Thread 18 - Corona Cohort Enrolling to Year 13 2021, Invasive Infections & Uni Uncertainty

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No timetable yet for DS but he doesn't go back till Tuesday, 6th form one always takes longest I think because they have to work round who took up their place and who didn't, who needs to resit in L6 etc. The communications/admin is a bit random at his school at the best of times (we have a parents whatsapp group for some of us from further down the school and it is a regular topic for discussion/gnashing of teeth/nominating one person to ring up and find out what's actually happening)

@KingscoteStaff

DD seems to think that her EPQ grade will come out in the summer with the A levels, but surely it will be earlier than that?

DS got his EPQ formal result on the same day as A levels were released.

no timetable here yet although DD doesn't go back until Monday and staff are back in today so I think it will be uploaded on Friday sometime.

School invited students in for LFT today and tomorrow but not compulsory. No way will DD go in when she doesn't have to. We are still testing daily at home anyway at the moment since she came back from Leeds and carried on testing twice weekly before than anyway. Just need to remember actually report the ones we do from now one to the school.

Good luck to those DD/DS going back in. I think DD is dreading it as not done the work yet (am sure she will have done by Monday) but also I think she doesn't feel ready for Yr13 at all, would LOVE to redo Y12 apparently (as long as everyone else did too though)...

Hope you keep recovering Piggy. day by day

DD gone back today. I can't believe it is Y13 already! Her indy school take a small intake of Y6 boys as a Junior form, before the main intake at Y7. They looked so young today in their huge uniforms Even the L6 in their new suits looked more than a year below, and DD has only just turned 17. It's amazing how much they mature in that first year of 6th form.

It just hit me with the last ever year of buying a new wall calendar to put the school term dates on! I’ll still buy a calendar but it’s the ritual of sitting down in September and adding inset days and cross referencing it with Dh’s phone calendar.

IT's weird isn't it - I was chatting to someone the other day who was complaining about having to get all the new stuff for the new school year. It's the first time I haven't had to get anything. She's stopped growing so no new kit, hasn't lost any of her stationery, shoes still fit etc. Still next year will make up for it if the amount of stuff I had to buy DS last year is anything to go by!

I've had to buy a new rucksack for DS and some new trousers as they have a smart casual dress code and he was making do with two pairs last year. Nothing for DD going into y11. They do both need some new trainers for school PE at some point but they can manage with old ones for now.

Ds3 is going into year 8...so a long time for me until the end of the school years. It's nice to have only had one in school uniform for the past year though.

I am wondering if school PE will happen this year. School was very cautious last year, there was no PE or extra curricular stuff. Would be nice if DS could do some chamber music and maybe jazz (he plays double bass) and it would help for PE A level if he could do some rugby at school - his teachers only have 1 video of a game which I filmed, so don't know how they can assess the practical skills.

DD has had PE throughout last year (much to her disgust!!). THey resumed matches after Easter I think. Extra curricular music has also been happening, mainly in year bubbles, but fairly sure there was some year mixing with orchestras well spaced out etc.

DS is doing BTEC sport but there isn't much practical content, apparently they are reintroducing weekly 6th form PE this term though. DD's PE went on throughout last year, only difference was no changing at school, which remains the same, they wear their kit in on the day.

My younger DD is going into Year 10 and will be starting the GCSE syllabus

@Monkey2001 no pe at our 6th form. Even for those doing it for A level. It put Ds off doing pe A level as all sport had to be played out of school. (This was the same pre covid)

@ExtremelyDisorganised is that the single Sport BTEC ? Year 11 ds is interested in taking that. We don’t think PE A Level will work as he doesn’t have a qualifying sport. I got the impression the BTEC doesn’t have a practical element, is that right?

Yes, the subsidiary one, worth one A level. Very little practical at all so far - the modules have been anatomy and physiology, careers in sport, now on a personal training/nutrition one, these are the core modules, looking at the optional ones coming up there may or may not be practical sport. Worth asking at the school/college - my DS does play football and hockey outside school but I don't think its a requirement, its never been asked of us.

