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.

My DC is already talking about dropping an A-Level (surprise surprise the one that's requiring the most effort.) I think after a very long and VERY sociable summer they just want to party and have forgotten how to do the grind! It's tricky as they are getting older so it really has to be self-motivation that gets them through and time management, neither of which DC is exhibiting at the moment. Teenagers!!! I hope DC1 gets their work mojo back but I can hear them on call now - I am beginning to hate mobile phones!

@CatHairEveryWhereNowDS off to uni tomorrow too. Omg the bagging! I think he’s had 4 tasks to do this week. Each would take 10 mins. Each took a day to achieve! The highlight was he couldn’t register with the uni Gp as he lived too far away. He’d used our home address. He’s off to a top 10 uni and did well at alevels 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

@labradorservant well I hope it goes smoothly for you all in the end.

Can't say we looking forward to trek up there today but we used to live in the city so looking forward to really quick look round - though we've now go a few more tasks to fit in thanks to DS procrastination.

@Examinetheexams I think your right the long break not done DS much good - I worked all mine in summer jobs but they don't seem such a thing here. On plus side DD2 does seem to be knuckling down - she's settled well no problems so far even with further maths and chemistry - first tests are in a few weeks so we'll have to see how those go,

Lots of you have DC at very high achieving schools! My eldest’s school had 40% getting 5+ on English and maths last year, it’s a smaller school so maybe a bit more variable and I don’t know the % for his year. My middle one is at a different, bigger school where last year’s percentage was slightly lower than that.

Hope the uni moves go well this weekend

Wow, I only missed a couple of days on thread and have missed loads!!

DD went to the 2nd meeting about EPQ's this week and has decided it's not for her. She really wanted to do it before starting college having done something similar in Year 9, but says she was told how much of it was about keeping a diary rather than doing what she was interested in, so it put her off. Like @Mycatismad YP she was going to do something about fictional representations of historical figures, such as Hamilton and in Shakespeare and how they deviate from the facts, but hadn't nailed it down fully yet.
She now says she'd prefer to do a project of her own that she was interested in to have something to talk about in a personal statement/interview, rather than have to do it this way. She does lots of MOOC's and ends up learning about all kinds of things on her own, so I doubt she'd run out of things to talk about.

Some of the schools your DC went to sound incredible!
DD went to a non-academically selective, very small private school. It's known for a fantastic learning/pastoral support department and takes a lot who fall through the cracks at secondary/primary. They had their best GCSE results ever this year with 42% 7-9 and 95% passed 5 including Eng. & Maths which is amazing results from their starting points. DD is autistic and has significant sensory processing issues, but in the right environment found she could flourish.
College is a very different environment, but going okay so far.

Good luck to all those going off to university! Take tissues. I’m stoic and honestly thought I’d be absolutely fine but it was really really weird.

@DataColour You could be suprised about how such a small dosage has an effect. 5mg (quick release) made a difference to DD (she weighed nothing though…) Hoping he gets on well with it and you can both see a change!

@CasparBloomberg sounds like a fab school and nurturing them to achieve their potential is amazing!

I think we are the end of the second full week. I’m so pleased to hear that most of our DC are settling in well and navigating new schools / colleges / 6th form areas etc. Well done them!!

We’ve got the buses on strike in Manchester which has meant DD having to ask for work to be sent home. The College isn’t near trains or trams and I can’t drive her there and back as I work FT. I expect plenty of the kids couldn’t get in but it’s not ideal for settling in and they have missed so much school for various reasons. Same again on Monday and poss end of month. The College was partly feasible due to the bus route being from bottom of our road, this strike wasn’t something we anticipated.

Hey all, playing a bit of catch up, before a proper catch uk at the weekend. Been mad busy with Uni “ stuff”…… @NotDonna.. oh, no! I’m so sorry, I hope you’re feeling better now. It’s not a hoot, is it? My work is right in the centre of a City campus.., first time I have been back since DS19 left…. Needed bloody blinkers on, to get to park my car, and get to work and blank out any handsome tall blond young slightly lost looking fresher boys…. 🙄🙀😢.. I hope things are better for you now 🤞🙏💕..

I did get DS English Lang remark back. Hadn’t shifted at all by grade, or mark, hey ho! Still waiting on Combined Science and Lit..

Hope everyone is having a fun Friday!! 🥳

@Sisublondie it was a teeny blip two years ago now! I was so excited for her that I wasn’t expecting to feel weird. I was just worried for her. But she was absolutely fine. It’s an odd feeling though, dropping them at uni the first time. Sorry to hear about zero grade shifting!

Exam Access Arrangements: DD's new 6th form setting say that these don't renew automatically and that they have to reapply with evidence e.g. writing in another colour during extra time. Just worried that thinking time doesn't show up in that way in her STEM subjects. I thought her formal diagnosis of dyslexia would be sufficient.

Anyone else been told new and current evidence needed???

@TheyNotLikeUs definitely heard something similar when I went to a meeting at DS1s school - DS1 not diagnosed so I didn’t 100% concentrate on what was being said though

Yes we were also told they have to reapply but we’re confident he would get the same allowances as he did for GCSEs.

