Thread 39 - Covid Cohort - Our Adult Children Now Post 18

[CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and support to be had !

The Monday is when Ds has his big faculty and course talks and meets his personal tutors. Tricky! It is very hard to do wholesale moves of induction events due to campus spaces.

@singingstones it was d+10 for many years and even in the protocol revised at the end of 2021, but it now seems to be that people are working to d+11.

This what we got from our VC last night

'The University will follow a set of agreed procedures over the coming days, with the day of the State Funeral declared a public holiday for national mourning, when the University will be closed, except for business-critical activities'.

Induction is business-critical, as I see it!

I’m half expecting DS’s school to move their exeat weekend from 24/25 Sept to 17/18 Sept. Which will mean juggling an extra child whilst trying to drop DD off.

Do you know why that is @Delphigirl? Our last briefing was just after the jubilee and it was d+10 then - mind you they did skate over the "slightly different if it happens in Scotland" bit. Monday would make sense for the funeral though I think. No doubt all will be revealed shortly.

Schools shouldn't' be an individual school 'judgment call' imo. They are state buildings (most of them) and it is a national day of mourning. It would be massively crass to carry one with teaching content while a state funeral was going on. The DfE think we can spend all day 'reflecting' according to a press release last night...

We'll see.

It is certainly a bit of a nightmare for uni starts.

I don't think funerals are ever on Sundays ?

That is actually DS's moving in day...

He's OK today; moving through symptoms quickly, so cough has gone and now it is congestion and a headache.

No I don’t and I haven’t seen anything official yet, but that seems to be what we are working to.

Do you think it will be on the Monday if they are saying it will be a public holiday? Most schools and places of education aren't 'open' on Sundays really.

I think one of the issues is that it is left to individual employers to decide whether to give time off. I expect many will, where possible. But looks like we at our uni are off (where possible) but not off due to induction. A bit unclear at the moment.

It won't be called a holiday, I should think - national day of mourning.

The press seem to be expecting Monday. It will put a dampener on Fresher weeks as big parties feel strange in a period of mourning.

I wonder what happens to other mundane things such as driving tests and hospital appointments.

That's a good point. The only thing on the government website is flag flying guidance.

The date is set by the royal household, so we won’t know until it is posted on the royal HH website and on gov.Uk

@Monkey2001 i work for the nhs, we are waiting to hear what will happen but I really can’t imagine we will cancel procedures, we have full lists! Already had one patient this morning refuse an appointment for 19th as he said that’s when the funeral will be

Nothing specific in our email from the VC. I would have thought induction day stuff would be cancelled though if it's a national 'holiday/day of mourning'?

Nottingham seem to be starting term late compared to other unis - I expect that means they'll be finishing just before Christmas?

I suspect I've probably just had covid again, but I didn't test as we were moving house. Had what felt like a cold with sore throat and headache, it lasted 5-6 days (and made the whole moving house drama even more of a nightmare!). Dd seemed to bring it back with her from Reading. But it could be another bug, who knows? Hope ds gets over it quickly @Piggywaspushed .

Nottingham term ends on 16th December crazy and then they have 4 weeks off for Christmas!

I think there are several bugs on the go Crazy in parallel with covid. We can’t seem to shake them off here either, but DD has had a chest infection from hell with daily headaches, but clear throughout.

Difficult for you all to plan right now, I am working both this and next weekends so DD is being taken over this Thurs, to join her orientation week from 19th. Thankfully accommodation was secured before offers day, still thinking of all those Brit students here waiting from their respective unis or just deferring. Madness.

@crazycrofter DS2 brought a very nasty festival flu bug back from Truck festival which he passed on to DS1 and then to me. Felt like Covid, but we all tested negative (and DS1 tested in hospital as it contributed to his asthma attack).

Yes, you're right, it may well not have been covid. Either way, I feel I'm finally starting to get better and adjust to small town life.... Ds is enjoying being able to walk to school and get home for 3.45. He's even found an authentic weight lifting gym within walking distance, so all is good. It's been nice not having to worry at 11pm about where in the city he is and how he's getting back. Although the late wandering would have had to stop anyway in term time!

I arrived home from holiday at 5.30 this morning to the sad news. I'm in a bit of a zombie state having been up again at 7.30 to get DD up and take her to school so haven't had time to consider any effects on uni moving.

DS said he was glad I was home as running a household is too difficult. Looking at the state of the kitchen and bathroom he has some way to go and thank goodness he's in catered accomodation for the first year. Any tips on life skills training - I have 13 days to turn him into a responsible hygienic adult 😱

@ZittiEBuoni the Irish nightclub ! That brings back memories - which years were you there I was at NTU

@mummyinbeds I know what you mean! DS is a very able cook but the cleaning up bit is always a pain. He does clean his bedroom when a total tip. I have learnt to walk away and leave him to do it. However, the bathroom is like Kryptonite to him...

fruitygal I was only there for a one year PGCE 1991-92. The day of my interview was the day Margaret Thatcher resigned, so that was all we talked about . Another great Nottingham memory was seeing Take That before they were famous, doing a Saturday afternoon PA in the market square, with unimpressed shoppers trying to elbow through the teenyboppers.

Loved shopping down by the Lace Market, seeing bands at Rock City, good pubs down by the castle and canal.

I also frequented The Irish!

@ZittiEBuoni and @Piggywaspushed was there 1991 to 1995