Year 12 - 2024/25 - Support, Discussion and Looking After Each Other

[BlackBean2023]

A survival thread for Y12 parents (24/25) now that GCSEs are over and our young people move onto KS5

Is this for speed to see re extra time for exams?
Yes the SENCO can do various tests and if the DC is below a certain standard in they will qualify. Can't really tell you any more than that but schools can assess their own pupils for exam concessions.

@Tebheag I am a SENCO and I will sometimes do writing assessments to make a decision about whether to issue a laptop for exams, or it could be part of an assessment for extra time.

Thank you
Just found out from DS is looking at whether he should be using a laptop and maybe possible extra time. Never knew schools could do assessment did ask for help at school but never happened.

@wonderstuff what will DS have to do
Is he given something to copy out?
As DS likes to know before hand what he has to do or starts to worry.

My son was asked to write about himself by hand and then type, for the same amount of time. He can type twice as fast as he can write and it allowed him to finish exam papers rather than not!

@Tebheag either he will be asked to write about himself for 10 minutes, he’ll be given a minute to do a quick brainstorm first and asked to mark his place every 2 minutes, or he’ll be given a passage to transcribe, a computer program will dictate and he will be able to repeat the words as needed and move on as he writes each phrase. There may be another test in not aware of but those are very popular.

Absolutely no need to worry, the assessor will have no expectations of him and simply wants to see how quickly and legibly he writes, there’s no pressure it’s just to inform an assessment of what works best for him. He probably won’t get results straight away as the assessor will need to count his words.

Hope all your kids get a chance to rest and recharge this weekend feels like a long half term.
DS has already had his decision back he is to use a word processor in his words. Seems happy with this decision. said speed was OK just his hand writing.

That's good news @Tebheag Hope your son is pleased with the outcome.

I'm not sure our weekend is going to be restful as DS has his first driving lesson tomorrow. I've tried to get him interested in road signs, markings and general driving stuff but he seems to believe that he knows everything already. He will be in for a rude awakening tomorrow the first time he stalls the engine!

He has signed up for a virtual seminar on "Work in an international law office" with Freshfields on Monday evening but hasn't yet contacted any local businesses to try and arrange work experience for the summer. DH thinks DS is waiting for me to offer to put together a list of companies to contact and draft the emails. He has said that I must step back and stop doing DS' admin for him. I agree. I am becoming the helicopter parent I swore I would never be.

Hope you and your DC have good weekends

@ waspie he was happy as knows he has lost marks due to his writing even he has struggled at times to read it.
hope your DS has a good first lesson.
We are in similar position with DS don't think he has done anything for work experience for accountancy.

Your son will also become very proficient at typing @Tebheag , which is a very useful life skill.
I'm glad I'm not alone but I'm sorry that you have the same frustrations

That’s good news @Tebheag. We have a younger DS whose cohort look likely to have some GCSE subjects entirely online as the move over from handwritten exams gathers pace. I’m glad your DS will have suitable adjustments in the meantime.

Looking forward, a date for our (DCs’) diaries: 14 January 2026.

This is the equal-consideration deadline for most UCAS undergraduate applications in the forthcoming 2026 cycle (i.e. it doesn’t affect applications to Oxbridge, medical, dentistry or veterinary schools, or conservatoires).

The move from late January to mid January (this year’s deadline is 29 Jan) is aimed at bringing forward universities’ decisions ahead of the key exam period. For the same reason, UCAS is reinstating the pre-pandemic “advisory deadline” of 31 March for universities to communicate their decisions to applicants, though the hard deadline is 13 May 2026. Hopefully this will mean our DC are less likely to be waiting for decisions in April and May, which has been a problem in recent application rounds.

https://www.ucas.com/advisers/guides-and-resources/adviser-news/news/ucas-dates-and-deadlines-2026-cycle

struggling here.
dd has been ill for 3 weeks.
first terrible headaches, then sore throat and cough and exhausted, then it morphed into a horrendous cold. She is coughing and coughing to the point of throwing up at time. She has been into school 1-2 days each week, and then wiped out for the rest of the week. Last weekend I had to go and pick her up at lunchtime on Friday and then she slept Friday afternoon and all day Sat and Sun.
Initially she was doing well with just turning over the key things for school, but last week was a right off and now she has a mass of work piling up.

So now she is stressing and panicking, and still coughing, and sleeping.
Not sure really what to do next to support her.

@steppemum That sounds awful - your poor DD. Has she been seen by a doctor to rule out whooping cough and other bacterial infections? I do hope she’s on the mend soon.

@steppemum hope your DD is starting to feel better, I remember a class mate from my ALevels missing lots due to glandular fever.

