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

We have some good news! DD has got her results back and she got an overall 1st for Year 1! Very proud of her. She’s away at the moment with her uni friends.

Well Done BlueMarigold!
Singing what about a strongly worded chattette with ds that an email to Nottingham disability support services needs to be sent, so a support plan can be put in place?

Amazing @BlueMarigold congrats to her!

Ds is not happy. He got back to halls last night to find the kitchen in a state with sauce of some kind all up the wall by the bin and the in in a right mess. Only one person was staying there last week. Ds is meant to be moving out completely this week.

I have tried @Oblomov23 but will try again when we are away next week. He can be as selective as he likes about who he tells but agree that it would be good to get the uni on board. He probably doesn't want to hear the word disability but I will explain that it doesn't have to be this hard for ND students, there will be ways the uni can try to level the playing field a bit, but only if they know.

It's very difficult isn't it, when they are becoming independent but actually still need a lot of support but don't want to need it iyswim.

Great news BlueMarigold

@singingstones Nottingham were great once DS was able to get his act together and apply for Student Support. Getting to that point was a struggle and all too late for year 1. There is a form to complete and upload on the Nottingham Hub, together with a completed evidence form (diagnosis from drs in DS's case) Within two days he had a full package of support including extra time in exams, deadline extensions, tutors made aware of his problems, assistance with sorting his year abroad etc etc. He's also applied for DSA and has an assessment tomorrow. It was hard for him to admit he needed help having flown through school ( although in hindsight, never finished an exam) but seeing the help one of his close friends was getting took away some of his fear of admitting he needed support.
Just waiting for the first year exam results and likely resit in at least one 😬

That's fantastic @BlueMarigold !

Wow mummy thank you, that sounds amazing, I was imagining some understanding and a bit of leeway with deadlines but it sounds like a lot of practical support might be available.

Fingers crossed for the results.. 🤞

Well done baby marigold!

@BlueMarigold Fantastic achievement!

@singingstones Also a great achievement to have negotiated the change of course. I think being in houses from September will be better for many of our DC.

Much 'fumming' on Birmingham Facebook because some departments haven't managed to get results out. DS didn't even know there was a specific university wide release!

@BlueMarigold Yay!

@singingstones That does sound like a positive move.

@singingstones I’m glad your DS has got a way forward. My DD (y12) considered archaeology at one point as she likes history and science but has veered back towards science now, however at a recent parents evening it is clear that history is her strongest subject. Also probably ASD/ADHD but undiagnosed, she unfortunately falls between paediatric and adult service at 17 and having difficulty getting assessment.

Hi @singingstones !

MOOCS are a great idea. Not just because of the PS (will your Dd have to have one?) but can really help with Subject choice. I wish I'd taken more notice when Dd did hers in the early stages of lockdown , she didn't do any music based ones at all. She did do early childhood psychology and one other education based one. I remember her now being so engaged with them. No surprise she's changed from Music to Education studies.
Good news on the change of course for DS!

Well done Baby @BlueMarigold ! Also phew and very very well done to your Dd @ealingwestmum.

Hope your Dd enjoyed her internship as much as it sounds @PhotoDad !

No results here from Cardiff. I really think Dd could do with the CertHE Music for her teaching incase she decides to go primary route.

Thanks, @OrangeCinnamonLatte, her last day is tomorrow, but the team have said that if they get the funding to continue development they'd like her back for another couple of weeks later in the summer!😀

In fact if anyone has any insight on teaching routes please let me know?

Dd is as happy as Larry today cover supervising in a local city school. She is getting more and more confident in her abilities (and classroom management it seems). She knows she wants to be a teacher and would like some strong element of supporting SEN children in her work. So where to go from here?
Considering PGCE with SKE for English after her Education Studies degree but worried places will be competitive (I think there is a bursary now). Also considering PGCE primary. Prefers working with older children though and that has been majority of her TA/Cover experience to date.

Oh that's good uni Marketing depts always always have good budgets !

DS was supposed to have a final tutorial to receive his results last Thursday, but for some reason they have moved it to next week (after the end of term) when we are away on holiday 😳

Dd says her results are in 'early July' some time 🤔She's on her way to Croatia, so she probably won't be thinking about them next week, although one of the friends she's going with is also on her course, so maybe they'll check.

Ds has today admitted that he's overwhelmed by his (year 12) workload and how behind he's got - he just doesn't know where to start. And also he doesn't feel motivated... but he doesn't want to give up. It would help if he actually did start... School are supposed to be providing a laptop and a TA to meet up with him once a week to help him plan. So far this school have said lots of things that have failed to happen, so I'll believe it when I see it.

Well done to your dd @BlueMarigold ! @OrangeCinnamonLatte it sounds like your dd will be a natural at teaching. It's great that she's got such a firm idea of what she wants to do.

@crazycrofter sympathy over year 12 concerns, we seem to be in the same boat, DD is flying in one subject, OK in one and really floundering in the third. We had parents eve, she refused to come with us and it was all a bit tricky. She can turn it round but there’s a lot to do over the summer. It is worrying, you want to support but sometimes they need to do it their way. It seems that this not at all uncommon though. A levels are hard.

@OrangeCinnamonLatte my friend’s DD is an SEN teacher (in a specialist school), two years in. She did a humanities degree and then applied for teacher training through a local academy group and trained on the job. She did work experience in the school she now works in in the summer after she graduated. My friend is the headteacher of a state SEN school and he says they can’t get TAs for love nor money, so it would be worth her trying to get some temp work in one of them. She might want to think about what type of SEN profile appeals to her too, locally we have everything from profound disabilities to SPLD specialists, also physical disabilities. She could look at the local authority website, they all have to have a site called Local Offer which lists all SEN services including schools, and try for relevant work experience that way.

DS’s social life and work placement are chugging along nicely. I am also taking him out driving most nights and he is doing well. I have started my school governor position too, I mentioned this a few months ago, it took ages for my DBS check to come back, but as its nearly the end of term I don’t anticipate getting really involved till the autumn. I am finding it very interesting though.

Hello all! DS (Cardiff) just said they were told to expect results early July and his tutor has given him he's unmoderated mark for his final project.

That was supposed to be for @OrangeCinnamonLatte