Parents of Year 12s - exam time again! (oh no!)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Just noticed we were running out of thread!

DS1 & I just booked his driving theory test too (for four weeks from tomorrow). He's downloading the Highway Code, traffic signs book & test practice app to bring on holiday with him.

I did leave DS to research how far in front they were booking theory tests but was told that it was impossible to do without giving payment details. I think he just makes something up on the spur of the moment rather than saying "I forgot/couldn't be bothered".

If it sounds like I'm having a bad day that's because I am. There's so much he needs to be doing, things with real deadlines but he'd rather spend every waking hour looking at a screen blowing up pixels. I am sick and tired of hearing myself saying the same things over and over again.

Frustrating Knitting.

Inspired by you lot I persuaded dd to book hers, pointing out that otherwise she'd be in the thick of her studies once more. It's the week after results day. If she doesn't pass, oh well, she will have at least got some of the learning out of the way.

The driving theory app is pretty good BUT apparently it's impossible to do the hazard perception practice on a phone because a pedestrian about to cross the road is 3 pixels big.

DD hasn't mentioned that Kitten but I'm not convinced she's done a lot of them.

If she fails it, I think it might remind her to be more aware of what's around her.

DS1 said last night she hadn't complained about his slow driving when he gave her a lift, and she'd realised what it was like being behind the wheel!

Knitting the solution in our house re games consoles with DS2 is a fractured arm. He can manage MarioKart after DS1 reprogrammed his Switch controller for him, but none of his other games.

There are obviously draw backs to this solution, he isn't getting any more piano practice done for instance!

Kitten I told my husband that he is to say nothing about the theory test, I'm thinking of it as a mock. If he passes it then it's out of the way before he needs to be panicking about his PS (which needs to be submitted by the end of September. CUKAS has deadlines all of its own). If he doesn't pass then it might push him to put a bit of effort in.

Deadlines are the way to go in this house because nothing seems to happen without one. I would like to move to a scenario where he doesn't wait until one is staring him in the face before he starts thinking about it because I find it incredibly stressful anticipating the last minute panic and self-recrimination that we get Every Single Time. (Am I having another bad day? Yes, it has all the signs of going that way)

Raspberry how is he coping? How are you coping? When DS broke his arm we were all geared up for six weeks in plaster but when we went for the X ray and plaster change about three weeks in there was a huddle of professionals and much comparing of X rays. They took the cast off and declared it to be fully healed which was very welcome if totally unexpected.

He's ok thanks Knitting. We had an appointment to have the cast removed after 3 weeks, which was quicker than I was expecting, however we are away then so they've changed it to 4 days before that.
DH is on bath support duty as it would apparently be too embarrassing if I did it.

He's learnt how to empty a dishwasher with one hand, and also it's possible to tidy your room with one hand (this was nearly impossible with 2).

It also meant he's got some of his Grade 6 music theory done.

Hope your day gets better. DD is running round in circles very fast, but I think it's a smokescreen and she's not actually doing anything re PS and uni research. Her PS needs to be done for end of Sept too.

She's gone up to the Fringe today.

DD has passed her theory yay!

She spent most of yesterday doing practice tests and hazard perception.

Good luck to the other DC.

Well done Raspberry's dd!

Finally got dd home from her summer school - she had an absolute ball and made lots of new friends (which is a very big deal for dd!)
They also learned A LOT. Dd says she's never worked so hard in her life.

Next job is her personal statement - although she's going to have a few days off and relax a bit first.

Just checking in again as this thread disappeared off my TIO list again. I'm starting to think I've done something to upset kitten and she keeps booting me off

Congratulations to raspberry's DD on the theory test, and good luck to other DCs taking theirs soon.

Fingers crossed for all of you depending on AS results - not long now!

Well done raspberries dd.
Ds1 didn't pass today. It has been a very stressful few days. We saw a short notice cancellation slot (probably too short notice given I wanted him to spend some time with an instructor first), booked it and then discovered that the car cannot have any warning lights on. Mine had the engine management light on.
After spending yesterday in the garage we thought it had been fixed but last night it came on again!
The car was in bits in the garage this morning so it was touch and go if he'd make the appointment.

