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

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

here we are.

DS starts on Monday, he finished off the last of the homework (with some prompting) yesterday. We have been going around the same loop since Y7, he leaves things until they become urgent and then it's a crisis because he has 46 other things that need doing at the same time. When the panic dies down he has learned nothing and he repeats it all next time. This is my husband all over again. In the last 30 years the only thing I've managed to change with DH is to get him to leave the house on time. I should just give up now, shouldn't I?

cloudy
Colleges here start back as late as the 19th it's only really the sixth forms and schools that are back.
DD said she's shattered and the work is starting to come in

knitting - You probably should give up now! I presume your DH has to leave the house on time because he has a job to go to though, so can't have been a complete disaster in life. My DH is exactly the same with leaving things to the last minute - and regularly misses trains to work because of (fortunately there's a fairly frequent service). DSS is exactly the same and has claimed on ocassion that he can get to school in minus 5 minutes, given the time he's left at . I leave them to it. If they want support to organise their lives - as DS sometimes does - then I help. But if they don't want to organise things, I don't think you can really do it for them. Unless you withhold some sort of treat until X homework task is done. But not sure that's really appropriate at 16/17 is it?

DD is on the way home and she said she's really got into her subjects doing extra research on people and discovering things. She loves doing Russia not so keen on the Stuarts. But there's parts to every course she won't like. She has a meeting with a tutor this week and R.S teaching is diabolical and DD said she can't cope with it. First week done!

I was the only girl in my higher physics class (and the only one to get an A). DS1's school is super boy heavy. There are hardly any girls in any class.

His school do a EPQ but DS is adamant he does not want to do it. He does not do essays well (hence the English resit) and the thought of a 5,000 word project fills him with horror.

Dd hasn't really thought about an epq. I suspect she'd probably sign up for it then ignore it til the deadline is really close then panic and produce something half hearted. So I'm not going to encourage it unless she's really enthusiastic about something. She's planning on doing all 4 subjects as full A levels rather than dropping one, so she's probably got enough work to do (especially since she has quite a few extra curricular music activities going on as well). I am trying to encourage a part time job, partly so I don't have to find everything but mostly so she build her social skills, but she's resisting all hints about that.

Quite a few of my friends's year 12s are starting to get jobs. My ds hasn't shown much interest in this, and he has sports activities at the weekend, plus living in a semi-rural environment, i don't want to chauffeur him around!

DS2 would rather swim in slurry than do an EPQ! Writing? This is the boy who had a scribe for his GCSEs.

DS1 only took 3 subjects at A2, maths, FM and physics so he had time to do an EPQ. His school got them to finish it before Christmas in Y13. It was optional but encouraged for those who weren't taking 4 or more subjects at A2.

DS2 (eventually) starts properly at college on Monday. It's a long day. 9 til 5.15! He won't be home before 6.

228, DS1 didn't have a job through 6th form. It enabled him to concentrate on school and he didn't go out much socialising anywhere expensive. He has a good work ethic, though and did lots of revision. He's been working this summer 9-5 so it hasn't done his CV any harm. It depends on what your DS wants. If he thinks he needs more spending money than you easily afford as pocket money, then he might need a job. Otherwise, there's plenty of time for working in the future.

Ellen my DS1 sounds like your DS2. He had a scribe too.

He's currently sitting doing algorithms at the kitchen table. He's pretty excited about decision 1. Strange child.

I think DS wants to do his 4 subjects to alevel too but we'll see. I guess it's not quite the same when 2 of them are maths and further maths (alongside computer science and chemistry) as it might be if he were doing (for example) history, music, physics and Spanish.

DS and I have just been discussing the EPQ - he has a subject that he finds interesting so is going to speak to one of the teachers about it on Monday to see if it's acceptable.

He isn't doing any essay based subjects (unless they do essays in Geography?) so it maybe a good option for him. All of his friends are doing DoE Gold and as he doesn't want to do it this could be something he does instead. He can use his free period to work on it

Strange. My dd has no knowledge of EPQs.

We've looked a bit on the interweb to see what's involved as school haven't explained very much apart from the fact that it's offered!

The subject DS has thought about is very random and in no way related to what he is thinking of in terms of Uni course. More than likely DS will realise how much work is involved and decide he doesn't want to do it. I think it will be good for him but what do I know?!

Geography will have both essays and stats. It's a something everyone can hate type of subject.

The good news: DS1 has enjoyed his first week. Apparently A-levels are "a lot of work" but sixth form is better than school.

The bad news: they still haven't given him the result of his Maths test, so I have to sit on the information all weekend.

He isn't fond of stats. The trauma of last years GCSE still lingers.

EPQ is not offered generally at DD's school.

Further Maths now sorted, they found a free shared by all, plus a lunchtime.

No idea about General Studies.If it's like DS1's time, they entered those they thought capable of doing it in the PD lessons nearer the time. DS1 refused to it, preferring to concentrate on his other 5 AS, then 4 A2.

Pretty much no one is fond of stats. Even the quantitative researchers I know see them as just a necessary evil.

Geography degrees are popular with graduate employers for the essays and stats combination.

DS's school doesn't even do general studies.

good news about the FM Raspberry :)

I think that general studies is not going to be reformed so it's on its last legs now. DS's college doesn't offer it at all. In my day we all had to do it (apart from the FM crowd) but universities excluded it from their offers.

Good news about the FM raspberry.

I hope all I have to deal with next week is the new routine - will DS have a cooked meal at lunchtime so I cook dinner for two or will it be sandwich then dinner for three? I have my fingers firmly crossed that no bigger issues emerge other than what I am cooking.

step
DD is doing general studies either
DDs friends at other schools do EPQ's but it's not offered at her school. DD is shattered

I think EPQ is a very good idea for anyone who wants to go to university. I wish my students had done them (I've not yet come across one at work who did) because the independent research and writing up skills are what we actually want them to be able to do.

Nonetheless, DS2 will not countenance one. His computer science teacher is setting them reading like you'd get at university for every class. So at least that might be one useful skill he'll develop. The teacher told them 'I'll know if you haven't done it'. He came home and asked me if I could tell when students haven't done the reading and I said 'yes, it's always glaringly obvious'.

I think dd is cream crackered after her first week at college. She went to bed a bit after 9 last night and I had to wake her up a few minutes ago this is the child who never ever sleeps after 10am.

Nicely backed up Step