Year 12 - 2025/2026: Support Thread 2

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for us to keep chatting on!

I know. The whole thing sounds completely bonkers!

Hope the AS exams are going well for everyone. It does feel so much pressure to have more formal exams so soon after GCSEs, which still feel so recent!

DD is getting her exam results back. We are all really curious to know what predicted grades tend to be like in relation to exam grades. She was told they will be ‘aspirational’. Clearly, I only need to wait a little to find out, but I wondered if you kids schools had given any clear indications.

@Onvacation we've had mixed messages - a very stern email from the head of sixth form saying NO WAY will they overpredict and nothing we say will make any difference. And then indications from the teachers to the kids that if they have ever seen any evidence that they could reach a stretch grade they'll predict that. Presume the actual truth is somewhere in the middle.

With DD1 they put down anything the kids asked them to. With predictable results - which didn't match the predictions in any way!

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest I guess it must be a bit of a dark art. For one subject the highest grade on the exam was A because they hadn’t covered material need for A star. And for one subject (FM), they have done hardly any content because they did all of A-level maths first. It will be interesting to see!

DD’s been told that the highest chem grade will be an A and if you want an Astar prediction then you have to go and ask for it and they’ll consider it. I think that’s because the grade boundary is really high so even really good students can sometimes fail to reach it. Dd will be asking!

For maths she’s been told that unless she REALLY f*cks up the exam it’ll be 2 Astar predictions so just biology as the wild card really. Her exams start next week.

dd has had some not great medical news about her long-existing medical condition which has caused a wobble this week. Nothing that should impact her short-term fortunately but a complication that makes the prospect of surgery down the line slightly more likely. She’s also now being transferred to adult services which is sad after nearly 15 years at the same hospital!

Did anyone do Core maths today - if so, how did they find it?
DS said "easy" but he has form for being over optimistic.

Sending very best wishes to your DD for medical condition. Sounds like a stress that is absolutely not needed. It sounds like it has put a little wobble in her path, but your DD sounds so incredibly motivated by the things she loves (music/performance/all things academic) that I can’t imagine her not simply recalibrating, working that into her thinking and then taking it in her stride.

Those are a great set of predicted predictions 💪

Thanks. It should be ok but I’m not sure if we’re ready for incorporating brain surgery into the next couple of years so fingers crossed!

Sorry about the medical news, hope she is doing ok with it

Thanks. She’s ok. Surgery has always been a possible outcome. Now slightly more likely but it may be years away yet or not at all. I think for her it’s the not knowing that’s difficult.

Sorry to hear of bad medical news for your DD @QueenMabby, she sounds like such a go-getting and motivated person in the face of such difficulties.

Unlike my DD1 who is driving me crazy right now. If we try to make weekend plans she makes a big fuss about having too much homework to do, then sits around staring at her phone all day and gets really annoyed if I ask what homework is happening.

Also been trying to get DC to organise work experience for the summer. DD2 at least sent out a few emails (so far unsuccessful). DD1 claimed she would write a few emails, but every time I've asked it's been "after my exams/homework/etc" - I've just asked again because she's just sitting pointlessly on the sofa and she's come up with an even better teenage-classic excuse,
"I don't know how to write that kind of email!"
"And no I don't want help!"
"And I just don't want to right now, OK!"

Instead of saying what I really want to say to her, I've come to this thread to virtually bang my head on the desk and scream into the void.

Yes, so sorry @QueenMabby - though it sounds like your DD will take this, like everything else, in her stride.

Biggest excitement here is that DD2 has been made a prefect - in a contest that seems to include a lot more scrutiny than anything the Labour party is producing for its leadership right now. There was a task, an interview, a vote and a big form. All seems a bit OTT. She's pleased anyway.

Heads of school not yet chosen and she has secret hopes. If I was her school I would not be letting her anywhere near it - she is very busy and it's a big job (unlike prefect which seems a bit of a sinecure). Refused to apply for any musical leadership roles on the basis that she doesn't want to be pigeonholed... made me laugh as I think that ship has sailed.

Mocks after half term. Bassoon diploma in same week. What was she thinking? I suspect I'll hardly see her all week but there will be a lot of mournful honking coming from her room.

Well done your dd! And fingers crossed for the headship role. Dd has also applied for a headship role. Her exams started this morning (Biology 1 - not nice questions) but at least she’s off timetable so could come straight home afterwards.

@QueenMabby I'm sure she dealt with the not nice questions. DD2 is, she informs me, 'locked in' with revision. She has certainly colour coded a lot of flashcards.

She's off to Oxford today with school, though they don't seem to have arranged much for them in terms of actually meeting Oxford people. So DD has arranged to see her uncle who teaches at a college and possibly a friend's son who is an organ scholar at another.

I think she's finding the whole 'oxbridge' thing a bit exposing after a boy at her school asked her 'Do you REALLY think you'll get an offer?' the other day. Obviously not giving off an academic vibe!

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest- I’m sure your dd is plenty academic enough for Oxford!
I’ve managed to persuade school not to make dd attend a medics morning which they were insisting on even though she has no intention of studying medicine. I get very cross at school assuming that just because a child is studying stem subjects that they’re either med/vets/dentistry or engineering. All stem/work related stuff is around those two areas. Neither of my dc (both of whom are stem leaning) were interested in any of those areas. Ah well. Dd will spend a morning in the library prepping for her competition instead.
She’s not going on our school’s Oxford trip as she wants to apply to Cambridge but will miss the Cambridge open days in July as she’ll be away.
She has maths 1 (pure) today and I’m hoping she finds that a nicer exam than biology yesterday.