The good news he did but unfortunately relaxed on the way back to the test center and forgot to show observations. The examiner said they came in the last mile he drove. He is pretty disappointed in himself (he shouldn't be, he did great).
Everything else went well. Just remember mirrors, mirrors and more mirrors.
Now to find another cancellation slot.

Well done Raspberrys dd and commiserations to LittleDrummers ds.

Lobster, that's brilliant :) I'm glad she enjoyed it.

So, as results next week. Are we going to try and fill this thread before?

After today I don't want to think about Thursday! Ds1 has work experience through the week so it should take his mind off things.
I am hoping for some relaxation over the next few days, the drawback is that I'm joining ds2 and dd in a tent, in a field with no running water or internet.
We are expecting some rain though.

Good luck LDR!

Who are people using for their learner drivers insurance? That's something to sort out today.

Sorry for your DS LittleDrummers.

Lobster glad she had such a great time. She sounds rather like my DD, the friendship part was a huge deal to her at Uniq. I wish I could have persuaded DD to do the summer course.

Trying not to think too hard about next week. Though it's nice this year not to have A2 and GCSEs like last year.

My car is over 10 years old, some places wouldn't insure it for DS to drive. DayInsure Learner would. I only put a month on and that was a good thing because he doesn't like driving mine and prefers the Mini. I;m keeping mine running until he's passed and then switching to something with a tiny engine that will be cheaper to insure.

Littledrummergirl you know he should be an easy pass next time, it's not as if he has a lot to work on between now and the next test. Ds needs many more hours behind the wheel before he'll be ready.

Raspberry that's something else you can stop thinking about now. I have a chalkboard door in the kitchen which has been named "the chore door" as I've written up all the things that we both agreed that he needs to be cracking on with in his copious free time. I'd love to be crossing things off it as completed.

OYBBK - Marmalade is very good for learner driver insurance.

Sorry LittleDrummers that your DS didn't manage it this time. Good Luck to him for the next.

I have just looked over DS's new timetable. He seems to have too many free periods for my liking - 7 a week up from 2 last year. He also has General Studies which I thought they didn't carry on with Yr13 especially as he already sat the AS. One of his friend's doesn't have it on his timetable but another one does. It all seems to be a little confusing.

Gone with Marmalade. :) just need some l plates now and she's good to go.

dd reenrols next week when she gets her results. They have to see their tutor to talk about what they are going to be doing in the coming year,

I can't quite believe it's less than a week until AS results!

I don't feel as nervous for her as I did about GCSEs, although really, there's a lot more at stake as these results will determine which universities she can realistically apply to.

Oops! Now I'm nervous!

I don't think dd is yet, not that she's showing anyway.
She's is also planning a "gathering" here on results day to celebrate/commiserate - something she absolutely wouldn't entertain the thought of last year, so that tells me she's not as worried.

lalalala

AS results are a non-event here. He only took two and he's dropped one of the subjects. If the continuation one turns out to have been a disaster then, yes, there will be ripples but the standard offer for what he wants to do is EE (one of the places is just one E). If he doesn't get that his fallback is AAB, or so they say but as they had places in clearing on the day that it opened this year I suspect they are more flexible.

(I don't really want to spell it out for a search engine but the low academic offer is because they have their own selection regime, they see everyone, decide who they want and then offer EE to everyone)

We are away on holiday, which will help the time pass more quickly. The result will be emailed to DS1's school email address. Based on previous marks, he is expecting a D: he would be pleasantly surprised by a C and disappointed with a E.

Hesmylobster DS1 also goes to "gatherings". He very rarely uses the word "party".

gathering/ˈɡað(ə)rɪŋ/
noun

1. an assembly or meeting, especially one held for a specific purpose.
2. a group of leaves taken together, one inside another, in binding a book.
3. a party, when attended by teenagers who don't want their parents to know that they're going to a party.

For anyone looking into insurance for learner drivers there's an article in today's (Saturday's) Guardian

www.theguardian.com/money/2017/aug/12/young-learner-driver-insurance-cost-pay-per-hour