Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Further education

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

Thread 19 - Corona Cohort, Enrolling on Year 13, hopefully NOT unlucky for some

999 replies

OrangeCinnamonCocktail · 02/09/2021 22:37

Place holder

OP posts:
icanbewhatiwant · 14/09/2021 21:49

Ds3's result from pcr just came through. Negative. I just told him he can go to school now. He's crying telling me he's not well enough (he's 12 just incase anyone has forgotten) he's been fine all day.

Monkey2001 · 14/09/2021 21:57

@icanbewhatiwant

Ds3's result from pcr just came through. Negative. I just told him he can go to school now. He's crying telling me he's not well enough (he's 12 just incase anyone has forgotten) he's been fine all day.
Great news??! Tell him he can have extra nice things in packed lunch - or is he too old for simple bribes?
EwwSprouts · 14/09/2021 21:57

Glad it was negative result for him. Got to love a contrary DC!

icanbewhatiwant · 14/09/2021 22:06

He's been fine all day. Now he's too ill for school. I'm glad it's negative though. I thought it would be. Good job I noticed I hadn't registered online and phoned up...or we'd have waited all week.

whoamitojudge · 14/09/2021 22:44

@Rivermonsters Sorry I didn’t realise…..
What are you studying?

Isthisjustnormal · 15/09/2021 08:16

Good luck to everyone testing and fighting t&t: all sounds like a nightmare! In terms of EPQ - ds very much managed this himself with minimal input from us but it was a lot of work. But definitely valuable in terms of teaching uni preparedness skills - if that’s a relevant route. I’m glad ds is handed in now though: it took a lot of his energy and time.

Ds doesn’t seem to be getting anyway fast on uni decisions and I’m conscious we’ve not got loads of visits booked in because of that. I’m sure he’s getting notifications through from school (which we then don’t hear!) but what are others using for general notifications of uni open days? I know it’s collated somewhere…!?

Seeline · 15/09/2021 08:51

There's the OpenDays website, but I have always found it not very comprehensive.

I've just been regularly checking the websites of uni's DD has shown an interest in. It's usually pretty clear on the front page whether there are open days available - or at least a link to the open days page which will give details as to whether virtual/face to face or somewhere in between, and how to book.

20newnames · 15/09/2021 08:54

Just had a phone call cancelling Ds’s driving test less than 3 hours beforehand. He is gutted 😕

They have managed to rebook for next week but we are in shock and really naffed off.

icanbewhatiwant · 15/09/2021 09:02

@20newnames that's really annoying. At least they've re booked I guess. Still annoying though.

20newnames · 15/09/2021 09:06

Thanks @icanbewhatiwant. He is just so gutted, it’s hard when they have been working towards this date for months.

Monkey2001 · 15/09/2021 09:13

@20newnames how frustrating. Assume it is Covid related - it messes with so many aspects of life. People had UCAT exams cancelled over the summer too. Are our lot going to be doing A level exams? Their resilience is being tested to the limit!

@Isthisjustnormal - Leicester has a real open day this weekend. DS1 was really impressed by Leicester although he had low expectations. Newcastle 25/9 and one in October, being advertised as full open days. Schools would not tell them about all open days as there are so many different institutions, so DC/parents need to keep an eye on websites of the ones they are interested in.

crazycrofter · 15/09/2021 09:24

I went to Leicester @Monkey2001 - I really liked the uni and the city.

Dd has exams in just over 2 weeks so won’t consider any more uni visits before then, even just local ones to look at OT. Ds has just finished delayed year 10 exams and has his mocks the 2 weeks before Christmas - if schools are still open then!

Everything seems so up in the air doesn’t it. I’m fairly relaxed about dd as her predictions are A/A/Astar. Ds has literally never revised before now and he only managed revision for about half his subjects last week. Feels like time is running out for him to show what he’s capable of in case exams are cancelled!

Sorry to hear about the cancelled driving test. We still haven’t managed to find a driving instructor for dd.

Volterra · 15/09/2021 13:05

Bit worried about this cabinet reshuffle, are we going to get another incompetent twat in Education? Don’t bother answering that, it’s rhetorical really.

Volterra · 15/09/2021 13:11

Now DS has entrance exam preparation he has 0 free lessons which I think was a shock.. He’s having a think if he should drop an A level. I understand he must feel like he worked really hard for a year and as no AS it must feel like all the work for one will be for nothing but I think 3 , a project and exam preparation more than enough personally.

crazycrofter · 15/09/2021 13:30

Definitely sounds like enough work @Volterra. It is a real shame he hasn't got an AS grade for his work though.

