Thread 27 Covid Cohort Snow or Like Spring? Let's Do This Thing!

[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 found here

Its a no here I'm afraid - not sure why yet. Back to that Test look-up app!

oh I'm sorry to hear that CT, but yes to getting him back on that horse.

Sorry @ChristopherTracy.

Yikes, just as well we weren't planning to go away this half term or Easter, just realised the DCs have different half term weeks and different Easter holidays. They go to school in different counties and this hasn't happened for a few years, it was a nightmare when they were younger and needing childcare.

Lovely kitty @singingstones! Bad luck on the driving test @ChristopherTracy - although I maintain the best drivers fail first time ;-)

Sorry to hear that @ChristopherTracy, hope it has not got him down too much.

Sorry to hear that CT. Next time!

NewNames, Extremely and others, have I left it too late to do photo book for ds, (oh bollocks) for next week? What programme / package are you using?

I use Photobox. They do take a few days after ordering to be printed, I have until next Fri but was hoping to finish tonight as they have 40% off today. Takes a while to get used to how it works but they have an app which they say is easier than the desktop version. They also have an auto feature where you choose photos and they arrange them all, I am considering trying that.

@ChristopherTracy oh no, what a shame! Although I do think DS was a better driver doing it the second time as he took on board his reported faults. They now email you with the reason for failure and the faults so you can review them. Good luck with getting a retest.

@ChristopherTracy Sorry to hear of the result today. Have you tried the www.dtcuk.co
Driving Test cancellations UK. We used them for both DC last summer. You have to book a test on the gov website first- the first one you can get anywhere in the country. Then register with DTUK & they’ll find you a cancellation in your own area. Some algorithm. No cost upfront, just £30 when you accept the cancellation test (which you don’t have to if the date doesn’t work for you). They then cancel the original test you booked. DS got his test through literally 2 days later. (Sorry if there’s been a whole thread on this before!)

@ChristopherTracy Sorry to hear that. It's easy to forget that the pass rate is less than 50% when you know of others that have passed. I kept reminding DS of that before his test.

@Oblomov22 I used Bob's Books last time but will see who has offers on. I think in total it was about £70 but it was a really lovely high quality book.

I was just trawling the latest thoughts on whether exams are definitely going ahead and found this article from 7th Jan which pointed out a real issue that providing information on what will be in the high value questions will advantage the high achievers more than the average students. There seems to me to be a particular issue for the people who are not going to manage to cover the whole syllabus. It will be be great for DS who likes short questions and will have covered the full syllabus, but so unfair!

inews.co.uk/news/education/gcses-a-levels-2022-plans-for-exams-1387639

Yes @Fonty thats the one we used. I think I'm more irritated then DS.

@Monkey2001 I had a brief look at the info that AQA and OCR said they will publish. I can't remember which but one said it would list the topics to be examined in order of number of marks they could get and one said in no particular order.

Having looked again, OCR states that (for physics) "The topics will be listed in rank order, by contribution to the overall mark for the paper, with the topic with the most marks listed first. Topics not included in the list may still be assessed at a range of tariffs (marks) including synoptic questions."

AQA for maths states "Advanced information will list the specification content that will be assessed in each section on each paper, in approximate specification order, not question order, Topics not explicitly stated on the list may still be applicable to synoptic questions.."

Having looked further again, I see that the science ones at both boards have the mark ranking but the maths don't. I'm not sure it all makes sense, so it depends on what subjects you do as to how much guidance you get?! Or am I missing something?

@ExtremelyDetermined Suffolk and Norfolk schools have different weeks off too, started this current school year. It's caused problems for many, not ours though as they are at the same school. We have several problems being on a border.

Those of you making things with photos. I didn't start storing them on a pc until 2010. I didn't have a mobile until then. So that wouldn't work. Though I could scan some. Something I might do for 21st's.

@Monkey2001 - Interesting about who will be advantaged. DD's Geography teacher said it would disadvantage the high achieving kids as it will be more difficult for them to show more knowledge and that they've got an understanding of the whole topic as all kids will know what's important and focus on those topics.

Not sure what I think!

I am not holding my breath as a teacher of two subjects about these advanced topics. I think we will just get a list of what is on the (useless) spec anyway...

DS got an invitation to a Sheffield offer holders' day btw so they are sending them out now.

My cats both have fleas! I have treated them and they are still licking and scratching especially the teeny tiny girl cat :(

They enjoy biting me too (the fleas, not the cats) so I have lumps everywhere.

Could do without that.

@ChristopherTracy sorry to hear your DS didn’t pass. Hope you’re able to get another test soon.

I feel a bit insensitive posting this but DD passed (9 minors). Managed to sort insurance and she took DS to his friends house this evening. Life is finally a bit easier as we live in the middle of nowhere with no public transport so DH and I will have much less driving around to do and DD more independence.

Congratulations @PaddingtonPaddington, glad to hear at least one of the thread DC passed, sorry it wasn't both.

I still haven't taken the plunge on insurance as the quotes we had were £500 more with DS on, and it is just so much money! I am hoping it might go down a bit when he is 18. Was your insurance horrendous? I am wondering whether we should get a group 1 car because we might save enough on insurance to pay for a change of car!

Great to have your DD on the road making life easier for you all Paddington, well done to her!

Good luck for tomorrow to the Cambridge applicants, everything crossed for you here! We always had pizza on Cambridge decision days as it works for DS1 as celebration or commiseration!

@Monkey2001

Congratulations *@PaddingtonPaddington*, glad to hear at least one of the thread DC passed, sorry it wasn't both.

I still haven't taken the plunge on insurance as the quotes we had were £500 more with DS on, and it is just so much money! I am hoping it might go down a bit when he is 18. Was your insurance horrendous? I am wondering whether we should get a group 1 car because we might save enough on insurance to pay for a change of car!

We got one of the lowest insurance group cards for that reason. Admiral was by far the cheapest insurance for us, both as a learner and once passed.

@Monkey2001 we found Admiral to be the best (snap @NCTDN!) It cost slightly more to have insurance without a black box but having read online reviews about black box curfews, breaking monitoring and speed checks etc I didn’t think £800 without was too bad (lots of quotes were over £1k) for a group 3 car.
I’ve just read if new drivers get 6 points in the first 2 years they lose their licence and have to retake both theory and driving test again.

Good luck to the Cambridge applicants for tomorrow.

Congratulations to your DD @Paddington. And commiserations @ChristopherTracy. Hopefully you can book another test soon.

Oh, bad luck @PaddingtonPaddington's dd: better luck next time.

And thanks for all the useful tips on 18th photo books. There is No Earthly Way I will get organised enough to sort that for ds's 18th in less than a month: just doing calendars for the grandparents used to take me bloody hours. I will set my reminder now to do it for the ds's 21st instead ;-)