Thread 32 - Corona Cohort 'May' the Mumsnet force be with them for their venture to 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 31

CONGRATULATIONS ZEBRACAT !

@Alsoplayspiccolo thats tough, I feel sad with one leaving but I think it’s because I know DS2 won’t be far behind.
@ChristopherTracy my DS2 did that as well and all the flags, it’s very useful in quizzes.
DS1 also left school today, seems so quick. They did muck up day but behaved so no problems, he’s got another cold so didn’t go for drinks. He said he would rather get a good days studying in, he is a different person.

That sound really lovely @Wheresthebeach. A report to treasure.
@Wheresthepiccolo presumably your Ds will have exeat weekends when he will come home? Ds1 has them roughly every 3 weeks here.
It will be a shock for you though to have no one at home for the most part.

@22Newnames I just thought I'd say....your writing isn't in bold for me. Only the part where you are testing out the bold.

How odd @icanbewhatiwant, all of everybody’s posts are in bold for me 🤷‍♀️

I had that yesterday, all the posts were in bold but now they look normal.

DS finished college today but his lesson got cancelled as the teacher was ill so he actually finished yesterday without even knowing.
Feels like 2020 all over again.

DS2 (GCSEs) is not having study leave at all, the school have arranged compulsory revision sessions, including on days where they have exams which he’s really not happy about and feels he would be better studying at home, concentrating on the topics he really needs

@Volterra I’m a bit late with this as just catching up but I believe Cardiff guarantees
accommodation for those who choose them as their insurance which I know not many uni’s offer

Thank you FiddlersGreen. DS came home and said he had decided on Cardiff for insurance. I said to him good choice, that's what the Internet said you should do !

Thanks for all the dessert recipes or pudding as I would say at home ;-)
I was going to make @Monkey2001 but have forgotten to add any items to my online shop so will only actually be receiving a bottle of Whiskey which I used to save my slot (DH happy). Tell me, what do you use to save your slot and do you sometimes forget to add to it - or is that just me? :-)

DD stayed home 1 day this week, just needed a break I think. Stayed in bed until lunch time then revised till 7.30pm (on and off) before going for a long run with DH. She seemed much better after. She only had 1 subject which was going to be revision so I think it probably did her good tbh.

Last night I mentioned the 6 weeks and it's all over to her thinking if would feel good but it freaked her out! She really isn't ready to leave school as much as I thought. She forbid me to say how long holidays she would get (13 weeks) as it brings it closer to home that she will be off then. She would really like a year off but I'm really hoping she doesn't decide to do that! I do think if she doesn't get the grades for Nottingham she may decide to defer.

Sorry to hear re the offers not forthcoming still, and those that didn't receive what they were hoping for. It's flipping late in the day to be told no :-(

@Wheresthebeach that sounds lovely. I really hope DDs school does something nice, as the ways it's all going re end of term I think DD is half expecting a kick up the arse out of the gate on the last day of term.

Dd is my only and at college, my reflections have been more along the lines of 'last time I'll have to nag about homework etc' . Her college don't seem to do social stuff, which is a shame.

@mango0 my DN is at Lancs doing Maths...he loves it, it is a very social campus. Let me know if you need me to grill him about anything. He is in a townhouse ...they have ducks, a massive kitchen and tea and coffee provisions for parents.

I've ordered some BIC pens...apparently these are the wrong ones. She wants the plain standard ones and lots...if anyone knows where might be cheapest for me to get, do share!

I hope everyone waiting gets some answers ASAP so decisions can be made.

Very late to the party but belated thanks for the new thread! Welcome to newbies, and commiserations to those who are still in limbo. It's so cruel that some are still left hanging at this stage.

DD went on study leave on Thursday. I did shed a little tear as I took a 'final day photo' - she's been well-supported at school but has really come into her own at sixth form. Teachers from her MFL classes took the students out for ice cream on the last day (there are only half a dozen of them) which was lovely of them. We still have prom to look forward to at the end of June (same day as DD's final exam though).

First exam is next Tuesday (gulp!) and then another Thursday - both MFL speaking exams. She's working really hard but is very anxious - hoping nerves don't get the better of her on the day.

Good luck to all!

That made me smile @heiffer re the bottle of whisky. My Tesco slot is held with 8 cartons of milk and 4 bottles of Prosecco!

