Class of '18 nervously waiting.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

They've left college, now we are trying not to think about a certain date.

I left DS for two nights with instructions about locking up and eating properly. He said it was a bit odd going to bed and knowing he was in the house on his own but he was ok about it (there was Plan B if it turned out not to be ok which was my friend's spare room). He did a good job of supervising the bathroom fitters while I had a fun jolly on a knitting course.

Nettles I guess it may be different with it being into holiday season now but we've usually had Trinity results phoned through on the day of the exam. I understood that the examiner hands them to the organiser as they leave.

Thankyou for all the well wishes - DD has just about recovered and is now frantically packing for a festival.
They've decided to leave at 4am to beat the traffic down to Cornwall.
I'm just terrified at the thought of her driving 300 miles
I know logically she'll be fine, she's a great driver, but it's the furthest she's driven by a LOT. I'm beginning to wish she'd chosen Leeds or Reading instead!

knitting yes, they seemed to come through very quickly last time.Maybe they are "moderating" nowadays I don't really mind that; once dd got a poor violin result and I found the whole music school had received oddly low results because the examiner was unexpectedly harsh and it hadn't been moderated properly. We got a special letter telling us how well she had done to get a Pass!!! [from music school not the examiner, needless to say] never touched the violin again still..that was only grade one just a passing fancy

Feeling very stressed! For year 13 DD had a bit of a disaster with chemistry teachers being ill and leaving and having no teacher from just before Feb half term. Anyway, after being badgered by various parents, the school eventually let the exam boards know and the firm uni's. It probably wont help, but still. So today DD gets an email from her firm uni saying they had the email from school in May, they have written to school requesting more info,and school haven't replied. So, they have sent DD a form that they need by Friday! SO cross with school!

Also DD is away this week on a mission trip in the Ukraine, so I have to deal with it! I have phoned school (no answer) and emailed the head of 6th form and her tutor - no reply yet. So I have fill ed in the form and sent what i have written to DD on fb messenger for her approval, but so far she is not online!

Racing college. Wow. Never knew such thing existed.

goodness, Drink that is really stressful. I know what you mean about the schools not answering emails. Presumably in the week before the exam results they might start reading emails again (poor teachers, I dont want to knock them I know it is real people having well earned break)
I'm feeling irrationally stressed now about the Trinity result. Where is it. Did ds actually take the bloody exam?? I've noticed a new piece of info about the accompanist and yet he never mentioned anything about having to book one, yet they changed the arrangements at end of last year, there was no longer one in house. He said it went "decently" but I wasn't in the country at the time and I'm not now either!! Conveniently the council music service went on holiday on Friday 3rd. So I cannot even find out what is going on from them...

Still, I think UCAS gets the result directly. hmm. I'm sure Trinity have sent it to the school by mistake/pupil error, in which case we won't know till the A level results, and I was looking forward to a nice soft landing knowing he had passed before the results came out....sigh.

Drink that is truly atrocious, and I am cross on her/your behalf. It will however give her firm Uni a good indication of how awful the school has been!

Nettle according to the UCAS website they get results for this year directly from ABRSM and Trinity (and many other examiners). I did not know that, not that it applies here as DS has not taken a music exam in a while.

Adrinkofwater and breath. I'd be cross with uni as well as with school because the short deadline is ridiculous - you could easily have all been out of the country on holiday for a fortnight. Without knowing when they wrote to school it's hard to say which of them is the more unreasonable, if uni wrote to school after the end of term it would be unrealistic to expect a prompt reply.

drink that's dreadful but having had DCs go through a thoroughly disorganised school it doesn't really surprise me.

This is the problem with poor schools. It isn't just the teaching which lets students down. It's the lackadaisical approach to basic administration.

Hi all. DS will get some time off every other weekend, from late morning Saturday to teatime Sunday and its an hour and a half drive home. He says he won't bother coming home often but we shall see. He is there for Christmas too.

And yes he is naturally skinny which helps!

DS is my eldest, his brother has just done first year of A levels so I am going to be where you all are next year. I can't even begin to think what it will be like with both of them gone.

Apropos of nothing, what do you guys think of this article?
www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2018/08/06/parents-must-accompany-children-collect-exam-results-good-schools/amp/
TL;DR is parents have to go to the school to collect the results with their children in case it's all gone to hell. Personally, I don't think I'd want anyone there with me, maybe my closest friends but certainly not my parents.

By the time they get the results I would have thought that many if not most of the students who have university places riding on them would already have a strong inkling from UCAS track just what those results are likely to be.

I know that DD2 is concerned for a couple of her friends who have tricky relationships with their parents. In that situation the school and peers may be the best people rather than flapping or angry parents.

