Thread 47- Covid GCSE Cohort - Summer's running away from us!

[OrangeCinnamonLatte]

...it will be Christmas before we know it.

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). 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 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/parents_of_adult_children/4792342-thread-46-gcse-covid-cohort-searching-for-summer-solstice

It's nice to see everyone who's not been here a while! Hope ds has a good day @Piggywaspushed .

Dd is working today. Starts at 10.15 and she's still fast asleep...

Hello again to those summoned by the list! Hope all goes well for @Piggywaspushed DS.

DD currently immersed in her own art projects. Also, after her friendship group collapsed at the end of last term, she's taken the initiative to contact a couple of other coursemates who were more 'casual acquaintances' and get to know them a bit better before term starts again, which is very thoughtful and pro-active of her.

Belated happy birthday to your girl Orange!

Hope the day went well for your boy Piggy, CW is my old stomping ground and where my last grown up employment was before I went self employed into the arts. Such a different world; but I don’t miss it, and the daily commute used to kill me. Even the wizzy Lizzy Line wouldn’t coax me back now.

We’re off to Madrid this weekend to spoil DD a little, she’s now half way through her au pair stint and has been very lucky with her family.

And lovely to hear all the updates.

Hope you are bearing up ican with your DH’s health challenges and getting a plan of treatment in place. I thought about you recently when I had THE best breakfast at the Two Magpies in Norwich. What a gem of a small chain you have in your neck of the woods!

I got sent a photo of the Lizzy Line!

😂 it really is fabulous. When it works.

have a lovely weekend @ealingwestmum ! Maybe my Dd could inherit that au pair job for her gap year in 24/25 if the kids are still young… 😎 she wants to get her Spanish fluent and Madrid is a great city

Hehe Delphigirl, DD’s Spanish family already seems to have outgrown their au pair, her top tip to yours would be to find a family with ‘older’ kids who have parents familiar with the correct rules/issue a contract (and to not cut their teeth on you as the first), not looking for cheap slave labour. Her gig consists of morning pool duty, preparing lunch and film, then she’s done by 4pm. Seriously, there are horror stories out there, so due diligence again, which is also second nature to you ;) It is a great way to spend part of a gap year whilst building language skills. We had them for many years and I love receiving baby pics now in their adult lives, hoping we helped a little in developing their English and love of food via DH’s fine dining skills ☺️

Diagnosis confirmed today re breast cancer. Lumpectomy and radiotherapy to follow- hopefully will hear in next few days. They said it is the most common type so fingers crossed treatable. Could have been worse!

Fingers crossed Craggy.

They are cracking on Esther which is great; hope the yuckiness is manageable and quickly done with to get you back to normal self.

Sorry to hear that @craggyrat / Esther.

But good to hear it is the most treatable type. I hope you hear the plan soon so you know where you are. Take care

Sorry to hear that craggy - I hope treatment goes well and you are back to yourself soon

Sorry you got the results you didn't want @craggyrat . Keep us informed, we will share your journey. 💜

Slight throwback to the bird pictures a while ago, we are on holiday in Iceland and DS has just discovered he is good at taking photos - not in @PhotoDad family league, but he is just starting.

Sorry to hear, @craggyrat, fingers crossed for you!

Nice pics, @Monkey2001! Quite honestly if you're ever looking for a camera for him I can recommend stuff in various budgets ranges. Planning on a couple of photo trips with DD this summer... today we've been tidying the house as we have some visitors coming tomorrow.

Sorry to hear your news @craggyrat I hope that the treatment is successful and doesn't take a toll on you health wise.

DS had his 'results' today. They have only marked one of his three exams and it looks like they will rely on the mocks earlier this year - where he didn't pass one of them. Two of his classmates have had all of their exams marked. I do not see how this is fair at all, he spent 16 hours on that final paper (the one he failed at mock) for it to be ignored and may have to 'resit'. How do you resit an exam that they haven't marked in the first place? We have to wait until next week to find out what exactly is happening.

Oh no @JustHereWithMyPopcorn , that’s not fair. Maybe for those who failed mocks they will mark the real things? Fingers crossed for you. I know if that were the case for DS then he’d be stuffed although semester 1 exams were different subjects to semester 2 for him so not quite so applicable.

i really hope they see sense and mark exams for borderline candidates.

That is really unfair @JustHereWithMyPopcorn - hope you get a better outcome than that. Still no results for DS....

Sorry to hear your news craggy. Sounds like you're being stoical.

Hope the treatment goes ok @craggyrat and you’re soon out the other side.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn that’s ridiculous but given they’d have to mark a resit, surely they could just mark the one he did?!

Dd hasn’t mentioned exam results yet, but she’s managed to get a Taylor Swift ticket so that’s big news!

Thanks all, I really don't understand the logic, maybe we have misunderstood, I hope so! I'll let you know of any update.

@crazycrofter I think Taylor Swift tickets are very much big news!! DS went to see The Weeknd last Friday and had an amazing time. Missed his train home by minutes and ended up getting a very expensive cab home from the end of the central line!

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn I bet the Weeknd was fantastic!

Dd has now told me that she failed one of her exams 😬Not a massive surprise given her lack of work. She's now talking about getting that ADHD diagnosis privately and pinning her hopes on medication helping her to get more organised and motivated. @mummyinbeds please could you let me know where to find the forms for requesting extra time and other help from Nottingham student support?

So sorry your news wasn't what you wanted to hear @craggyrat and man you have a brilliant commendable attitude to the results and what to expect. I can only hope to be that way and I know it will stand you in great stead for your recovery journey which i pray is swift and as easy as possible for you. How are the DC taking the news?

Congrats on Junior Piggy's first day in the office @Piggywaspushed

Well done to your DD @PhotoDad that will make the first week back so much easier already having re firmed up those acquaintances.

Happy Birthday to your DD @OrangeCinnamonLatte and on the new Uni and course.

I'm so mad on your DS's behalf re the exam debacle @JustHereWithMyPopcorn and hope they come to their senses quickly and mark the paper he has already completed.

Wow to the pictures and the Iceland holiday @Monkey2001. Have you seen the Northern lights at all yet?
We are just back from Austria and are still yodelling round the house after doing The Sound of Music tour which was epic. Cancelled flights and fighting for compensation now we are back is not so much fun. Not in a hurry to book another holiday which is a shame as DD had her heart set on Amsterdam and going to the Anne Frank museum with us before Uni starts. Not sure if booking flights from a smaller airport may be better rather than Gatwick / Heathrow.

DS1 eventually told me about his assessment at Lincoln. Was told he is dyspraxic. I have to forgive all he broken phones and laptops now, don't I??

DS2 is being productive in London today - two articles and a press release written to a deadline ,and a new story to write and file about - wait for it- a road closure.