Thread 21 Corona Cohort - Nervous waiting, so frustrating

[Monkey2001]

Continuation of OrangeCinnamonCocktail's threads

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.

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/a4354626-Corona-Cohort-Statements-Scripted-Grades-Predicted?msgid=111487286#111487286

@icanbewhatiwant each university seems to calculate whois eligible for a contextual offer differently. Bristol have a list of state schools who (I think) are not in the top 60% with regard tooe
Performance. Others use data such as poverty index or polar quintiles. You have to look at each university individual policy...it is a bit annoying.

Great news Also, that your DD is getting enthused

Thanks for the supportive comments. Third LFT was also positive, so getting PCRs for all of us tomorrow.

@icanbewhatiwant the widening participation criteria vary massively. Places which have particular problems with private/state balance can have very generous schemes. As mentioned, there is the massive Bristol list of schools, then other places like Exeter and Newcastle give lower offers for the right postcodes. Quite tempting to use parents snazzy city.cebtrevfkat address which qualifies in spite of being a fancy expensive development. DS's GF qualifies although her parents are both graduates, mum is a teacher. At some places you need to meet multiple criteria

Thanks for the new thread and the tag.
I’ve not posted recently but always try to keep up, well done those who’ve received offers already and to those who have submitted their forms or finished their PS.
Still no PS even thought about here by DS.
And he’s refusing to go to any open days during the football season!

Best of luck monkey.
I get this about football season too fiddlers : it's very irritating... DS plays for a tinpot teams and DH monas every week about the manager, the quality, the reffing,the attitudes of the boys. But DS must not miss a game...

moans

DS is at a target school for some outreach teams (Birmingham have done a lot) but doesn't seem to qualify for contextual offers (other than Bristol which seems to include every school in the land!) . However, when DS1 applied, he got quite a few. I think some unis are quietly dialling them back.

I am not bothered because a) DS is predicted grades in line with requirements and b) both his parents are teachers, supportive and affluent so a contextual offer would not be going to the right person really. His school ahs also massively improved since DS1 went (but, like many state schools still ahs problems with retention of teachers in some areas, it anyone remembers the music and Spanish fiascos!). People have starting targeting his school for sixth form because of its place on some contextual lists which is an interesting recruitment / selection strategy!

That’s really bad luck Monkey. Hope if still positive you remain asymptomatic. We’ve all had the cold from hell, 10 days on I’m still not right, but 2 PCRs in (and numerous LFs done) we have all remained negative.

Hi, thanks for the new thread and tagging me. It’s on third page already! I hope your family is ok @Monkey2001!

DD looked at Nottingham yesterday and like it. She just needs to work more on her PS now.

Thanks for the new thread @Monkey2001.

We're having a bit of a weekend off from Ini stuff. DS has to submit his history coursework next week and I spent a couple of hours helping him proofread and correct typos yesterday, he puts random capital letters and still struggles with where/were. Other than that I was very impressed with it, we're going to finish with the conclusion today. It will be something he can refer to in his PS as evidence of being able to research
multiple sources etc.

@Fiddlersgreen my DS is annoyed that the Open Days have coincided with hockey season too. No ODs yesterday so I took him to an away match on the sunny south coast and enjoyed watching with one of the other mums. ODs for the next three Saturdays though (if we go to them all). Sussex next weekend.

Has anyone else read about the events at Sussex uni where death threats have been made by students against one of the professors who holds gender-critical views, it has been discussed in the Feminism boards and also The Times/Telegraph. I have to say it is putting me off the uni a little.

Meant to say, sorry about positives @Monkey2001.

Great doggy photo @OrangeCinnamonCocktail

Thank you for new thread and tag Monkey and Orange.
I loved the Pom bear greyhound photo.

Posting from Lisbon with friends, so not much to report re ds1. He seems ok atm. He's got his first boxing fight next month. I'm a bit nervous.

Boxing @Oblomov21?! My DS wants some boxing lessons, feels like a horrible idea to me, rugby bad enough!! Is it safe? I know it has probably moved on from the bad old days.

