Year 12 #3: Open Days and Predicted Grades beckon

[whistl]

Yikes! The title has just hit me! It's too soon! I'm not ready!!

Thread number 2 link: https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/3443840-Year-12-2-Carols-commutes-a-few-stocking-fillers

I can't get my head around these late DXes! Only because DS2 was DXed at 3 yo with ASD, though. He is definitely dyspraxic as well, but this so often goes hand in hand with ASD and is seen as a 'lesser' disability (not IMO) that he's never had the OT he needs or had a DX for it. I was always amazed his school didn't believe he qualified for extra time, despite qualifying for a scribe. But his processing wasn't slow enough, apparantly. TBF he hated exams and would leave as soon as he was allowed to so wouldn't have taken up the extra time even if granted. Sigh.

All going well here. DS3 is doing a gentle amount of revision for his AS mocks which start next week. I think the constant reminding that ACTIVE revision beats passive is finally getting through. His maths is always good so he has always tended to wing it.

DS2 has a parents' evening at college on the 14th. I'm delighted they offer it at HNC level. I've stopped worrying about his progress. what will be will be and we are both so much happier for it.

DS1 is applying for jobs. He has an interview/assessment day at a leading 'book and everything else' supplier today as a graduate trainee. He had another interview closer to home yesterday so stayed overnight. (Which was nice!) His new interview suit was lovely, just a shame about his shirt! Oh well.

Limitisup - Geography and History were the ones he got the 100/98% in at gcse and he is taking for A level (along with Economics) so I would definitely pursue the test for your DS.

English Language was an igcse and got 59/60 on his coursework which he had unlimited time to complete, proofread etc (so 98.5%) but still got an 8 because his examined work was at a high 6 so brought it down to the 8. It was lucky he had coursework for this now I realise.

English language he got a 9 because he knew the novel, Macbeth, An Inspector Calls and poems so well. He had already as part of his revision written essay plans for all the eventualities he had dreamed up which held him in good stead to get top grades. Now I can see this was his way of working to cope with the issues he has been discovered to have!

EllenJane need to know more about the shirt!!!

Actually one more thing and then I'll stop bleating on (well maybe not!)

Did anyone get any comments from other parents about well of course they got those grades because they get extra time etc? If so did you just smile and wave or put them straight about how it evened out the playing field?

DS2 also has dysgraphia, but unlike DS1, he does not qualify for extra time because it does not make him slow enough at writing.

He is significantly slower at getting things down on paper than he would otherwise be without dysgraphia, but his writing speed is not in the bottom 15%(?) of all 15 year olds (The test for extra time doesn't really allow for twice exceptional).

However, he is allowed to type and that helps a lot.

The ed psych who assessed one of my DCs said
"The type of difficulties she has won't really show much until A levels. When she speaks she is on broadband but her writing is dialup."

I think this assessment was in y8 or 9 when at parents' evening we got little comments from a few teachers (relatively weak spelling and times tables). I'd missed it too until then having had another child assessed much earlier.

Her verbal ability was 99.75th percentile and her spelling was bang on the 50th. So not an absolute disability but a relative one if that makes sense. At A level she started to get comments about poor spelling. She finds it easier to type in exams as her writing speed is slow, her writing is large and she gets hand pain.

Hmm, his shirt, think 1980's style black and white yuppy stripes with a red collar and cuffs. Very Gordon Gecko. With a nice blue suit and a green tie. They'll remember him...

Peggy that could almost be a description of my DS3, always has it going on in his head and verbally, but can't write it down, hands are weak despite loads of cutting and sticking, playdough etc as a young one and gets hand pain. Always fine with spellings and times tables though.

That's interesting Ellen. DD is all grown up and working now. She puts the handpain down to dyspraxia. Some diificulties are really do cause issues under exam conditions but in normal life you can find way round them.

at the Gordon shirt. I hope it works and he gets a job in it!

Very interesting Shalom - especially the breakdown of his coursework marks versus his exam marks in English.

We didn't get any sniffy attitudes towards dd getting extra time - not to my face anyway!

Yes, that's a very good analogy Peggy, I will remember that when next trying to explain dyslexia to others. The other analogy I like is regarding how hard it is for dd to memorise new information - the ed pysch told me that it takes a lot of effort to build the neural pathways and likened it to a field of corn. If you walk the same route through a field of corn once or twice it will leave no lasting impression, but if you repeatedly walk the same route back and forth, back and forth then eventually it will make a discernible pathway. That's what dd effectively has to do to retain information - revisit it and revisit it on multiple occasions before it sinks in; much more so than the neuro typical

Loving the analogies. DS thinks of it as a blockage in his brain (or a Trump like wall), he has to work extra hard to get information in and then again to get it out. For him the extra time is more about processing speed. His reading is slow but also being able to recall information and the words needed to respond to something. He says it used to be so frustrating in class knowing all the answers but not being able to find the words in time to answer a question. At home we know to wait if asking a question or playing trivial pursuit type games and after a long pause the answer will eventually come out.

He amused me last week by saying he thinks alcohol breaks down the wall and the words come more easily. I didn't like to say a) are you sure they are the right words though and b) I don't think they'd let you have a couple of ciders before each exam !!

