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Original poster

Thread 31 Covid Cohort - Hopping through Easter and Revision

1000 replies

OrangeCinnamonCroissant · 07/04/2022 13:15

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Hattifatteners · 03/05/2022 20:47

Thank you everyone. DD is very pleased. @singingstones Bristol will be her firm. With the lower grade offer it should be quite safe.

Nard75 · 03/05/2022 21:16

Brilliant news @Hattifatteners.

ealingwestmum · 03/05/2022 21:16

That’s brilliant Hatti, well done to her

icanbewhatiwant · 03/05/2022 21:39

@EspeciallyDistracted ds1 used to put his clothes in the wash after wearing for an hour or so. He changed when he had to do his own laundry.

Back to school tomorrow after a long weekend for the dc's as it was a PD day today. Ds2 had his first exam 3 weeks Thursday. The last one is 28th June. So quite spread out but he does have 2 days with exams together on 9th and 10th June. It's getting close now.

Seeline · 03/05/2022 21:50

Brilliant news @Hattifatteners !

DD has her first exam 3 weeks today 😲

Wheresthebeach · 03/05/2022 22:34

Great news Hatti

Heifer · 04/05/2022 00:39

Fantastic news @Hattifatteners :-)

Oblomov22 · 04/05/2022 06:27

Great news Hatti.

Heifer · 04/05/2022 07:12

Student finance now competely sorted. I had to do a request for Yr20/21 like everyone wait for that to be finalised and then a CYI (Current Year) as our current financial situation is a lot different to 20/21 (now running own business full time). Have to say they are very efficient and responded quickly to my queries.

Now that is sorted we will be applying for DSA. Anyone else applied for DSA - can I ask, DD has received an email from Nottingham asking what her requirements etc are - she doesn't have a clue what she needs really (apart from recommendation from the assessor). Should we wait until she has been assessed by DSA who I think make recommendations to what she is entitled to before replying to Nottingham? what did others do?

cariadambyth · 04/05/2022 07:14

Great news @Hattifatteners , you must be thrilled.
Three weeks to the day until the first exam here. I am getting anxious now, dd is working so hard but that doesn’t always translate into good grades for her which in turn knocks her already shaky confidence in herself. Could someone reassure me that grade boundaries might be lower this year?! I don’t really understand it as, surely the top x% will get A*, A, B etc as usual so it doesn’t matter what the grade boundaries are? Sorry, not explaining myself very well.

Original poster
OrangeCinnamonCroissant · 04/05/2022 07:25

Yes @cariadambyth they are supposed to be a approx midway point between 2019 grades and 21 grades. I'm not sure if this relates to individial grade boundaries or a ' cumulative range' though.

OP posts:
22Newnames · 04/05/2022 07:58

Great news @Hattifatteners!

3 weeks today to first exam here too, eek!

EspeciallyDistracted · 04/05/2022 08:01

@Heifer do both, talk to the uni and apply for DSA. The uni deal with things such as extra time in exams, provision of lecture notes etc. DSA provides software, hardware, physical aids if needed plus mentoring if warranted. For the DSA application you need to provide evidence of the diagnosis, then if DSA approve the application you choose an assessor (we chose one local to the uni who was familiar with it and did it online). They assess what is needed and send a report to DSA, again if approved you can then order all the stuff from a list of approved suppliers. It is all very efficient provided they accept your application in the first place, that seems to be the stumbling block for some.

DS has had his assessment approved so we are at the ordering stuff stage now.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 04/05/2022 08:13

Fab news on Bristol @Hattifatteners especially with those grades!

DS is another guilty one on putting clothes he doesn’t want to hang up straight in the wash - or rather dumped on the floor in front of the wash basket! I pick them up and put them back in his room.

I can’t believe it’s only 3 weeks to exams! 😱 Although DS’s first one is the Friday of that week. He’s been doing lots of practice essays for English and History which is great and handing in his final bit of English coursework today. Not a lot of Biology going on though…

Heifer · 04/05/2022 08:40

Thanks @EspeciallyDistracted will crack on with that now then.
@JustHereWithMyPopcorn is that because 1st Biology exam is 9th June? DD bedroom wall is covered with Biology info, not sure how much Pyschology, PE or Core Maths she is revising.. Although DD is studying Biology at uni it's her "weakest" subject so she is focusing more on that.

