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

Anyone else have a child with the wobbles about the upcoming mocks?
Think it’s just dawned on her that these grades go towards uni applications and she’s panicking. She has absolutely no reason to panic as she’s a hard worker and bright. Sometimes she doesn’t make best use of her time but I don’t think that’s unusual. Her college do regular assessments and she’s got a grades consistently so far in two of her subjects. The third has been a struggle for her but she’s applied herself since Christmas and made huge progress. Now she’s panicking that she hasn’t done enough.
I’ve tried reasoning but it’s no good at the moment.
weve also tried to encourage her to take a year out and apply to uni with grades in hand but she’s not keen. It’s so much for them to deal with all at the same time and there’s so much pressure on them to ‘succeed.’
hoping it’s just a wobble and she’ll feel more confident and optimistic in the morning.

@Teadrinker81 Yes, wobbles are being felt here too. DD had thought that if things went badly now she could (as a backup plan) resit mocks in September to improve her predictions. School have now told them that there will be no routine availability of resits in September and unless there are exceptional circumstances their predictions will be settled this term.

She had an exam last week which went well, but a lot will turn on the next few days.

@Teadrinker81 we’re in Wales so mocks were in January and AS levels start in 2 weeks.

They count 40% towards their A level grades and will be the basis of the predicted grades on their UCAS application. Only 8 months from the start of the courses and this has got very real implications!

@Teadrinker81 I hear you, my DD is building her stress levels around mocks (not until beginning of June), theory driving test (3 weeks away) and doing other uni entry stuff like reading etc. There is so much for her to be doing at present it is hard to know what she should be prioritising! However DD has always been good at this despite the stress so I am trying to leave her to it. Every time I see her on her phone though I am tempted to ask if she should be doing anything more productive 😂. I have to stop myself as it does not go down well and really isn't needed.

DDs is not doing AS so these June exams form the basis of her predicted UCAS grades with a bit more input from teachers on her progress so far. She is acutely aware these exams really affect which unis she can choose.

Good luck to any taking exams soon.

@Teadrinker81 yep, DS's anxiety is rising rapidly. Have tried to help him this weekend to start planning out a manageable timetable for revision starting this week, I have also been reassuring him that whatever the outcome of these exams he has options, they are not the end of the world.

My two have just finished their mocks. They both worked really hard and I hope their results reflect that. We will see. We have a bunch of med school visits coming up in June for DD. Struggling to get any kind of clinical work experience though, we have no contacts in that field.
DS is set on law and has joined several social mobility programs, some of them will give him work experience which is great.
Interestingly both have ruled out Oxbridge as you’re not allowed to work. It would be an immense struggle financially for them without a job. That somehow seems unfair (though I’m sure plenty will tell me I should have got a better job and been more financially secure).

@Curlyshabtree has your DD looked at virtual work experience? The BSMS course is well-known, but I am sure there are others by now:

https://bsmsoutreach.thinkific.com/courses/VWE

Not such a great week here, as DD thinks she has bombed her Economics mock by messing up on timing. Quite chunky questions seem to have gone completely unanswered. School have said she can retake in September, so she has calmed down a bit now and I think will really work at it over the summer. She seems to know her stuff pretty well, but that’s no use if it doesn’t get put down on paper in the exam room!

Speaking of Economics, in case anyone’s DC is interested here are the details of this year’s Young Economist of the Year competition. Possible UCAS-booster for someone out there?

https://www.discovereconomics.co.uk/young-economist-2025

Thank you for the suggestions about how to drive with DS.

I'm sure your daughter will have done better than she believes @JessyCarr. Exams are so stressful. It is good that she has another chance in September too. DS' school is the same - mock now and again before UCAS final submissions.

DS is the opposite with Economics - he is good at the essay questions but poor at the multiple choice. However there are no multiple choice questions in the A Level papers so the multiple choice test he has done are compiled by the school. His mocks are in mid-May and he is worried they will be multiple choice rather than actual "real" exam questions. I have told him to speak to his teacher. It's not helped that he is unwell at the moment - ENT infection. This is the third so far this year.

@Curlyshabtree - DS' friend has deferred his Oxford place for a year and will work for the whole year to fund his undergraduate years. Could this be an option for your DC? My understanding is that part time jobs are not allowed purely because of the strain it puts on the student, although I can how it looks from your perspective. The 8 week terms are extremely full on and demanding.

@Curlyshabtree I’m sure you’ve already looked at it all but Oxford is by far the most affordable in terms of accommodation especially for halls where you can stay the entire degree. I don’t get quite the full maintenance payment for dd but even with that there’s a fair amount left to over to help with other living costs. Compared with St Andrews which has had to fall down DD’s list for financial reasons. If dd went to Oxford she would work in the holidays which are so much longer and we think her current workplace would take her Xmas/easter/summer

They can work in the vacations and summer, just not in term time.
Oxford colleges will also be well set up with bursaries/hardship funds.
I wouldn't rule Oxford out on financial grounds without looking into things properly first.

