Year 13 2024 - General support thread part 2

[Rollergirl11]

All welcome as our young people head in to their last full term before the summer exams. Between UCAS applications, receiving offers/rejections, learning to drive and taking driving tests, revising for mocks and sitting them the pace hasn’t let up for our DC.

This thread has been a lovely supportive and immensely helpful place to talk as we guide our DC’s through this challenging time!

Old thread here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/further_education/4851165-year-13-20232024-general-support-thread?page=40&reply=132323436

Anyone else's DC not actually looking forward to leaving school? They have so many friends there, it's familiar, generally it's been OK (not perfect by a LONG shot). They're excited to move on, but hating the idea that it's all coming to an end. I always wanted to leave school so this is new to me.

Yes, same here- they're definitely struggling with the sadness of school life ending. Sixth form has been so short.

I think DD does like her 6th form and there's a big friendship group but is so excited about university that I don't think she's sad about leaving. Quite a few will stay in touch and they are currently planning holidays together. She's in touch with quite a few going to her uni course which helps. I got asked last night if I could search for a holiday for her and her boyfriend on TUI though asked her what her boyfriend liked doing and got he likes to do whatever I like to do. What do you want to do, don't know then maybe swimming, don't know if he can swim, yes I am sure he would be able to, go for swimming. I hated school and was very happy to leave, loved uni.

I think DD cannot wait to leave college. She is struggling again with the immaturity of certain people within the friendship group and the drama that seems to follow them around. She is quite lucky though as she has different pockets of friends and then also her boyfriend who is 2 years older and removed from her college group. This gives her some much needed respite when the group is kicking off about something ridiculous and DD is trying not to get dragged in to it.

She has a girls holiday directly after the exams but there’s currently a bit of beef between 2 of the 5 of them so she’s hoping that’s resolved before they go. She also has a holiday booked with her boyfriend and then our family holiday so from the end of June to mid August just before results day she is almost constantly on holiday!

She did have a bit of a wobble just before firming her 1st choice uni and suddenly started talking about a gap year. Only 3 of her friends are going this year and everyone else is either taking gap years or not going. She suddenly started saying that she thinks she needs a break from education for a bit just to have a breather. But I think that it was just the stress of having a big decision to make and the fear of making the wrong choice. She seems to be over the gap year idea now.

My DS is ready to move on. He's been lucky enough to go to a great school and had a lovely friendship group throughout, that's been largely drama free, but he is excited about going to University and ready for the next stage. He is one of the oldest in the year group so that may make a difference. My elder son is Summer born and definitely was not ready to leave school at this stage, though they're also very different personalities.
It was Prom last night. I guess that might have provoked a bit of nostalgia, though I was in bed when he got home and he hasn't surfaced yet so I haven't had any reports so far. Feel sorry for any of the girls who had spent a lot on dresses as the weather was absolutely diabolical so there was certainly no chance of nice pictures in the hotel grounds.

Mine's the same @Rollergirl11 , with every uni visit she's more impatient to move on and thinks that she will keep in touch with very few. She also has a full summer planned!

DD isn’t great with change and is an August birthday and has had a fabulous friendship group since Y7. She doesn’t want the end of term to come and has buried her head in the sand for as long as she can about moving on, she is definitely very nervous about it all. Point blank refuses a gap year - none of her friends are having gap years and that makes a massive difference to her.

Whatever her outcome in August I think we are in store for a lot of tears.

I came over a bit weepy tonight when I was doing the ironing and got to DS's school uniform and realised that I won't be doing that for much longer. Can't believe it's the last term now and in just over 2 months it will all be over.

DD felt a bit “oh” when she had an email from a choir she sings in asking them to save the date for a concert in November - and realising she obviously won’t be there then….

@MirandaWest - oh that's sad. Is it something she can pop along to and join in during her holidays or is it more formal than that?

DS the same with his sports club although he's having an "occasional player" membership next year so he can play when he's home in the holidays.

He got awarded most committed junior at the end of season awards night last week which was lovely. He's been at the club nearly 10 years and plays for two teams and helps to coach the U12s so it's a big part of his life.

Only 3 more weeks of teaching left at school. Lots of "lasts" looming.

Hope everyone is hanging in there. We had a few weeks of DD being an absolute demon. She was very, very worried about how she’d done in an NEA. She got the results on Wednesday and smashed it. A very much needed confidence boost at a critical time.

