Thread 46 - GCSE Covid Cohort , Searching for Summer Solstice

[OrangeCinnamonLatte]

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 advice to be had.

Previous Thread

It's the friendship making that seems to be key @Heifer @mummyinbeds here's to fresh starts!.

Thanks to thread magic Dd has received an offer for Reading. Even better a friend from college (who I remember as a lovely genuine soul) has offered to show her round. She is visiting Thurs .

@OrangeCinnamonLatte fantastic news re Reading. Fresh starts all round.

DD hated her A level Geography exam today. I'm hating A level stress for the second year in a row. Six down, three to go...

👏👏 Orange!

I heard Geography was awful mummyinbeds, hope the remainder are better.

DD got in very late off a delayed Dublin flight to her first day internship today in the City. She’s been very stressed juggling all her students through their final language papers, I have suggested she doesn’t take any on until 2nd semester with adding a new language from September which she agrees, even though the money’s been nice.

But she did get to play on this Saturday/Sunday, her first major festival! I do love the extras being a musician has given her.

Amazing to see @ealingwestmum !

Proggymat, I commend you for your very considered and measures responses to the HE thread debate.

Great news updates from everyone! So pleased about Reading @OrangeCinnamonLatte , I think it is an excellent and underrated uni with a lovely campus and good careers service. Fingers crossed she likes it. Sorry about geography @mummyinbeds but she is one step closer to being finished…
Lovely to hear about those starting internships etc- my DS is on day 2. He went off grumbling about becoming a cog about the capitalist machine but they took him out to lunch, gave his a branded water bottle and he is joining the office trip to Lords on Thursday so all of a sudden it’s a great outfit, etc etc. totally drunk the Kool aid. Who knew he was so cheap 🤣

@ealingwestmum
Thank you 😊
It’s a bit like ‘pissing against the wind’, though …🤣
You have a truly exceptional DD who is clearly having a fabulous time at TCD!

Great news orange!

It is, so far at least, an environment that is playing to her strengths. Thank you Proggy.

Great news orange

Great news @OrangeCinnamonLatte ! And @ealingwestmum , another very talented youngster, does she sing?

I love your ds’ sudden conversion to the corporate world @Delphigirl 🤣 They make them work hard for those perks though!

Some lovely news here!

DD on her art internship has had a minor run in with Corporate who needed things changed to fit the brand in various odd ways... welcome to the world of a commercial designer! Still thoroughly enjoying it, and tonight she also did the online training to be a "welcome buddy" for next year.

@EwwSprouts yes tall and —skinny— wiry. He just doesn’t put on weight at all.

Well done on the offers and also the internships. I tried to persuade DS to look for one but instead he’s working in a pub.🤷‍♀️ At least he’s earning a wage I suppose.

It’s the start of it all Delphigirl, and Lords corporate hospitality on a lovely weather day, that’s a good first week!

And your DD is already experiencing the challenging world of balancing clients’ needs without compromising her artistic integrity. Love it.

Sorry, my latter comment was to Photodad

@OrangeCinnamonLatte Congratulations! Reading sounds like a great uni. never heard anything bad about it.

@mummyinbeds Sorry about Geography aaarrgh! I first read your 'Six down three to go' as in your children you've seen through A'Levels then gave my head a shake and realised you meant exam papers.

@Delphigirl Cheap as chips .

@PhotoDad Glad to hear DD is enjoying what sounds like a great internship

Office perks ! Oh to be a cog in the corporate wheel again.

My DD was got her ADHD diagnosis in year 11 through Psychiatry UK, we paid privately and it wasn’t too horrendous. If you wait till 18 you can use NHS right to chose and opt for Psychiatry UK via the GP. There’s info on the website. One thing that helped with the diagnosis was an educational psychologist assessment whilst at school which demonstrated a lot of the issues she was having and the Form 8 which highlighted her processing issues and qualification for extra time. Feel free to ask any questions.

Sorry to hear this Heifer and Crazy. At least ds is better Mummy.
Glad about Reading Orange.
Pleased to read such cheery news from all others.

Ds phoned me today to say he was the happiest he'd ever been. He had a heart to heart with 2 Christian friends and told them all the shit from his teens, which he's never admitted before. He carries so much guilt, broke my heart, I said we need to fix this. One more exam to go. Then he's choosing to stay in Notts for another week, until Dh picks him up, because he loves it there and has so many friends and there's so much going on. Apparently there's parties, events, parachute jumps, picnics, every day is filled to the brim!

Lots of good news on this thread.

@OrangeCinnamonLatte Reading sounds promising

DD struggling somewhat and limping on to the end of term. She thinks she’s failed a module but isn’t sure if it’s an average of all marks or not and doesn’t seem to have the courage to ask anyone. Her DSA mentor sessions have been cancelled as she missed 2 accidentally which seems crazy as she really needs them right now. I’m at a bit of a loss as to how to help her, gone are the days of sixth form where I could email the form tutor.

She used to sing Crazy. Now it’s violin in the main, with sax for fun.

@PaddingtonPaddington DS gave permission for me to contact his DSA provider, he has missed a few sessions too but just stayed within the limits although he was told he'd get charged rather than losing them. It is infuriating, one of the reasons tbey need the support is with organisational stuff. Thanks for ADHD info. GP have said they can do nothing till she's 18, as the paediatric waiting list is longer than the time till the birthday and they don't refer to Psychiatry UK till post-18. I hadn't thought of going private with them. I have contacted a few other private providers - one which is psychiatrist run said their paed waiting list would also take her past 18 so she might as well wait. Two nurse led ones can see her sooner but would they be as good, its hard to know. She has a very detailed dyslexia assessment (by specialist teacher not EP) from year 5 and a form 8 from year 10 (she had extra time in exams from y7) so plenty of evidence of longterm issues. She's coping Ok at the moment but I am worried she'll crash at uni without support. She should get DSA for dyslexia bit that might just be softwares etc.

@PaddingtonPaddington DS has a diagnosis of ADHD but we went through the process when he was young (8yrs old). Back then we thought the NHS was bad, but it was nowhere as bad as it currently is and his referral to CAMHS was dealt with pretty quickly. Apart from the forms home and school had to complete, the community paeditrician came out to observe him in school. We also got a private clinical psychologist and an educational psychologist who also came into school. Ds was observed again and ed psych did the usual tests. Everything was compiled together to make a final diagnosis.

Paddington can you chase them at all, plead, insist?