We don't have mocks until the end of June, which is fortunate as I'm not sure there is much revision going on!
We had a Uni open evening at school on Tuesday and DS seems to be leaning towards human geography now, so that's a step forward 👍
His social life seems to be at the forefront now the lighter nights and nice weather are here.

Yes Oxford is the only uni where dd would get some sort of bursary.

Oxford colleges will also be well set up with bursaries/hardship funds.
Friend's son is at Oxford. He applied to and got into one of the richest colleges because he said that there would be more financial support for him coming from a lower income family. He was right and his parents aren't giving him a penny.

Good to see all the updates, @JessyCarr if your DD is anything like mine she will have done well in her exam anyway so hopefully she can put it behind her for now. The option to retake in Sept is great too though to calm her mind now, it is a shame DDs school don't offer that, one mock at the start of June and that is it.

DD is revising, but alongside her theory test prep too so she is feeling a bit swamped. I keep telling her it is only short term, but that is all the help I can give!

DDs school have sent info on a week they call 'next steps week' late in June where all 6th form students spend the whole week attending presentations and doing their own work on their individual next steps. It looks great, lots of unis coming in to to give presentations on uni/apprenticeships/CV writing/UCAS applications/different professions and business opportunities, the list is endless. A good example last year was Newcastle uni doing a 'what is it like and how to prepare for med/vet/dent' talk. This is a new school for DDs 6th form and I am impressed with how much support they are giving their students. They all have to attend all week too so hoping DD makes the most of it.

I had a feeling the uni stuff would ramp up after easter and it certainly has. Has anyone else booked on to Manchester/Sheffield/York or Newcastle uni open days? We are trying to get to all 4 in June/July.

Dd works on Saturdays and Sundays so unfortunately we won’t be able to attend as many Open Days as I would like. We’ve visited 2 of the cities already just to get a feel for them. She’s intending to give up work after the summer so we will most likely do the Open Days then

@bluefinelinerwe are going to both Sheffield and Newcastle in June. Just trying to sort Newcastle as it’s quite a way and hoping to stay with relatives a little closer on the Friday night. Sheffield is doable in a day.

Exams here are mid June but a great parents evening earlier in the week so hopefully if he continues putting in the consistent effort he will get the predictions he wants and needs. I’ve been really impressed with his attitude this year it’s completely different to GCSEs and he’s really enjoying all his subjects.

Good luck to all those doing exams at the moment and imminently. Plus all the driving - DS isn’t 17 till August so still feels a way off yet.

@bluefineliner DS did the Uni of Manchester stem experience open day in half term. He really liked it.

Good luck to all doing exams.

DS ain't till next month. He has now told us he would like to go to uni for something to do with Geography. I have no knowledge about uni as neither DH or I went down that route. Told him he needs to improve Geography grade a lot.oe he will struggle oh and make a shortlist for uni. Currie his other ALevels are business finance related so unsure how that would mix with geography 🙈

DD finished all her mocks last week. She doesn't feel they were brilliant, but as she's taking a year out she's relaxed that she can reapply with her final grades if needed.
Driving practise is continuing, I'm absolutely hating taking her out, but must be done. It is getting less scary. She has friends who have passed and so is getting the occaisional lift. I'm trying not to worry about her.

Still no ideas on uni, no open days booked in. Her Saturday job seems to be going okay and she's reluctant to book time off. I've asked her to look at 2. But she hasn't. Feel we'll be still pondering it this time next year..

@Tebheag I did a degree in Geography, it's very broad as a subject so can fit with other things, I did some economic geography, which would fit in with an understanding of business/finance. I'd advise thinking about what parts of geography he most enjoys and looking at unifrog or talking to school careers service - you can do a BA or a BSc in Geography and combine it with lots of other subjects too if you want to. Plus you generally get to go on a field trip or two. I loved my degree.

@wonderstuff he loves seismology side of Geography. Will see how he does in his mocks. Shame as he was good at science all 7s but decided he wanted to do finance for A Levels.

Good luck to all of the dc starting their AS levels tomorrow.

DS has 7 over the next 2 weeks, it’ll be good for them to be over in time for half term. After they’re done he’ll turn his attention to MAT preparation and start to learn to drive - I must book his theory test!

Good luck to your son @Muchtoomuchtodo and to everyone else's DC doing AS levels

My son has end of year exams next week which will form part of his grade prediction for UCAS. He has been working hard on notes and revision. His first English Lit NEA deadline is Friday, and he spent a lot of time this weekend polishing it up for final submission.

We have open days booked at Exeter, Bristol, Cambridge, Warwick, KCL and Birmingham from late May to mid-July and will book UCL and Oxford when they open for bookings. DS also has work experience for a week in early June.

As others have said upthread, year 12 is going so quickly!

Good luck to your DS @Muchtoomuchtodo and anyone else doing AS levels and to your DS for next week @Waspie. DS has had maths and physics tests where he's just missed an A* on both, hopefully he can continue with that effort for his UCAS exams which are just after half term.

Meanwhile my DS1 has emailed me his dissertation over to read. It's 52 pages long and I've barely made it through the introduction before getting up to something else! 😂