Year 12 - 2025/2026: Support Thread 2

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for us to keep chatting on!

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest - sounds like your DD thoroughly deserves and needs 3 weeks off to just chill after so much music and such a high level of music exams. Hope you all have an amazing time together. Do you get to go see a lot of her end of term concerts?

@Araminta1003 I reckon we see about 50% - all her solo lunchtime ones for her first instrument, Symphony, and any others that kind of happen around those so we're down there anyway. If she's particularly excited by another one we do try to go, but miss loads. She's generally sanguine.

As for the chilling? Ha. She's got an orchestra course, a ton of revision and the prep for her bassoon diploma apparently. Hoping she might have a little time to watch telly with her old Mum- I've saved The Other Bennett Sister specially.

The kids at your dd's school sound terrifyingly prepared. Don't know how either of ours would feel being surrounded by that! Hope your DD finds it energising not intimidating.

I’m also a little in awe at the number of DC on here who are leading such full on lives . Our family is perhaps a bit laid back 😂. I think we need a bit of time ‘to stand and stare’

For those doing FM, how do you know how your DCs are getting on with it? Dd hasn’t done any of the FM spec yet. All maths lessons this year have been spent on the maths spec (nearly finished) with FM starting only when they’ve done all of “normal” maths.
dd disappointed today to hear she’s not got on a biochem work experience scheme she’d applied for. I’ll encourage her to ask for feedback.

Thanks everyone he is very happy to have passed!

DS’s college teach the first year of A level maths in the first term, then since that they have covered AS further maths which he sits in May (which also gives the option for ones who have decided they don’t need further maths, like ones who want to do medicine, to drop it but have something to show for it). Then I assume next year is a similar split with the second year content.

I prefer his college’s way to the one he has friends at where they are sitting A level maths this summer, then do FM next year. It seems a big risk when some unis only count 3 taken at the same time, especially hearing @waitingquietly’s experience that being good at maths A level doesn’t always translate to FM

DS school work in the same way as @Eccle80 DS college - @QueenMabby . DS thought how the A level syllabus was covered was fast - but he’s obviously coped with that . The only reason I had any idea things might be going wrong was because DS communicated about testing - they are tested lots and he had to retake twice . As did plenty of others though . The U came as a surprise still as the retake requirement had always been set at a higher benchmark than a U . It’s come out since that friends have D and E .

I think my takeaway would be to make sure DC communicate - please do use my DS as an example if it helps .

Ds has separate lessons. Maths where they cover everything for A levels maths and further maths with all that content. Surely that’s the “normal” way? He says they are completely different subjects with completely different content. He much prefers FM. If he could, he’d drop maths.

The college mine all go to do seperate A-levels - you have to apply to do both maths and FM separately and there are seperate lessons and in those lessons regular tests.

DH did FM back in his day and he said his board it was very different subject matter wjec seems to be very similar sylabus to maths a-level just less neat when working through the problems.

I don't think FM maths is looking great for DD2 TBH - but she is worried if she drops it they'll make her take up welsh bacc instead which is content and time heavy.

DS did FM and welsh bacc which was a lot but the FM even at grade C is useful due to subject area at uni. Not so sure for DD2 - on swansea open day there were students with no maths A-level doing her subject - though they did say it made it harder at times.

After the dramas with A level Spanish we’ve had a turnaround, DD got 77% in her latest test which is a very high B. Hopefully this will help make her feel more confident going forward, but will carry on with the tutor fortnightly as it has def helped!
Shes on her second PT job in a pub, nearer to home. Gets probably more hours than she would ideally want. Also hopefully doing work experience with a local MP during one of the Easter weeks. Annoyingly the kids only have one week overlapping this holiday as they are in different LA areas now!

@Bellal - congrats on the Spanish! So few doing languages now if she can do well with it, it really is a long term asset that will make her stand out.
DD was going to do her language AS only, but has now changed her mind and there are so many interesting uni courses where you can combine with a language (including Law) so really hope she sticks with it. It is much more “her” anyway then Physics and FM. I think she was just doing it to fit in with her friends. Part of growing up.

If there’s a chance he’ll get a U then I think I’d encourage him not to sit the AS exam as he really doesn’t want that on his UCAS form! Sadly they must put all quals on the form including ‘fails’, before anyone suggests he just doesn’t put it in there.

@NotDonna thats my concern too and what I said to his teacher . I’ve had an email today and looks like his teacher has come round to that way of thinking too . What a roller coaster . Conversations to be had I think

4 A levels incl FM and an EPQ and no plans to drop any. We know the STEM subjects are going fine from tests, but Art is currently an unknown quantity (do A level Art tutors exist???)

DD looked at an essay competition but I think it would be too much research in addition to an EPQ.

