Year 13 2024/2025 - support, discussion and looking after each other - continuation from year 12 thread

[elkiedee]

I've just realised that the year 12 2023/2024 thread is full - oops! - last message on 16 August - don't know if someone started another continuation thread but I can't see it. This coming year DS1 does A levels and university applications, DS2 will be in his GCSE year.

If there is a thread already started please let me know.

Lovely to hear her friends helped her through it, @Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky.

@mumonthehill That’s a real milestone! Congratulations!

I also have a year 9 just choosing options so it will all be starting again here.

Well done to everyone for getting this far, especially those who have had additional challenges.
@PennywisePoundFoolish, it sounds like you have so much to deal with. I'm full of admiration, but wish I didn't need to be!
@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky, well done to your DD. Sounds like she has great friends. Hopefully, it will get a little easier as they go on now she's faced that one down.

Hanging in here. We have DD's exams (which are intense at the moment but finish next week) as well as two sitting GCSEs. Two of them have got terrible hayfever, but otherwise we are all intact so far...

Dd gets study leave after half term but we’ve let her stay at home two days to work. When stress is building it’s the best thing for her. Dh works from home so she’s not alone (which I don’t think would be helpful). School have found generally results are better without study leave which I accept but that doesn’t help all kids and some of them need not to be there! So we’ve done our own thing. Working so far.

Ds is meant to be in school (up until half term) but is actually only going in for one of his subjects as he just wasn't finding revision very helpful in the others. He and a friend went to speak to the head of year to tell him and he basically said, off the record, do what you need to do! Tbh I would have been fine with him not going in, even if school disagreed, as he's vevry focused at hoe

I let ds stay off yesterday and got an unauthorised absence notice even though I told them, I felt like a naughty schoolgirl as I deleted it and thought I do not need to be bothered by these any more!!!

Exam 2 today - Psych and she seems way calmer. She said after this she is 25% of the way through - seems mad after so many exams for GCSEs where they were endless. One friend has only got one before half term as she is doing 3 sciences. Shes quite glad that’s not her…waiting…..

My ds only had one before half term too. I wish he had more to get them out of the way and spread them out but he says he prefers it like this because there’s more revision time.

It must be a relief @Fluffycloudsfloatingintheskythat your dd is much calmer now the first exam is out of the way, good luck to her for today!
Ds doesn’t have his first until Tuesday but is still going in for revision lessons until half term on the days he doesn’t have exams. He’s still weirdly calm, he was like this through GCSEs, and I spent the whole time then on tenterhooks. He is autistic and calm when he’s under pressure usually means a meltdown will happen further down the line

I had a stand-off with the school over DS2 attending mentor. It's compulsory on Monday and Fridays, but he said hardly anyone turns up and nothing happens in the session, they just sit there. On one of the days his first lesson is 12.50pm so he'd have 3 hours of just sitting around.

They were threatening off-site privileges would be withdrawn (he dropped a subject early on so has a lot of frees). The 6th Form admin was previously the attendance officer and we'd butted heads previously so it was like old times(!)

We stood firm, and they relented saying as he'd made so much progress that they'd exempt him . I wouldn't have cared if they hadn't changed their minds, but honestly what a waste of everyone's time at this point in education. I really won't miss dealing with his school!

That's reassuring, thank you. DS2 has submitted his request, so hopefully he'll hear something soon.

He hasn't applied for accommodation yet, he said his 1st choice university (Bath) doesn't have a 1st to apply priority, just had to be done by 3rd July. I'm not really seeing why he hasn't applied yet though...

Does your ds need any special considerations for accommodation? If he does, check the accommodation websites for his firm and insurance choice as ds needs en-suite and had to complete a separate form for student support for both choices. His firm choice asked that he do this even before their accommodation applications opened. Ds has applied for accommodation at both choices now (firm is Warwick and insurance is Keele), as they advised him to due to his needs so that he’s guaranteed en-suite at either. I guess they’ll just reallocate the room at the one he doesn’t go to

Thanks I'll nag talk to him about it. I think DS2 does need special consideration, he's autistic and struggles a lot socially, plus he paces and washes his hands a lot, so I think communal spaces will be tricky for him. But I'm not sure if he'd meet the threshold or what's available

I didn't know they could apply for accommodation at the insurance place as well. His is Exeter.

We're also going to have to do a lot of work on upping his general life-skills once the exams are over

I don’t think all universities will allow them to apply for accommodation if they are the insurance choice but it’s worth looking if he needs special consideration. Ds needs an en-suite because he wouldn’t cope with sharing a bathroom with strangers, he’d have a complete meltdown if he found a hair! He qualifies for special considerations and most universities will also offer a subsidy to reduce the cost of an en-suite to that of a shared bathroom room if needed due to diagnosis. I totally understand the worry, I can see ds cooking in the middle of the night just to avoid the other students in the kitchen. He has been learning to cook, so far he’s managed to completely destroy a stock pot and set fire to a wooden tray but other than that, he’s been fine
He’s just off to have his last regular Friday lunch at sixth form with the one friend he made there and I feel a bit sad about it being the end of an era

That's a great update. Good to hear that she's getting into the swing of the exams now.

More good news - Psych went really well. Only question she wasn’t sure on was a 2 marker. She was really comfortable on this one and the exam didn’t throw any curve balls.

That’s great news. Can I ask which exam board for psychology?

Fab news @Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky ! Ds also booked accommodation for his insurance choice which is Oxford Brookes.

@Candleabrai think she’s AQA but not 100%. She said one of the big questions was on OCD.

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky thank you and really glad it went well. OCR here and nervously waiting to hear how it went. I think no news is not good news but fingers crossed

Another one down - sociology this time. Went ok she said.

so glad the exams are going ok and DD is copying well @Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky
1st exam for DS2 tomorrow, either Maths or FM. Then he as 1 on Thursday and on Friday.
I'm feeling really anxious, but keeping a good face on about it. I hope!

First exam for DS today too - I think FM this afternoon. Then two more this week. I think he’ll be glad to get started - he’s very much looking forward to them being over.

ds said he was up a lot in the night worrying about chemistry today. 2 more this week then at least half term. Good luck to all!

We went to the cinema last night to take DS’s mind off the first exam, since it’s not till this afternoon. Hope it worked. FM is his hardest subject, so getting two of the exams out of the way before half-term should be good.