Thread 31 Covid Cohort - Hopping through Easter and Revision

[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 30

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

You’ve got a lot going on @volterra! Hope your dd gets permission to redo this year. Have you sold your house? What is your fallback option if you don’t find somewhere? We’re viewing four houses on Sat and feeling a bit of pressure to decide quickly.

Our boiler has broken yet again and ds had a massive strop about it this morning, saying he couldn’t possibly go to school without a shower! Got him in eventually but it was hard work and made dd late 😬

@Oblomov22 I could have written your comments re DD - She is ok a lot of the time these days but does revert back to putting me down (especially re swearing) or more recently, when I am struggling for the right word (menapausal brain fog) she says "use your words" to me :-( It hurts but I do believe it's only me she does this too. I used to wonder how she had any friends tbh but she does and doesn't seem to be rude to them or anyone other than me so there is hope for your DS at uni etc.

My meeting with Senco didn't go well yesterday. She is saying that DDs scores still don't allow her to apply for extra time, whilst the Ed Pys said they did - I have emailed her to check her opinion. DD is fuming. She just wishes she cheated or didn't try so hard on the tests. The Ed Pys said throughout her report that DD was having to work really hard and that she got things correct etc because of this and that they aren't timed tests. I think there are areas whee she is just 1 point too high to apply for extra time. Seems so unfair.

Re having own room so she can read out loud - definitely no (not surpised) - re sitting nearer to the door so she can take breaks and leave without having to walk across whole room - no, but she may be able to go to the quiet room where (30 people) although no promises and may only be for a few exams as it's already full.. I am going back to school about this. DD has said she doesn't want to be in that room if not for all exams. Just wants to sit closer to the door in big hall. Why is this all so hard! The Senco was lovely to be fair but her hands are tied. I haven't given up yet, just waiting for her to email me the exact wording why they can't apply for extra time for DD to forward onto Ed Psy.

Sorry to hear everyone else's problems - life sure isn't easy is it. We don't have the elderly parent issues (sadly) as both my parents passed away 2002/2005 when they were both 72 and DH before that. If our house phones rings in the middle of the night I no longer have that dread. Althouth I'm guessing that will change when DD goes to uni!

@Oblomov22 my goodness that sounds truly awful. As @singingstones says, hang in there, I'm sure you'll all come through the other side soon. Sending hugs.

@Volterra Argh, it never rains but it pours! Hope your back is better soon and that somehow everything resolves itself.

Heifer that is rubbish, it shouldn't be so hard to get this sorted 💐

Singingatones thank you. It all went to pot last summer and keeps coming currently so I'm just plodding on, hoping it all settles down and trying not to stress too much. I have noticed quite a few DC over the years be vile at this point and think it is something that happens in preparation of them leaving, a natural kind of distancing .

Crazycrofter sympathy on the boiler, ,ours did that recently. We are under offer to someone in rented . We are in the very fortunate position of having a place we rented out when moved for DH's job. I wasn't keen on where it is but area improved a lot and it is really handy for places we need to get to.

We've seen a few so far. Did offer on one but I think agent invented offers. Another one was nice but reduced headheight which wouldn't work and so many viewings.One needed gutting and was expensive to start with. Another was nice but upstairs felt squashed. And final one would be great but I think will be more than want to spend. A couple more have come on but I can't be bothered to traipse up again as both need work and with the cost these days will end up being loads.

Heifer that is rubbish, it shouldn't be so hard to get this sorted 💐

Singingatones thank you. It all went to pot last summer and keeps coming currently so I'm just plodding on, hoping it all settles down and trying not to stress too much. I have noticed quite a few DC over the years be vile at this point and think it is something that happens in preparation of them leaving, a natural kind of distancing .

Crazycrofter sympathy on the boiler, ,ours did that recently. We are under offer to someone in rented . We are in the very fortunate position of having a place we rented out when moved for DH's job. I wasn't keen on where it is but area improved a lot and it is really handy for places we need to get to.

We've seen a few so far. Did offer on one but I think agent invented offers. Another one was nice but reduced headheight which wouldn't work and so many viewings.One needed gutting and was expensive to start with. Another was nice but upstairs felt squashed. And final one would be great but I think will be more than want to spend. A couple more have come on but I can't be bothered to traipse up again as both need work and with the cost these days will end up being loads.

@Oblomov22 my goodness that sounds truly awful. As @singingstones says, hang in there, I'm sure you'll all come through the other side soon. Sending hugs.

@Volterra Argh, it never rains but it pours! Hope your back is better soon and that somehow everything resolves itself.

@Oblomov22 my goodness that sounds truly awful. As @singingstones says, hang in there, I'm sure you'll all come through the other side soon. Sending hugs.

@Volterra Argh, it never rains but it pours! Hope your back is better soon and that somehow everything resolves itself.

Apologies for the multiple posts, MN kept saying it had gone wrong. Sort it out MN!!

Sorry to read that you've so much going on Volterra. Sounds a lot to cope with.

Heifer - God that sounds frustrating. I'm not surprised your DD is feeling fed up. If the assessment says she qualifies I'm surprised its an issue.

Thanks Heifer and all others. I will try and remain calm. Until June 16th last exam.
🛏 ⛺️ After that..... he can bog off.