I work as an exam invigilator. Sen lead told me that dyslexics don’t automatically get extra time. In our school they move to a different colour pen in extra time in all non official exams. I guess if you spend time thinking you’ll then use the ET given and this can be evidenced?

Yes, I’m a little concerned about this too esp as DD doing 4 essay based A levels. DD has always used a laptop in exams & gets extra time - and has since yr8. She’s never used a pen in a written exam apart from maths, physics, chemistry. The new setting has her Form9 but their Senco said they re-test everyone and re-look at her needs. Whilst that’s fine, she did intimate that they have very very few students who meet the thresholds for access arrangements, which has worried me. I’m not sure how DD will feel if she’s refused a laptop & extra time. She’s taking in an iPad & keyboard to all her lessons (first asking permission) and all the teachers are fine with it. I think she’s the only one who does this though. They have exams every couple of weeks, although none yet. They’re in lesson time so there won’t be an opportunity to go over the allotted time and switch colours. I guess they’ll look to see if she’s finished it or not. For now, I’m going to assume that she’ll get it if she needs it.

Well. Dd did a heart dissection in biology today. All going well, she was “having a great time” apparently. Found the pulmonary vein by sticking her fingers in and having a good feel around… then went white as a sheet and nearly passed out! School nurse had to giver her water and sweets in the corridor outside the lab. Oops!

@TheyNotLikeUs have they said when they’ll re-test? Can schools do a full and proper dyslexia test? I thought they had to go to a special centre to be fully tested by a Ed Psych that was quite costly? Are teachers now trained to assess?

@NotDonnaif laptop is her normal way of working which can be clearly evidenced then she’ll need that. Our purple pens come out in mocks etc and end of year exams sat under formal conditions, so current year 12 have 2 lots of those.

@labradorservant end of year exams for DD will be the official AS exams but I’m guessing there’ll be mocks. Not sure when the JCQ deadline is for AS levels. I do find it odd that JCQ don’t allow access arrangements for GCSEs to continue straight into A levels. Special Educational Needs don’t disappear.

@NotDonna induction tests in each subject are before this half-term. Need to pass to stay on at 6th form.

I'm not aware that they are doing the exam access arrangement test for processing etc...again. The dyslexia diagnosis was private and cost £££ and I understand universities accept it as proof of a need for their assessment for DSA so I won't be doing that again.

My understanding is that the learning differences are lifelong and don't improve (broke my heart when they told me that) so I'm not sure why they need evidence again. My child would rather not think about it again.

What it is, is that her dyslexia diagnosis won't be challenged and she shouldn't need a whole Ed Psych assessment again, from what I know. What might change is what specific access arrangements may change, so extra time, rest breaks, a smaller room with a few people, or a seperate room with just her and invigilator, or laptop etc.

A diagnosis doesn't automatically qualify you for that, sometimes students without diagnoses may get some of them. So hopefully not much changes, but she might find she actually may need something else, or not find something she's had useful. The tests etc they should do should just be about that.

Again for the evidence the Ed Psych diagnosis should be used as part of that for JCQ guidelines and also other things to see if new or changes to the arrangements should be made.
Hopefully it's all fine for her and it shouldn't be too difficult to get it, I hope, this is from what I know etc, not sure if different schools would want to do it differently.

I hear you on the heartbreak. I spent years trying to find a way to 'fix' DD's dyslexia, and it really isn't possible. Now we focus on what she's good at and on finding work arounds and help for the problems - mainly tech.

For university, the diagnosis is what you need for DSA, but for access arrangements it's ticking the DSA boxes.

DD's new college asked for all her access arrangement reports/tests etc to be sent over from school along with the assessor's qualification certificates, which suggested to me that they weren't planning to repeat anything.

With the laptop, that should fall under 'normal way of working' and so shouldn't be an issue. It's the qualifying scores for extra time that can be the problem as the bar is high. That's on school to organise though - not on you having to go down diagnosis route again.

Good luck - and hugs - I know first hand how hard the struggle can be, especially when they are aware of their difficulties and the barriers it throws up.

Just catching up, so much going on! DS loving 6th form. Has made lots of new friends joining from other schools, thankfully, as so many went to college. Enjoying the extra freedom he has and really embracing his A-levels. Hopefully using his GCSEs as a cautionary tale of leaving starting his revision too late. So far so good.

Good luck to All, especially those who have encountered challenges in the first couple of weeks.

Went to Year 12 Open evening last night, nothing that an email wouldn't have sufficed!

Met with Head of 6th form pre, the open evening. She finally moved ds2 away from the girl who had a smell issue, who I've battled the school with over the last 2 years, and she said they basically don't believe me! 😮

Hopefully you guys are more knowledgeable than me and may tell me I’m wrong.
DS is doing A levels in physics, chemistry, maths and further maths. He has announced this evening that he is going to drop chemistry because it’s boring and he’s not enjoying it. I think it’s a wrong decision. Ds doesn’t know if he wants to go to university or what he’d study if he does go. But has said definitely not maths. I feel just maths and physics alone might be very limiting job and university wise, also what if he struggles with further maths? Am I wrong? I suggested another subject instead. The only other subject he’d like to do is biology, but at his school they can only do either chemistry or biology as they run at the same time.