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Further education

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

Original poster

Thread 24 Covid Cohort - Oh Come, Oh Come offers from Emmanuel - and all other universities aswell!

999 replies

OrangeCinnamonCocktail · 26/11/2021 16:12

I tried to sing the title... It kind of works...

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 posts 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 goodwill continues.

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.

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Heifer · 06/12/2021 15:32

Wow, I've missed so much. I can't believe how poorly a common cold has made me. I'm on day 12 and only just had a normal day work wise. Feeling rough again now though so will need to rest up again!

DD's Uni applic has literally just been sent to UCAS within the last 2 mins. She has just phoned me asking for my card details and it's gone :-) DD finally decided on Nottingham, York, Loughborough, Sheffield & Sheffield Hallam. She ended up dropping Bath as too far and she realised she would still pick Nottingham if she was offered both so no point in applying. I stil don't see what the draw is to Nottingham personally but it's her decision.

Well done to the latest offers, interviews, driving theory, driving tests.
So much going on for them at the moment.

DD had her mocks last week - 8 exams in 5 days - she wasn't impressed.. She said they went ok in the end (found 1st Biology hard but seems to think others ok). Messed up PE as didn't see the last question in time as it was folded over, only noticied it with 10 mins to go. She is going to speak to teacher to see if she can answer it later - no idea if that will be allowed but I was impressed that she will ask at least. I hope it doesn't become a big problem re recorded grade etc but no point worrying about it. With any luck she could have aced the rest of the test and stilll got a decent mark..I have a horrible feeling it was a high scoring question though.

DD 18th coming up just before Christmas. She wants a dinner party with her friendship gropup (10). As a lot of her friends are pretty fussy eaters we have decided on a tapas/hot buffet style affair. Will lay the table old style dinner party (name plates, candles etc) and find lots of recipes for small plate food so they have lots of options. I'm really looking forward to planning it all - both DH & DD have offered to help cook so it should be fun.. I used to love hosting dinner parties back in the day.

The following week they are all going to www.bongosbingo.co.uk in Liverpool, slighlty different to the dinner party but it's got such a great reputation for a brilliant night out up here, lots of people I know of all ages seem to love it.

Heifer · 06/12/2021 15:41

I spoke too soon - just seen email from UCAS saying DD has sent it off to the school and they need to do their bit!! AH I thought it had gone gone...

Wheresthebeach · 06/12/2021 17:09

ARgh @heifer - how irritating. Hope they send it soon.

EwwSprouts · 06/12/2021 18:01

@Heifer We've got 3/5 biology matches there! York, Nottingham & Sheffield. Must be the hockey offer ;)

BlueMarigold · 06/12/2021 18:29

@Heifer and @icanbewhatiwant
I hope the school do their bit soon!

Heifer · 06/12/2021 18:34

@EwwSprouts definitely helped Nottingham with so many pitches available to them as well as Beeston HC too. DD wasn't impressed with York's single pitch :-) Also Sheffield Hallam as hockey good there too - although the Biology course always came first but if modules similar then hockey was definitely looked at too (along with social)

What are his other 2 picks? Has he had offers yet?

mummyinbeds · 06/12/2021 18:45

Trying to catch up after a few days away from here. Well done on all the submitted UCAS forms, offers and achievements.

DS had a lovely email from Nottingham admissions vtoday

mummyinbeds · 06/12/2021 18:46

I'll try finishing what I was saying. Fat fingers on a small phone....

mummyinbeds · 06/12/2021 18:54

The LNAT people decided he couldn't resist after saying he could. DS wrote to Nottingham explaining the situation and asking them to consider this application without any further LNAT. They have told him his score was within the usual offer range anyway and he is on hold until the January deadline. He is so happy to be still in with a chance as he was convinced he'd totally failed the LNAT.

Elsewhere, DD (y12) is narrowing down her uni choices already 😱 She is so organised compared to DS. I'm not sure I can start thus process again already

EwwSprouts · 06/12/2021 19:18

@Heifer York is the only one DS hasn't visited. Application only went in on Thursday so no offers yet. Other two are aspirational St Andrews and Durham. His local team played against Durham Uni IV a few weeks ago and lost but he liked the set up.

@mummyinbeds Great news from Nottingham! Fingers crossed for January.

ealingwestmum · 06/12/2021 20:34

That’s a reassuring note from Nottingham mummyinbeds, fingers crossed for him to get that offer in Jan!

ealingwestmum · 06/12/2021 20:35

Oops, same as what Eww said Grin

EwwSprouts · 06/12/2021 20:37

@ealingwestmum Great minds!

