Corona Cohort: Statements Scripted, Grades Predicted

[Monkey2001]

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting. It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, please don't within this thread. Please also be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue.

From OrangeCinnamonCocktail:

Our DS/DD may go down various paths (such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will most likely find us within the Further Ed board.

Previous thread - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/4339233-Thread-19-Corona-Cohort-Enrolling-on-Year-13-hopefully-NOT-unlucky-for-some?pg=1

Hi all,

Not much to update with regard to DM, she had a silent heart attack, in hospital on oxygen and IVs to fight pneumonia, she is only 75 but has a history of rheumatoid arthritis and also has dementia. It is so hard as she is so uncomfortable and doesn't get why she can't just leave the hospital/why she is so Ill. Thank you all for your concern I was so very touched

Dd seems to have made up her mind for all the S's Southampton as first choice for Music, with Surrey or Sussex as insurance. RHU and Cardiff also on the list but that is the way it is going at the moment. Sussex don't seem to pay for Music lessons and shares modules with film studies but it all seems to interest her. I'm getting a lot of 'why are you asking about UCAS...it's my choice' just for simply enquiring, quite frankly that behaviour is pissing me off. I'm tired though (one down at work and frequent hospital trips). Maybe I shouldn't bother about it all and see what happens. Vocal tutor looking at EPQ and PS for her which is lovely (she followed path as Dd intends, /academic music course with teaching equals on side).

Teaching qualifications not equals.

Anyone else just about ready to give up or and go straight into Christmas yet?
Turkey ordered from M and S, Tree ordered, started putting aside the snacks and weird booze (gingerbread cream liquer anyone)!

[quote crazycrofter]@Wheresthebeach dd hasn’t looked at a single virtual open day either. She seems to think they’re no use as what she really cares about is the vibe of the city and campus.[/quote]
I think Dd a bit like this too. She was NOT impressed with Egham

Glad it’s not just my DD - a tad frustrating when it’s the only option.
Mind you I guess those are the unis most likely to do on line learning…

Ohhh Christmas Pudding Vodka….

@RoastedBeans sometimes it just seems easily to let them get on with it. Ds1 wanted me involved in every step. Ds2 won't involve me. Well...I did persuade him to do the Sussex open day.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail sorry to hear your dm is still in hospital. It's so hard when dp's start getting older. At least dd seems to know what she wants.

crazy they might be trialling the extra time to see if DD uses it/to evidence a need, and then to make an application. Please encourage her to use it in these assessments!

orange, that all sounds so stressful. Poor you.

At my end, school has agreed I can go home if not teaching last lesson (which happens twice...) and come in later if not teaching first thing (which happens once...) and not do Open Evenings. I feel a bit better this week but tiredness hits me like a wall.

crazy, DD gets extra time, movement breaks, prompts, a laptop and separate room invigoration (not on her own; she’s in with other extra SEN people).
She gets it for all tests, and there is a mark on her answers, showing what was written after the extra time kicked in.

@icanbewhatiwant I think it must be quite overwhelming for some of them to have a parent nagging as well as school. There is so much pressure on them.

@Heifer unfortunately there is no way to appeal the predicted grade but she doesn’t want to. It’s fine for the unis she is thinking of. She said it takes the pressure off a bit.

That's great Piggy re the revised timetable and no open evenings 😀

So sorry to hear the news about your mum Orange. What a tough time you're having at the moment. I can certainly empathise re the dementia having got two very close family members with that (1 has Alzheimer's diagnosis). It's heartbreaking and I feel like I'm being pulled from both ends: DD needing me and my parents/parents in law needing me too. It's not surprising I feel run down at the moment so do look after yourself

DD thinks she's done her PS now and has sent it off for one last look over by end of 6th form. She's used 3997 characters. She seems to think she can't use the exact 4000 for some reason she couldn't articulate. Any idea if that's true?

Thanks @Piggywaspushed and @Alsoplayspiccolo. Weirdly ds in year 11 has just been given extra time too, but he has an ADHD diagnosis so I assume it’s more straightforward to prove need? She definitely used the extra time today. Neither of them have mentioned making a mark where extra time started though?

Glad school are allowing you some concessions piggy. My dh had Covid last Christmas and is still getting nausea. It’s very debilitating.

Sorry to hear about your mum @OrangeCinnamonCocktail

crazy, I think the process for assessing for extra time is the same, whether a diagnosis is in place or not.
It’s based on the results of a series of tests - you have to have one very low result, or several low results, if I remember rightly.
I’ll see if I can find a link.

orange, it’s good to hear from you - I’ve been wondering how things are. So sorry things are so upsetting for your mum.

www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/special-educational-needs/your-rights/exam-access-arrangements/amp

crazy

Orange - Your poor mum! hope she pulls through and hoping you are all holding up well in this difficult time.

UCAS - When your dc logs into UCAS, can they see their predicted grades there? Ds's subjects were initially showing 'Pending' and now they showing 'Not Provided' under Grade . I'm wondering whether school has forgotten to add them.

Catching up as this fell off my active list??

DS did some of the St Andrews virtual open day (why a Wednesday?). I think most important info to share is they said do not apply for two courses as they won't give two offers. Don't waste one of the five!

Crazy - DS gets access arrangements as part of his EHCP, but DD (y11) had to be assessed formally for extra time for the GCSE she took in year 10 (she has dyslexia, diagnosed in y5 and has had extra time for all exams since y7). The assessment is based on need not diagnosis.

The SENCO wrote to me last November requesting permission to assess her, it is a formal process which leads to an application to the JQC, we were informed that it had been successful in March. So it appears that they need to get the ball rolling about now. If I were you I would contact the SENCO and ask what the plans are.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail sorry to hear this. Sending love

Birmingham have changed the course title of a couple of courses from MSci to eMSci or euMSci. Does anyone know what this is?

@BlueMarigold how odd! I just did a quick search and I see what you mean. The name sounds like an e-learning course which would be bad as most of us see going away and F2F teaching as important, but could be a European version, including an element by in Europe. Really odd, suggest you call or email and ask. Could just be an error in the way website is programmed!

@Monkey2001 I have emailed. Will update here when I find out.

Hope your mum improves orange. My Dad has dementia and kidney disease...its a tough road.

DD seems to have decided she doesn't like the look of Exeter as the campus for Marine Biology is near Falmouth and not on the main campus....I'm going to look at Swansea now to see if that might be a better fit. And there I was thinking we were done with choices!

Shimy it may be that the school haven't loaded them all yet. Pending may have been before applications opened, not provided now flagged as the system is live. I suspect our school won't load them until personal statements done.

Thanks Wherethebeach, (love the username by the way!), I've since found out students aren't meant to be able to see the predicted grades added as well as the reference.