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

DD now has a gap until next Monday. She did do some Spanish revision this morning although has moved onto Taylor Swift lyrics revision as she and a friend are going to see her in Cardiff on the 18th (we are nowhere near Cardiff 😃).

My DD has a 10 day gap before her last Spanish exam too so has taken their whole weekend off which I think has done her the world of good!

It feels very strange, for the first time in two decades, not to be having to do morning alarm clock duties to get a DC up and ready for school.

DD is also going to see Taylor Swift twice this summer. She's already worrying about what to wear for the first one. But has already decided the cowboy boots she bought specifically for the concerts are not going to be comfortable enough to stand up in for three hours.

Good luck to all of those with exams this week.

I'm going through feeling sad about the end of an era too @LouisCatorze
Stupid stuff like feeling sad when I am ironing DS's uniform knowing that in a couple of weeks I will never need to iron a school uniform again. And I hate ironing, so I should be pleased!
Seeing the school bus go past our house without stopping is a bit weird too. I'll probably be a sniveling wreck in September.

@MrsAvocet it is really strange. I woke up with a start this morning, thinking 'Oh no, DD is going to be late for school' but then relaxed as I realised this is not something I'm going to need to worry about ever again (unless with grandparenting duties, in years to come).

On the subject of Results Day, have most schools already issued the relevant info, including getting results sent/emailed instead of collecting them in-person?

I am envious of you finishing on Tuesday Super though we have been relatively lucky with how spread out they have been.

Ours get an e-mail at 8am I think on results day and think they only need to go in if there is an issue. I was surprised how early it was (DD normally emerges around midday) but think its incase people need to go via clearing and advise.

Though I was really surprised when DDs alarm went off one morning at 8.45am and queried that with her and she said she then napped until 11.45am. 😆

So envious of those finished already! Chem 1 was pretty ok this morning according to ds. We're still not yet half way through!

I still have dd (currently year 10) as well so not fully an end of an era for me but I'll still be a snivelling wreck come September!

We normally go into school for results - still the old-fashioned paper in an envelope for us although they are accessible on the portal too. Will see how ds wants to do it nearer the time.

Paper in an envelope from 8am for us too. I think there may be other possibilities but DS wants to go, and will (hopefully!) be spending the day celebrating with his friends afterwards. I don't think he'd fancy just opening an email at home and sharing his news on WhatsApp. Living rurally, friends are spread over a large area and school is the natural meeting point really. In fact my older children still tend to meet their friends there when they are home for a visit, except the actual meeting point is the pub down the road rather than the school buildings now of course!

Ds said Chem 1 was ok so that's a relief, he's about half way through now.

DD seemed to say the e-mail was compulsory not optional as the way to receive initial results at her school. I think she's happy enough with that as can stay in bed and also see results on her own first. Though she did say she would go in after but not sure if that's an official school thing, sounded like it was at school.

Looks like its just careers advice at school but sounds like they are meeting up at school. I think she would have gone in to get if it was an option.

My DS is expected to go into school to collect his A-level results in person. Any time from 8am until 11am.
I have taken the day off work just incase need to support him to apply via clearing.

DD will go in - not sure what time it is. Have taken the day off.

All the schools round here go in - local papers do a blow by blow account of everything going on.

Ds also thought Chem was good but felt the boundaries would be high as most people thought it was an "easier" paper.

Dd also thought chemistry was fine.
she will go to school to collect results, head and senior team will be in and most of the teachers.

Dd said the same. Apparently those of his friends who need A stars are worried that the grade boundary will be very high!

DS. Not dd. Blood autocorrect!

Ds said it has been as high as 87% for an A star before which surprised me as the Physics boundaries are much lower. Both tough subjects.

Hello!

I was on this thread much earlier and then... dropped off I took a MN break.

But am now back, in the midst of the very long exam period.

DD, doing A levels, will have had a full 4 weeks of exams. Helpfully, they scheduled politics and English Lit on the same day twice (it's not like it's common for students to do both ) so had two one day last week, and then two more exams - hurrah - on Friday. She got Art out of the way first.

So DD finishes on Friday, but DS starts his 3 week GCSE mock period on Monday...

To add: I hope all of you and your A level-ers are hanging in there!

I'm just reading back on the recent posts I've missed and "getting a bit tense now and making comments" cracked me up. I relate. You put it perfectly.

The observations on your cat drawings are brilliant... to read about

@Lightsabre yes...ds is normally fairly calm post exams but this was his best chemistry paper so would have preferred that it was harder as now worrying about tougher Chem papers to come.

Welcome back WriterofWrongs and good luck surviving the double exam period. I have taken DDs advice and been working on developing my art 😆and have now painted flowers and a cat on my bedside table. I had bought DS an art set but he threw the sudoku and origami out the window which DD said was my fault as I should have known he could do sudoku on his ipad and origami is apparently only for 5 year olds. I asked DD if she wanted it and she said no she hates art never used to and then I suggested giving it to DH and got a DH is far too busy to do art, you aren't so you do it. She did smile at me actually doing the art and came over and looked at it and did make a comment of wow that's an amazing art set so will probably take it after exams. Cheerful again today and very happy I have ordered pizza for tonight pre exam tomorrow. She's been very good on the whole just had the one lot of comments.