Thread 30 Covid Cohort, Mad March Hareing Towards Exams

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

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 29

I've made this one a little bit earlier as things are so busy, at home and on thread, so please feel free to use up previous thread first

Great initiative from York Piggy - hope more follow their example

Piggy, what a pragmatic and kind response!

GoldenRuby we too liked the TLC building. Most of ds's lectures would be there.

Sprouts we only managed a few colleges: Grey, Collingwood, Hatfield and St Chads. I think St Chads was smaller than ds had expected.

@Seeline

Had a letter from school yesterday giving details of last day in school, study leave, graduation evening, prom, leavers hoodies and year books. Definitely all becoming very real now!

I wish DDs school would do this, zero information and as DD missed prom in year 11 she is desperate to wear the dress that’s been hanging in the wardrobe for 2 years. Annoyingly DS in year 11 has everything booked and sorted for his prom and they are at the same school!

Loving all the Durham info it sounds fab.

DD had her DSA assessment. It was really good and thorough. 2 hours long with a break every 30 mins for DD as she was shuffling/drifting off. I hardly spoke and let DD answer all the questions and she’s come away with a big list of recommendations including one to one weekly study skills tutor and one to one well-being mentor as well as loads of tech plus laptop, printer, cartridges, paper, bag, insurance, tech setup and support, white board, pens etc. waiting for the report then approval. The assessor was really well prepared, had read DDs Ed psych report and identified what DD struggled with, had looked at the course she is going to do, how it was taught etc and what was provided. Really impressed.

I'm kind of dreading getting that letter from DS's school. He is already quite down about only having a term left at his beloved school and I think leaving is going to be quite traumatic.

That's great about the DSA assessment @PaddingtonPaddington. I am going to get DS's booked in shortly, he breaks up on Friday so it will be easier once he's home.

Aw poor ds @EventuallyDelighted I think dd will be quite happy to leave, she’s not a fan of school as an institution! We’ve had nothing about end of school etc although she knows the date for prom and she’s also going to prom at her old school, as a plus one with one of her friends. Two dresses will be required apparently even though no one else is going to both, because of Instagram

@PaddingtonPaddington dd sold her year 11 prom dress as she went off it! She usually buys her own clothes so it will be interesting to see if she feels I should contribute to either of her dresses! I’ve already bought the tickets though at £40 each so I think that’s enough..

Paddington that sounds good - can I ask if it’s done centrally or at your first choice uni?

That does sound good Paddington about DSA.
I've just got back from Meeting with Leadership re how ds is doing/feedback, all good. I too like Seeline have all info, prom booked etc.

That is fabulous from York.

Glad everyone else has enjoyed Durham. Maybe we are going to have send them off in Sept with badges DC of a MN. They can share tales in a kitchen over a drink.

@Oblomov22 DS had a nice chat with some students at Grey, their tennis courts were a big attraction but then the penny dropped it was catered. We popped into St Chads just to be nosey and confirm catered and Bailey not his style.

DS thinks there may be prom and that's all we know about end of yr13 so far. ED isn't it lovely that he is so positive about school? I recognise what you're saying about transition but he will always have good memories.

@Wheresthebeach You choose a DSA assessor from the DSA website. It can be local face to face or online. DD wanted to do online and there was plenty of availability including evenings and weekends.

Oh thanks Paddington-appreciate the info

DS has the plan for the Y13 leaving party. He returns from a holiday that morning - they're going immediately after exams, which means he's away for the contingency day, or he thinks he is
I have explained that he might have to stay behind.

We had an email today to say that a teacher has been suspended after being arrested, rumour mill is going crazy. The email said they had decided to tell parents first so that we can discuss it with the children, and then there will be an assembly tomorrow. But they haven't told us who it is or what they're alleged to have done, so there's not much to discuss really.

Intriguing @singingstones. Very hard for them to say too much as the teacher is potentially innocent, an arrest is very different to a charge and again to a conviction.

We also had email yesterday about end of school leavers bbq on 20 May the. Study leave after that. Leavers party/prom is at the end of June.

There is definitely a safeguarding element as they reassured us in the email that there were no safeguarding concerns in relation to "any other members of staff". I think that's because the wife of the teacher concerned also works at the school. Sounds like a really awful situation.

DD changed her mind after tours - Putting Snow then Butler followed by South or Cuths then Stevo. Vibe (whatever that means) wasn’t there as much with South (the Tim situation doesn’t help). Butler was super friendly but Snow was her favourite as she likes blue and the girl showing us round talked about a visiting zoo at exam time, baking and lots of socials ….. course talk ok and lady leading it was very friendly - answered all questions with no fuzzy answers -we even went on a self guided tour if the building. Refreshments by department were pants but found two cafes one for breakfast and one for lunch then sat in the bar at Butler and had a chat with drinks in late afternoon with the students. Durham- Very likely to be top choice - want to go back to the Thai

That happened with DS's music teacher when he was mid GCSEs singing. Thank God for TAGs with that one...

Blimey, singing, that sounds a bit worrying. Hope you find out enough detail to put your mind at rest.

DD had a meds review on Tuesday and starts on a new stimulant today. We’ve got everything crossed it works for her; she’s hit the wall this week with overwhelm and not being able to focus.

@singingstones Not the email anyone wants to receive.

@Alsoplayspiccolo Hoping she responds well to the new prescription.

@Fruitygal DS also found Butler the friendliest. The dilemma is no 3/4 beds which at 6'3 is a consideration.

FFS.

Just had a series of barely coherent texts from DD. She’s taken a full packet of her meds (ie amphetamines!!) into school and now can’t understand why the SENCO is having kittens.

We tried to tell her to cut one tablet off the strip and take it when she got off the bus, before going into school.
She’s just called me to try to blame us, and hung up when I told her she should try listening when we talk to her.

Oh dear @Alsoplayspiccolo but these things are always our fault aren’t they?! Thinking back, ds used to take a full strip in his bag to school?! I’m still banging my head against a brick wall trying to get him an appointment and meds review. The GP has kindly written to them to express the urgency.

Sorry to hear about the school scandal @singingstones

Gosh Singing that's all a bit of a shock. Horrible to be happening.

Also - that's frustrating. Sometimes I think they have internal ear muffs that inflate when we speak.

Hope you get some help soon Crazy. The amount of work we have to do to get the help we're told our kids (or we) need is insane. I'm not surprised people give up - it takes a lot of grit when it should be easy.

Oof, lots of troubles on the thread today.

Sorry to hear about the teacher drama @singingstones

Hope she cools down and realises she is being unreasonable @Alsoplayspiccolo

I was supposed to be seeing my mentally ill stepmother today, but feeling too tired and coldy to go, so I am cancelling. I told DS that I am just not nice enough to go when feeling like this and he said I am very nice! Very unusual to get a compliment, so I am banking that one!