Thread 35 - Covid Cohort from GCSE 2020 'What They Did on Their Summer Holidays'

[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. It's all relative!
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 continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will find a thread within the Further Ed board.
Possibly a move to Parent of Adult Children Board in future? Post Results?

Previous Thread

I used to love Enid Blyton, I read all the Secret Seven, Famous Five, Mallory Towers and loads more! Dd read about 3 at age 8 and said they were all the same 😂

DS loved The Faraway Tree but did not really take to Famous Five.

@Alsoplayspiccolo it is really hard when siblings get different levels of recognition. DS1 was really successful at primary school - chosen for Maths Teams, got the part of Beast in Beauty and the Beast and DS2 was invisible, no interest at all when he passed grade 5 theory and 2 instrument grade 5s in Y5. I was really glad they went to different secondary schools so they were not compared. Hope your DD is not feeling unappreciated - if she is, remind her that when she gets to university she will have many opportunities to find her niche.

Checking in! Thanks for the new thread

Oh me too, they were strangely addictive especially Mallory Towers and Chalet girls.

I loved Enid Blyton as did DD, DS wasn’t a fan.

@Monkey2001 do you have the number for a reliable taxi company for central Bristol please? Cardiff to Bristol train not running properly tomorrow so DD is going to try Megabus to Bond Street then taxi to Temple Meads for next train which thankfully does seem to be running. Assuming there will be taxis where coach stops but just in case. Thanks very much 😊

I proudly displayed my box set of Famous Five in my bedroom shelf. Loved them but not as much as The Magic Faraway Tree. DDs we’re never interested and found the language old fashioned. When I went to read one I agreed. I did love The Comic Strip Presents 5 Go Mad in Dorset though. 😂

Poor dd @Alsoplayspiccolo , life isn’t fair is it? But I’m sure the improvement and higher grades will be their own reward for her. Neither of mine have had any recognition at all at secondary.

We are promming this evening. I always feel sorry for the boys when it's hot! I don't think the jacket will last long.

Thanks @OrangeCinnamonCroissant - great title :-)

Oh @Alsoplayspiccolo , how frustrating. I do think that process of deciding on awards and prizes sometimes go awry in schools, and if one teacher happens not to be ‘in the room’ deserving kids just get overlooked. Easily done but it really does impact on confidence.

Ds1 had an end of year achievement award years 9, 10 and 11. Ds3 has had one year 7 and just had another year 8. Plus he's another award ceremony next week for high commendations. But ds2 has never won any awards. It must be disappointing for him when he's worked well.

I loved Enid Blyton. Famous five. Secret seven, Malory towers etc. I tried reading the famous five books to ds1 but they just didn't seem interesting at all. I guess they are just old fashioned now. But I couldn't get I into them at all.

Ds1 sent me a text from USA to say he'd got his degree grade...then made me wait 24 hours before actually telling me the grade. That's the sort of thing ds2 will do with his A level grades. But it's not the sort of thing ds1 usually does.

@Volterra we use vcars www.v-cars.com/, but in Bristol most students use Voi scooters or ebikes to get around or it is a 15-20 min walk. I can't think where there are taxis at Bond St, but there are lots of buses if she checks on Google for best way to temple meads when she is close to Bond St. If she has lots of stuff a taxi would obviously be easier. It would make sense for the Megabus to go to Temple Meads.

@icanbewhatiwant that degree grade thing really sounds like your DS2! Do you want to tell us? Main thing question is whether he was happy with the grade

@Monkey2001 yes he's happy, I think, it's what he expected a 2:1 He always said he would never get a first. Now ds2 will be determined to get a first as it has always been a competition with my dc's. But ds1 would argue that it's more difficult to get a first in his subject of biology that in history.

I know ds2 won't tell us his A level grades as we are on holiday when they come out. Though I'm sure he would if he doesn't get into insurance.

@icanbewhatiwant well done to your DS1, a 2.i is what most students who don't want to spend their whole time working aspire to, excellent result! I don't think it is easier to get top grades in history, in general it is easier to pass arts/social sciences but harder to get top grades.