Dd has a free lesson at the end of the day every day except one I think. She's using it to go to the gym! She's totally not motivated at the moment. We introduced a 'payment per hour of revision' system over the summer for her brother, as he has various issues, including ADHD, and needs a push. She's now suggesting she needs the same! She really doesn't...

Horace123 · 15/09/2021 13:30

Just wondered what people think. DS (had covid in December, has had one jab as not yet 18, has had 2 negative PCRs in last 2 weeks due to travel) is getting over a cold. Because we're all paranoid, he's done a lateral flow every morning this week and they have all been negative. Apparently yesterday a few teachers asked if he was ok (he isn't coughing but is quite bunged up). This morning the school nurse phoned me because a teacher sent him to her because he "looked unwell". I had a conversation with the nurse and she said that on balance she thinks he can stay at school and no need for PCR test. She said he is feeling "fine" and feeling up to lessons. They are wearing masks at school in communal areas although not in class.

I did think about going to have another PCR just to prevent any further comments and phone calls. But I'm reluctant to as with both kids at school and DH and I both now in the office it seems that we run the risk of constant PCR testing (there have been cases in both my office and DH's office person, in DS's year at school and DD's class). And the ironic thing is when we got covid, DS was 100% asymptomatic although DH and I were quite ill.

Sorry. Just having a moan really.

@Volterra - it will be interesting to see what happens in the cabinet reshuffle but at least it looks like I'm to be spared snogging Gavin Williamson.

icanbewhatiwant · 15/09/2021 13:49

@Volterra ds's school start with 4 A levels. It was great for ds1 as he had a geography AS. he then dropped geography. But ds2 said it seems a waste of a year doing the 4th subject with an AS as they were cancelled. I know the previous year still got a AS grade. Ds2 has now dropped the 4th AS

Ds has no lessons every other Friday. Every Tuesday he just has a lecture at 9am which can be from any of the teachers or a guest. At the moment he has to stay in school 8.45-3.45pm each day. But he should be bringing home a form for me to sign to say he can leave early, or not go in. The only thing is if he doesn't go in on the Friday, he will sleep until 3pm like he does at the weekend. So he is better going to school. At least he will work.

Sounds like the education secretary is going.

Volterra · 15/09/2021 13:58

I hope he does decide to drop one though feel a bit sad for him as know he doesn’t want to.

Horace I wouldn’t get a PCR given school aren’t saying to, has had recent one and is doing LTF. I’m having to shift my mind set a bit on this but as only the person who is ill is now isolating it seems a bit pointless to do anymore than you have already done.

Volterra · 15/09/2021 14:02

Maybe we should take a moment to enjoy having no Education Secretary in case replacement is awful?!

EwwSprouts · 15/09/2021 14:05

Track and trace have come round to following the guidance. It took a couple of phone calls as the immediate reaction was of course he has to go for a pcr. DS had told T&T he had a positive pcr in the summer holiday and I told them July and still they held firm. Only when I asked if T&T were no longer following gov guidance did it get escalated. Hurrah risk of 10 days isolation avoided!

Given return to school/college & so many positives after the festivals etc, if you need to refer to the guidance it's "You should not arrange to have a PCR test if you have previously received a positive PCR test result in the last 90 days, unless you develop any new symptoms of COVID-19, as it is possible for PCR tests to remain positive for some time after COVID-19 infection." from www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works#part-2-people-who-have-had-close-contact-with-someone-who-has-covid-19

stoneysongs · 15/09/2021 14:25

You all probably know this but the scribble method aka retrieval practice is great for those who struggle to revise. DD scoffed and said "everyone knows about that, it's all over tiktok" but DS didn't and it's been a game changer for him. (Hopefully - first test of Y13 was today so we'll soon find out)

OrangeCinnamonCocktail · 15/09/2021 14:37

@Volterra

Maybe we should take a moment to enjoy having no Education Secretary in case replacement is awful?!
Who mentioned Kemi Badenoch? I can't see her getting on with Nick..is Nick still in post I need to catch up!
OP posts:
OrangeCinnamonCocktail · 15/09/2021 14:38

@singingstones

You all probably know this but the scribble method aka retrieval practice is great for those who struggle to revise. DD scoffed and said "everyone knows about that, it's all over tiktok" but DS didn't and it's been a game changer for him. (Hopefully - first test of Y13 was today so we'll soon find out)
I will tell Dd...if she can make that awful TikTok pasta she can do the TikTok scribble method
OP posts:
Oblomov21 · 15/09/2021 15:44

Bye Gav.... will the next one be worse?

stoneysongs · 15/09/2021 15:47

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail
Was there a day recently when you had to have rigatoni because tiktok said so?!