Thanks for the explanation. I just looked on the Bristol page out of curiosity, our school isn't on there either. We live in Suffolk and the dc's just go to the nearest Suffolk school. There is a nearer secondary across the border in Norfolk, that isn't on the list either. We could have gone to either school really, but as we are Suffolk the school buses serve the Suffolk school and the primary feeds into that one. But when they go to sixth form they aren't allowed on the buses to that school, as the council say they have to attend their nearest 6th form, for our address that is the one in Norfolk. Really silly, as no buses go to that one. But neither seem to be on any lists. Not that it matters. But I was curious.

Eerily - yeah I saw all the Sussex stuff too. The Uni has issued a statement saying they will not tolerate bullying or harassment. Hopefully it all gets dealt with, but it's a worry.

Does anyone know if Dyslexia gets a contextual offer? As far as I can see contextual seems to relate to economic circumstances only. I was hoping that DD might get given slightly lower offers due to her Dyslexia but it doesn't look that away.

@Oblomov21Boxing...yikes...DD has muttered about learning to box...I'm hoping it's really about being able to throw a punch in self defence....

I know Monkey. But he's very in to it. Has been for over a year. Dh used to box when he was young. The club is superb and protective headwear is worn etc. Its moved on a lot in terms of what they know damage to the brain etc. Football too, they aren't even allowed to head the ball at certain ages.

What he likes is the training. The fitness level is mental. It's secondary only to Rowing, as he has to eat 100's of calories. Plus it's fabulous for his mental health, which he's been extremely happy for the last year plus.

Plus the hitting a bag, I myself found very satisfying when I did a bit of boxercise years ago.

But seeing him in the ring, in a proper fight is quite another thing tbf.

@20NewNames: comp sci we’re doing student o you building tours. I have to say we were both a bit underwhelmed with Warwick (which had been too 3 for us) - for a few reasons:

• mental health/SEN support seemed low priority: we had to ask a lot of people before we were signposted in the right direction; and got some odd answers before we found the right person (who tbf was impressive and helpful). There was an option to declare autism on the booking form, there was no notice taken of that; and the whole thing felt super un-aware of MH/SEN - it felt a very un-autism aware space (esp surprising for comp sci which tends to be autism heavy!)
• superficial but it just all seemed so sanitised: students all seemed very homogenous, very little visible diversity; no posters/all whitewashed spaces. Dunno, we just didn’t love it.
• ds comp sci tour was very focused on the spaces not the course - I know the course is well Regarded but they didn’t show it off well!

I know Warwick well (my dad taught there for a while) so maybe there wasn’t enough of a nice surprise Ito the campus but yeah, meh.

@Wheresthebeach: others will be more knowledgeable but I think no contextual offers for SEN? (Ds has asd and dyslexia dx)

@Wheresthebeach some do contextual offers for disabilities but it seems to be a higher bar than dyslexia, eg had an EHCP at school, in receipt of PIP (disability benefits). I'm finding you have to root about on their websites quite a bit, maybe email Admissions departments.

Re Contextual offers - I don’t think the school I work at is on Bristol’s list either even though the Y13s would have been there when it was in special measures...

Ds currently only has 3 unis he is really sure about applying to - Bristol, Leeds & Sheffield. I know he can just apply to 3 but does anyone have recommendations for city unis that are good for Economics & Politics? Not London.

@Isthisjustnormal
That sounds rubbish re SEN support, we didn’t look for that so didn’t notice the lack.
I find Warwick a strange place really. The campus is ok but it is so far for them to come in every day once they have moved off campus if they live in Leamington like most people. The engineering course is really good though.

DS’s favourites are Bath and Durham so far with Warwick in third place. Both far nicer than Warwick in terms of environment/local town/city and similar in terms of course quality. But Warwick is significantly nearer home.

Such a difficult choice to weigh up everything.

Thanks all...that's kinda what I thought. I was hoping for a bit of give in the marks for her but looks like it won't happen.

Just seen that DS’s school has been taken off Bristol’s contextual offers list this year. To be fair it should never have been on there in the first place but it is gutting as that was going to be his insurance plan 😬.

decor does location within the country matter?

@Piggywaspushed Not too much as we are near London so most places accessible. Though he does tend to rule places out for random reasons!