Are you friendly with any of DS2's friends' parents who might tell you?! I would be considering financial incentives as I couldn't bear to not know! I guess the problem with your lad is that he is a joker, so whether you can believe what he tells you is another matter! Do you have his UCAS log in details? Maybe you can say he gets £50 if he tells you by 9:30, £25 if he tells you by midday, £10 if he tells you by midnight, but payment is forfeit if the information is inaccurate.....

Thanks for the shiny new thread @OrangeCinnamonCroissant .

DS2 has been given a prize for something too, we won't know what until the award ceremony next week, he's convinced it's for something nondescript like you get in primary school, I'm hoping it's something that will boost his self belief!

Can I pick the hive mind please? DS1 is currently in Portugal and has used the entirety of his data in three days. That's 10GB! The villa they're in has no wifi apparently (you'd think that was the second thing they'd check after correct number of beds). Has the thing that meant mobile phone companies can't treat you differently in Europe than home changed since Brexit? He use's his data all the time in this country when he's out and about all day but has never run out on this tariff.

It's going to cost me £30 to top up to the same level, I can't be doing that every few days!

@Monkey2001 I'm sure he will tell me if there's a problem. So I may have to just wait. I'm deliberately not making a thing about it, then hopefully he will tell me ds1 will be home so maybe he will tell him.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn I think it depends on your provider. DS1 went to Sicily and his Lebara card had free roaming. Check the provider's website as in the old days you could get European bolt ons for a month which worked out better value than just adding credit.

DD just spent a week in Spain and I topped her data up to 10GB and she has 4.5 left. Have you checked the setting for roaming? DDs was set to automatically charge £2 per day whilst away and it then uses the same amount of data as if she was in the UK - that's with Sky. We also get to share data between the 3 of us, so currently have a surplus of 66GB (usually spare goes to DD as DH and I don't use our quota).

LOVED Enid Blyton as a child. Famous Five & Secret 7 favours followed by the twins at boarding school.

I could not cope without finding out DDs results within 1 hr of DD knowing - it would kill me! every sympathy with you @icanbewhatiwant and well done to your DS1. Where is he studying Biology?

I have sent him a very angry text telling him to turn off data roaming and all the back ground apps that use data and also imessage as he has unlimited texts. I suspect that he is streaming music and Netflix and sending endless snapchat videos (that I can't see).

He's on O2 and the only bolt on is to just add the same amount data at more than 3 times his monthly bill! I mean you can add less but what's the point if it doesn't last a day? We don't have a sharing plan (I did check as I'm on O2 as well) which is frustrating as I'm on a plan with unlimited data and use hardly any!

Congrats to your DS @icanbewhatiwant , that's a great degree!

Morning all, checking in to the new thread, thanks @OrangeCinnamonCroissant .
Congrats to the IBers earlier in the week!

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn it does depend on the provider, mine has just emailed to say roaming allowances are dropping massively in August.

@Alsoplayspiccolo poor DD, that is hard.

Well, it has been an up and down week here. I am a PTA member at DS’s school and we put on a major event earlier in the week (800 attendees, outdoors) which was absolutely amazing. Many of the staff were there, including all the ones DS has been closest to, so I had some really nice chats with them, proper heartwarming stuff. Then down to earth with a bump as DH tested positive for Covid yesterday (we know where he caught it). DS is still at school til tomorrow, when they have their annual awards ceremony, it is the most important event in the school year and hugely emotional for those that are leaving. I will be devastated if I can’t go, not just for DS, but there are so many parents that I was friends with in the early days and haven’t seen since covid, they will all be there. I tested negative this morning and only had it 4 months ago so have my fingers firmly crossed. Poor DH is feeling really rough too and we are supposed to go on holiday next week.

Thanks. Somehow when it's written as down as bachelor of science second class honours division one it doesn't look so good. Reminds me of a second class stamp, not so good as a first. But I'm very proud of him, I didn't even bother with my GCSEs and didn't get good grades, neither did dh. So I am proud of all of my boys, they all do well. Ds2 was asking the other day why they are clever and we aren't...says it all really 🤣

@EspeciallyDeIighted I was talking to a friend who is a nurse yesterday. She said it's very unlikely to get covid again within 6 months. But it can happen especially with different variants. So I hope you'll be ok. No one in the house caught it from me. I missed ds3's award ceremony. It wasn't anything like yours will be as he's only year 8. Fingers crossed for you.