Y12 2023/24 - support, discussion and looking after each other

[BonjourCrisette]

GCSEs are over and we are beginning the next stage. Let's hope it's a bit less stressful than this summer has been! All welcome to discuss, share experiences and support each other as our children move into Y12/BTECs/apprenticeships and start a new phase.

I think they look quite cool too, but am also middle-aged and probably embarrassing in some crucial but unspecified way.

Hurray for Pimms, @DarkChocHolic - your husband sounds like a very nice man. Has your DD now got an acceptable combination of subjects? I hope so.

I’ve got mine some small inner ear headphones which are noise cancelling. Today court shoes from m and S in black and navy are some m and a jumpers. She has to wear smart suit at all times at her nice school. She’s just sorted out her swimming bag for daily swims at school. Laptop, iPad and headphones are all sorted, as is school bag. She doesn’t want a new water bottle so she has a dented old metal one that she got back in year 7 when a friend got it as a friend gift with a times subscription and apparently it’s iconic now and she doesn’t want a new one.

Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth 5.3... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BHWFWJYY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I got her these. Noise cancellation £17 and NC and waterproof for rain or if she is swimming. She’s in love with them and I’ve just brought a pair for me too!!

I'm here!! It has been a rollercoaster of a week for us. The super selective sixth form our precious first born is going to only sent out emails tonight at 9pm confirming places and subjects. We've all been hysterical over their poor comms and contradictory instructions. It is now done. We are over this hurdle.

Onwards!!

Now off to read end of previously thread and catch up..

Thanks so much, will look at these too.

Thank you last thread has been good. Dd starts Monday. Apparently the ID card was posted out last week but still hasn't arrived , and timetable comes Saturday, hope it's OK. Her other choice rang today to see if she wanted a place. Her brother went there and I loved it, but travel is now £750 a year just for college and she prefers the other one, which is also outstanding so will go with her choice. It will be a big learning curve, first time she hasn't walked to school and they treat them more like adults so hopefully she copes.! Imay need your support 😀

I'm a little worried about this too. Although dd got into her sixth form which was the goal, and got the grades she needed, she didn't exactly smash it, and some of the comments about A-levels have me a little worried.

She couldn't do Dance due to numbers, and so has opted for English Language, which I think she's going to find tough.

That said, as I mentioned previously, I did well in mine after Bs and Cs at GCSE, although I appreciate that was a long time ago.

I doubt she'll go to uni though, so fingers crossed the stakes won't feel quite as high as they did last Thursday!!

Hello all, thanks for the new thread.
I didn't comment much on the previous one but read a lot.
Dd surprised us all with her results, including herself. She's had a tough few years at arch dart school but it was like a light was switched one when she got to year 11. She worked really hard and I'm so glad she got what she deserved.
She's learnt a lot from watching ds navigate a levels and I think it will benefit her massively.
He is much more naturally clever. Sailed through school with good grades, covid year GCSEs, didn't really revise and all got all 9s and 8s. It was too late when he realised he'd have to work much harder for a levels despite my warnings and he didn't get the grades he needed for his sought after degree apprenticeship.
He has a plan b now and is happy enough but it's really shown dd how hard she'll have to work.
She's not as naturally clever and also dyslexic but has developed a much better work ethic than him in the past year.
For the first time ever she's excited to go back to school. She says they've been off too long now and she's fed up. She's got to wait until next Thursday though!

Morning all, I am new to this thread. @DarkChocHolic my DD is in similar situation. Secured a place in college but couldn't get into school for Btec (for A level, I had no expectations considering lower grades) because of lower grades due to SEN. What were your DD's grades? Mine one got 4s, 3s, 2s. Its upsetting because DD doesn't want to move and school's SENCo is good but in general school looks after high achievers and it is grade oriented. Will request to head teacher help on the ground of social and emotional needs? Or it will turn into deaf ears! Our attendence, punctuality and behaviour records have been at the best. Any suggestions please.

I'm also concerned about how DS will manage A Levels. They weren't even on the cards this time last week and then he suddenly made the decision and enrolled on Wednesday.

His GCSE results were better than expected with 7s in 2 of the 3 A Levels he's picked. But he's going to have to work hard, really hard, and I'm just not sure his heart will be in it.

He's going to the local FE college as we don't have 6th forms here, and that alone will be a massive change to him as he's been to small schools (secondary has 750 kids) and I'm not sure how he'll cope being in a city with so many other people.

@closethedrawer 7s in his chosen subjects is a good start. He might manage better than you think. Anecdotally boys have been known to come into their own post 16 due to catching up a bit maturity wise. So you never know!

