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Further education

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

GCSE '18s (20) - half term beckons!

981 replies

mmmz · 26/09/2018 08:52

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/3355907-gcse-18s-19-new-beginnings

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LimitIsUp · 04/10/2018 11:17

Yes I heard exactly the same Bluebelle re 43% of people having degrees and lazy employers specifying degrees when none are needed. I also welcome apprenticeships and the departure of one designated route to career success

LimitIsUp · 04/10/2018 11:19

Yes sorry to hear that your FIL in unwell loose

brainmelt · 04/10/2018 11:21

jufus Jesus mighty she's awesome Shock

BlueBelle123 · 04/10/2018 11:35

@LimitIsUp a fellow BBC breakfast watcher Smile

LimitIsUp · 04/10/2018 12:00

Absolutely Bluebelle, I love Naga and Charlie Grin

LooseAtTheSeams · 04/10/2018 15:07

Thanks all, he's in intensive care but stable and very well looked after. He usually takes DMil to all her medical appointments although she does have another carer who comes several days a week and is marvellous. So DH is very much needed there at the moment to take her to clinics and to and from the hospital and try to reassure her. They have very good medical services but GP practices seem to vary so much, you're right Alexander.

TheThirdOfHerName · 04/10/2018 16:17

Loose I hope your FiL makes a good recovery.

PandaG · 04/10/2018 16:43

Sorry to hear about your FIL loose, hope he is out of intensive care soon.

DD has gone down with a bug...headache and sickness, 24 hours clear so went back to school this morning but headache back with a vengeance so back off school again this afternoon. :(

LooseAtTheSeams · 04/10/2018 16:52

Panda oh, poor Dd! DS has been off with something similar but I think he should be back at school tomorrow.
It's so full on, I worry about how much they have to catch up with when they're ill, but I think it's all online anyway.

Stickerrocks · 04/10/2018 18:35

Best wishes to all those with family health worries.

Cherryburn · 04/10/2018 19:54

Loose sorry to hear about your FIL. Hope he makes a quick recovery.

Jufus that pic of your DD is extraordinary (and makes me wince)

DS has had a positive week with a few good topic test results. We were talking about half term tonight and he said he was thinking today that it means 1/12 of sixth form will be done Confused. It made me very thankful that AS Levels are no longer a thing (or at least not as part of the A Level). DD did them in 3 of her subjects (the fourth was a Pre-U) and I remember it just feeling relentless from gcse to A Level.

Have also had some fantastic advice via PM from a maths teacher mumsnetter about maths and dyslexia Smile

Oratory1 · 04/10/2018 20:16

Completely agree with AS s. DS is really enjoying being in sixth form and boarding and being able to focus on some extra curricular and social things after the second half of year 11 being all about exams. I too remember DD having to revise for external exams almost as soon as she d got settled in.

AlexanderHamilton · 05/10/2018 07:41

My baby is 17 today.

whistl · 05/10/2018 07:54

Many happy returns to your DD, AH.

17.... that's quite a grown up number.

Cherryburn · 05/10/2018 10:14

Happy birthday to your DD AH. How’s her ankle healing?

Stickerrocks · 05/10/2018 10:27

Driving lessons all booked?

AlexanderHamilton · 05/10/2018 10:30

She's going to start easing herself back into dance on Monday but she is still concerned about pointework. Whether that is a valid concern or psychological we don't know.

Provisional licence is applied for (takes a bit longer as her passport has expired so we are having to send off other ID)

PeggyIsInTheNarrative · 05/10/2018 10:39

Happy birth day AH

DD happy as a pig in shit at college. She told her tutor she particularly values the excellent handouts. (She finds copying stuff down really hard due to SpLD.) Tutor looks concerned and explained they like to phase these out in y13 to get them ready for uni.

DD1 has just graduated and had large font handouts on cream paper for every lecture and audio recording of all lectures on student portal.

I offered to contact tutor. DD says, “It’s OK. I can fight my own battles mum.”

Fingers crossed she’s right and I won’t have to launch into my very well worn reasonable adjustment groove Shock. I’d prefer to just chill and look forward to Christmas [santa]

AlexanderHamilton · 05/10/2018 10:43

Peggy - dh teaches degree students and always provides hand outs in varying colours of paper and fonts etc for anyone who needs them too.

PeggyIsInTheNarrative · 05/10/2018 10:51

Your DH is a star.

I can see how developing note taking skills might be helpful if you are NT (and you want to work as a note taker) but for DD “normal” classes result in empty books. I know because her GCSE notes were woeful.

I know there are lots of DC here that run into similar issues with writing. I think things are getting better generally and the University was really excellent.

veiledsentiments · 05/10/2018 11:04

My youngest has swapped a subject just this week. Bit worrying. However, I can't think of anything worse than doing a subject you don't enjoy for 2 years. Fingers crossed all will be fine. Have parents evening next Wednesday. Half term the week after for 3 days. She was off last week for 2 days with an awful throat and cold. The eldest is also complaining of the same. But she is 3000 miles away and 20 years old, so will have to leave her to it.

AlexanderHamilton · 05/10/2018 11:05

That was his point when we were fighting for a laptop for Ds. If his degree students can be provided with x & y why can’t Ds.

Oratory1 · 05/10/2018 11:33

Peggy that's lovely - it must be amazing to see your DC flourish after so much of a struggle and so much effort on your part, you and they must have done an amazing job. I too am loving seeing DS grow in sixth form. He has always loved his school but having some academic success seems to have added a new level.

We too have found provision at UNi to be excellent. Both in terms of additional support but also the fact that everything is available on line often in a variety of formats making it easier for each student to develop their own methods that suit them. This is creeping in to schools as well with more and more teachers putting lessons and material on line - does of course require some conscientiousness and self discipline from students but at least the tools are becoming more widely available. What I was most impressed with at Uni thiugh was the provision of 'mentors' helping those that wanted it to navigate the system.

As I've said before it is also so important to research course and teaching styles - DD1 doing medical science found one of her main choices relied more on huge lectures (admittedly from word renouned researchers but the format was come and listen to these brilliant professors and make notes and then do an exam) whilst another was much more in to interactive small group work, seminars, projects, presentations and individual research and feedback. Neither was better than the other just different and suited different DC.

LimitIsUp · 05/10/2018 14:37

Happy birthday to Alexander's dd

Peggy argghhh at tutor planning to phase out notes in Y13. It does rather sound though like your dd will not let that one go - good for her

Veiled - my dd dropped and subject and swapped to a new one end of last week and her new timetable began this week. She's much happier, no doubt will work out for your dd too

So, I am off for an audition for 'The Chase' next week!

LooseAtTheSeams · 05/10/2018 15:53

Happy birthday Alexander's dd!
DH says DFiL still in ICU but looking a lot better. Hopefully, things are going the right way.