GCSE'S 2019 Done, Results Received, Moving on to 6th Form and College

[ArthurtheCatsHumanSlave]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3671029-gcse-2019-support-thread-6

New Thread for all our DC's moving on to 6th Form and College to do ALevels and BTEC's, and anything else exciting and new.

That's a very good point @Saucery. To have gone through the new surroundings/new people/new "rules" already should give them a head start for the next stage of life.

Dc is staying at the same school for 6th form but a great many students from other secondary schools have joined the school. It's their biggest ever Y12 cohort apparently.

They have a very busy September ahead of them for various reasons in and out of school so I think will be very tired by half-term. They asked for seconds at dinner last night so whatever their day involved yesterday it must have required a lot of energy.

Hi everyone. Glad everyone is finding the new thread.

DD staying at her school, where about half leave, but all her friends stayed. First day yesterday, and she got her timetable, had a couple of lessons, and PE all afternoon. Not too bad then.

She is a bit sad she doesn't have many of her previous favourite teachers, whom she had built an rapport with. For her, I think it is a good thing, as she hasn't had to change schools, I think it will help in the long run that she will have to be brave, and to adapt and change, and be a little out of her comfort zone. She has terrible social anxiety, and doesn't like change, so she needs to confront that, before she goes to Uni. I am sure she will be fine as lessons properly get under way.

On a slightly "bleugh" note, she got back yesterday and spent the evening, and whole night being horribly ill. I suspect a tummy bug. A couple of girls were sent home yesterday already, so I am assuming something is going around, but goodness me, that we quick. So, she is home today and worrying about missing "first" lessons with new teachers, and having to get work from people she doesn't know.

Poor DD.

Thanks for the new thread.

Twins stayed on at their school for 6th form. One surprised me by reporting that they spent some of their first day chatting with a bunch of newcomers - they're usually v shy and not forthcoming.

I'm hoping they'll stretch themselves and make new friends with the addition of new people joining their 6th form, they need to break out a bit from their lower school friendship group which has been a bit up and down. And it's nice for the newcomers to be included of course.

A friend of my dd sent her a text yesterday which said "I've been in 6th form for 3 hours and have already dropped Chemistry"
That jump in difference academically was obviously too much.

Ds has been enjoying wearing own choice of clothes to new college after years of hated school uniform. A couple of old friends are taking the same course which also helps but the class is friendly and small so new friends are also being made.

Seems like a positive first week so far and he’s happy and enthusiastic which after a horrible run up to gcses, with anxiety issues that became so bad he was on a reduced timetable, leaves us cautiously hopeful. There was a bit of a panic this morning as he slept through the alarm (we did too as had been dealing with family emergency night before and were exhausted). But is all got resolved and it was so good to see that he was cheerful and able to frame it as a minor setback rather than a major crisis. I can’t describe how wonderful it is to see him setting off walking tall and with a spring in his step rather than the defeated slumped shoulders that used to accompany his trip to school.

I see someone's dc had PE all afternoon.

the timetable here for 6th form includes no PE at all, despite there being at least one free period every day. Dc is taking 4 A Levels and has 5 free periods per week so presumably those doing 3 A Levels must have more free periods than that.

Are others finding no PE in their child's timetable ?

No PE here. It was one of the minus points about leaving her school. She does a sport out of school though so she's doing something but I do wish there were some thing scheduled into her week other than a level classes. Luckily she's self motivated and will use her free time wisely.

Wed afternoon for PE here. That’s with 4 A levels. School have always blocked those periods out for sport . Can be a variety I think, not sure what choices there are as DS not a massive fan of sport. They can help with lower school sport iirc. Or just carry on studying/go home.

Ds1 is enjoying no uniform too :)

Just stumped up for his travel card...ouch!

Same as @Saucery re Wednesday has always been blocked for PE wonder if same school !!
Dd taking 4 A levels but even for her morning free periods has to be at 8.30. If afternoon frees they can come home! Her biggest smile is being allowed out for lunch, although school has an amazing restaurant included in fees —soI think I need to cut her daily allowance—

Failed strike through:(

@ArthurtheCatsHumanSlave hope your Dd is feeling better💐

Wednesday afternoon was blocked out for PE and other activities in my school too, maybe it's a traditional thing.

DS starts at college on Tuesday. He's had less than 10 minutes to walk to school for his entire school career since reception and now he will have to get a bus which takes about 35 minutes. It will be quite a shock to the system I think but he will get used to it. None of the 6th form and tech colleges are in the same town as us.

@Arewedone it might have been possible but ‘amazing restaurant included in fees’ in no way describes the catering at DS’s school
Wed PE may well be a traditional thing for the older schools who then developed a 6th form.

Yes dreaded sixth form also has Wednesday afternoon blocked for "Games", which I think is a fancy way of saying PE. DS hasn't done PE at school since first term of Year 11, they dropped it in the run up to the GCSEs (and it was only one period, even in Year 7). Definitely no PE if he had stayed on at the local sixth form. He apparently did "circuit training" yesterday.

Ok @Saucery Dd did boxing on Wednesday, probably the most active she’s been since year7!
Bit worrying her A level classes are sooo small 6-7 students so hoping she doesn’t have any fall outs

Thanks all - DD is feeling a bit better, not eaten anything yet, but at least drinking. Its really a proper flu type thing, not left her bed all day.

This is so funny, guess what, yes PE has always been on a Wednesday afternoon for Yr11 and 6th Form, they share a rotating list of options. You have to get your name down quick though, otherwise you end up with something random or disliked. Cue DD. She will get first dibs next half term though .

DD2 was very, very anxious before starting, but is much happier after her first full day. Not wearing uniform is great for her. Classes are smaller than she is used to, which she likes, and it's her school's own 6th form but on a completely separate site so it feels like a 'new' school with some familiar bits. She's planning out homework and self study like a pro already. It's going to be good.

No PE at dd's college... Her timetable has just come online, she has lessons til 2:45 on Wednesday so clearly games afternoon isn't a thing there at all!
She starts tomorrow and is beginning to get really nervous. After buying her bus pass (£400- ouch!)it turns out most of her friends are planning on walking??? It would take about an hour to walk from our house to college, so 10 hours a week... dd thinks she'd be better using those saved hours to do her homework and I think I agree! Although obviously the exercise would be good, especially as no PE but it's not a great route - heavy traffic, poor pavements etc I think the bus is the better bet. Just didn't cross my mind she wouldn't be going with her friends. Oh well....
Glad things seem to be starting well for most. It's such a big change!

DS rather surprised to find only 8 pupils in his history class - the medieval option evidently was a minorty one!

Ds has been in his new sixth form since Tuesday, no actual lessons yet. They get the timetable tomorrow, he’s at a sports academy so has training every afternoon and A level lessons in the morning. Wednesday is always game day so no lessons then, they played their first friendly game yesterday and won, so they made a good impression. They had a visit from a local university this morning giving them information. So he’s enjoyed his first week so far.

Glad she’s feeling a little better arthur
No PE here for Dd

No PE for my DD either. She's glad - she has fibromyalgia (recently diagnosed) and is just starting to work out her pacing regime. Putting PE into the mix wouldn't have been at all helpful.

Sorry to shift the thread a bit, did anyone’s children get official certs for the GCSEs from the boards or a print out of results with grades with school logo?

Didn’t even get school logo on dds results sheet. Just an A4 print out with name and candidate number etc at top and then results below.
We were told that Official exam certificates are given out in December.