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.

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I’m not sure she’s impressed by any of the U6 boys either! She’s stayed at the same school so knows most of them. Last week’s date with an U6 boy from a different school was a bit of a let down!

dd also has two teachers for bio and chem and three for maths! They also change a bit for maths in year 2 from memory. DD’s timetable looks ok apart from PSHE first thing on a Monday morning. At least it gets it out of the way!

It seems to be going okay for DD2 - buses straight forward so far influence by DS she getting earlier than she needs so not late. She made a fair few friends already though today and tommorw are her longest days - so see how she fairs with those.

She also to my surprise qualifies for the top/strenching scheme - previously they needed a few more higher grades than she got. So she happy comes with trips - though DS in end didn't apply to oxbridge he enjoyed the trips and maybe summer school access - she may apply DS declined trying for them think he was feeling overwhelmed with work at time.

I'm currently fighting with DS trying to get him to pack for uni - as we need to work out what we can take with us via train and what needs to get sent later - he's in denial and feels overwelmed - and is so argumentative.

“DD came home and complained about her biology seating plan. She has an annoying boy beside her and the fit one is sitting behind her!”

That brings back memories for me! I used to spray White Musk into the bottom of my hair, around the neck, and flick it back at the boy who sat behind me that I had a crush on….

For my DD things seemed to have moved on from my time. Yesterday a rugby team boy asked her out on a date to the local ice cream parlour (the girls are massively outnumbered by the boys in her new grammar school, and it seems the boys think texting/calling etc non stop will get them somewhere). Luckily for DD, she had made friends with the existing musical theatre boys on the first day who quickly warned her that “date” proposing boy is a massive player. DD comes home and says she has no interest in retro guys who worship icecream and dairy and how dare he assume she is so “easy”. I reckon she likes the attention though, even if it is just gossip material.
This was merely day 3 for us and GCSEs seem a long forgotten memory already. The kids are all really friendly with each other during free periods in the Sixth Form centre. There are quite a lot of “cool” girls in androgynous wide pin striped suits and baseball caps and I have already spotted a few donning the heavily laddered tights look (was dropping another child of mine locally, not spying or anything…).

The PSHE - mine has had to sign all sorts of training stuff on what constitutes consent etc. and what does not. I think that is a good thing. It is one of the first things they did I think. Doesn’t stop the boys calling and texting though with disingenuous questions like “did you do the bridging work?” Seems to be chat up line number 1 in DD’s new school.

Just catching up and sounds like done relatively successful mornings. Yes to deciding on the outfit the night before!

DD finishes in 5 mins and given the lack of public transport I’m parked up waiting.
hysterical chat up lines! ‘did you do the bridging work?’ would be met with a scowl and deathly side-eye from my DD.
Praying it’s gone ok and she’s made a friend or two and didn’t hate the (all) new subjects! 🤞🏼

Starting 6th form tomorrow here.

Posted on the exam review thread but DD just got an email to say the school have requested her papers to look at - they haven't even done that yet and she requested review on results day. So we've been nervously waiting and seeing others find out how theirs went and school hadn't started the process till today. If they'd let us know how they manage it at the start that would have been fine, but we weren't told anything.

Araminta - loving "Have you done the bridging work?" as a chat up line 😂

Coco - that seems like a long time before the school have even done anything! It might take longer now too as others have got their requests in first. Really hope it doesn't though and you get answers soon.

DD had an early finish today. I asked her about her class sizes and teachers to report back. Biology 16 (7B/9G), Psychology 20 (4B/16G) and Eng Lang 14 (1B/13G). All 3 subjects she only has 1 teacher. I'm pretty happy with those numbers in a decent state 6th form college tbh.

It's so frustrating. I didn't expect the teachers to work for free, or blindly send off papers without looking at them, but we had no information. When DD rang me in tears from school on results day, trying to find out the process was not at the forefront of my mind!

At least it hasn't affected her 6th form place, but her friend got a 3, applied to school for review, and hasn't heard anything so she's been put on a level 2 BTEC instead of level 3.

my DS got out early - says it was a good day though only one lesson . Physics - sounds like it might be a large class - he thought 25 , but only 2 girls . DS is really rather shy so I was hoping there might be some girls or he will probably never speak to one for the next two years !

