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Further education

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

Original poster

Thread 25 - Covid Cohort - Christmas Trees, No Omicron Please!

989 replies

OrangeCinnamonCocktail · 12/12/2021 17:15

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.

Orange Cinnamon (Head Monitor Xmas Wink)
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Thread 25 - Covid Cohort - Christmas Trees, No Omicron Please!
OP posts:
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13
Monkey2001 · 19/12/2021 13:35

@icanbewhatiwant there was a school (somewhere on South coast?) which realised that biologically the school day was as the wrong time for teenagers and changed the school day to run from lunchtime to early evening!

HibiscusIsland · 19/12/2021 13:50

Wow. The teachers must have a long day if they are the same ones teaching the younger kids who start at 9am. I guess they won't have many hours of daylight in winter if they sleep in and start at 1.30

Piggyinblankets · 19/12/2021 13:52

[quote Monkey2001]@icanbewhatiwant there was a school (somewhere on South coast?) which realised that biologically the school day was as the wrong time for teenagers and changed the school day to run from lunchtime to early evening![/quote]
It was a boarding school, I think. Possibly Brighton College?

Piggyinblankets · 19/12/2021 13:53

Oh, just seen the article! There was definitely a bigger name school did it too!

Piggyinblankets · 19/12/2021 13:54

It wouldn't suit DS at all. He is up at 7am every day, without fail...

HibiscusIsland · 19/12/2021 14:00

Hampton Court was the one I'd heard of although I thought it was about 10 they started, but seems to have got later. I think hampton Court is supposed to be quite a progressive school

Fruitygal · 19/12/2021 14:01

@icanbewhatiwant not been on here for a while but noticed you mentioned protocol around PCR and LFT. LFT will only pick up covid if extremely high viral load. LFT positive equals 98% chance of covid.

LFT negative means nothing - assume someone who has been in close contact with a known covid infected contact is also infectious. LFT but also PCR at 2 days and 4 days post contact plus LFT every day for one week.

Currently awaiting a second PCR result for DD as friend she drove to school with in a car for 1hr without masks was negative on LFT the night before and a 6am but asked by school to do one at 12 and was positive - now confirmed with PCR. DD is isolating in room. We all don’t want covid for Christmas

Fruitygal · 19/12/2021 14:03

My actions are based on facts around infectious disease and how it spreads ( relating to my former job) and not government policy.

Anyone with a cold, headache, cough, upset stomach, sore throat or more fatigue or aches than normal should be doing a PCR not an LFT.

Original poster
OrangeCinnamonCocktail · 19/12/2021 14:11

Dd college starts at 10am. They started it three years ago as part of a study with Cambridge (I think) it does suit her but she has started getting up later and leaving breakfast to last minute!

Nothing more depressing than going to work/school etc in the dark and getting home in the dark.

OP posts:
Piggyinblankets · 19/12/2021 14:13

@Fruitygal

My actions are based on facts around infectious disease and how it spreads ( relating to my former job) and not government policy.

Anyone with a cold, headache, cough, upset stomach, sore throat or more fatigue or aches than normal should be doing a PCR not an LFT.

I had to instruct my spleenless father on this fact only yesterday fruity...
HibiscusIsland · 19/12/2021 14:14

10am would suit dd better than 8.35. She has one late start per fortnight although has some early home days. She had more late starts in year 12

ExquisitelyDecorated · 19/12/2021 14:26

Our local college switched to a 10am start a few years ago, not sure how popular it's been. I cannot for the life of me imagine not starting work till 10, but I'm not a teenager.

icanbewhatiwant · 19/12/2021 14:53

@Fruitygal Ds is currently only doing LFT's but has no symptoms. Not been told to test or anything. We just thought it a good idea. He sat next to the lad Tuesday.

At my secondary they did a trial of finishing at 2pm. That was brilliant. But it didn't last long as they decided they needed a longer lunch break to set up equipment for science. I wouldn't have wanted to go in later instead as I had to do my paper round. My school wasn't that far from Moseley either (not a private school)

Ds2 just said he likes getting up early for school. Just doesn't see the point in getting up early when there's no school. He's just got up now...earlier than yesterday. Christmas will be the day he complains. He's said for years he doesn't want a great big roast for breakfast, he always complains all the way through that 2pm is a stupid time for a big dinner.

Wheresthebeach · 19/12/2021 15:12

Oh great news @HibiscusIsland

singingstones · 19/12/2021 16:03

Just catching up, glad to hear your DH will be on his way home soon Also.

Our own little Christmas miracle is that DS's UCAS form has finally been submitted Xmas Smile

Now I can start worrying about offers, then exams/CAGs, and then final grades. Good to be moving through the stages of Y13 worries though.

Plus Covid of course, we are supposed to be seeing family including two 80+ yr olds and a new baby between Christmas and new year. I'm not holding my breath.

cariadambyth · 19/12/2021 17:30

Good to hear of the flurry of ucas submissions.
Is anyone else’s dc panicking about whether they’ll be learning from home after Christmas and whether they’ll be sitting exams in the summer? Dd is getting herself really worked up about it and it’s hard to watch as I have nothing constructive to say because nobody knows. School made them all empty their lockers on Friday ‘just in case’.

singingstones · 19/12/2021 17:42

Yes cariad, mine are both fretting about it. Both would much much prefer to be in school and to have proper exams. I am not holding out much hope though.

Wheresthebeach · 19/12/2021 17:52

Yep stressy about not doing exams here too. Part of the problem is the not knowing.

cariadambyth · 19/12/2021 18:01

You’re absolutely right, the uncertainty is really tough. Dd would much rather be in school and do exams. She keeps saying ‘You’re a teacher, what do you think will happen?’, my answer is that part time year 1 teachers are not renowned for their inside info about year 13. It’s so hard for them all.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 19/12/2021 18:28

Yay to the UCAS submission, singing! Grin
Now onto nagging your DS to check his emails every 5 minutes…

Our school does one set of mocks, immediately after Christmas. With all the current news and uncertainty, it’s hard to keep DD and DS motivated to revise for mocks, when the worry is that they will be back to on-line learning.
I’m currently sat with DS, trying to push him through GCSE physics revision…and failing miserably - he just can’t seem to feel any sense of the reality of impending assessments.

ExquisitelyDecorated · 19/12/2021 18:29

@cariadambyth yes, DS will be devastated if he can't go back to school at the start of term, as he was for both previous closures, he loves his school and feels his time there is being stolen from him. DD (y11) less so but has her mocks due the second week back and won't want to do them online.

cariadambyth · 19/12/2021 18:36

Dd feels the same, time in school stolen from her. Does anyone have any theories about what will happen? I’m inclined to think the government, exam boards, universities etc will be desperate for exams to go ahead regardless because of the dc not ever having sat external exams.

singingstones · 19/12/2021 19:11

I have his UCAS login, Also Wink
Good for both of us tbf, as every time I was asking him to check if it had gone off yet, he would sigh and tell me to calm down. CALM DOWN?? Honestly.
Anyway this way I can check for updates to my heart's content and he can concentrate on Xbox revising for A levels.

icanbewhatiwant · 19/12/2021 19:32

There's no way either of my older 2 ds's would let me have log in details for anything.