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

@Oblomov22 amazing news. Do the degree, I did all my studying while working it’s not fun. Such a fab choice though.
@Delphigirl omg that is horrible and just good your DS can drive back.

[quote crazycrofter]**@Heifer* @mummyinbeds* our dc may all end up in Sherwood/Rutland together! It’s thanks to one of you, I think, that I found out about the 31 week option.

@22Newnames I’m feeling aggrieved that no one ever seems impressed that I worked at PwC! I must be telling the wrong people [/quote]
@crazycrofter I'll take the credit for the 31 weeks info - got to take credit where I can as don't get any here at home ;-)
I think DD was a bit worried what people would think of here being in Rutland etc (lacking money perhaps) but I mentioned she didn't have to tell anyone she asked for it if she didn't want to - some people obviously get given it without requesting it I'm guessing so whose to know. Not that it should matter of course, but well you know...

@Heifer you can have the credit for the 31 week option. Thank you 😁 DS is looking at it as the sensible option rather than the obviously poor option. No point paying £200 a week for the 8 weeks he's not there. That's s lot of beer/clothes/gigs/whatever money.

Dd is still insistent that ‘the general consensus’ among ‘people’ is that you do self-catered. And she’s worried that with catered she won’t be able to make food whenever she fancies it and she won’t have a freezer to keep her ice cream in (she’s slightly obsessed with Aldi’s cookie dough ice cream!).

I said wouldn’t it be annoying if you were with catered friends and they got to go to a nice cafe for lunch with their £25 lunch card and you were stuck with sandwiches!

It’s her choice at the end of the day but I think catered for 31 weeks is really good value.

@NCTDN and @22Newnames - it seems unfair to have the offer day with loads of offers still not given out. Lots still waiting on Durham who are being cautious with offers.

DD came home after school and just said I'm firming today which I think chatting through the offer day with friends at school helped make her mind up. So we are Durham Firm and Sheffield Insurance (I'm sure the buffet swung it!:))

@ealingwestmum - think the last 2 years have been super stressful - today DD is planning the summer trips away with the girls - interailing has gone and now there are 2-3 city breaks being planned :) - they can lose confidence so easily with things can't they ...

Hope things are calmer @Alsoplayspiccolo and @singingstones hope the teacher thing is nothing too sinister

Well, turns out the teacher has been arrested for possession of indecent images, unfortunately. Nothing to do with the school or any of the pupils though. I feel for his wife, who also works at the school and has taught both DC in the past. She seemed very nice 🙁

Oh dear singing. Yes it’s always the spouse I feel for in these cases.

singing how awful. Terrible for the kids to hear, and yes his poor wife.

@singingstones goodness that’s very hard for the wife. Had a younger wider family member at a school where this had happened and the wife resigned too as she couldn’t cope with the whole thing.

@crazycrofter - I believe each room in catered halls has a mini fridge which has a very small freezer compartment - enough for a small tub perhaps?

@Fruitygal good news re firming, and the fun planning. DD still to firm but has got 2 holidays sorted and is planning to go "travelling" with another friend to Spain & Portugal.

@singingstones - terrible situation. Got to feel for the wife.

Congrats @Oblomov22 on the lovely options and @Cantonet on the btec- and sorry you are dealing with such a hard situation at school @singingstones. And apologies to any other news I’ve missed - the thread moves fast!

[quote mummyinbeds]@Heifer you can have the credit for the 31 week option. Thank you 😁 DS is looking at it as the sensible option rather than the obviously poor option. No point paying £200 a week for the 8 weeks he's not there. That's s lot of beer/clothes/gigs/whatever money.[/quote]
well done to your son @mummyinbeds - it is the sensible option but DD isn't always known to be sensible ;-) To be fair she agress it makes sense as will leave her more money to play with - but the clearing her room out twice more is still bugging her. I think if I keep reminding it's £1k every time she packs up then she willl go for it.

I need to get her to look at everything this weekend as she needs to firm if she wants to book accommodation on 4th April!.

Thanks @heifer, if that’s right the I just might be able to persuade her! I think I’ll message them and see if I can find out for sure.

That’s great news @Fruitygal!

