Year 12 - 2025/2026: Support Thread 2

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for us to keep chatting on!

I think it's normal to be needing some support @waitingquietly - it's a big step up to A Level, and there will always be some bits they struggle with more than others. They've got a lot of time!

DD1 got taken to Oxford and Sussex (a bizarre combination) with school. It put her off both of them massively, but she very much enjoyed eating chips on Brighton Beach.

Our school arranges trips to Oxford and Cambridge for a select few. The whole of Y12 attends a UCAS conference/exhibition in the spring, I think. Right at the beginning of Y12 they all went off on a team building residential and stayed in university halls, so that gave them a bit of a taster. We're not planning to arrange our own visits until next summer. DS really not sure what he wants to do yet.

@waitingquietly how are you doing now? Did 6th form explain the issues? Offer any reassurance? Do hope it’s all ok.

A friend has recommended the HEAPS book. This is my third rodeo and I’d never heard of it! It’s £30 but perhaps money well spent if DC then don’t waste uni fees on the wrong degree. I’ve attached a photo of my friend’s old one but I got the 2026 one from Amazon. It’s lists all the types of courses, what they’re about, what grades / subjects needed per uni etc etc. So much blinking easier that clicking through the plethora of courses on uni websites. I’m hoping this HEAPS book will help DD work out what she fancies as a starting point.

We are currently having a bit of a battle with her current school re access arrangements, which she’s had in place since yr8. We are getting there but she’s finding it a bit stressful.

@NotDonna - thanks going to try and get my hands on a copy of that book - Trotman do an annual careers book too which I’ve had from the library

DS1 is very independent about his study this year - school seem to be almost back to back testing and support from yr13s if needed . I’m sitting on my hands till the report early December and will ‘panic’ then if it’s looking messy - thank you for asking

@waitingquietly that all sounds reasonably encouraging. I’ve not heard of the careers book so will have to try source that. I need to ask school if they do any careers ‘stuff’. I think my other two did a Moresby test but I’m not sure how helpful that really was. Back in my day, careers advice was a quick ten minute session of absolute nonsense. Seems there’s even more diverse choices now!

I hope the careers stuff is better now than it was , both of mines schools use Unifrog ( both my boys seem pretty disengaged with it !)

I was told that I wasn’t capable of becoming a solicitor at my school careers interview - so I set out to prove them wrong …

I still don’t know what I really want to do in my 50s so it seems a bit unfair to expect a 17 and 15 year old to have a clue either

@waitingquietly well done to you! We did some careers questionnaire in school that suggested I should be an archivist or a fish farmer. I am neither. I don't even really like fish.

DD1 found unifrog quite useful in places.

We would find it easier to suggest unis for DD2 if they didn't keep closing their music depts @QueenMabby it's interesting what you're saying about the birmingham co-curricular offer - did it seem like there was lots going on?

Loads. Here are some pics of the flyer. Only £25 a year to join and no limit to the number of ensembles you can join! Also rarer instruments are available to borrow/hire and they have a whole early music section with period instruments. There was a 40 minute talk all about it.

Diploma level apparently for scholarships. Auditioned groups tend to be grade 7+.

Morning all! Good luck to any sitting round 1 of the BMO this morning. Rather them than me! 🤣

That looks amazing @QueenMabby thanks - will pass to DD - who has a yearning for historic instruments at the moment.

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest - there was particular mention of a baroque flute and a contra-bassoon. 😜

@QueenMabby HA! That's probably the mark of a good uni for DD2 tbh

Wow that does look impressive @QueenMabby Not that mine are remotely musical but it’s crucial the arts are kept alive!

Has the school which your DC sat their GCSEs at published a breakdown of their (provisional?) GCSE 2025 results by subject as yet???

@CreamBeforeJamOnScones- no idea! Why would I want or need to know that?

@CreamBeforeJamOnScones my DDs high school have now put the results table by subject on their website with the % getting each grade and number of entries. They are final as the deadline for appeals is closed. They did do better this year but each cohort had varying ability.

@QueenMabby DD said something indicating she doesn't realise how well she did - I know from previous years' data that she's one of the few, not one of the many. So I wanted to give her a confidence boost by showing her, but they are not on the school website.

She sometimes believes the bravado of others and doesn't realise that others don't get around to putting the hours in.

I would never have thought to look! Off to have a nosey now.

Ours went on the website to coincide with the open evening for the next lot of year 12s - I only looked as I was taking ds2 to look round … I discovered DS1 wasn’t the only kid to get a 4 in Spanish by a long shot and am now really glad he didn’t do German

I don't think DD's daughter do that.

I have been so ill with a cold this week, that I now sadly and guilty seem to have passed onto ds2, who has been in bed all day, and has told his football manager that he can't play tomorrow, so you know it's serious!

Sorry to hear you’ve been poorly @Oblomov25 and that ds now has it too. There’s a lot going around. Dd has blithely announced that she seems to have avoided whatever is sweeping through her school so that’s a sure sign she’ll come down with it shortly! 🤣

Her assessment period is now done and we’re expecting grades sometime this week. Will be interesting to see how they grade. Dd also has a biology dept day out - it’s amazing that even at 6th form age, the prospect of a non-uniform day is still exciting!

Sorry to hear you have been ill @Oblomov25 - the flu strain this year sounds awful. I doom scrolled about it yesterday - inspired by Covid inquiry radio listening, whilst doing the mandatory weekend ferrying of kids all over the place.

50% of my Year 7s class is off with this flu strain currently and we are bracing ourselves. So glad the weather is warmer again though. I think I am going to treat myself to a nice autumnal walk - DD is fast asleep upstairs after a late night London party. I have met her beau and he is lovely, better not get too attached. I missed DS1’s girlfriend so much when they broke up. Not going to make that mistake again!

Lovely beau here too...what's the etiquette from parents re Xmas and bdays? Just gift from DD or should we as parents give a gift to beau too???