Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Further education

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

Original poster

Thread 30 Covid Cohort, Mad March Hareing Towards Exams

995 replies

OrangeCinnamonCroissant · 13/03/2022 09:12

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 Grin

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
Alsoplayspiccolo · 24/03/2022 09:13

We were amazingly lucky to get an appointment, crazy. We rang up and told the receptionist about the meds issue and she happened to have one appointment left with a dispensing pharmacist who specialises in ADHD.
The appointment lasted nearly an hour and was really thorough; not only has she prescribed new stimulants, but she’s suggested trying melatonin, which we’ve enquired about regularly over the past 10 years but always been brushed off.
She went to great lengths to explain to DD why she didn’t prescribe short acting stimulants - precisely because of the dangers of them falling into the wrong hands and being abused. She even warned DD that DD would be at risk of being seen to supply them if that happened.
DDknows they are a controlled drug, she knows she can’t have them in her bag - the school nurse has to have them locked up - which is why I told her to take only today’s dose with her and take it as she arrived at school.

She claims to know everything, won’t listen to anything we have to say, but it’s still our fault whenever things go wrong.
I am at my wit’s end with her.

crazycrofter · 24/03/2022 09:21

I've just done a google of the medication ds still has left from 2020 and it says all about them being a controlled drug etc, but we weren't told any of that and I'm pretty sure ds used to have strips of them knocking about all over the place because he was so scatty! It didn't occur to me at all. Shock How did the SENCO know she had them?

I hope things calm down with your dd @Alsoplayspiccolo. Roll on July!

crazycrofter · 24/03/2022 09:22

Glad your ds thinks you're very nice @Monkey2001! And it's not even Mother's Day yet!

Heifer · 24/03/2022 09:31

sorry to hear of all the issues this week. Wouldn't life be so much easier for everyone if only our children actually listened to us! :-)

The visits to Durhams sound sucessful , good luck with getting the colleges your DS/DD want.

DD told us she got a C in her Biology paper 2 mock and then was annoyed that we were look disappointed and worried! Apparently no one did well on that paper and it had questions re topics they haven't even covered yet. She was really happy with the C as thought it had been worse. Only done paper 2 a few times apparently. It's hard to look pleased when all I was thinking was hell that's a worry... Why the teacher couldn't just remove the questions they hadn't done - or take them out of the final mark is beyond me - it's happened time and again - makes DD thinks they are against the students as the mark is recorded - god help her is no final exams. One the plus she thinks she did better on the other paper so we will see.

Wheresthebeach · 24/03/2022 09:57

Its so hard to keep a poker face going Heifer. We're the same with Chemistry. They are so sensitive right now that any little thing sets them off. DD took an hour yesterday to do 3 Chem questions which I was a bit freaked by.

At teachers evening they said they set them the hardest test so they can't be surprised in the exam. I guess there's a logic to that, but it does add to the worry.

Heifer · 24/03/2022 10:06

Good luck to anyone getting Btec results today.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 24/03/2022 10:27

Crazy, even the pharmacists keep them locked up - we have to tell them not to look in the normal prescription collection trays and we have to show ID to collect them.
If you travel abroad, you need a doctor's letter to say why you have them with you.

ChristopherTracy · 24/03/2022 10:33

@Heifer

Good luck to anyone getting Btec results today.
WHAT?!
EventuallyDelighted · 24/03/2022 10:41

Haven't heard anythinc about BTEC results here either. DS still has an exam to take for one of his in May.

Heifer · 24/03/2022 10:59

Sorry for any panic caused.... Just had another look at the comments (saw it in WIWIKAU) and saw this comment..

It would be any Btec that had an exam component in January They still get final mark in August as that’s a combination of coursework and exam

EventuallyDelighted · 24/03/2022 11:03

Ah yes, DS had the same for his level 2 BTECs, the exams were taken early Feb 2020, got the results about when we went into lockdown, but not the final results till August alongside GCSEs. For his current one he did one exam last year and one still to go.

crazycrofter · 24/03/2022 11:44

@Alsoplayspiccolo I guess that’s why the doctor was so horrified when I said ds was just using his 2020 medication as and when - she said he needed to be monitored. Which is all well and good, but when he’s not had a face to face appointment since before the pandemic and they won’t do anything for him until he has one, what do we do?! I chased again this morning. Apparently now he’s been allocated to the new psychiatrist but she’s still having her induction … She will do appointments at some point!

@heifer it’s so hard to predict what the ‘right’ response is isn’t it?!

Cantonet · 24/03/2022 11:58

DS has his Btec results.
Distinction in Business.
Merit in Sports.
I think he will retake Sports as he's capable of doing better. One was a 3 hour exam & he didn't have any breaks allocated then. Plus he wasn't on the right ADHD meds dosage as well.
I sympathise with all the exam/teenage angst. I also have ds2 starting his GCSE mocks today. All fun in our household...

