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

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

here we are.

that's drastic Derek. I think they considered it for one of dds subjects, but decided against it, in case they all got marked down. Moderation has a lot to answer for. I know it has to be done, but it has a drastic impact sometimes.

Fantasy that's great that your DD has her own room this year. I seem to remember she had lots of issues with her roommate last term.

Ooh Ellen that's a lot to worry about (you, not him ) the photo idea is a great one.

TheSecond if he copied the answer and reverse engineered how to do it then he definitely has what it takes, particularly if he is taking it seriously enough to educate himself tonight. I LOVE maths, I do courses for fun, algebra is my favourite thing to do (honestly) but SURDS took me a while to get my head round.

DS1 starts work proper tomorrow after two days of introduction to stuff. All of his homework (and grades once it is marked!) will be online for parents (we have a special pin, we can't see everyones) on a special website along with important notices and when work is due in. If the teachers do it properly it looks like a brilliant system for the, how shall I put it, student who may need a little parental prodding?

DS2 has come home both nights and done his homework immediately and immaculately for his GCSE's. Now that's taking a bit of getting used to .

marmite
During exam time there friendship was broken due to exams they are friends now
DD has being told 4 hours per subject too

I know what I was going to ask (being distractible seems to run in the family ) He has come home with instructions to google the EMA funding. Looking into it as he lives with me (2-4 nights in 14 with his dad, depending on sport) he is eligible for the payment as I've not had a lot of work the last few years. BUT my dad helps out with my bills and now I have started to get work again we aren't rolling in money but we get by fine for us. I personally feel that money like that should be for the children who are going to struggle to get to school (he gets a free bus) and would maybe need a job to properly get by whereas DS1 has everything he needs and is unlikely to need bribing to maintain his attendance. I've left it with him but told him how I feel (not lecturing about what he should do, it's up to him in the end). Now I feel bad that he won't be getting money he should be entitled too but he would probably spend it on technical lego and that just isn't the point at all.

If this is too political/not in the spirit of this thread because I imagine there are differing opinions on this I can start a new thread.

Urgh, I feel even worse that I used the wrong to/too. I have A level English you know. Honest.

I think DS2 might be eligible for some sort of funding as I earn very little and get working tax and child tax credits, but the form was confusing. Must remember to hand it in soon.

Photo is a good idea, but he gets charged for picture messaging, (unless he can do it using our wifi just outside the house, hmm)

If your household income is less than £20,000 Ellen but you do need to send every single document you've ever had about both your lives when filling in the form which is probably a good deterrent! Has to be done within 7 weeks of the start of term if you are applying 'late' which is now. I'm torn but it's up to him what he wants to do, a lot of his peers have part time jobs but he's just not emotionally mature enough/verbal enough (his verbal dyspraxia is at an all time high, for all his laid back exterior this must be quite a stressful time for him) for the level of communication something like that would entail. Still, that's not what the EMA money is for anyway!

Doesn't any money go to the parent not the child?

EMA is no longer in England MrSlant. We're not eligible for the bursary because DS2 doesn't claim ESA. (Why would he, he's not looking for a job? ) Although he gets PIP he needs to get ESA or income support in his own right. And because I get working tax credits as well as child tax credits that's another no no. (Despite earning much less than £20k!)

We can apply for a discretionary bursary, I think.

The 16-19 bursary or discretionary bursary goes to the child. At 16 the DWP classes them as able to control their own benefits, unless you get an assessment to show they're not capable.

*EMA is no longer available in England...

I know it went into his bank account not mine, just his level of organisation isn't up to doing it himself so he came to me. We had a lot of him repeating 'EMA' to me before we narrowed it down to something to do with school! I must spend half my life going 'can you give me some context please because I can't read your mind' . That and him using the word 'thing' repeatedly which really, really isn't helpful when we do a million sports and I have other children and two jobs and a degree of my own. We have lots of 'things'.

Has it really gone from England then? I know it was controversial due to the fact that children, not dissimilar to DS1, who aren't in poverty by the truest measure are still eligible, particularly when their parents are divorced.

Surds are one topic that causes a lot of confusion, but I can never quite see why everybody finds it difficult. It's on the GCSE syllabus, I spent a lot of time on them with my year 11 class last year (a lot of them are now in my year 12 class). None of the kids in my year 12 class have further maths GCSE, they have A and A* grades in normal maths. Anyone who spots an area they can't do and goes away and learns it on their own is likely to do well. If he needs help with anything then asking his teachers at lunchtimes would be a good thing, I've never known a teacher refuse to help a keen student in their own time.