Sympathies to @Volterra, @Heifer and @Oblomov22. I think Volterra is completely right with the comment "I have noticed quite a few DC over the years be vile at this point and think it is something that happens in preparation of them leaving, a natural kind of distancing." I absolutely hated my parents when I was in year 13, I thought I knew everything and could not wait to leave home. In retrospect they did absolutely nothing wrong but in my eyes I truly thought they were awful.

DS thankfully is generally ok but when we have our moments, I remind myself that as others have said, it is directed at me or DH, the people he can be at his most relaxed with. I have had similar to "use your words", or the equivalent put-downs and I once asked DS if he ever spoke to his friends like that, his response was "of course not or I wouldn't have any friends" so at least they realise!!

Today is the day of the next mock that the patronising teacher asked DS to "please revise" for in the email last week. We have left DS to it and I'm really not sure how much he has done so it will be interesting to see what result he gets.

In another thing, DS says he is really hungry but he hasn't been able to eat much at all for the last few days. He says he's not sure what is going on. I asked if he was stressed and he said probably but I really don't know what to do about the food thing. Any ideas? (He is of normal weight, fit etc, probably put a bit on over lockdown but still easily a normal BMI as was previously skinny so it's not a big health concern but I would like him to be able to eat if he's hungry obviously).

@22newnames mine struggle to eat when they are stressed as well - I tend to loosen the floodgates a little and get in some take away or encourage odd snacking and that seems to help. We used to get a lot of Mars type drinks down DS at times as well as he is very skinny.

Hope the mock was ok 22. DD goes for protein shakes when she's too stressed to eat normally - it does fill her up.

At times of stress Dominos and Ben and Jerry's are what our DC want!

The conversation has moved on a bit from people still waiting, but @GoldenRuby I am fairly sure St Andrews will be running a reserve list at the moment and leaving the decisions to close to 19th May for people who would usually get an offer, but in these days of grade inflation they are being cautious. The 2020 and 2021 intakes were much bigger than they wanted, with the consequence that there is a massive squeeze on accommodation for years 2/3/4 which is impacting the whole town, so I think they are waiting to see how many of their initial offers are accepted before making final decisions.

DS1 still doesn't know where he will be living in September, every property has loads of people seeing it. They are considering places which are £800/month each + bills now, so London prices.

@Heifer I am sorry if it feels that the school is being difficult. JCQ states that the candidate has to have two below average standardised scores of 84 or less or one below average score of 84 or less and one low average score (85-89). The two scores must relate to two different areas of speed of working (reading, writing or cognitive processing). JCQ tightened their requirements last summer and previously you were apple to get extra time with one below average score. Unfortunately the assessors are not necessarily specialists on access arrangements. They make diagnosis, but I often find that their knowledge of current regulations are some what outdated. When applying extra time for a student with dyslexia, the application isn't based on the diagnosis but the actual assessment scores. This is due to the fact that dyslexia is a leaning difficulty rather than a medical diagnosis. The school should easily be able to accommodate the change of seating.

Schools might be over cautious as JCQ is doing their inspections rounds. We got inspected last week.

Someone needs to shoot MN's web design person/team. Absolutely shocking refresh.

Tough times for many on here, definitely concur with us being the sandwich generation. Also, the programming of older teenagers to turn into monsters so we acclimatise quicker to them potentially leaving the nest. Lots of, ahem, chats in our household, some resulting in a few days reprieve, or her doubling down on her general shittiness. If I had a pound for every time she said 'not a priority right now'...

First official exam out the way yesterday, though it sounded tougher than she anticipated. Language orals seem to require a need for a wide selection of topics to cover across several geographies, that I would struggle to answer relating to UK, let alone for any Spanish speaking country. I definitely don't know why there's a high youth unemployment in Argentina and how it differs to Spain's. So lots of blagging, but out the way at least.

Off to Dublin this weekend. Should be looking forward to it, but dreading it as it's first get away since Dec 2019 and uni focussed, so will come with a degree of decision making. But she may surprise us.

I can only post from my phone, ipad now won't let me.

Good news for a change. DD able to restart final year in September which will be much better as hopefully better by then and I think she will really benefit with the stability of another year.

Hurray for a bit of good news @Volterra !

Fab news, Volterra - she must be hugely relieved.

Great news Volterra and hopefully a turn in your fortunes!

That’s a relief for her and you @Volterra !

Our boiler has died! We’ve got to buy a new boiler for a house we’ve just sold - so annoying!

@Volterra fabulous news for your DD, particularly after the scuppering of her year abroad and trying to manage ‘the alternative provision’ online whilst also coping with health issues!
I’m keeping everything that can be firmly crossed that you have more good news for your lovely DS! 💐

Gosh a bit of a roller coaster week for a few here. Sorry to hear some of the DC are being unkind to those who care most for them. Hopefully they will mellow as exams pass.

Agree with @Monkey2001 that ice-cream and pizza goes a long way. Co op Venezuelan Chocolate is worth the detour.

at F1 A level. DS has disappeared to play a tennis match this evening...

Good news Volterra!

Good news Volterra. Sigh of relief all round I bet.

What a pain Crazy. Our boiler is on its last legs...need to be grown ups and replace it before it dies completely.