Cantonet · 24/03/2022 12:03

Melatonin is brilliant @Alwaysplayspiccolo. But very expensive to buy privately as Circadin. DH had kittens the other day as 2 of our kids meds came to over £ 300.

crazycrofter · 24/03/2022 12:12

Well done to your ds @cantonet! How do the BTECs work, does he already have all his marks from last year? Ds is hoping to do the single BTEC Sports next year.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 24/03/2022 12:14

Excellent results, Cantonet. Shame he feels he wasn’t able to show his best ability in Sports. When can he retake?

The melatonin will be prescribed by DD’s consultant, on the NHS, and prescriptions in Wales are free, thankfully. I’d be having kittens too in your position!!

Good luck for the GCSE mocks. DS has GCSEs this summer too, but he finds academics relatively easy and is able to look after himself mostly…otherwise, I think I might have left home by now.

Fruitygal · 24/03/2022 12:21

@singingstones what a shock!

@Alsoplayspiccolo sounds very very tricky to manage and deal with - hang in there.

DD very quiet and shy yesterday at Durham which we haven't seen in a while. She is lucky to have great friends and an active social life and pretty level mood for a teen so not an extrovert but normally quiet but will chat (had our ups and downs with DS 1 and 2) I think she has waited for Durham for such a long time so it had become a bigger deal than it needed to be and she was anxious about types of other student there, them being too serious and driven and was also still getting over a nasty cough and infection and NEA late nights so really run down and stressed out.

We were looking round Snow with another family who then had to run off so DD got a lovely girl ambassador all to herself and she immediately opened up to DD and told her about her social anxiety before coming to uni and how the college activities had helped her. She was really perceptive to notice DD was feeling uncomfortable and share this with DD and DD was visibly more relaxed afterwards.

Then Butler girls chatted to her during the tour there and she then became chatty and really relaxed in the bar area with them after their tour. Lovely to see!

Had a quick chat this morning and she said I think I would be happy at Durham. ( Happy is all I want - so big relief!)

ealingwestmum · 24/03/2022 12:38

Fruitygal, I wonder if the reality is hitting home now, that’s heightening their anxieties?

I was knocked for six last night when DD declared she may rethink taking an ab initio language which may be too challenging. This is all because there were 2 prospective students (out of 4 in the sample session) who could already understand, write characters etc and that coming into a programme from behind was intimidating. Mm, not only was this anecdotal, no different to having learnt languages at school with native speakers in class but, she’d managed to master basics of mandarin to GCSE with good teaching?

There was obviously a catalyst moment that made her fall in love with all things Spanish, maybe that needs to happen with new, as well as a little leap of faith!

I need to breath a lot, nod, listen and then ignore. I don’t recognise her at the moment, but am hoping this is all age related with the enormity of next stage options hitting home. And fear of making the wrong call.

22Newnames · 24/03/2022 12:46

Glad you all seem to have a good time at Durham. Sadly DS is still waiting to hear so no invite for us.

I now have covid and am feeling pretty grim. Have thought I had it for a few days but kept getting negative LFTs. Decided to PCR to check and hey presto positive. Haven’t had a single positive LFT.

ealingwestmum · 24/03/2022 12:50

Ah, that’s disappointing on the covid and testing from 22, hope you feel better soon.

I still think it’s really odd that unis have offer days whilst still sitting on a very large pending pile. I do hope your DS hears soon.

NCTDN · 24/03/2022 13:50

@22Newnames dd still waiting on Durham too.
Can you still just go for pcr tests? I'm sure dh has it but every lft is negative.

Piggywaspushed · 24/03/2022 13:54

If you have symptoms, you are meant to PCR.

Piggywaspushed · 24/03/2022 13:55

@22Newnames

Glad you all seem to have a good time at Durham. Sadly DS is still waiting to hear so no invite for us.

I now have covid and am feeling pretty grim. Have thought I had it for a few days but kept getting negative LFTs. Decided to PCR to check and hey presto positive. Haven’t had a single positive LFT.

I didn't either - only tested positive in hospital and via a PCR.

I hope you feel better soon.

22Newnames · 24/03/2022 14:02

Thanks all.

Yes if you have symptoms you’re still meant to PCR (although no longer need to do a PCR to confirm a positive LFT). I think testing is generally available until the end of the month but not sure what happens then.

Oblomov22 · 24/03/2022 14:03

It is poor having offer days when some haven't heard. I feel bad for NCT and 22, we kind of stole your Durham place. Loved the city, not quite sure about the course.