I’m surprised the teachers (or at least some sort of cover) aren’t around for results day and to look over reviews. Surely you would take your holiday at the beginning of the summer to allow for this seeing as it makes a big difference to next steps for the youngsters. That said a couple of years back my son’s reviews only went in in September. My daughter’s this year went in last week, head of English looked at it straight away. Both independent schools but dd’s school was a much smaller cohort so won’t have had many reviews. The reviews wouldn’t have made a difference to future plans.

DS has two teachers for three of his subjects, and three for the other. It does seem a lot!

Both my eldest (just finished a levels) and youngest just started 6th form have 2 teachers per subject. It’s a very long time since I did my a levels but it was similar then. I think it’s a good thing as the teachers play to their strengths.

It seems to have been a good day for mine today.

All good here, with induction days today and yesterday. Got the timetable today -- no clashes, but my son was surprised to see some huge gaps (free periods) between his first and last lessons of the day on a couple of days, but I pointed out that's a great opportunity to get homework and studying done, instead of doing it all in his tiny, cluttered bedroom! He's taking everything in his stride.

DS seemed happy today - he said 20 in further maths with only 3 girls, and chemistry similar number in total but more mixed. He has homework already though!

Glad it sounds like everything is going well generally for them all.

@CocoPlum I replied to you on the other thread, but we have had nothing at all. In the case of the physics we’d be happy just to see the paper so he can understand what happened. I agree that setting out more clearly what would happen when would be helpful - I thought on the day they said they would be in touch the following week when they had looked at papers

If we'd been told/emailed/given a print out telling us what they do and timescales, it wouldn't have been as annoying!

@katgab, her English teacher was there on results day! And told her there were about 15 students with grades that they felt needed looking at.

We’ve just had dd’s English lit back with an uplift of 10 extra marks so she’s gone up the grade. She was 1 mark below the grade boundary on the original marking. She’s a ecstatic, we’re excited for her too.

ha ha ha ha the troubles of teens!

Apparently her 12-year-old form tutor is attempting a moustache and beard to look older, but it’s not working.

We had 2 for most GCSE subjects - DD rather liked it as it meant if there was one she didn't care for then it was at least diluted.

DD not in till next Monday - have been having fun with the London transport guides trying to work out how she will get to college next week with the blooming tube and DLR strikes. Why it couldn't have been a simple first week. Sigh.

Otherwise I am dealing with the joys of Moodle. Whoever invented that system deserves an eternity somewhere very hot and unpleasant.

I'm really, really good at finding my way round VLPs and am exhausted. DD took one look and nearly cried. My workload has just gone up enormously in terms of helping her stay on top of things.

Doesn't help that most of it seems to be blank or things won't open without emailing for access... whether they just haven't uploaded yet I don't know but it's frustrating.

Is this for A-level or uni? Either way, the teachers likely haven't uploaded much yet, but they will upload powerpoints normally before or during the lesson. Most people use laptops, or tablets, so will want the slides. They also normally add any extra resources to go with it.

The school will likely give access in the next few days, as they'll start to need to see content etc.

BTEC L3 Extended

About half of it is there and the other half missing, but it’s not what I would call accessible.

DD has done university modules in the same subject and their notes were on a different planet in terms of accessibility, structure and ease of use.

@OhCrumbsWhereNow oh my goodness that has taken me back a decade to when DD1 started yr7 & had moodle at her old school - only for a year if I remember rightly - it was bloody awful. It wasn’t remotely intuitive but that was ten years ago so you’d think it’d be a lot better by now! Can’t recall the name of what they switched to.. DD3’s new school uses ‘frog’ which she had at her previous school so should be ok navigating that.

Dd has come home slightly alarmed by the news that they are doing the first YEAR of A-level maths in this first term!
Apparently maths (both years’ worth) will be finished by Easter! They’ll then start on the FM spec. Sounds crazy!

Probably about right. Most of the A level done by Easter then 3 terms to include mock exams and do further maths syllabus which is harder. They will review the maths content when they do the parts of further maths which build on the normal maths syllabus. Hope that makes sense. DD has quadruple maths tomorrow so we will find out how her school covers it.