Going into Year 13 - Uni entry 2021 - have they been forgotten?

[albicocca]

Is anyone else concerned about the children just about to start Year 13 and their opportunities for university entry in 2021? I have seen virtually no discussion about how this A level shambles might effect them. It seems to me there will inevitably be fewer university places for next year. Many of those who planned to go to uni this year will be deferring their places to 2021 (indeed some universities are offering money for them to do so now!) resulting in far fewer places. The current group will also have (on average) higher grades than next years cohort. So those taking A levels in 2021 will be competing for fewer places with lower grades. Have they been forgotten? What is the government doing to protect their opportunities too?

Just had a go at asking Durham about places for DS's subject, compared to the 210 cited at the open day but, unsuprisingly, admissions didn't have the data and didn't know when they would have it. Just a message "not to worry as there will be lots of places available".

210 is not a lot of places at the best of times revenge
I don’t think schools decide if they send home the whole bubble or just close contacts, it’s the Public Health people, milly, but I totally understand your frustration. Especially as it can keep happening over & over!!
Are your DCs getting their predicted UCAS grades yet? DDs school seem to be in the process. She has one. They’re beginning to put references on too. I wonder what these say?

Is there somewhere to look to get stats on universities? Number of places per course (in usual years), number of acceptances with certain grades etc..?

@Fortyfifty I’d like to know this too! Maybe it needs a new thread? So folk who have been through this can add their ideas & resources?

This site might have some of the answers.

www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/durham_university/successful?

Not sure if anyone has seen this but it looks like Scotland may cancel some of its exams next year. It may force England to at least give some clarity on what will happen here. www-tes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.tes.com/news/SQA-more-details-emerge-exam-cancellation-plans?amp=&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D&fbclid=IwAR3oZnERXfUujK9NO0G1g9h0EXFkZI8S9ySzzefHnmxhmutuWquKojsNZYc&amp_js_v=0.1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tes.com%2Fnews%2FSQA-more-details-emerge-exam-cancellation-plans

Not sure why that link isn't working!

I'm not in this position yet (I have much younger children) but if I was my child I was absolutely be encouraging applying and deferring for a year. By which time (2022) with any luck vaccine will be in place so they will have a fuller uni experience, and also would give time for appeals/resits etc if there's yet another cock up this academic year. They could even just reapply from scratch if they do better than expected.

Thanks calculator - this is interesting. I can see exams being cancelled to be honest, as there’s going to be so much disruption. I just wish they’d get on with it so that teachers are clear what evidence they need and when.

I dropped my personal pearl of wisdom on DS2, that is, to treat every bit of work as though it's the one piece on which his entire grade depends (the melodrama was firmly encased in quotation marks, but it is something that he had already worked out for himself. His predictions are A*AB - the B is unlikely to miraculously transform itself into an A (it's in Art, he got a B in the AS CAG and he acknowledges that other members of the class have got more of what it takes, so to speak), but hopefully the Eng.Lit and Maths are fairly solid anyway.

Nowhere he is applying to requires a A*; most are AAB / ABB, with BBC at Kent a good back-up if he likes the look of it enough to apply. Sadly, he couldn't face the 30+° heat the time that DD and I went on a campus tour, so hopefully their upcoming virtual open day will be a good one.

At our school the penny is finally dropping that their decisions to move to 4 days a week last year and not do any face to face learning for the then year 12s Might not have been the best ideas

They haven’t given them any feedback on performance since last February (no end of year reports or marks) and they’ve all just done their postponed end of year exams and done poorly

It’s such a depressing mess. I have no idea what to advise my daughter to look at for university at all

That doesn’t sound great sleepwouldbenice. What are they basing the predicted grades on then? Have they even given them predicted grades?

DD has meeting with Head of Sixth Form on Monday, hopefully for the final sign off for UCAS submission. She hasn't yet been told her updated predicted, possibly in that meeting, although they did give them an idea at the end of last term, and she is hoping they may have gone up.

@quest1on

That doesn’t sound great sleepwouldbenice. What are they basing the predicted grades on then? Have they even given them predicted grades?

Yes they are. But also saying they might put them up which is also confusing and worrying. They either know where they are at or they don’t or they are just hoping for the best.....

Not heard anything from school regarding exams:no exams but both my girls (I’ve a yr11 too) are doing every piece of work to the best of their ability as they both believe it’ll matter!! The pressure is on. I think I said previously that both my DDs think they’d do better with exams but that’s without disruption & we’ve been very lucky so far but no one knows what’s around the corner. If the teacher assessments are fair & honest then I think my 2 will do the same in exams as they would with CAGs. My DD also has an appt with her teacher to finalise her UCAS form. Albeit she’s not 100% certain which 5 to choose. They all seem to want high grades.

Yes there doesn't seem to be any relaxing of entry requirements, and that was the case even before the exams debacle and them having to prefill some course places for next year.

However, having looked at some of the reports on here about the current experience at uni I am wondering whether ds should bother for next year. I would hope that this was all a distant memory/manageable annoyance by next September but what if it isn't? Being locked in a tiny room for 2 weeks? Not being given enough food? Being fined for parties? Having security guards patrolling around asking you where you are going even though you're on a campus (Warwick)? I can't see the point. He'd be better off staying at home, hopefully getting a part-time job (he is a qualified lifeguard so at least has a skill) and maybe doing an online language course if he can't travel.

@cologne4711 aside from the really top end I do wonder how much smoke and mirrors there is in terms of entry requirement - published as opposed to reality - certainly looking in clearing both this year and last courses stating AAB, ABB were pitched some way lower.

I agree with you in terms of potential delaying entry for a year - it may well be that everything is back to normal for September 2021, but September 2022 cannot offer any less. Certainly its an idea gaining traction in DS2's circle of friends.

Yes, it does sound like some of them are having an awful time. It’s difficult to tell if that’s particular universities though?

Ministers 'sticking fingers in ears' over 2021 exams www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-54355169
I’m not understanding what universities are wanting to happen though.

Did the Bournemouth online open day today. It was really nice, not quite top 3 but maybe top 5.

DS2 and I sort of 'did' Kent this morning, but the one live webinar type thing he decided to go to joined us in with video but no sound, not the promised 'listen only' audio. We were using my laptop, which does have its little quirks and foibles, but I don't - usually! - have problems with e.g. Zoom, or the audio set up on the laptop itself. Although come to think of it, for some reason, it really doesn't like Skype. However, he did like the look of the course and the campus (aerial view on the open day and a bit of toggling about on the 'normal' 360 degree offering), so we have booked for a proper 45 minute campus tour at half term. If the weather in Canterbury was anything like the weather here this morning, not having to drive 70 miles to traipse around getting soggy made the virtual offering worthwhile, dodgy audio and all .

We went back and forth between Bath and Durham today!

Crikey that’s a hike schnauzer what did you & DC think?

That's really the best thing you can say about virtual open days, that it saves on the mileage! Dd really likes both, they are probably her top two choices. Both were run well although I know others struggled to get on to Durham's site.

I think the virtual open days have been great, but I really hope that there will be a chance to visit in person for offer holder days. If not we will still visit under our own steam to snoop about as much as possible before final choices are made.