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.

@Soundofshuna sorry to hear about jacket😀. I am sure they will find in lost property or in class tomorrow

Oh no! Hope it turns up…

@Soundofshuna hope it reappears. Its primary school jumpers all over again.

Dd still not sure who her mentor is, or if it's a Nissan or Peugeot apprenticeship. Yesterday's lesson was who has which brew and how to carry eight mugs at once. She's now worked one to one with half the workshop. Some let her pass tools, some give her pneumatic tools and leave her to it.
I think they are sussing out what she knows and finding her a best fit mentor.
Highlight of her day was receiving her nickname - ginge3.

Dd is a doer. Sitting at a desk and learning has never really worked for her.
She's in her element.

@Soundofshuna i do feel for you. I did ask ds if he wanted me to put a name label in his blazer and he looked horrified!!! I might sneak one in now.

@DarkChocHolic I was thinking to appeal on grounds of social and emotional needs of D so I was reading school's guidelines where it is mentioned unless you have been rejected the place and received in written you cannot appeal! So I logged into Ds A levels application and found outcome as PENDING. Iam assuming since D has ASD and struggles academically with grades 4s, 3s and 2s they have very cleverly neither rejected nor offered place!

Nice to read everyone's experiences - I hope those who've had a wobbly start (or lost things!) settle in soon.

DD's first day went well, though she's obviously been struck by how long and time consuming the commute is and thinks she might have to give up her (evening) cafe job.

@Meetthecats has just made me realise how expensive it's going to be when/if both my twins attend the same college in a couple of years! DH and I worked out that if we take each kid to four university open days, it will cost us upwards of £2500 (everything is an overnight stay from here). Fun times...

Hope the week continues well for everyone.

DS starts next Monday but logged into the sixth form app only to see they’d put him down for a couple of wrong A levels (not what he’d signed up for on results day) - he emailed school last night and I’ve said he needs to ring them today - hope it’s easily sorted 🙄

Have a good day everyone.
My son has his first day tomorrow with an induction and then starts properly Fri.
Still haven't sorted bus as Stagecoach are impossible to get hold of although I rang college we can do through them. It's going to work out about 80 a month.

@HHopeforb
Sorry to hear you are still in limbo. It is extremely anxious for the student and parents.
I think you should just hassle the school.
Our last date for appeal was 31st August 4 pm and until 11.30 that day we did not have alternate offer from school.
I kept ringing school and no response.
I knew the teachers were in on 31st as we were told they would be.
So I just went to school and requested to speak to admissions as I needed to know what to do to make an appeal by the deadline. I did have to both push and plead..
My scenario was slightly different.
DDs original offer was straight away declined as she did not get the grades for maths and science ( her school needs 8s to do them)
We were eligible for alternate subjects but this is where the school were not quick enough.
They verbally told us she was eligible for alternate subjects but they did not confirm anything until I went in and demanded we receive alternate offer
Even then school said they were not sure they could confirm alternate offer by the appeal deadline as the staff were in training.
This is when I blew my top off.
I said schools have a responsibility and not leave students in limbo.
I stormed home and launched an appeal and half an hour later the alternate offer came through.

In your case, the school should have declined by the deadline.
Or atleast explained why it is pending.
I would demand for an explanation in writing.
Go and speak to them in person if possible .
Have you seen the entry requirements for 6th form for your school and is your DD eligible for any of the alternate subjects?

@Rowgtfc72 - your DD and my DS sound very similar! Mine is car mad and also a ginge 😆

Can you hear that? The sound of silence! 😂

DS and older DS have both started their new courses this morning. Everyone was up, sorted and away on time. Long may it continue.

DS got his A level timetable through yesterday. There's quite a lot of gaps but I think they are expected to use the time on enrichment or study. I imagine he'll end up spending a lot of free periods in the art block.

Not sure what to expect from induction today. I don't know if they launch straight into classes or come home after a couple of hours and start properly tomorrow.

Bit of advice needed today - DS is doing 3 A levels (Maths, Physics and Chemistry). He has to sign up for an elective and has chosen to do an EPQ. Yesterday the Head of Drama emailed him and said the school are also inviting the top performing GCSE Drama students the opportunity to do a Drama AS level during Year 12. This will run one afternoon a week and the NEA elements will be programmed around other commitments (such as internal exams). DS has until the middle of next week to decide.

I know that AS levels carry a UCAS tariff, but equally many universities do not use the tariff system so also ignore EPQs. Is this likely to be too much workload (DS did 10 GCSEs - one off timetable) for too little gain? Or could he view it as a bonus? The teacher has said it is also possible to just attend for the drama elements but not sit the exam...

@DarkChocHolic thank you so much for thr above post. Unfortunately D's grades are not eligible for alternative BTECH they do in the school. But considering Ds social and emotional needs ( ASD) I am thinking to appeal. Yes its very distressing even though D has secured place in a college.

@HHopeforb
Has she started at alternate college yet?
Do you know if the college have support for SEN?
On reading many posts here, I keep hearing about college staff being very supportive..much more so than schools with 6th form.
If I were you, I would visit the college and have a chat.
Atleast that way, if things don't work out with appeal, you know what to do.
I know it sounds stressful for kids with SEN to deal with change but maybe college will be better if they offer support.
Especially since current school sound terrible if they have left you without any answer.
Keep all options open and explore them as much as possible.
It will help making a decision. Sometimes, change is a blessing.
Keeping fingers crossed for you.

He sounds capable as he did 10 GCSEs and presumably given the A levels he is doing he got very good grades. Three A levels, one AS and an EPQ is a lot though.

