Thread 36 - Covid Cohort from GCSE 2020 - The Final Countdown to Results Day for Some?

[CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee]

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

From The Student Room:

A-level & GCSE results day 2022 free food offers
*
Nando's is giving away a free 1/4 chicken or starter. It's not a complete freebie - you have to spend £7 on your order to qualify. The offer is available for A-level students on Thursday 18 August and GCSE students on Thursday 25 August. It's UK-wide, except for Scotland, where National 5 and Higher students could have the same deal on Tuesday 9 August.

Las Iguanas has three free churros (with chocolate or dulce de leche dip) for A-level students on Thursday 18 August and GCSE students on Thursday 25 August. You'll have to show ID and proof of your results but there's no purchase necessary.

Gordon Ramsay's Street Pizza Southwark is doing its annual giveaway - free pizza for A-level students on Thursday 18 August and GCSE students on Thursday 25 August. Obviously this one's only any good if you happen to be in the area - but it's a great deal if you are!

Pizza Express has some free dough balls with your name on them, if you're an A-level student getting your results on Thursday 18 August. Show your results slip at the till to get your freebie.

Is one of these pubs anywhere near you? Upham Inns has locations across the south of England and one of its pubs has been sending emails with a results day freebie offer. In previous years, Upham has run results days offers across all of its pubs - so it's a fair bet this offer will also run across all (but definitely ring first to check!). The deal is a free main meal for A-level students (18 August) and GCSE students (25 August) who have their results slip. The catch is that the student must be 'dining with a table of four or more'.

I assume it includes Btec students

Ok mnetters i need your help. DD has decided that if things don't go to plan, she's not cucumber she wants her insurance offer. She's now looking at Nottingham but we know nothing about it. The code is in clearing and looks interesting.
So I know Nottingham is v popular on here - what can you tell me?

I just sent a screenshot to DS who said “I’m working that day”.😱😱😱😱

so he is on shift 9.30-5
but needs to get results from school between 9 and 6
the two are a good 30mins apart
anyway he hasn’t booked an appt with his personal Tutor who prob can’t see him at 9 so how is he going to get his results?

I give up.

Aagh @Delphigirl 😩

😢piggywaspushed that’s sad. My mother in law isn’t much better to be honest, she does know it’s ds’ birthday tomorrow but wouldn’t know how old. She rang up on Monday to say she didn’t know our address to send a card, so we must wish him happy birthday for her! She could have asked for our address but too much effort I expect..

@NCTDN what do you want to know? It’s DD’s firm, the campus is huge and very green. Lots of catered accommodation on campus. A good nightlife apparently…

There is an Upham pub in my town ....but Dd refuses to try it as it gives her 'bad vibes' welcome to all new people I do recognise some names perhaps you posted on one of the 34 previous threads !

Las Iguanas looks good as they usually have a happy hour too.

Dd wanted a cat so logically DH decided we should get a dog first ...nowvwe can't get a cat but that's ok ..Greyhounds are very cat like!

I like 'Heroes of their own stories' ! Poss future thread title!

@NCTDN

• nice vibe
• 3 main campuses
• main one is big and green with a nice lake
• all accommodation on main campus is catered but self-catering available across the road, it's about £5.5k for a standard room self catering shared bathroom
• good reputation with employers I think
• big city feel and good night life (maybe wouldn't think so if you're from London etc) but manageable size
• not too far from a lot of places

I can confirm Nottingham graduates get good jobs. It is also handily located centrally for England. Lots of green space around. DS's GF going there, a friend's DD did languages there and stayed there to work - always a good sign when students don't want to leave!

@NCTDN is that for Liberal Arts? DD was torn between notts and UEA for her first choice. It looked a brilliant course - very flexible and a huge range of options. The staff seemed really knowledgeable about the course. It doesn't have any set pathways so the staff are really involved in helping students pick their modules to help them follow some sort of personalized, specialist route. They are also trying to grow the department which sounded good. Strangely DDwas put off by the accommodation - didn't want catered (fussy and GF), and didn't take to the self-catered accommodation opposite the campus. No real reason just didn't like the feel.