Fruitygal · 06/12/2021 22:50

@Wheresthebeach the ALevel exams planned appear to be a lot later than when the DSs did them. A levels always finished well before gcses which usually ran on 10 days later

Wheresthebeach · 07/12/2021 08:08

@mummyinbeds that sounds good, and a relief.

@Fruitygal Glad I'm not imagining it...can't quite believe she's scheduled til end June. In my head they got a really long summer...

Heifer · 07/12/2021 08:37

Would have thought a lot of schools would struggle to run GCSE at same time as A Levels re space etc.

DDs 1st exam 24th May and last 24th June. Only 1 day with 2 exams thankfully. Has 10 in total.

EwwSprouts · 07/12/2021 08:39

@Fruitygal It was the other way round many moons ago. My last A level paper was in July.

Monkey2001 · 07/12/2021 09:12

Re scheduling of A levels, I seem to remember they said something about spreading them out this year so that students were unlikely to be isolating/ill for both papers.

Our school have announced how they will be doing TAGs in the "very unlikely" event that exams are cancelled. They will not be using any pre-Christmas assessments, just the March mocks, timed work done in class after Christmas and "any internal exams we would run in the summer term".

I still think they will show shocking inequality if exams are run, but I think DS might do better if he has exams because the PE and Maths depts use really high grade boundaries and in think real grade boundaries will plummet!

ealingwestmum · 07/12/2021 09:41

I don't disagree that we cannot get away from the shocking inequality monkey, but it is no more shocking than every school undertaking their own interpretation (and then devising their own, often endless assessments) of the TAG rules. And then attaching results to historic data vs what a student has actually achieved. Both are imperfect, but at least having a standardised set mitigates the let's make up the rules or take the piss attitude of the last 2 years.

icanbewhatiwant · 07/12/2021 09:46

I have no idea when ds's sumner exams are. But the business studies exam was early in year 13 for ds1. I'm sure it'll be soon for ds2 though he doesn't seem to know. It isn't an A level it is equivalent to A level. For ds1 they had the option to retake in the summer if they wanted. But he got distinction star so need to re take. So hopefully ds2 will not need to re take. Then they he needed to concentrate on 2 A levels. Ds2 never seems to know what is happening or when. Or maybe he does, he just won't tell me.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 07/12/2021 09:47

@mummyinbeds

The LNAT people decided he couldn't resist after saying he could. DS wrote to Nottingham explaining the situation and asking them to consider this application without any further LNAT. They have told him his score was within the usual offer range anyway and he is on hold until the January deadline. He is so happy to be still in with a chance as he was convinced he'd totally failed the LNAT.

Elsewhere, DD (y12) is narrowing down her uni choices already 😱 She is so organised compared to DS. I'm not sure I can start thus process again already

How unfair of the LNAT lot to change their minds! Angry That said, I am so glad he's still in the running and his score was in Notts offer range. I will be keeping my fingers firmly crossed for him.
Horace123 · 07/12/2021 09:56

@Monkey2001 I watched the last education committee session on the discussion of 2022 exams (what can I say, was very bored at work) - haven't dug out the minutes but the junior minister indicated that the timetable would be as per normal (they did consult on delaying exams or spreading them out more). In fact I think the exam boards have published dates? Had a quick look at AQA and Edexcel and they seem to have final dates for AS and A levels. Haven't paid much attention to the A level situation as DS doing IB (although DD doing GCSE so a bit more on top of that).

Feel like whatever they do, some kids will be unfairly disadvantaged. What a mess.

Seeline · 07/12/2021 10:09

Just had a look for DDS exams. Each subject seems to have spread out their papers, but for DD that means she has ended up with her first 2 papers on consecutive days, 2 occasions with 3 exams in 2 days, and final exam on the 24/6. She will not be pleased....

Heifer · 07/12/2021 10:13

@Seeline

Just had a look for DDS exams. Each subject seems to have spread out their papers, but for DD that means she has ended up with her first 2 papers on consecutive days, 2 occasions with 3 exams in 2 days, and final exam on the 24/6. She will not be pleased....
Did you notice that it lists As levels along with A levels, so are all of those you spotted def A levels as 3 in 1 days x 2 is a lot. Is she taking unusual subjects?
Heifer · 07/12/2021 10:14

@Seeline ignore my previous post - I've just reread and see that it isn't 3 exams in 1 day! sorry

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