So nice to see a smile on her face - it’s been a while!

That's good to hear @SooperOuting. NEAs are so stressful but it's great to have them in the bag going into exam season.

DS doesn't have any NEAs and I can't deny it's making me feel more stressed about the exams. He's still pretty chill though.

I guess it’s a double edged sword. If you do well, it’s a great boost. But if not, a confidence killer.

I’m not a fan of NEAs as I think they are too open to abuse. DD didn’t get any help at all from anyone with hers, but I do hear stories where this isn’t the case - with parents and or teachers guiding/helping.

DD was very uncomfortable not knowing whether she was on the right lines through the project but I think the very act of having had no help is exactly what now has given her confidence in herself. And great prep for dissertation at uni.

Excellent news @SooperOuting on the NEA. DD did 3 NEA’s, one for History and 2 for English lit. I don’t know if she will be fed back her grade ahead of the exams. I don’t even know how it works with the final grade. Do they see what they got in coursework vs exam?

@Rollergirl11 - presumably it works like the EPQ so they'll know their mark but not the grade until results day? I imagine once all the marking is done then a selection across the country is moderated and only then can the exam board bell-curve the marks for grades. Not sure though.

DDs is Geography and she was given a mark out of 70. Teacher then asks what grade they are aiming for and advises what the remaining mark needed in the exam is to get that grade, presumably based on last years grade boundaries. So there isn't loads of accuracy with it.

We are however taking it as a win as she got in the top scale for her high achieving school but obviously don’t know exactly what it will translate to.

I remember DS knew his geography NEA mark before doing his final exams but can’t remember exactly when that was.

I think DD will get English and history NEA marks back before the exams but again not sure when!

DS handed in his NEA on Friday but not sure when/whether he will get told the marks. Glad it’s done so he can get back to revision as the exams seem to be rapidly approaching.

My understanding is the school have return the marked (numerical, not graded) NEA in case the student wants to appeal the mark that has been awarded before it is sent to the exam board for external moderation in early to mid May. We are getting back my son’s EPQ (which they have has since October!) and History NEA in two weeks - but it can obviously vary.

Over Easter, my son received an email that a comment had been left on his coursework google doc, so clicked the link thinking the mark had been returned early only to find his teacher marking it and leaving comments live! Too early for any actual marks (if only he had left it a bit later) and him joining the document made the teacher realise he has marking the wrong version (they copy them apparently) but it was some welcome excitement to his revision.

That's good news @SooperOuting

I don't know if DS will get his marks now...I hope he does. School initially wondered if he could use this NEA towards next year's grade. They've decided not, DS is okay with this as he thinks he chose a tricky question & will do a different question next time!

I haven't checked all boards, obvs, but I think they have to know their school grade for NEA as the only personal appeal opportunity is to the school before the school submits. (So they see the marked essay as well as the score).

The exam boards review a selection of the school's entry to confirm the grades, so the mark shown to pupils by the school is only preliminary. If the. Board disagrees with the marking of the selection of papers they review, the whole cohort is marked down accordingly.

The school can appeal but they have to appeal the whole year at once, with the usual up or down risks, so I can't imagine that happens very often - surely all pupils would have to consent? Has anyone heard of such an event (just curious).

I think DS2 gets his marked english NEA back tomorrow. Thankfully he has forgotten this so isn't fretting :-) I feel slight dread- the whole business was a tad gruesome, as he did entire drafts for two abandoned questions before settling on his final choice, all while preparing for a pointless English exam entrance test back in October ish.

Thinking I might create an exam timetable myself. Ds now toying with a year out but hasn't decided if he wants to ask yet! We're hoping results day will be an ok time, but very unsure.

Still waiting for outcome of job interview early April here. They’ve said will let everyone know by beginning May. Level 3 apprentice job.

if he doesn’t get it we’ve said to do another college course next year. Maybe cabin crew course as we have an airport within spitting distance with a new airline operating out of there next year …..

🤞for the job tho. He did so much work for the interview.

I asked DD about her NEA marks. She’s had one of the English NEA’s back and got full marks. She is supposed to be hearing about her History this week and she doesn’t know about the other English one.

@NeverForgetYourDreams fingers crossed your DS hears about the job soon! What is it doing?