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Further education

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

Original poster

Thread 26 - Covid Cohort Hoping for a Stable, Successful 2022

999 replies

OrangeCinnamonCocktail · 04/01/2022 08:35

previous thread

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.

OP posts:
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Wheresthebeach · 06/01/2022 22:57

@Seeline - ouch. Is that mocks or the real deal?

@crazycrofter plenty of time to go up a grade - I hope!

I’m too scared to even look at other threads. Feel that I may be met with scorn for thinking Portsmouth or Plymouth might be better for DD than RG uni’s.

NCTDN · 07/01/2022 07:41

@Wheresthebeach

DD got an email from Portsmouth today - converting her grades offer into an unconditional offer...that's put the cat amongst the pigeons! If she doesn't feel confident about her Chemistry she may take them up on it. In any event, it's nice to have and has given her a bit of a boost emotionally heading into mocks in a couple of weeks.

Welcome @Appuskidu and @sofakingcool. I find if I don't post every few days the thread comes out of 'threads' I'm on but if I add it to my watch list then I can find it easily. It irrationally irks me when it comes off my 'threads' list...

I didn't realise that they could get an offer then later on that uni may change the offer? That's good to know.
Seeline · 07/01/2022 08:18

@Wheresthebeach Unfortunately that's her actual A level timetable.

Yesterday's pre-return LFT clear. How many students will still be clear by the time they return to school on Monday is a different matter. Hopefully they'll all do home tests Sunday/Monday too.

Wheresthebeach · 07/01/2022 08:34

When DD signed out yesterday, to come home during her free period, she said the register where they put 'reason for leaving' was full of positive LFT.

ealingwestmum · 07/01/2022 09:15

That is a brutal schedule Seeline.

DD not back until next weds here. I wish it were sooner. She seems to be psyching herself out of everything she does well, as well as having developed an imposter syndrome ‘if’ she were to get offers for here or there. Far better to be somewhere where she can not work as hard blah blah. It’s quite wearing, but typical fatigue at this stage I guess.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 07/01/2022 09:25

@Seeline how have you got A level timetable already?

DS did his history yesterday and said it was OK - one of the four essays was not great the others OK. Some of his friends also had their psychology mock yesterday and so had five and a half hours of essay writing.

In other news, DS2 has now tested positive for Covid. He got one day in school.

Monkey2001 · 07/01/2022 09:41

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn the timetables have been online for a while

crazycrofter · 07/01/2022 09:54

Oh no, sorry to hear that @JustHereWithMyPopcorn.

I’ve checked DD’s timetable. It’s not great. The first Psychology and History papers are on the same day, then she has three days in a row the following week. She really wants TAGs as she has no confidence in herself to be able to cram that much information in in a short space of time.

Seeline · 07/01/2022 10:25

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn I think the timetables have been online for a while, but DDs school has issued them with their individual timetables now.

Bad luck with the positive test. I suspect there will be many this half term.

Revision aids: Anyone got any tips for good websites/youtube/ etc for Psychology help please? DD seems slightly overwhelmed by the amount of content.......

ChristopherTracy · 07/01/2022 10:30

I had a panic then and checked the timetables (all except maths as there seems to be too many exams so cant tell which is which) and they all seem ok spacing. I assume this is because they are subjects that are very often taken together iyswim.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 07/01/2022 10:48

Ah sorry, I didn't realise. Where can I find the A level dates? Is it all properly confirmed or are these just reserve dates?

Have taken DS2 for a PCR as school have requested it (I didn't think we had to do that anymore?)

Seeline · 07/01/2022 11:03

Google the exam boards and you can find it there. I think the different boards all have their exams on the same day, but not 100% sure, so may be worth checking more than one. These are the confirmed dates, assuming they actually go ahead.

I think the PCR requirement stops on the 11th in England - why the arbitrary date I don't know Grin

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 07/01/2022 11:06

Thanks Seeline, I've just looked for Biology and History but they have the same subject but with different numbers i.e. Biology B Paper 1 Core Cellular but it's there twice (different days) with a different code. I guess I will somehow try to figure out which ones they will be sitting.

icanbewhatiwant · 07/01/2022 12:47

I took too so much stuff for ds1. The car was so full. I took 2 plastic foldable crates for under the bed. We put long life food in, like pasta, tins, cereal etc. He had half a drawer in the freezer and one fridge shelf. So not a huge amount of room. He also had one drawer in the kitchen and a small locker. The cupboards were shared.

