University 2020 :4: The wait for grades and better days ahead

[MillicentMartha]

New thread for us. Interesting times.

Old thread here

Good luck to your DS, truelove.

Light DS finished his NEA in CS just after Easter, and they aren’t allowed to tell him how they graded it!

With the social distancing in primary schools, it obviously won’t work in YR or Y1! All they can do there is reduce the number of contacts, one teacher and 15 pupils without mixing groups or teachers. Y6? Depends on your classroom size, I suppose? Break times will be hard to manage. Some Y10 and Y12s would struggle let alone Y6.

Yes article I read today (but actually from a couple of weeks ago) suggests that University of Manchester will be down 80% on international intake and 20% on home students intake with a potential loss of £270 million.

That is a shame, FabTab. There have been so many unforeseen/hidden casualties of this situation on top of the obvious ones. I do think you have to really love maths to take it at university. It wouldn’t have been right for me. I wish you both the very best of luck in the future.

DS has decided that that means he has a better chance of getting into Manchester, (his firm choice.) He’s good at finding the positives!

Thanks @millicent you too

Yes I do think there is too much angst over not getting their places on certain forums (eg. a particular FB one) when there will in effect be more places as people chose to defer.

DS has completed his A-level courses by himself and is doing some past papers to round things off. He is marking them, but only to find any areas of weakness; he isn't making a note of the marks.

He has joined a group chat for offer-holders at the college he hopes to start at, and they're chatting by Zoom this afternoon. Hopefully he'll be able to meet them in real life at some point in the future.

One of the 2 girls due to go to Warwick with Dd may defer... I'm just crossing fingers that a miracle happens between now and September and our DC can try and move on to what should be such an exciting time of their life.

I like the sound of the offer holders group, Ironoaks.

I can't see how the social distancing will work. The guidance starts off with the premise that each school will take back the whole of their Yr R, 1 and 6 and then split them into teaching groups of no more than 15. Then, each setting has to do a risk assessment based on individual circumstances within a school and with the caveat that support staff could be supervising a group under direction from a teacher. They then have to work out what the timetable will look like and whether each teaching group can be accommodated for full time education, then apply a criteria for who will be offered what!

My friends daughters school were looking to have their DC split between weekA and weekB.(yrR/1.) I guess some teaching is better than no teaching but it still won't allow parents to get back to work. I would have thought it best to let the Yr6s go to their new school with a cross over of the yr6 teachers going a long too the main catchment school to get them settled in and ready for September.. But I guess there are all sorts of considerations like transport and not enough yr6 teachers etc...

My DS’s primary school had 1 Y6 teacher and 8 different secondary schools to deal with!

@MillicentMartha.. I thought that maybe the case with quite a few schools.. I suppose it would be easier to bring the teachers from secondary to the primary for one day and then the Yr 6s go to the secondary school thereafter..I assume secondary schools would have enough staff given they have lost the Yr11s and 13s.

Probably be quite uplifting for the Yr6s.

In our school though we have one group of teachers that teach y7-9 and another that teach 10-13 so that approach wouldn't work. It just shows why it is difficult to have a one size fits all return for all schools and they should be allowed to approach it in a way that suits them.

My friends daughters school were looking to have their DC split between weekA and weekB.(yrR/1.)

The guidance published today by the government says that eligible pupils should be in full-time; not on a rota basis.

‘Should’ means it’s not our fault if schools don’t (can’t) do it.

But it's guidance only, Iron.

@SeasonFinale... I don't think there are any plans to bring years 7-9 back so it shouldnt be an issue on teacher resources at senior school... All schools are different though even the Indies like your DS and my Dds schools... At Dds school the teachers teach 7 and 8 and then 9-11 (the GCSE years).. Most years at Dds school start the next years work in this term.. So Yr7s would be doing Yr8 work.

It's not nice easy and some schools can adapt easier than others... Dds school has tried to be in a situation where it opens when the green like was given but easier for most Indies who have smaller class sizes etc and there is probably more motivation because it's fee paying ..

Teachers do have to feel safe though.and it probably hasn't helped that it was indicated that schools would probably close for a long time.. So most may not have planning to open until September. Just have to try and put a plan together and see how things go over the next few weeks. I personally think the virus spread quicker because schools were not closed soon enough but I've no idea whether this would mean it would spread again if we have been in lockdown for 8 weeks.

Just checking in to see how everyone is.
DD has her first exam tomorrow, last night we were just incredulous again at how this has turned out.
Like when we first found out exams were cancelled.
Student finance was approved.

For anyone who hasn't got a divorce paper decree proof, like me (there's a post on this thread somewhere)
I just sent my CTax bill with the 25% single occupier discount.

Tho it isn't listed on the student finance application as proof, it is accepted. Hope that helps anyone.

Currently listing accommodation, you have to put ten!
There are only three she'd be ok with as she has some health additional needs, so hoping we can write that somewhere.

Have a good day all 💐

For Manchester, you can put 5 for accommodation, but his favourite Hall has 3 different types of room, so that filed up his first 3 spaces!

Oh that's rubbish at the other end of the scale then re choice.
Maybe it does mean that there is a strong chance of getting the actual building he wants, but a bummer if his choices are plus ensuite, plus meal plan.

There's a meal plan in dd's first choice but it's an extra £50 a week.
Even DD, who isn't particularly money savvy realised it's poor value for her as a vegetarian picky eater.
Toast and a portion of chips.
Nope!

DS would be sitting his first exam now. He's struggling today, I think the date has been etched in his head and so reality has well and truly hit.
He's still waiting for the Warwick accommodation choices to open.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Dd has received her accommodation allocation this morning.

DD got her Edinburgh accommodation today. Delighted as it was her 2nd favourite and is near the Meadows. She was a bit worried as she came across stuff for one of her 5 picks which really put her off but luckily didn't get that one. I'm pleased as just over £4700 (self catering - she's a vegetarian and picky too).

Does she have an unconditional offer ClerkMaxwell? I thought accommodation is only allocated once grades are confirmed?!