Thread 23 Covid Cohort Stepping Into Christmas, Tests, Mocks & Interviews

[OrangeCinnamonCocktail]

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

@20newnames/ DS / Engineering
@Alsoplayspiccolo/ DD / English + Film
@AnneofCleavage/ DD / gap year? Primary Education
@BlueMarigold/ DD / Biology
@cariadambyth/ DD / History / Southampton, Bath Spa, Warwick, RHUL
@collywobble/ DS / PPE, Economics / Lancaster (AAB)
@crazycrofter/ DD / Child (?) + Mental Health Nursing
@Decorhate/ DS / Economics + Politics
@Delphigirl/ DS / Oceanography
@DoggerelBank/ DS / tbc sciencey
@ealingwestmum/ DD / Middle Eastern and European Studies
@EerilyDisembodied/ DS / History or Environmental Management
@estherfrewen/ DS / History / Birmingham (ABB), Cardiff (ABB-BBB), Warwick (AAB)
@EwwSprouts/ DS / Biology
@Fiddlersgreen/ DS / Journalism / Bournemouth (104 pts), Brighton (BCC), Cardiff (ABB)
@Fruitygal/ DD / Biology
@Hattifatteners/ DD / Vet Med
@Heifer/ DD / Biology
@Hopeful201/ DS / Medicine
@Horace123/ DS / Classics / Edinburgh 34/665
@icanbewhatiwant/ DS / History + Philosophy
@Isthisjustnormal/ DS / Comp Sci
@JustHereWithMyPopcorn/ DS / Law
@KingscoteStaff/ DD / Medicine
@Knickerthief1/ DD / Child nursing / York
@Monkey2001/ DS / Medicine
@mummabear74/ DD / Environmental Science
@mummyinbeds/ DS / Law + French Law / Birmingham (AAA), Kent (AAB)
@Nard75/ DS / Maths
@NCTDN/ DD / Liberal Arts
@Oblomov21/ DS / Accountancy / Southampton ABB
@OrangeCinnamonCocktail/ DD / Music (uni)
@PaddingtonPaddington/ DD / Music (cons)
@Piggywaspushed/ DS / Social sciences / Birmingham (AAB-ABB), York (AAB-ABB)
@ProggyMat/ DD / Classics / Bristol (BBB), Edinburgh
@SandyBayley/ DD / Medicine
@Seeline/ DD / Liberal Arts / UEA (AAB), Kent (BBB), Nottingham (AAA)
@Shimy/ DS / Business + Management / Birmingham (AAB-ABB), Loughborough
@singingstones/ DS / Neuroscience
@Volterra/ DS / Maths
@whatsnext2/ DD / English joint hons
@Wheresthebeach/ DD / gap year? Marine Biology / Southampton, Portsmouth
@whoamitojudge/ DD / RyanAir cabin crew training
@Zebracat/ DD / Liberal Arts or Anthropology
@ZittiEBuoni/ DD / tbc applying next year

That’s a great sign Seeline. We have mocks same timing as your DD.

Oh dear @ExcessiveIyDisorganised, is the pass his predicted overall grade or just what he’s achieving on the current module? Is it in a different subject to what he’s applying to uni for?

I'm not sure if it's just that half term's work or overall. The reporting system isn't very clear. Last term he had an aspirational grade of distinction with Merit achieved, we never thought Distinction was really likely but hoped he was a solid merit. Now his aspirational grade is Merit, but his achievement is down to pass+, which means by the sounds of it he has slipped. I meant to email the teacher at half term but forgot and at the time DS did assure me everything was going fine. I've emailed now and hopefully it is retrievable. As usual I am kicking myself though.

This is the downside of BTECs, every bit of work counts.

Having looked at his list of 7 courses again though, it would still be fine for 4, one other it would be pushing it but we knew that anyway. It also rules out two but we needed to do that in any case. So probably not the end of the world. It is very useful having this thread to dump thoughts onto!

@Seeline - How nice! We'll be making decisions based on offer days too as mocks now seem even more important so doing less than planned.

@ExcessiveIyDisorganised - Hope you get a reassuring answer. Looks like you've a decent back up plan.

Thank you both. This time last year we weren't even considering uni and the year before that we were doubtful whether he'd get the GCSE grades for A levels, so it does all mean that we are looking at less competitive unis / courses and he may not end up going at all, or might defer. But I am very happy that he has come this far.

@ealingwestmum's DD congratulations! very exciting.

@Seeline - I love the offer holder days. They walk in with a very different bounce because they know they are almost there, unlike the general open day where they're looking a bit nervous not knowing if they will ever come back, especially if it's one they really like. Enjoy!