She seems to have got the balance right at the moment - although if I was honest I would like more revision.. She played hockey last night then jumped in the marine lake because she was hot :-) went back to a friends house to watch the football. Came home around 10.45pm, showered, had dinner and then revised for an hour before bed. She had revised a lot at school (lots of free lessons yesterday) so I think all good. It's was nice to see her buzzing about playing hockey, scoring, enjoying and being with friends after. She went clubbing Thursday and pub Saturday night and then said her friends were going to the pub Sunday late afternoon but she didn't think she should as would mean she would stop revising about 3.00pm so didn't go, instead went fishing with DH for 2 hrs later in the evening.

Re stuff to take to uni - I really can't see DD wanting/using an airer. I would think she would just tumble dry everything and ask me for the money!

Did someone suggest buying a double mattress topper even if it's a single bed? does that work ok?

EwwSprouts · 04/05/2022 09:06

@Hattifatteners Fab news about Bristol!

I've suggested to DS he may like to up the revision. He is playing sport four nights this week plus Sat & Sun and there's an 18th on Sat night. The response? "My style is relaxed."

🙄

EspeciallyDistracted · 04/05/2022 09:12

I've been having the "time to up the revision" chat too. DS did well over Easter but seems to have lost his routine a bit since going back to school, the BTEC sport exam preparation stuff was pre-occupying him last week, the exam is on Monday so at least that one will be out of the way then.

Hattifatteners · 04/05/2022 09:34

Thank you again everyone. We are still walking on air after yesterday's offer. The contextual offer is lovely, but might be slightly misplaced considering that DD attends super selective grammar school. On the other hand, pressure is off. On a good day DD is capable of achieving A star, A star, A and should get AAA. Bristol seems to have very generous widening participation programme as our post code quintile wouldn't be consider by the other unis and most unis also expect you to meet more than one contextual criteria. Bristol only requires one 🤔.
DD is lucky with her exams, Art has been completed and Biology and Chemistry don't start until June. Six more days to study leave...

Monkey2001 · 04/05/2022 09:37

@Heifer LOVE that your DD went fishing with her dad 😂. I advised a double topper for a 3/4 bed, because otherwise it is useless after halls. I got DS1 a single topper for his single bed.

Starts with a bang for us in 3 weeks as Physics and PE clash, so he will do Physics in the morning, then be in isolation until PE in the afternoon. Luckily there is one other person doing the same strange combination, so at least he will have 1 person he can talk to. A whole phone free day will be a real novelty!

crazycrofter · 04/05/2022 10:11

Three weeks yesterday is DD’s first exam and a week on Monday for ds!

Ds is feeling very confident, as he’s never really done anything but last minute revision before and this time he started after Feb half term I think. But he’s only doing an hour or two a day and has plenty of time for other things - it will be interesting to see how well his approach works(especially the one subject at a time bit!). He’s certainly not stressed!

DD has been ill which has held her back but she’s still making her extensive colour coordinated revision notes for history - I feel like she should actually be revising now. She’s also way too laid back about Psychology and RS for my liking. But what will be will be…

crazycrofter · 04/05/2022 10:13

@Hattifatteners dd has also had contextual offers despite going to a super selective grammar. The lower offers are why she’s so relaxed! 😁

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 04/05/2022 12:30

@Heifer yes Biology not til 9th June so his strategy is get all his main bulk of revision done for the big History Russian paper out of the way and the first Literature paper but I also think he finds the essays easier!

Hattifatteners · 04/05/2022 14:10

@crazycrofter it is good place to be 😊

Shimy · 04/05/2022 15:14

Seems Nottingham is the new UEA for this yr. UEA being most popular in DS1's time on MN (2019).

Shimy · 04/05/2022 15:16

@Heifer Are you sure it wasn't a double 'duvet', they recommended rather than a double topper for a single bed (that will be quite a challenge)

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