At home we know to wait if asking a question or playing trivial pursuit type games and after a long pause the answer will eventually come out.

Oratory - that's DS1!!! Sometimes even simple questions take a lifetime. "Would you like a drink?" Long pause.... I start wondering did he hear?...then he answers.

Just so you all know I have said too much again so will be back with a name change!

Try him after a few beers whistl and see if It’s any quicker !!

That’s it exactly though, I used to moan and say surely you can decide what you want for dinner not realising he couldn’t find the words for what he wanted. We’d also get weird phrases regularly such as ‘is it yesterday tomorrow

Thanks Holly. I know the UNIQ applications had to be in last weekend. Without being too personal, did your DC tick many of the boxes for the Sutton Trust applications? I know they say that they can't offer places to everyone, but hope that applying for the summer schools encourages you to make a full blown university application.

Thatbis very definitely a statement shirt!

Hi Stickerrocks, we only ticked the first generation to go to uni, exam grades and state school boxes so we knew they didn't have much chance.
Selwyn College seemed to receive the overflow of Sutton students who applied tip Cambridge, then Homerton received their overflow, I could be wrong but that was the impression we got.
For the Bath summer school DS applied directly to the university.
Cambridge student union CUSU also run shadowing schemes where students stay with Cambridge students and attend lectures with them, mine didn't get a place on this, but I think everything is worth a try!

DS1 was rejected by CUSU shadowing scheme this year - we didn't tick enough boxes, I think, just state school one. Gave it a go anyway! From their email, it seems not many student volunteered to mentor this year so not many places.

I don't think we qualify for any access schemes or Sutton Trust; we live in a high-uni-going area (there must be a proper name for it).

DS1 has applied for Eton College's USS though - sent the form back on Monday. He is keen to do it so keeping fingers crossed! Does anyone know how they select? Any clue as to criteria?

As for the diagnoses - better now than Y13! Pleased to see that support is being put in place.

Hope I’m ok to join this thread. I was on a couple of the GCSE ones last summer. DD got some good GCSEs, maybe not by the standards on here where everyone seems to get all 8s & 9s!

I can’t believe we’re already at the stage of open days. How many do people normally go to? As she seems to have a list of about 10!

Idsisatwat - welcome. Please be assured that we are indeed a mixed bunch on here and even those who may have a child with high grades for this year have other kids who are older/younger/both who achieved at all sorts of levels and followed all sorts of routes.

We have split ours as we live a long way from DS's preferred choices so have done 2 last Autumn, plan 2 in Summer and another September 2019. There are a couple of others on his radar which possibly will be insurance places so my thinking was we might look at those as offer holder days which would usually be in Spring 2020.

It depends on your budget and what your DC's school allows. Ours allows 2 days off per school year.

It is worth looking at an aspirational (slightly above predictions) and an insurance (ie. A safe bet) and then however many possibles you want. There is so much info on line including campus and accommodation videos too which is helpful.

It is obviously also a lot easier if they know what degree they want to study! What A levels is your son/daughter doing and what degree?

Hey ids of course you’re welcome! There have been loads of name changes (except for those of us who are too lazy/incompetent...) but it’s still the same friendly bunch.

DS is making his choices based on the course first (spending quite a bit of time going through different specifications) and then on universities that have been recommended by his teachers. Not much outside the box thinking with him.

Welcome ids!

DD doesn't seem to have done much thinking at all about university - she knows what she wants to study, but not really where. I don't want to hassle her, but need to do some gentle prompting I think!

@idsisatwat - you're more than welcome. We are indeed a mixed bunch but like a big extended family we all rub along together.

I don't think DS1 will go to a huge amount of open days. He's been to Oxford already and is booked to do a residential at Manchester. I think we'll go to Durham, York, Bristol and Bath. We have friends who live in Bristol and Bath so that's nice weekends away and a free bed and my nephew is at York so I might just send DS1 on a visit.

DS1 has a good friend who will probably apply for chemistry as well so we might double up with him. I'm not particularly bothered about me seeing all the unis as I know all the towns anyway and it's DS1's choice ultimately.

DS1 has a good chat with his tutor about the approach to uni applications this week and seems to have a bit of a plan. Bath and York are on the list as they have lower offers (AAB) than the others. His chemistry teacher has also offered for him to support her/lab assist in her Year 9 lessons. Good stuff to talk about in a PS or interview. Thankfully DS2 isn't taught by her or there would be an issue!

Thanks everyone
DD wants to do Geology at university. She's doing A levels in biology, geography and economics.

I think I need her to look at them online in a bit more detail, to see if there's anything about particular course specifications that appeal to her.

Idsisatwat - you can go on the whatuni app and put in her subjects and predicted grades and what degree she wants to do and it should suggest possible unis that would make offers at those grades.

Then look at the individual courses and see what modules they offer. DS is much more into recent history and whilst accepting he will have to do some medieval, early Modern he is definitely looking at ones that offer a high percentages of 20th Century history. Scarily both the 70s and Thatcher Era is a History module!!! (Scary as it was the era I grew up in!)