It could just be nerves or doubts creeping in rather than anything specific to person it was said to. There'a few DD2 knows who were thinking Oxford at start of year now thinking maybe not.

DD2 just had the worst paper - AS FM mechanics - she hates mechanics say it sneaky phyics - that thank's to a truely awful phycics teacher at secondary though she got A in end with lots of home support. It was really bad - have to hope other two papers pull her up.

The chem went better though apparently fire alarm went off and they mis calulated time left as they started slightly off correct time and the electicty and lights kept going on and off but it's all been noted.

@CatHairEveryWhereNow I think it's very exposing saying you're even thinking of applying. Like you're 'putting it out there' that you think you're clever.

Certainly I remember feeling that way when i did it.

Anyhow she apparently replied 'well, it's a bit of a lottery isn't it, but I have all the things they ask you to have to apply so I don't think I'm wasting their time' which is a pretty good answer to have.

She's had a good day. Still prefers Cambridge!

And I'm so sorry for your DD2 - that sounds very stressful- how very unfair re fire alarm too. Really hope the other papers go better.

It's great she had a good come back.

I think it's less of a othering thing in the DC college. Partly as it's a large regional student body so bigger pool and less focus on individuals in same way. Partly as DD2 and DS were in program for high flyers which worked hard to normalise considering and applying to oxbridge. Plus partly medical school places and the fiercely competative local engineering degree apprenticeships were/are also destinations talked about for the high acheiving students in DC classes.

A lot of DD2 FM group were openly thinking about Oxbridge at start of the year and are now wavering as exam season hits and looking wider and talking to other students about it all and seeing where they are thinking of applying to.

DD2 just has one exam left now - maths - I think FM is doing the job of making the maths a-level look easier for her. She was taken aback when heading to art room yesterday to find her art work dress was actaully being shown worn by a model rather than just on dress manikin which did make the bodice look better but was a tight sqeeze for model to get on.

Ds is thinking of dropping chemistry (again) im not at all familiar with any of the process for Cambridge. But isnt he better to be taking 4 A levels if applying for Cambridge? He will have STEP exams too. First the school were insisting he drop down to 3 A levels. He didn’t. Then the head of 6th form approached him to ask if he’d like to try for Cambridge. She said he will be competing against other applicants who are taking 4 A levels, so suggested he stick with all 4. But now he’s thinking of dropping one again. He will take all the mocks though.

What does he want to apply for at Cambridge? Maths? Unless the fourth a-level is FM, none of the Oxbridge applicants at DD’s school will have four A-levels. Oxbridge don’t require it (not sure on their position re maths, FM and one other A-level though) and it’s better to do 3 with top grades than 4 and risk grades dropping.

There’s some info here that says no advantage to having 4, but it isn’t clear from this if it is ok for further maths to be one of the three
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/before/accepted-qualifications

You might find it on the specific course pages. My DS recently dropped down to 3 including FM and his school insisted we prove that his preferred institutions would accept this (for a maths degree). They’d insisted on 4 up to this point because one was FM and said universities would insist on it. I did find it on Cambridges maths pages somewhere along with all other institutions. Some places word it really badly, but Cambridge was actually one of the clearest. They specifically stated they wanted maths, FM and one other and no advantage to 4. They are also really clear that it would fine to do maths in Y12 and the other two in Y13. His school have believed the first bit of it, but have refused to accept the latter bit and insisted he withdraw from A level maths next month (despite being expected to get an A). He now has to attend Y13 maths all over again next year with a ‘maths group’ as well as doing FM double speed with his ‘FM group’. Bit of a pain but he got rid of economics, which was only ever a filler to keep the school happy and he hated it! For him it really is advantageous to lose the 4the because one of his favoured places is Imperial. They don’t want the 4th but if you’re doing it then they include it in the offer, so he would have still needed to put in time & effort to get an A/A in economics.

Yes maths at Cambridge. Ds is currently doing chemistry, physics, maths and FM. To start with, school were encouraging him to drop a subject. At that point he wasn’t sure if or what he wanted to study at university. So I suggested he keep up the 4. Now there are only a few at his school still studying 4. The head of 6th form has now said if Ds wants to apply for Cambridge there will be lots from private schools with 4 A levels so she suggested sticking with 4. He’s got mocks in June, so he will stick with 4 for the rest of year 12. He will need to do STEP exams too. I’m not familiar with any of it really. Well…I am the applying process, as I have 2 older ds’s who went to uni. But not the Cambridge process and extra exams. Ds will need to do extra curricular stuff too. My older 2 didn’t but both applied to lower ranking unis.

hello sorry if this has been discussed already, if people are thinking of getting their current Yr 12 DC vaccinated for Men B before Uni when are you thinking of getting it done? From a Men charity website say it lasts for 5 years? So was thinking DS in Yr12 I would get jabbed after A level exams next year. Or has anyone already done it for their Yr12? as DS aiming to do a four year degree course was thinking better to do next year? would welcome some constructive advice on "when" rather than whether should have vaccinated. Cheers

@icanbewhatiwant this thread might be useful
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/5354859-applying-to-cambridge-mathsmathematics-undergraduate-degree-with-3-or-4-levels?

@ThisPerkySloth2 with DS we did it after A levels before he went to uni, long summer so plenty of time to space them (I think they need to be at least 4 weeks apart).