@crazycrofter I can confirm that all catered rooms have a mini fridge. The freezer part is probably only big enough for an ice cube tray though. Maybe a choc ice but definitely not a tub of Ben & Jerry's.

I just thinking what a lovely supportive thread this is and how everyone has a strong focus on what is best for their DC rather than an obsession with top universities all the time as you see in some sections on here. It’s really refreshing.

So true @Volterra - I’m really grateful for this safe supportive space! Actually that makes me think I could really do with some advice. Ds is really struggling with friendships at the mo. He’s autistic (high fundctioning/aspergers in ‘old language’ and finds banter and small talk hard and likes ‘big’ conversations which obviously isn’t a natural space for lots of teenagers ;-) He’s been really down the last few days and taking to heart perceived exclusions from his mates and struggling to get what he needs from his peer relationships. He’s just quite down and I don’t really know how to support him. Any suggestions or ideas?

Thanks @mummyinbeds, that's a shame! Seems ridiculous to make a decision based on whether she can eat ice cream every day... on the flip side, she said she thought the food in catered halls would be unhealthy?! I have to be careful though as she's had issues with eating/body image in the past. But that also makes me worried that she could just not eat in self-catered. Hmmm..

Yes Volterra, this is a really supportive thread.

@Heifer it is obvious really, but you could point out that anyone who judges you for choosing low cost accommodation is not worth having as a friend! Would she have the same worry about being judged for buying reduced stuff? I think students generally see canny use of limited funds as a strength.

Re moving out twice a year, when I was a student we were supposed to clear our rooms at Christmas and Easter, but actually, if there were no bookings we were allowed to leave our stuff - not Nottingham though.

@crazycrofter - incentive? Freezer in your room so no-one can pinch anything! www.currys.co.uk/products/essentials-ctf34w18-mini-freezer-white-10174909.html?store=2848&&istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istFeedId=2928af81-b29b-476c-a180-ac5de265a98e&istItemId=wirmmxwmp&istBid=t&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~0000%20(Shopping%20Ads)%20MDA%20-%20Total%20MDA%20-%20Overstock%20Lines%202022~0000%20MDA%20-%20All%20MDA%20-%20Overstock%20Lines%202022~Exact~71700000092083720~&mctag=gg_goog_7904&kwid=GOOGLE&device=m&ds_kids=92700070295546419&tgtid=0000%20(Shopping%20Ads)%20MDA%20-%20Total%20MDA%20-%20Overstock%20Lines%202022&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm8zO7_Xg9gIVEO7tCh0ioAD8EAQYASABEgJJDPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

@crazycrofter if anything, catered is likely to be more healthy as there is a team of people paid to produce a nutritional balanced meal, also more likely to try new things. At St Andrews they publish sample menus, does Nottingham do the same?

@Isthisjustnormal when DS was being bullied in primary school I explained to him that as you go through life and specialise more, you find people more like you. I only have 2 friends from secondary school I stay in touch with, but about 40 from university. At university he will find people who want to have the big conversations, it might take a term to find his tribe, but among the thousands there he will find them. Can you look at the clubs and societies at the places he is considering? Is there a Doctor Who Society - or whatever else it might be which he loves?

Thanks @Monkey2001, the freezer looks great but I've just read the rules and they're not allowed any high voltage electrical items in their rooms - not even fairy lights so I'm thinking a freezer would be too much! You're right about the food; I think she's quite used to having autonomy as we're not really a very routine-driven family (well, not at all!) so she sometimes turns my meal down and makes her own/eats late etc etc. She's worrying about being tied down I think, amongst other things.

There always seems to be a decision to make with dd I was feeling relieved that she'd decided on the university and now she's agonising about this!

Oh poor ds @Isthisjustnormal I'm sure monkey is right that there will be a bigger pool of people at university and lots of niche societies. And maybe the fact that he's feeling left out/out of place now is just a sign that it's time for him to move on? Really hard though.

@crazycrofter has she looked at this www.nottingham.ac.uk/hospitality/cateredhalls/menus.aspx

Really sorry to hear this Isthisjustnormal, difficult at the best of times but even harder at the moment. I would say and do what Monkey suggests.

Also is he into online gaming at all? DS seems to get a lot out of them and has been enjoying talking to people all over the world about a variety of things. He started playing at a local club which went online during the Pandemic which helped.