DS has a leaving assembly and bbq next Friday and a. Prom type thing after exams but he has only been at this school for sixth form so doesn’t have the same long term connection to it. He isn’t bothering with a leavers hoody. Apparently they had decided to only put surnames on, fine for us as we have an odd surname but what about the smiths etc 🤷‍♀️

Enjoy the whiskey Heifer ! I shop with Tesco and go to a previous order and do 'add all to basket ' so that if I do forget I do ger a full shop though hit and miss as to what it is.

@Heifer maybe you need whiskey more than almonds at this stressful point in life!!

Those of us still waiting, it really is nearly over! We must get some sort of answer by Thursday although, for DS, a rejection would still not be conclusive as there will be medicine offers on/around results day. He has an audition for National Youth Choir on Thursday to distract him, I think it would be a great thing to do if he ends up with a gap year, not sure whether he would accept it if he goes to university this year. It is very competitive, so most won't get in anyway, would be easier if he was a tenor or much harder if he was a soprano.

@mango0 DS's GF was rejected by Edinburgh yesterday, so if your DD has not heard, that may be good news.

I am going to get DS1 from St Andrews tomorrow, really looking forward to it as I have not seen him for 3 months - that is what happens when your child goes somewhere an 8 hour journey away!

@HarrietDVane dd had her speaking exam last Tuesday. It was the exam she was dreading the most but she came home and said it was ok. I think it's made her realise that the exams aren't going to be that bad (though this could be different on the day she has a clash and has 5.5 hours of exams on the same day...)

That's good news about the speaking exam. MFL are DD's passion so I just hope that her ability shines through on the various days and that the questions are reasonable.

The timetable clash sounds grim - that's happened for a few of DD's friends who are taking both biology and French.

Thanks for the pen recommendations btw, I bought some as suggested and they have gone down well, so I am in the good books and permitted to help with gcse biology revision today

Sainsbury's giant post it notes are my go- to revision weapon!

Talking of post it notes (thanks for heads up re Sainsburys, I can order it with my food shopping later).. I ordered these for DD along with normal coloured post it noes. - she was made up
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8PMT8T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

@HarrietDVane the ridiculous thing is that the clash is English and Spanish which I would have thought was not that uncommon to do both?

Really unlikely to affect anyone but just in case. Bristol is having a clean air zone from summer 2022 . There's a map online and also a vehicle checker.

One of our cars is coming up as ok for the Bath zone but chargeable for Bristol.

@NCTDN That is a bit odd - I'd have thought English plus a MFL is a really common combination.

We have the same clash as your DD NCT, it’ll be a tough day; DD and the other candidate have chosen to go with English first.

Good luck to your DD on the orals next week HarrrietD, it’s a relief when they’re done. 30% of the overall mark is big chunk isn’t it!

DD has History PreU and Maths AS paper 1’s this coming week.

Fingers crossed for your DS Monkey.

@Monkey2001 DD received a rejection from Edinburgh yesterday as well, I'm just pleased she'd already ruled it out and it doesn't seem to have fazed her, it must be so stressful for those still waiting to hear from places they are keen on. I hope your son's GF is okay and your DS and anyone else in that position manages to find some distraction from the uncertainty and are happy when they do hear.

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant that is good to hear, DD loved the campus and general feel at Lancaster when she visited but she hasn't had any in-person contact with the maths department. DD feels very lucky that her offer from them is hopefully very achievable (ABC she's predicted at least 3 As) because she would be genuinely happy to go there if she doesn't meet her Birmingham offer (AAA). I will bear your DN in mind if that's what happens, thank you.

DD's sixth form are expecting them in up to and throughout their exams, although I think they're laid back about it and she has mentioned some classes are pretty empty already. I think she'll continue to go in on the days she doesn't have exams, but I'm not sure if she'll want to (or even should) be sitting in classrooms before/between them. She joined a new school for sixth form and covid means I haven't even met any of her teachers or been in the building since the open day, so I also don't have a sense of nostalgia about the school particularly now it's coming to an end. She is only my only child though, so it will be the end of an era. I'm also a single parent and I had DD when I was a teenager, I moved out of my parents' house just before she was born, so when she goes off to uni I will be home alone for the first time ever!

@Heifer my Tesco order is held by two bottles of champagne 😁
DD started her study leave on Thursday, however first exam isn't until after half term. Prom is after exams.

Whiskey just been delivered - Post it pads added to order for Monday.
Once DH gets home we are off quickly to Sainsburys to pick up desserts before heading back home to watch the cup final. Had a migraine earlier so don't even feel like going out to the surprise party now but need to purchase desserts in case I feel better later and go. DD been revising and is now off to friends house to watch football too. Assume they will go out after.