Thread 33 - Lovely Jubbly Jubilee Break, then back 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. Possibly a move to Parent of Adult Children Board in future?
previous thread

DS has just got an interview for a job at the Bristol Children's Hospital which would be excellent experience alongside doing Chemistry A level in Year 14. It is a 3 day/week 7 month contract from September to March, so would be perfect for a gap year. He would get experience to help him ace interviews next year, but it would finish at about the same time as offers would be received. Only problem is that the interview is the same day as the Applied Maths paper, but he tends not to revise on the day of an exam! Having a job like this could really help him to feel positive about a gap year.

@Monkey2001 thanks for your comment yesterday - only just saw it - she decided to go for it even though not feeling great. Felt that she was positive about it and needs a high grade plus concerned about paper1 so said she would rather gamble.

Monkey that’s great news, it would be perfect! Will keep everything crossed for him. Applied maths hard to revise for anyway I would think so if it had to be on the same day as one that works well.

That sounds great Monkey, with chemistry and that kind of experience he will be in a great position for next year.

How is he doing the chemistry, is that through school? Asking because DS is contemplating doing chemistry in a year if things don't work out this time.

Great news re the job for him @Monkey2001

@singingstones quite a few people at our school do a Y14 due to changing subjects or not getting off to a great start in Y12. He has been doing Y12 Chemistry this year, so would do Y13 Chemistry at the same school. His teachers said he could have done it in a year this year, but it felt too much for us. Everybody is entitled to 3 years of sixth form, and ours were very happy for him to do it like that if it worked well for him. I think it can get quite expensive to do science A levels if not in a school/college.

Monkey that's really good news about the job.

Fruity - September hobby. What is this, of which you speak? I was thinking more sleeping, more wine 🍷 drinking. Is that not what you meant?

Great news @Monkey2001 , all the best for his interview!

I've mentioned on here before about how much of a big deal it will be when dd goes to uni. I will miss her loads and its also just going to be a massive change in my life. I'm also very excited for her though, for all of the things she's going to experience and so proud of her. A bit nervous but quietly confident about how she'll cope. I'm certainly not spending my days crying. I'm sure I'll shed a tear or two on the day, but I'm not bereft just a normal degree of nervous for the situation.

I know it probably sounds ridiculous to say my life would be very different if it wasn't for dd, because whose wouldn't be, but literally my whole adult life has been focused on trying to do the best for her. I wouldnt live where we live, have the job I do etc, my choices would have been very different if I hadn't had a baby at 17. Although I love our life (for the most part), and the last 18 years have been hard at times but amazing overall, I'm a bit nervous about how I'm going to feel about the life I'm living when dd isn't part of the day to day. And also excited about the possibilities.

@Monkey2001@Monkey2001

Oops posted too soon, meant to say the job sounds like a great opportunity, wishing him luck for his interview.

Good luck for the job interview, Monkey. Sounds perfect for him.

Im not crying all day or every day, but I am feeling quite emotional about September at times.
In our case, we weren’t expecting DS to be going at the same time as DD, so there’s that but also saying goodbye to all their friends and their lovely school, plus all DS’s music commitments - I’ve loved going to his ensemble concerts and the whole social side of that.

DH works away a lot, plus weekends and evenings, so I’m used to having the DC for company. I know I’ll be lonely without them, especially in the winter months.

DD isn’t independent at all, so I know we’ve got a rocky transition ahead of us, which is making me feel anxious too.

All that said, once they’ve gone and are happy and settled, I’ll be fine and will just look forward to them coming home for holidays.

For those whose DC might face some difficult decisions on results day (🙋‍♀️), clearing opens three weeks today!
We will definitely be having a nose in advance to see what's available, although I know lots of places get filled before A level results day.

Fingers crossed @Monkey2001 sounds amazing !

@mango0 I know what you mean about the life choices. Both DH and I shared childcare until Dd was 8/9 so jobs etc had to be flexible too. DH works shifts now and tended to be around quite a lot during the day. He did a lot of the after school / College treats in town etc. I'm quite worried about him but we have dog now and I have my MBA to be getting on with. Evenings will be lonely as she is my only one and DH works four days a week lates.

I do need to remake some local friends. Mum friends seemed to have all dispersed since secondary and although have lots of pals in my two nearest cities, only a couple actually live in my town. I'll cross that Bridge after MBA.

Music A level edexcel seemed to go OK. DD worrying about one element but it is only a five marker. Let's hope grade boundaries are kind. When we trawled TSR it just seemed to be constant complaints about how tough A Level music is. I wasn't expecting her to say it was easy.

Sounds like a fabulous opportunity for your DS Monkey, good luck to him.

I am reading all posts. Write many too, but can’t seem to hit post before MN refreshes and deletes 🙄

Best wishes for the interview @Monkey2001 - seems an amazing opportunity.

I thought clearing was for those who missed their offers, so surprised it opens before results day and that places can be gone? Is it last years kids taking the spots?

Strangely, I got emotional last summer about DD going...now not so much but I suspect that will change!

Edexcel Music here too today for DD who thought it was ok. So that’s DDs A levels officially over 🎉Chinese to celebrate later and she will be catching up on some much needed sleep.

DS GCSEs continue with 19 exams done and 5 to go.

I’m trying not to think about DD going away in September, I’ll be sad but more worried about how she’ll cope so far away. She’s young for her age and not 18 for a few months so has alot of growing up to do. Will be working on that over the summer.

I wondered if you were edexcel Paddington ! Great job all done with Dd having a nap right now.

Thanks for all the good wishes. I wish it was a face-to-face interview, but at least he has been shortlisted. The e-mail said there might be a maths test, which would be great as a 45 minute interview slot feels a bit daunting after his medicine interviews not turning out the right way. It is an Assistant Physiologist job dealing with respiratory and sleep conditions, which he has a genuine interest in, so could be great if he is asked the right questions!

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant music is one of the ones which should really benefit from the grade statistics being set between 2019 and 2021 if it is done at a subject level. AQA - 2019 - 4.9% got A%, 2021 - 26.3%. People getting at least a B went from 49.4% to 82.7%. Some of people finding the papers hard are probably people who are happier with practical music than academic. I am really hoping that the grade stats between 2019 and 2021 are done at subject level as PE is another which zoomed up in 2021.

DS will be in his maths exam now. I am more nervous about that than any of his other exams. He's been doing a lot recently but I don't know whether it's been enough. Ah well we shall see.

I suppose some of clearing places go either to people who did A Levels in a previous year, or to students in Scotland or ones who've done IB (do they get results sooner?)

Thanks @Monkey2001 I've got the Edexcel grade statistics and there is a big difference!

and fingers crossed for your DS for the interview.

Congratulations to your DS on his interview @Monkey2001 fingers crossed for him.

Hope everyone's exams went well today.

@Wheresthebeach yes, plus IB students and Scottish students, who get their results before England / Wales A levels.

Congratulations to mini @Monkey2001 .
Dd had a bit of a shocker today on the WJEC ethics RS paper but is being fairly pragmatic in fairness. Hope everyone else is getting on ok today.