Would he really enjoy it? It's something different from his STEM subjects which could be fun but doing well in his GCSE exam isn't the same as having a deep passion for drama.

If he's going to do it he might as well do the exam and get the extra credit.

Main question I suppose is (given the step up to A levels) would it impact his 3 subjects? If he's on track for A stars and doing this might mean A's or B's instead then is it worth it?

Ds had his first day today. He had a free last thing so I thought he would come home as soon as 4th period was over. No, he chose to stay for lunch. Apparently they feed him better than home..
He tells me he had burger with potato wedges, followed by a curry with Lucozade... and now needs more money on his card.

Eek. I'm still waiting for details of paying for meals on day 3, though it's complicated by DS1 still worrying that he's chosen the wrong 6th form - he had to go somewhere new to him for A level as his secondary is 11-16 only.

He actually called the other college that he was considering up until Sunday night this morning. They said he could do 3 of his chosen subjects but not Further Maths, and as Maths is his favourite subject, he's hoping for quite ambitious university choices, and the two places he was struggling to choose between both have fairly good results and Oxbridge/Russell Group specific support programmes, it would seem a shame to drop FM now. DS and I seemed to agree that giving up on Further Maths now was a deal breaker, and would be something he's more likely to regret than sticking with the sixth form where he can do the subject combination that he's never dithered about (and which he has the GCSE grades for at any of the places he applied to).

He seems happier now and I'm quite proud of him for the way in which he's dealt with his applications, dilemmas and choices, including having conversations and making phone calls himself. I'm also very glad that I've spent so much time on these threads in the last few weeks, because I didn't study Maths post 16 so learning about the significance of Further Maths A level etc and reading posts from teachers with experience at GCSE and A level has been fantastically helpful this week.

My DD doesn’t start until tomorrow at college and was trying to buy shorts today as it’s forecast 30c by the afternoon she’s going to melt as we think her tutor room is on the 5th floor and there was no AC when went for the open evening. We’ve bought a railcard for 16-18yr olds which knocks 50% of the train fare but still looking at £800 per year. She doesn’t have any friends that she’s aware of either in her groups. So very nervous but I’m hoping it will be the fresh start she needs.

I love hearing about your DDs experience @Rowgtfc72 my other DD is more practical and I can see an apprenticeship appealing to her when the time comes.

Hope it's OK to crash in

DS2 started 6th form on Monday. He's been at the school since Yr7 but deve terrible anxiety a year ago. He is diagnosed ASD, chronic fatigue and Essential Tremors. Under CAMHS etc.

Today was a complete disaster and he ended up a tearful mess. he messaged me asking to collect after a couple of hours. School just keep saying he needs to be there and attend all his lessons. I really should have applied for an EHCP last year as it's all going to be too late to be any help.

Sorry to hear that. I am worried about Ds as well. He Has ASD and anxiety and do not have EHCP. Very good at masking so it all gets out together. Starting college on Friday. Hope your Ds will be fine tomorrow.

I’m glad to hear of all the positive first day stories. @SummerChilling my DD was also likes yours - nervous but needing a fresh start.

Sorry to hear it’s not been good @PennywisePoundFoolish . We are quite similar and @Hopeforb. We also received some similar texts today from DD and it could’ve gone either way, frankly, but it did end more positively. It’s very difficult to know what’s best. I’d still look in to an EHCP @PennywisePoundFoolish if they’re relevant up to the age of 25. I hope both have better days.

Thank you @DarkChocHolic . Called school's Admission officer and discussed about appeal and since grades don't meet criteria appeal might not work. But since Ds is on SEN she said she will email me school's policy and information on appeal. This was at around 1:00 pm this afternoon and I am still waiting for her email !! Obviously I found form from school's website. As you said college might be better option for support. In the meantime to make Ds comfortable I asked him to talk to friends who are joining same college and ask almost whole year group on social media who is joining and found more are going in the same college which has helped since afternoon and Ds is feeling more relaxed to start on Friday, at least for now 🤞

to @PennywisePoundFoolish and anyone else whose DC is having a bit of a wobble. It's a daunting time for most young people, and must be extra tricky for those with additional needs. Hopefully the schools and colleges will step up with their support.

@PennywisePoundFoolish I am really sorry to hear that your DC had a tough day, hope that tomorrow is better. I have also been told to apply for an EHCP for my son by the college and like @BestofLuck says they stay relevant until they are 25. I don’t really know where to start though tbh.

@Hopeforb I hope that you get everything sorted out. As you know my my DS (ASD) found College much better. Smaller classrooms, no assemblies, less frantic etc. They had classrooms where they could go if they felt overwhelmed and also, if struggling with work, they could make appointments to work in classrooms with staff there to help them.

@elkiedee my other DS (twins) has just given up further maths, as he couldn’t do it at the 6th form he wanted to go to, due to a timetable clash. I hope it’s not the wrong decision, he did GCSE FM. I am a bit worried now. He is doing A level Maths, Chemistry and Computer science.

Good luck to everyone going into 6th form/college tomorrow.

Not posted in ages, sorry, such a busy week and I detest this weather. Dd started sixth form today, transition not too much of an issue as it's at her secondary school. Not sure how much of a fan she's going to be of all the private study she's expected to do though. She looked so grown up in her own clothes with her little sixth form lanyard. Ds goes into Year 9 tomorrow, I'm knackered!

I'm keeping up with all the posts, sorry to hear some are struggling, it's such early days for them all.