One WEX rejection received so frustratingly waiting on others which we applied for back in Jan, so we can book a holiday. Not sure why it takes well over a month after a closing date for them to respond. Hope your DD isn't too despondent about their WEX rejection @QueenMabby ...I assume this may be the first rejections for many of our children. Back in my day the school organised the placement so there wasn't that feeling of an application not being successful.

I read somewhere that there are so many applicants with prefect-type roles that they don't mean that much on the Personal Statement. Additional hurdle if you are new to the setting like @NotDonna 's DD where existing students might be seen to have already earned their stripes.

@QueenMabby ive no clue about the biochem work experience your DD applied for BUT an awful lot of insight days / work experience sessions are predominantly given to ‘contextual’ kids. It’s always worth applying unless explicitly states that’s the target. I’m sure she’ll keep plugging away!

Thanks. She wasn’t despondent as such but is definitely suffering from imposter syndrome as a result. The wex was with AstraZeneca so it may be that they prioritised state school pupils or other groups. I did tell dd that it would be highly unlikely that her academics weren’t up to scratch!

Just a quick line to stay that DS1 is no longer a Further Maths student . Thank you to all of you that have advised and helped us think our way through it . I’ve not seen him as bright as he was this morning in a while

Ah @waitingquietly that speaks volumes doesn’t it? A weight has perhaps been lifted!

DD received her AS exam timetable yesterday. Only 6 days of exams (a couple are two a day) and all done in the 2 weeks before half term. So just 6 weeks to go. She made a revision time table apparently so that’s a start!

@waitingquietly sounds like a fantastic decision. So nice to hear about the brightness and lightness your DS now seems to be feeling.

My DD got a subject lead role in school for one of her subjects today. She didn’t go for headgirl or anything as significant as that. In primary school she spent each year desperate to get onto the student council. But it was elected by the class and she wasn’t unpopular but she was always the quiet smart kid, and she never got elected. So even though this role is not at all the biggest, I’m really delighted for her because it was the one she wanted.

@waitingquietly- sounds like your ds is very relieved! I’m glad he’s happy with the decision.

@Onvacation- well done to your dd. My dd has applied to be a prefect - not heard anything yet though.

dd was very happy to get school colours for music at the end of term assembly today. I think the stripy blazer is hideous but they are much coveted an dd was very pleased. I have some sewing of the crest and transferring over of badges to do this Easter holiday!

Just to go back to how further maths is taught, my ds has done plenty of further maths in y12 but hasn’t done any statistics yet.
I did further maths 30 years ago and by y13 we were self taught with a teacher to go to if stuck. There were only three of us in our year doing further maths though. It was excellent preparation for university.

Ohh great news on the Spanish @BellaI. DS is doing well on it now, after a shaky start. I guess it just takes a bit of time. I do think having a language A level is a big plus as hard and rare now. They have a trip to Valencia so that is a bonus. They also tutor the year 11s which he enjoys.

DC has work experience shadowing a judge but needs to secure something else. Observing in court could be a good one and no organization needed.

He has some extra shifts at his job over Easter so bit of a balance. I want him to do his own Uni research so need a balance with some nudging, but not stepping in too much.

Well done to all the prefects , subject leads and good luck to those still in the application process .

wishing you all a lovely Easter Holiday - know it’s going to be a busy one with so many working for those post Easter prediction deciding mocks . So conscious though that in 18 months time our young people will be off out in to the world - let’s enjoy them xx

Lots of lovely news here! Well done all - colours, spanish, prefects and all. @QueenMabby colours sound serious at your place, DD2 has academic and creative arts ones but it's just a metal badge. It also emerges that she was given the wrong colour last time so has been walking around with a music one when it should have been academic.

What a faux pas!

DD2 put in for prefect but it hasn't been decided yet here. Given her decidedly rumpled appearance when we picked her up I think I'd be going for someone who knew what an iron was when it came to school representation, but there you go.

Just had her school report back - attainment grades A star english, A history, A music - pretty consistent. Still a B for composition though. No idea whether that will ever budge upwards!

I did laugh at the wrong colours! Poor dd.

No academic colours at our place, only for co-curricular. Half colours is a striped metal badge although dd doesn’t seem to have given her music one back in exchange for her blazer!
dd has started her holiday homework and revision (she only has the first 10 days of the holidays free so has to cram it all in). Does anyone use the Adapt revision planner? Dd used the Get Revising one for GCSEs but it was shocking for just randomly moving things around or deleting them altogether!

@QueenMabby neither of my kids have used a revision planner but I saw someone else mention one on a different thread and I thought it would be something that could be really helpful for both of my kids. I hadn’t realised they were a thing (assuming it is digital?).

I would therefore also love any recommendations or suggestions of ones to avoid.

And fingers crossed for all of the school roles and responsibilities they have all applied for.