Class bear has had a bedtime story and is tucked up in dd2's bed. It's quite nice really, her page in the diary has a load of reasons why dd2 was chosen to have him, and it was the kids that choose her and gave reasons like "she's my friend", "she's really nice", so it is a big boost for her, is just a pain in the neck for me.

Dd1 says today was less boring than yesterday, but still boring because it's all stuff they covered last year so far. She's really keen to learn something new, but the first few weeks will be going over the highest grade stuff from GCSE.

Hope everyone's first days have gone well. DS1 started today and came home full of excitement - I got much more out of him than the "it's fine" or "ok" I expected!!

He has approx 8 free periods a week but they have to be in school for morning and afternoon registrations.

Ds1 goes back tomorrow. He had a lesson I concise and informative writing yesterday when he walked into his room and saw hid pc being remotely accessed.
He gave the police information he discovered after shutting them out (nothing major, just the name, workplace, up address, details of virus etc). I was quite proud of him.
There was no harm done and some lessons learned (run your antivirus software occasionally! ).
I don't think tomorrow will be quite as interesting.

That sounds a bit scary drummer. Hope he's got some good anti virus on it now. I think it's easy to forget that kids who are very good with computers in some respects can still like general life skills and experience sometimes with things like that.

I think EMA is at the discretion of local councils now, so varies place to place.

I'd claim it if I were you slant and consider it instead of pocket money. Your DS can pay for clothes, lunches etc out of it.

We are being told the same in regards to the homework. Im trying to get her into a pattern now in the early days so she knows whats expected as she's not the most disciplined of teens (to put it mildly!) Also a great opportunity to revise for her maths resits before the homework starts to build up!

Anybody else children sitting GCSE resits along side the A-Levels, Her maths wasn't included in her timetable as I sent an email tonight to try to find out how it will work. Im hoping she can take the foundation in November and get it out the way! At her old school she was forced to sit higher iGCSE, she got a D so I'm hoping the foundation will secure her C and get it out of the way so it doesn't interfere with her A-Levels!

Today she declared she's joining the school Choir! She would NEVER have done that at her old independent school so thats a very good sign :)

Ds1 is resitting English GCSE alongside his alevels. It's not on his timetable either. I'm getting him a tutor to help him get it up to a C.

Makes note to self - outlaw the term "free period" and substitute with "study period". As you were.

MrSlant if you are eligible for something and can stand the form filling then claim it. Someone else has spent a lot of time coming up with the eligibility criteria and if you fit them then it really is targeted at you. You then don't need to add in your own criteria on top to decide that you're not really truly eligible. I just looked at the bursary page for DS's college. One of the costs covered here is school visits, if there's a sport trip to somewhere far away then that alone would be worth filling in the forms.

At university we tell the students they should be doing 4 hours of independent study for every hour of contact time. So I'd just tell DS1 he's getting off lightly with 4 hours per subject per week.

Icouldbe - I'm terrible though, when I had to phone the tax credits people with our change in circumstances our weekly money went up and I was 'oh no, that's fine, really, please don't, I feel really guilty'. Which is daft because we really needed the money! I am a hopeless case, not even too proud to accept help just really embarrassed in case people think I'm making a fuss

OhSo choir sounds brilliant, stuff like that is the best part of being in school in my opinion, I'd love to go back and do all those bits again. I hope she really enjoys it.

littledrummer I'm very sorry your son had to deal with that but what a great real world example of why they have to go to school. Well done to him for dealing with it so well.

DS1 has first actual lessons today although he has a 'free' period (insert the sound of me bellowing STUDY everytime he says 'free') then two 'free' periods ( STUDY ) before a double lesson this afternoon.

Aaaand I'm in work, why are you all letting me laze around like this, you should be making sure I've had breakfast and have put my uniform on!

OK, DS2 has his first day today. He's still in bed and I'm off to work so no proud mum picture! Wibble!

Thanks all. Ds1 was so quick to sort it there was no serious harm done, bank card was cancelled just in case but he has no plans to use it this week.
We actually found it amusing in a funny way

Ds1 was very anxious this morning going back but did manage a smile when I dropped him at the bus. Once he sees his mates he'll be fine.

Gosh LDG, how easily it can happen.

I am the same MrsSlant, I find it incredibly difficult accepting help in any form, but the criteria are there for a reason, and if you fit the criteria, do consider it.

First full day back for both of mine, DS in Y12 obviously, and DD in Y11, so it's round 2 for me next year.....

I'm going to advise DS how much independent work he needs to do per subject....

Actually, having no study periods at home for half a term will get him back into the work ethic very well, sensible of the school.