Year 12 - 2025/2026: Here we go again!

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for the new school and college year. A friendly thread for parents of those going into year 12 in September 2025.

Can I jump on for some support. Son went to his first day at sixth form today. We moved house in year 11 and he chose to start at the local sixth form where he knows nobody over going somewhere he's know people. He then had a wobble last night about the subjects he's taking but I'm pretty sure it was mostly due to him not knowing anyone. I've dropped him in this morning but I didn't sleep much last night. He's got ADHD and has always struggled a bit with friendships so does tend to isolate himself a bit.

To be fair, it doesn't have to be released to her uni course - most of the time they don't even ask what it was on and many people do something quite random or different to their A-levels focus. If the subject she's applying for has interviews, she might bring it up in that or her personal statement (as many do), but it doesn't always have to link to be seen as valid.

I'm sure he'll be just fine. The first day is a lot of just getting used to a new place, and 6th form, and even for those who stay - they have to make new friends, as some of their old friends have left. So it's new in some way for everyone. It can take a while to adjust to different things, or even teachers, or whether you feel confident enough in a subject but it doesn't mean it isn't always a good choice, as someone who also changed 6th forms.

Good luck to all with first days today. Hope they all come back feeling excited!

We have til Thursday - DD2's skirts she is ordering from vinted are getting shorter, her interpretation of the uniform more wild. I'm waiting to see how much of her new 'uniform' she'll be able to actually wear.

Just spotted her in the local papers for near her school as one of the high GCSE scorers, looking very tiny between two massively tall boys...

Thank you for the kind words

Also still waiting for remark - not getting hopes up though!

Hope he has a positive start

@peanutcookie as an A level teacher, what are your thoughts on laptops? I can see they will be useful for writing essays at home if only for the cut and paste facility, but I’m unsure about in the classroom.

Allowing my DD a phone in year 7 is my biggest regret and I’m just wondering whether it’s better to write notes by hand in class? There’s also the distraction of having other websites open without the teacher knowing ( eg Hollister/urban outfitters etc)

Does everyone have a laptop?

I’ve never heard of an EQP -they sound fun!
Might get Ratty to enquire on induction day

I’m not an a level teacher but all the schools my children have attended have had some sort of device (Chromebook or something of that kind) as a requirement. This has happened long before a level. I’m not sure I’m happy about it but they’re communicating with the youngsters through them, setting work, homework and using educational websites on them so we really can’t avoid them. All pre a level work has been accessed online.

@katgab Do they use it in lessons or just or homework?

Both. As I say, I’m not overly happy about it. We saw exactly where this led during lock down. It’s not so obvious when they’re in school.

DD's college everything is on a laptop, it's pretty much paper-free.

They have mac-racks in the classrooms so she doesn't need to bring her own, but has a Macbook at home (only laptop that will run the software she needs).

At school, she had a laptop from Y6 onwards for everything. We found an iPad with non-Apple keyboard case and e-pen was much cheaper, lighter weight and better function for everything. Also meant she didn't have 'scrappy bits of soggy paper formally known as lesson notes' at the bottom of her bag but everything saved and stored in one place.

I was mean parent and said the school iPad had to be clean... no games, apps or other distracting stuff. You can set parent controls so they have to ask you to be able to download any apps etc. Schools often won't let students connect to the internet either - DD never could, so everything just saved to icloud when she got home (or hotspotted off phone in emergencies).

If you go that route, also worth having Apple Care... DD blew the first one up a week short of the contract ending, so they sent her a new one. Took that in a few weeks ago as the battery is running slow now it's nearly 2 years old, and they said no point fixing and gave her another brand new one. So paid £350 or something initially, then £3.50 a month... and 3 iPads later it's been very cost effective!

Same here @Blahblahblah81 . DS has ADHD and ASD and is missing all his friends at his new sixth form (induction day today until ~5pm). He could barely smile when I took photos of him before he left on his bike this morning. I’ll be holding my breath all day and probably all week until I know he’s settled in and maybe made a few friends.