Just filled in the consent form re LFT on the first week back. Thought in 6th form parental consent wouldn't be needed as much. We also have to consent to our DC going to a local uni for an organised open day next week - not a uni DD is interested in as it's mainly for medical students - as her school are very keen on this kind of school trip as they ran medical uni courses down their throats (DD's words lol).

Ours didn't do PE on a time table but they did introduce maths as a twice weekly lesson which DD has hated as it takes away from her study periods. Enrichment is still on there and sport is an option but most do EPQ study - DD not doing one now.

Her fave uni doesn't accept UCAS points on anything other than academia so LAMDA exams over grade 6 don't count so she's a bit gutted.

Will try and catch her in a good mood to go through her PS before school starts as she needs it to be in by Oct 15th... v early I know but her school insist. She's out shopping for new 6th form clothes at mo so I will indulge her lots of time showing me then casually drop into convo re the PS while school is in her mind 😂

DS went to LFT today for year 13 and was only one there! He reckons lots are avoiding it as they went to Leeds Festival and don't want to test positive...

School have emailed re dropping EPQ in a surprisingly positive way- they only start in September and he has so much else to do. They fully understood and support decision. Was staggered!

No timetable here. It is still paper copy on first day. back.. no wonder online learning has been so woeful here!

DS was supposed to be going to an 18th party but the birthday girl has tested positive - she was at Leeds Festival.

No news of timetables or LFTs here yet but they don't go back until next week.

Would be so interesting to know the percentage of festival goers who caught it. I think over 50% for Boardmasters, anybody got a handle on Reading and Leeds rates?

DD was due back at school today but is self isolating.

She tested positive after Boardmasters, saw out her isolation period and is absolutely fine. But she managed to pass it on to me, DH and her brother along the way and got pinged as my close contact and asked to go for a PCR test. She'd done numerous negative LFTs by this point but complied with T&T demands and got a PCR done. Positive. She is then forced to self isolate again for another 10 days. T&T told us she shouldn't have done a repeat PCR test within 90 days of testing positive. Ironic really as it was T&T who told her to do it (and have since told her to 2 more when traced as a close contact of DH and her brother.......). Anyway a positive is a positive and you can not avoid self isolation even if you tested positive on 17th August and again on 31st August. So beginneth a third consecutive year of disrupted education for our kids......

Oh , I had this when they PCRd me in hospital. That gets reported to T and T. I had so many days! To be fair I was so ill, I didn't care...

Hope you all remain OK.

I've heard you can test positive for up to 90 days. But I've also heard of people who have had covid being told they can't return to work until they've had a negative test. Seems to be different advice.

Thanks @ExtremelyDisorganised, how has he found it? Is he studying BTEC alongside A Level(s)? Is the standard expected different? Ds wants to do a Level 3 in Food and probably an A Level, maybe History.

Dd says several of her friends who went to Reading for the whole weekend (she just went for the Friday) have COVID, so school will be a bit dead next week!

Lots have tested positive after Reading at my DS school, sounds like other schools have an issue too. Strangely my other DS can go back to school as he has had a negative test, touch wood he is fine and no signs of anything. So annoying for all of them, I have a GCSE and A level DS this school year, so it is going to be a long year.

@crazycrofter he's doing it alongside A level history and BTEC countryside management. There have been times when the workload has been quite heavy, the anatomy and physiology and personal trainer modules have external exams - DS had to work hard for A&P, I did a lot of revision with him during the Jan/Feb lockdown (it was examined inhouse due to Covid but treated as external. History also has a coursework module so its a proper mix and match.

With BTECs you can find the detailed specification on the Pearson website which can be really helpful if they aren't sure what they are doing and it spells out what you need to do to achieve each grade for each section of work. We had to do this for one of the countryside modules in lockdown too, DS got a total mental block over part of it. He had fairly severe SENs and coursework suits him better than terminal exams.