so he doesn't have much confidence in his ability.

cloudyday99 · 31/08/2016 21:22

228 You've had remarks back already? That's fast

Original poster
OhYouBadBadKitten · 31/08/2016 21:24

shiney, with those grades absolutely she should do it. If not her, then who is it designed for?

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HesMyLobster · 31/08/2016 21:27

Ooh shiny new thread! Thankyou!

Ellen that sounds awful, your poor ds, I hope it is just a mistake and can be cleared up quickly.

228 That was so fast! Brilliant news on the maths, well done your ds! I know he now has a difficult decision ahead, but so good that he now has the choice that was taken away from him.

Flowers good luck to your ds for his interview, hope it goes the way he wants.

Shiney her teacher should be able to give her a pretty honest answer (to me it sounds like she just needs a confidence boost with those results!) Either way, it is probably a good idea to start the course and see how it goes.

Thinking back to this time last week - it feels like a long time ago already!

raspberryrippleicecream · 31/08/2016 21:33

I went up to school for a blood donor session today, remarkably stress free as my last 2 visits were for A level and GCSE results!

Everything is very calm here. DD says she will decide about FM depending on who else is doing it. It will be a fifth AS for her, so it is totally her decision.

Good luck to all those still trying to get sorted.

Flowersandthorns · 31/08/2016 21:39

Thank you for the welcome. I will just be glad when it is this time next week and all is sorted.
Ellen - that sounds very frustrating. I'm sure it is just an admin error.
228 although it presents another issue at least you have a successful remark. From what I have read these are harder to come by this year.
I have had a serious talk with my 14 y.o. DD about GCSES today. I'm not sure the reality of them actually hit until I was waiting in the car for DS to come out with his! She needs motivating! Oh to have toddlers again...

Shineyshoes10 · 31/08/2016 21:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MsMermaid · 31/08/2016 21:50

Shiney As a maths teacher I'd say that she will be fine doing Further maths with those GCSE results. I'd even go as far as to say that with those results the normal A-level Maths will be quite easy for her as long as she's willing to work hard (quite a bit of it is revision of the A* GCSE content), so she'll need the Further Maths to provide a bit more challenge. Who is telling her not to do it?

Ellen That doesn't sound minor, it would stress me out, and dd would be stressed about it too. Hope you get it sorted soon.

228 brilliant news for your ds.

Flower I hope everything goes well for your ds at his interview.

We are all set for starting now, nothing more to sort out. All equipment has been bought, all homework done, timetable written down (and laminated because dd is a stationery geek Hmm). I go back to work tomorrow :( INSET days tomorrow and Friday, then the kids arrive on Monday.

needastrongone · 31/08/2016 21:53

Oh Ellen, that's stressful in any circumstance, never mind with added difficulties. Poor you. Hope you can maybe sort something out asap.

Brill news about the remark 228, so fast. DS is getting English remarked, but only when school starts again. My only piece of experience to give is that DD moved from top set maths to second set and.....flew at maths!!! She went from feeling like she was entirely average amongst a set of boffins, to top pupil and it all clicked. Nothing changed really, except belief in herself, and that made her confident and it was a positive cycle.

Welcome Flowers Waves!

Hope you are ok Exit

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