@steppemum I was going to suggest glandular fever, too. It's not uncommon in teenage girls at stressful times.

Oh dear @steppemum your poor DD. Maybe a trip to the GP now to rule out anything other than bad cold/flu. Although there is a lot of long and lingering chest infection, bad colds/flu going around atm as others have mentioned, glandular fever may be a possibility. Hope she starts to feel better soon.

My DD had a cold all last week but insisted on going to school, she has developed a cough now and just came in this morning saying she's barely slept due to coughing. I've agreed she can stay at home but she has a bio practical this PM so is going in for that. It is so hard knowing what to advise her to do as I want her to just stay at home and sleep but she stresses too over missed work.

Thanks for the UCAS date info @JessyCarr I didn't know they were bringing the closing date forward.

we've got a GP appointment booked for this afternoon, as she seems to be getting worse not better.
It could be glandular fever as we know a girl who has had it, but I don't actually think so, partly because she hasn't really had a temperature, and she hasn't had the prolonged sore throat.
I think she has had Covid (her taste has gone funny) I am just wandering if there is now a secondary infection. I am also trying not to think of long covid etc.

@steppemum sorry to hear DD is still not well. Hopefully Dr will be able to give answers this afternoon.
DS just had his first Mock using word processor said it went well even had more room to write longer answers, so fingers crossed. His college are doing Mocks in Feb and June for year 1.

steppemum- hope you get some answers at the doctors.

worried about dd1- after not really enjoying secondary school and struggling with social anxiety she is settled and happy at college. She loves it and I can see her thriving.
Two of her a level choices are going great, she loves the subjects and is getting really good results.
However… she is hating maths and really struggling. I think she’s hating it because she’s finding it so hard. She loved gcse maths - got an 8 so she has the aptitude but we should have known this was a possibility as she hated further maths and only got a 6. She started off ok but is now floundering and having to have booster sessions.
her aspirations are high with thoughts of Russell group unis and unless a miracle occurs it’s going to be out of her grasp. Tutor is in place and she’s working like crazy but wonder if it’s just not going to happen for her. She says she’s taken 3 hours to do some ‘easy’ homework. This just isn’t sustainable.
I’ve recommended she speak to her tutor about restarting year 12 but this doesn’t seem an easy option looking at some stuff on line. Some colleges don’t seem to allow it and some make you change all your a level choices which she won’t be keen to do. It will be hard enough restarting and making friends again.
rural living so not easy to change to a different college either.
can you tell I’m a worrier? Trying to be so positive and upbeat for her when she’s chatting but inside I’m worried!

@steppemum hope DD gets better soon.
@Teadrinker81 it is very hard when a subject is not going well. DD1 had two subjects that went swimmingly and then there was biology....She worked very hard and had a tutor etc but it was such a slog. Her a level grade was a C but I was prouder of that C than the other two grades because she worked so hard for it, she actually failed her end of year 12 biology exam. We discussed it and decided that she would take a different A level in the year after if she failed biology and I think having this option took some of the pressure off her, there is usually another path, even if it's not the one you thought you'd take. DD1 is now thriving at university and has just got a job for her industry placement year. Biology seems a distant memory thankfully!

@Teadrinker81 Sorry to hear about the maths difficulties. I certainly breathed a sigh of relief when DD (also a solid 8 at GCSE maths) decided not to take it at A Level, as I think we’d have been in the same position.

Apologies for suggesting ways of spending £££, but I wonder whether there is merit in considering an intensive tutoring course (in person or online) at half term or in the Easter holidays? E.g. Justin Craig or similar?

@Philandbill thank you and my head is telling me that all will work out in the end but it’s so tough watching them struggle. She is doing so well at the other two subjects 🙈.
We’ve been so lucky until now with her sailing through academically.
@JessyCarr - it’s certainly something to think about.

@Teadrinker81 I think most of us are 'worriers' on here 😀but that is not a bad thing! My DD sounds the same as yours, she took chem, bio and maths intially and loved maths, got an 8, insisted she wanted to do A level despite our reservations on how much time it would take to achieve a high grade compared to another choice.

She gave it a week into yr12 and suddenly changed her mind. She needed 3 As (although changed her career ideas now so probably not necessary) and didn't feel she would do it in maths so swapped to psychology. I know this doesn't help you but at least you know she is not alone in her struggles despite being an academic child. Is there any chance she could swap at this point or is there too much to catch up on with a new subject? Has she discussed it with her teachers?

What are her other two subjects? Will it really matter if she drops a grade or two in maths for her career aspirations?

Maths is such a unique subject for people understanding it, DD is working at A and A* at chem and bio, but could not see herself achieving anywhere near that in maths (and I agree with her).