Thanks @Seeline @Fruitygal @Delphigirl on the feedback on Kent and l’boro ! Ds is definitely not sporty so had been put off Loughborough but good to hear it’s worked for less sporty kids!

My mum will be mildly interested in Ds results, but isn’t very connected to them or me tbh. She’s vaguely proud when they do well but doesn’t really take any interest in them, their lives or their personalities. She’s very interested in telling them about her life on the other hand…My dad is much more engaged with them and very invested in exam results as an ex uni professor … but with a healthy skeptism having seen a* students who then don’t perform as well whe left on their own!

Thank you for the info re Nottingham. I wish she'd looked at it initially - it is for liberal arts.
I'm confused though because on clearing it says144ucas points but then when you click on the uni info it says ucas tariff not accepted?
Also I've just looked at accommodation and they all seem to say fully booked. I don't want dd to think there is an option if accommodation isn't possible.

@NCTDN lots in my family have been to uni in Nottingham - both unis - nightlife lots of fun and plenty of green spaces.

Biology course was a contender but not quite right for her interests - plus mainly only catered halls bar one near biology buildings and wanted self catered. Think the business campus has lots of self catered. Great place and fond memories for family who went

@NCTDN from Nottingham website:

Insurance students are able to apply via our online accommodation portal from Thursday 18 August 2022.
You will be able to indicate your top preferences from the available sites and room types listed.
You will receive an email confirming receipt of your application and we will contact you with further details about your offer within three working days.
Whilst we do not offer a guarantee of accommodation we do not anticipate any problems with assisting all applicants with accommodation within our University arranged portfolio.*

I can't keep up....so many posts. I messaged Ds with some of the news articles I'd seen on here, his message came back saying "cringe, you are too over invested, stop reading stuff"

So I won't read anything more. I've asked him what his plans are for thurs. He doesn't answer, we are away, I can do no more.

We are in Cornwall on holiday. I knew the weather would change. We always get wet holidays. We had rain yesterday afternoon. Then rain almost all day today. It did stop for a while midday. No rain at home though, we do need it badly.

Not sure I will want to look at everyone's comments thurs morn as I will be impatient for ds's results. I know he will keep me waiting, probably all day.

Are you in North Cornwall or South, icanbe?
Shame about the weather - it was scorching when we were there last week - near St Mawes. We have been almost every year since DD was a toddler, and have always had mixed weather previously.

Just catching up. We have my parents and DFIL still with us and very engaged with the DCs so we are very fortunate. DM is a retired FE lecturer so all this is right up her street, my DCs are the only GC and DS is the eldest so they are as interested as we are. I will message DM and my DB (who is also a secondary teacher) privately. We will be slightly more circumspect with DH's family whatsapp as Dniece the same age is resolutely non academic, we had to be diplomatic on GCSE result day too.

As for FB - I rarely post anything about the DCs on my own feed, they asked me not to years ago. I have a lot of FB friends who I have never met (mainly MNers) so I am careful what I post. I do occasionally get permission from the DCs but deffo no grades. I am careful in big groups such as WIWIKAU too. But I am in some lovely private groups that are just as supportive as this thread so will share there (DCs will never see that and I never post photos of them or name them).

I saw Nicola Walker mentioned upthread, is anyone watching Marriage? I have just watched the first two, it is a bit weird but oddly compelling.

@EquallyDivided preferred the split but giving it a go

I never got round to The Split (I don't watch much TV) but loved her in Last Tango in Halifax and Sean Bean is good to so I thought I'd try it but yeah, not sure. The music is very strange.

@NCTDN
On the Nottingham website it's in clearing at ABB. I don't think UCAS is up to date with grades yet, all their clearing courses seem to have the usual grade requirements even if the unis have since lowered them for clearing applicants.

@EquallyDivided The Split was good but I tend to prefer a good murder mystery