On another note, has anyone received an offer from Warwick? DS getting a bit nervous. He hasn't said anything but I know he is.

Just checked the list and can see a couple have had offers from Warwick, perhaps I should have asked is anyone waiting to hear from WBS?

DD messaged me at lunch - She has an offer from Lancaster today!! Whoop whoop 🙌

She’s going out to gig in London tonight with friends and staying at friends house closer to London afterwards - not nervous about this at all 😱 normally we drive in and pick up after gigs in London. They are getting tube, train and then one driving then back to their house from station. The DSs did similar but somehow this is worse!

Congratulations @Fruitygal!

Congrats @Fruitygal. Is this her top choice?

@Fruitygal - great news on the Lancaster offer!

Great news @Fruitygal
DD travelled home across London last Saturday night at midnight with a friend. They were fine…I was a nervous wreck!

Good news fruity!

I spend my life now taxiing DS to various worthy things : Armistice church service , Band last night, helping at Open Evening tonight. It'll be football tomorrow, There was something on Monday which I have wiped from my conscious!

Lockdown was far more serene...

Yay fruitygal, your dd is doing so well!

We've had intensive negotiations this afternoon between dd and her RE teacher (over the phone, refereed by me) to try and work out when and how she will take paper 2 of the mock. I think the idea is that she would do it under timed conditions on her laptop with the teacher ready to receive the work via Google classroom as soon as time is up. But they'll have to make sure this is admissible without an invigilator to oversee first.

More mocks next term, of course, and I doubt they'll be quite so accommodating in letting her do them off-site if the idea is to make these part of a teacher-assessed A-level grade (though I'm really hoping that won't come to pass this year).

@Shimy the DH and I love an offer day - we rate the event from a free stuff for parents and the students. If they give us a voucher for one hot drink that’s not the best but those that whip out a table laden M&S buffet platters and a selection of hot and soft drinks are home and dry 😂😂😂

As DH says at this point they should be wooing you - your child has £28k to spend on a course plus 1st accommodation and they need to convert the offer into a sale!

Well done to your DD Fruitygal, and to a great night out for her in town!

Thanks to all of you for your good wishes.

@Shimy it’s not her top choice Durham (if offered) would be and now I think York may win the insurance spot given the two offers.

Great news@Fruitygal!

She’s just texted to say they’ve grabbed some dinner and got to the venue so all ok

[quote Fruitygal]@Shimy the DH and I love an offer day - we rate the event from a free stuff for parents and the students. If they give us a voucher for one hot drink that’s not the best but those that whip out a table laden M&S buffet platters and a selection of hot and soft drinks are home and dry 😂😂😂

As DH says at this point they should be wooing you - your child has £28k to spend on a course plus 1st accommodation and they need to convert the offer into a sale![/quote]
Ok, when are offer holder days usually?!

Are these for after you have made your firm and insurance choices?

Congratulations on offers and offer holder days.

@Fruitygal it is good that your DD understand your need to know she is safe. DS1 was hopeless at remembering that I was home worrying, but I did get used to it.

A diversion here. You may recall that numpty DS (or maybe he just has ADHD) has lost his driving licence and when trying to get a duplicate on line I was told they couldn't access a photo so it would have to be mailed in and would probably take 6 weeks. We all know what a nightmare DVLA is at the moment, so I decided to order a passport so we had a digital photo. Loads of people taking about how passports are now taking up to 10 weeks, so lots of stress, tweets, waiting on phone lines. Passport office managed to get the passport approved in 2 weeks, TNT piles the stress on with no scans in the tracking and changing expected delivery date each day, but delivered it today (5 days after they collected it).

Much joy in the Monkey House until I went on line to apply for the replacement licence and got the message that no digital photo was available!!!!! So an hour of phoning (you have to redial until you make it into the queue) I finally got through and they needed to check that I had DS's permission to talk to them so I hissed at DH that he had to pretend to be DS and handed the phone over. After confusion and horror from DH he managed to cut the call off. Sigh...... Back to dialling until I got into the queue again. Spoke to a lovely lady who said she could see the original photo and I should try again on a link she would send. She sent a link to the page I had been using. Luckily I asked her if it was possible to do it over the phone and she said of course we could put she would need DS's permission. I held phone for DH to pretend he was DS and it was all done. And turned out I could have phoned to do it as easily as this 4 weeks ago, when we realised it was liist.

AAAARRRGGHHH

Well done if you have made it to the end of my bamboozled rant!!

Moral of the story. If your DC loses licence and has difficulty renewing on line just phone them!

@Fiddlersgreen offer holder days are to help you decide which to Firm and Insure, so need to be before June deadline.