@Rainydayinlondon DS will be getting a Microsoft Surface Pro. We (and all parents) had to buy it from the school in summer. Presumably they’ll all have secure filtered web use, etc. His old secondary school and current sixth form have a no mobile phone policy during the school day. Other personal devices such as non-school laptops and tablets aren’t allowed as well.

Ratty has found the physics tasks online after being nailed back on the kitchen table!
Deja vu anyone?

Oh that's long! Will you get anything out of him when he gets home do you think? I'm preparing myself for an "it was fine" response which gives me nothing! Then I'll probably get told he hates it at the 11th hour the next day or something!

Thank you so much! Not heard much, just a call for lunch money!

Oh, that is so good that your DD gets a month to decide on her A Levels! That is really sensible of the Sixth Form. It definitely can pre DC having to plough on with a subject that they pretty quickly realised wasn’t the best choice for them.

I admit that I’d never heard of EQP until DS19 met his GF from a different school. I’d have absolutely loved that option… but, my DS19 sounds like your DD, he would not have liked that at all. A lot of DC on here will probably flourish at it, but clearly not for all.

I hope her half day eased her back in gently! Then, I guess, back to it full time tomorrow! That super long holiday has finally come to an end…… Hope it well excellently!! 😸

Good work, Ratty!!! 😸 Crack on!!!

Welcome! Awwww, that sounds extremely stressful- for you both. My DS has ASD/ADHD too, similar issues with making friends etc.

I’m sure your DS must have tons of things spinning round his head, right now. I hope he’s managed to take a deep breath and seen how the day has unfolded. Hopefully he has had a chance to chat with a few new people, and had time to consider his A Level choices.

I hope it all went fabulously 🤞😸!

No update as yet, other than a request for lunch money ( forgetting he’d got done yesterday 🙄!).

Laptop chat is interesting! I’ve only popped on quickly as deep into laundry and packing for DS19 off to Edinburgh..
My DS has always had use of one, as his writing is illegible due to motor skill problems…. Anyway! Wait and see as to what his new college have said on that front…!

@Blahblahblah81 and @Greenbriar I think it’s tough for them starting a new place with zero friends and ND. It’s a lot to manage. What are DSs choices blah? Do hope their first days are ok!

So luckily for DD, I messaged her HoY, exams officer and head of IT last night to see if they could help with obtaining her gcse results ready for this morning. The IT head came up trumps and at midnight (I know! Love him) messaged to say he’d fixed a glitch and to call him if she still had issues. What an absolute treasure! So she was able to print those off. Minor panic that her transition work wouldn’t print but got there eventually. She was literally in school 8 minutes. Parking took longer! She was rather flat about it all and an tadge ‘ratty’ (lots of side eyes) so I refrained from questioning. How do they do that look that says so much? She’s hidden herself away for the rest of the day. Can’t say I blame her for being a bit grumpy. It’s been a great summer and it’s over. It’s even blinking raining today!

The most I can hope for is a thumbs up😂

@NotDonna that's amazing about your DD's GCSE results, and at midnight too!

@frozendaisy it's very, very familiar... 😅

Re laptops etc. DD3 has used an iPad since Yr5. School provided them (for a fee). I think they soon regretted it. So DD has always taken notes on her iPad and would prefer to continue that way BUT the new school has desktops in the study rooms & I’d assume they’d be Microsoft. I’m not sure how compatible / easy it’ll be for her to switch from iPad to their desktops. She has learning needs and uses a laptop in exams so they said she can take a laptop into lessons if she runs it by the teacher, but it isn’t the norm. I’m not too sure about iPads. She won’t want to be the only one either. So for now, I’ve not done anything. I’m hoping the iPad works with it all & is allowed as it’s light and easy.

It's interesting that you are all paper free and laptop 💻 main. Here is all very old fashioned and I think most students still prefer the old A4 exercise book!

Ds still is doing bridging work for his start on Thursday.

Our school has a laptop policy. Optional for years 7-9 but compulsory for years 10-13. Dd has a Lenovo one with a touchscreen and a stylus. Homework is set digitally and they use Teams a lot for resources and contacting teachers.