Plates and glasses with something different on is a good idea too. Lots had white and plain glass in ds's flat.

We bought the recommended door stop. But ds's room was at the end of the corridor and no one walked past. So that wasn't used. I will pack it for Ds2 though. We didn't take a fan, but Ds soon asked for one as his room was so hot. I ordered one from Amazon. They weren't allowed airers in rooms. So that's something we didn't need. But he had a couple of small over the door rails. We also arrived to find no bedside table. Ds wanted somewhere for his lamp and bedside clock. So I had to go for a drive and find one...all the places that should sell them didn't have any as the students had been in and bought them. I did find one white wooden unit, with wicker drawers. So he had that. I've repainted it, it's in the garage, that might go in the car when Ds2 goes.

I'm not going to think about buying anything until after results. I'm going to look for cutlery though...I sent half a pack of 6 off with ds1, goodness knows where I stored the other 3. But they are somewhere. We have lots of towels and bedding. Ds1 had a continental single in halls, so we had to get a that size fitted sheet. Then I bought him double size for his house share, only for him to arrive to find it was a king size. So I had buy bigger. So I won't need to buy bedding. We have a huge walk in cupboard that used to be an airing cupboard, it is full of bedding.

Now we just to wait for more offers. Still only 2 out of 5.

icanbewhatiwant · 07/01/2022 12:51

Forgot to say...I wouldn't know where to look for exam dates. I don't know what exam board they are. Maybe will get told at parents consultations next week. Ds has his business studies final exam on 17th jan. if his grade is good enough then he doesn't have to take it again. There is the option to re sit in the summer if they want. Ds1 didn't need to re sit. So hopefully Ds2 won't. Then in the summer he will only sit the 2 A levels.

Monkey2001 · 07/01/2022 12:58

I think Maths will be the same for all boards, but Edexcel Pearson is
Weds 8th June PM
Tues 14th June PM
Tues 21st June PM
So nicely spaced. Physics and PE clash for one paper, so I expect DS will have to do PE in the morning and then be isolated. I think it is an unusual combination.

ChristopherTracy · 07/01/2022 13:17

Yes @icanbewhatiwant I was unsure of the boards and so had to go into DS homework on Frog randomly and look at some of the past papers they had been set etc.

icanbewhatiwant · 07/01/2022 14:18

@ChristopherTracy Ds2 tells me he's never been on uni frog. However ds3 uses it at school and he's only year 8. So not sure whether Ds2 has or not. I'm sure I could find out which boards, but will ask at parents eve. I know with GCSEs they had work books that were AQA or whatever the board was.

22Newnames · 07/01/2022 14:18

Like others I know the exam boards but not which version of further maths etc DS is sitting. I know doing further maths he finishes last as usual but apart from that it’s guessing game.

Wheresthebeach · 07/01/2022 14:37

DD deeply unimpressed to find that exams go to June 24th...she thought they'd end earlier.

Fiddlersgreen · 07/01/2022 15:09

@Wheresthebeach

DD deeply unimpressed to find that exams go to June 24th...she thought they'd end earlier.
I was about to mention this, I’m sure they usually end earlier than that? Isn’t the contingency date June 29th?
Piggywaspushed · 07/01/2022 15:15

The exams are more spaced out , in case illness/ SI affects attendance.

Wheresthebeach · 07/01/2022 15:18

It just feels like another kick for them, shorter summer holiday than expected.

Piggywaspushed · 07/01/2022 15:37

I guess so. Better, though ,than Covid taking away their A Level from them! Can't remember the % but if you don't sit a certain amount of a qualification you cannot be awarded a grade.

crazycrofter · 07/01/2022 16:04

Dd will be disappointed as she has so many plans for the summer! She also doesn’t want to take the exams as she thinks they’ll be harder.,,