We haven't discussed the logistics of The Day yet. I am currently chivvying her out of bed for a riding lesson at 8.30 and that is as much drama as I can cope with at the moment.

I am so going to have to phone her to get her up at Uni

This feels like the last normal week before the countdown to the Day That Must’t Be Mentioned. We’re,doing a going-through-your wardrobe day tomorrow, to see if there’s anything he may need. Possibly some new jumpers (going up north, a lot colder than down south), and a new winter coat. And trainers.

Good luck to your dd for the drive Lobster. She will be a pro by the time she gets there!

We are part way through that process Petal. Got hampered by the sales being on everywhere and very little autumn stuff around. And just where do you buy a Little Black Dress? We had to give up in disgust.

I hope the drive goes well lobster. Though it is a long way if she takes plenty of breaks she will be fine.

DD2 didn't pass her driving test and is now in the slough of despond. It was inevitable that this was going to happen. She has been quite phlegmatic up until now but is now feeling the pressure of the wait.

Let's find another stick to beat working parents with. If they didn't meet their offer then the best person to help them with that is someone who deals with it every year, knows exactly what is happening with clearing and is on their sixth student that morning. College will be staffed and ready, as they are every year. I haven't done this before, am clueless and tea and sympathy isn't what he'd be wanting. If I were in their shoes I'd take the professional over the parent every time.

Gnome I'm sorry about the fail, DS was nearly perfect apart from the major which cost him the pass. We had a really long wait to get another slot, eight weeks or so.

Ostrich approach to 'day that must not be mentioned' now abandoned with arrival of e-mail from DD's degree apprenticeship firm saying they will call her on that day for her results, forms to fill in, proof of grades, any extenuating circumstances to be mentioned if grades are missed & denouncement of any held Uni places or other DA by 2pm latest that day - now all feeling terrifyingly real here!! Help!!

Hello to newbies on here. Gnome commiserations to DD - hopefully she'll be able to make it second time through. Lovebeing a friend's DD has done a jockey Apprenticeship at Newmarket & now in a race training yard - hard work & long hours but she's had a fantastic time & definitely was right decision for her.

Gnome commiserations on the driving test fail.
lashings that is scary.

kitten I can never find what I went to look for. I now do most of my clothes shopping by noticing stuff in passing.
When I was looking for an outfit for nephew's wedding I decided online was the only possibility. Though I am a lot larger and older than your dd so she should have more choice.

Today is going to be a major ordering on line day for things dd will need. Many of them are from specialist suppliers and we need to check that they actually do what they are meant too so need to order ahead. We have decided that we will have to send a case (or two) by courier and also need to send her manual wheelchair by a different carrier. Obviously can't book that yet.

Thanks for your sympathies! I have now sent form off to Uni and received an automatic reply saying they will deal with it in 3 days! I just want the waiting to be over and know what is actually happening in September! Feeling slightly jealous of the Scottish students!

Commiserations on not passing the driving test. I think it really knocks their confidence even though they know its not unusual to fail first time. Was so glad that DD passed on her 2nd attempt!

We are so close now, we've come so far and now are within sight of the next chapter. Tea and cake all round for the last bit of waiting.

DD has hundreds of LBDs. Most are crap quality.

House of CB has some, erm, interesting stuff.

DD2 got a nice simple LBD from Urban Outfitters. It is also very comfortable so good for repeat wearing. I think it cost about £40 iirc.

I'm sure we had a letter from DD1s school saying we need to accompany them for results. DD1 says that makes no sense. Now I need to try to find the email. My filing has been slightly haphazard of late, and for some reason school send out emails from about 10 different addresses. We live fairly close, so if we are needed I suppose we could get their sharpish.

We definitely have to be there for DD2s GCSE results, because enrolment in sixth form is straight afterwards, and they now insist on a parent for that. None of that for DD1, and I am fairly sure not really necessary for DD2, but imagine it will be for some who have tougher decisions to make about subjects.

I had a fun trip to Ikea yesterday (fastest ever which is why it was fun) and was impressed with their starter packs. They have them for bedding, kitchen, bathroom and general all in nice plastic boxes. I think they were about £50 each, but didn't work out if that was good value or not. I do imagine lots of grateful parents swooping up one of each and heading straight to the tills though.

Commiserations to your DD Gnome - DS failed his the first time. He did it again a couple of weeks later and passed. Has she put in for it again?

I'm trying to bury my head in the sand until next week and DS definitely is. I have spent the last couple of weekends catching up with old university friends and reminiscing - we all agreed that there really wasn't as much pressure back in the day.