Hopeforb that sounds hard. I'd go and look at the college and see what they offer. The 6th form college that my DD is going to is huge but on paper at least they put in a huge amount of support for the kids who need it. On enrolment day DD was asked if she would need additional support (she doesn't) because it would have been discussed there and then. Plus they take students of all abilities.

And I was worried that it would be like Uni to a degree and the kids would be expected to be independent immediately but in an online seminar a couple of months ago we were told that parents would be kept up to date about how their kids were doing. They'd be informed if kids weren't turning up for lessons (we have to phone and tell them if our child is off sick) and it was stressed that this is still very much a school parent partnership whilst preparing the kids for the outside world.

Thanks for starting this - looking forward to some mutual support with these next steps :)

DD is off to college. She was very much a big fish in a small pond at secondary, and I think she's excited about pastures new. It'll be quite a shift though - one hour commute each way, huge college, and she's doing the IB, which I understand is quite a different and intense way of working.

We have sorted the bus pass, the hideously expensive calculator, and her lanyard photo. Just waiting to get going now really...

Thank you. You're right. Just a big change! He will have full support from me whatever happens.

@AnxiousElephant77 @DarkChocHolic @Hopeforb We are in the opposite position, my DS has SEN got 5’s 4’s 3’s and 2’s and wasn’t allowed on his level 3 course as he failed his English. He is now having to do level a 2 and resit English ( so an extra year in Ed) . I worry about having to do an extra year and feel he could have coped with doing the resit alongside the level 3 but the college were adamant. I think it’s a worry either way. However, my middle son only managed 3 GCSE’s at grade 4, luckily this included English and Maths, and was allowed on to his level 3 course (equivalent 3 A levels). He also has SEN but surprised us all with a distinction 😊 on results day so it can happen! I think the difficulty of A level varies a great deal dependant on the subject. SEN support in college was good once they found his notes from school which had been locked in a cupboard 🤦🏼‍♀️.

@Sweetpeasaremadeforbees thank you .

Random question! Does anyone's dc have to buy a lab coat? I need to get one and wondering where people are buying them from?

I have a lab coat I don't want if anyone would like it. I bought it for a costume and can't see me wearing it again, strangely enough. It is this one, in XS:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B088TRPDNG

Very happy to post tomorrow if it's of use to anyone.

@Sadtimes1 sorry missed your post earlier. We are in same position for college. DD has been offered Level 2 as narrowly missed 2 marks in a core subject for grade 4 !! Not going for remarking because most said they do not increase marks !! College said level 2 will be easier to cope. The school has offered for November retake.

Thanks for setting this up.

DD accepted and enrolled at college yesterday in a level 3 course. Was offered a place at her school sixth form on a mix of A levels and a Btec (really interesting combination) but she wasn’t sure and now definitely wants to try college.

I was worried about the level of support at college but everyone was friendly and we had a good chat with an inclusion manager. Even if it doesn’t work out I think it’s the right thing for her to try as she’s interested and said the thought of going to her sixth form makes her super stressed. Made me realise the extent to which she was affected by her school days so we very much support her in her wish for a fresh start. I’m wondering how she would have coped with A levels at the start either, with anxiety and apathy added to the mix and the fact that it’s a big jump from GCSE.

I read somewhere about students doing alternatives to A levels can sometimes feel a bit left out on results day as, in spite of all the options, there still seems to be a focus on A levels being the ‘best’. There seems to be so much choice these days so hopefully all our youngsters can get to where they want to be one way or another.

Good luck to all Y12s on their next steps.

Flare Audio earplugs are also brilliant for noisy environments and completely invisible, so they're less conspicuous than the Loop ones. They don't distort sound at all but they take the edge off at the top end. I find pink noise incredibly stressful but my Flares help massively.

Checking in as the GCSE thread has been so supportive.

DD is now enrolled at college for btec sport, ctec business and a-level psychology (plus GCSE English resit if her re-mark isn’t successful). She has induction for a couple of hours on Thursday next week but doesn’t officially start until Monday 11th.

Feels like an awfully long time since she was last in school! I’ve told her she needs to start getting up in the morning and start doing some reading around her subjects.

Yes@BestofLuck , our children will find their way with so many options available. God bless them! I have heard too that in 6th form schools BTech students can get left out sometimes as A levels gets more attention, but not necessarily in all.schools. @MoFoFlo , I tell my DD the same thing to get organised. Good that your DD can go for 3 subjects!

Thank you very much! I will check these out too.

@Hopeforb we haven’t been told if my DS will be doing a resit in November but I think maybe next summer to give him more time to improve his grade. I got a copy of the scripts and emailed his the English teacher to ask for advice on where he could improve etc. I received an email back saying that she’d sent my email to the exams office as they deal with all the communication with the exam board. So she has no interest basically.
I wish your DD every success with her resit and her course. Is she retaking the GCSE at school?