Thread 48- Covid GCSE Cohort - Summer before Year 2 Uni

[Oblomov23]

Summer ending. Year 2 for many at Uni about to start.

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.
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I too think the teachers wouldn't advocate for her if she didn't have it in her ED. I hope you get some reassurance once you have made contact with them, but you also sound on board albeit apprehensive, given her motivation and very sensible thinking through future options in a considered way.

I felt a bit uncomfortable about DD doing History A level, given she did not do at GCSE. But the teachers were good with it given different skills required for A level, and that she already had a strong track record with EL, so other way round for your DD. Then it was: are 2 essay-based subjects too much (or almost 3 given the language too) but again, if they have a skill for it, then all was good. Finally the disproportionate challenge of mine doing a 4th in Maths AS in a class that went from 12 to 3 after drop outs, with no option to swap out for something else/EPQ etc (she needed the points to be competitive with Ireland grade system). This seems similar to how your DD feels about Chemistry, and the weighing of risk and grade award vs a year of head down in a subject she could be very good at.

Your concerns are valid re her dyslexia and i don't know what support she may have in place for this, but do ask them if there is none right now, but hopefully she can overcome and play to her strengths for the 2nd year and catch up with (relative) ease.

Hope the school know what they’re doing @EversoDetermined . I guess she could take it the following year if need be?

No, I don't know which exam board. I looked on the college website but it didn't say. I have phoned and they have given me the teacher's email address so I will contact her tonight.

She has extra time for exams because of the dyslexia, this has been in place since yr7 and is therefore very much her usual way of working and the college are good at supporting SENs.

I tend to agree that the college wouldn't have agreed to it if they didn't feel she could do it, the history teacher thinks very highly of her and that is important as its the most similar subject. I will keep you all
updated.

Yes, she could do it in a third year but it would make it much harder to find work if she had to go into college for an hour or two several times a week. The college is 10 miles away too so a lot of travel time for only one subject.

@EversoDetermined I have the English literature experience and the A level in a year experience, albeit from a few (!) years ago. But not as an overlap - I did classical civilisation in a year, alongside a retake (maths, so intense). English is very doable as it doesn’t progress as such - it might be a little better to eg do WWI poetry after the Romantics, but it doesn’t really matter.

I would say it’s a good idea if she reads a lot, and widely. She’ll do better if she reads outside the set texts. And does she naturally think about what she reads, how books reflect society at the time, see similarities and differences between authors, that kind of thing?

She does give a lot of thought to what she's reading and watching, she can always tell you a lot of detail who and why which gives me hope but TBH there is virtually no overlap in our tastes so I can't think of a single adult book we've both read and hence discussed, very few films either. I didn't do Eng Lit O level so have never read any of the classic set texts that she did for GCSE. I am a bit concerned that she might try and get away with just the set texts themselves. But she won't listen to anything I say, she wouldn't have told me this was happening yet if I hadn't had an email from college asking why she hadn't been going to chemistry. I might just say it anyway.

To be fair, she has said it isn't 100% confirmed yet and she would have told me when it is, she is sorting it out tomorrow. So I'm going to back off for a day or so.

Sorry, just seen the Eng Lit conversation. I am actually an English teacher by trade but now specialise elsewhere. I have extensively taught the A level.

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but year 13 isn't a year at all and I cannot for the life of me see how any A level can be done in a year 13 year...sorry. the NEA would be a major concern as students are expected to have year 12 underpinning skills. I agree Lit is lighter in content than eg sociology or history.

I'd need to see how the college thought this was doable before committing...

Thanks @Piggywaspushed that’s what I’m worried about, she has already missed the first couple of weeks of this year, it’s a short year and she’s dyslexic.

DS’s Amazon parcels all arrived at the right place!!

Good luck tomorrow @JustHereWithMyPopcorn and other Nottingham people awaiting resit results.

Found out at breakfast that one of DS’s housemates did resits and is awaiting results on Thursday. She has already moved in and doesn’t think the resits went well so is rather nervous.

Just popping on to update. My DS was one of those heading north to uni on the weekend. In his first year(as had gap year), seemingly not remotely nervous...just wanted to get there and start. Although thoughts haven't progressed beyond Freshers Week to actual academic preparations as far as I can tell.🤔
Only news is names of flatmates (5girls 1 boy) and that some had also done gap years.

@Takeittotheboss glad he is starting off well.

Anyone else noticed the massive amount of first years coming home already on WIWIKAU? I’m sure it is a lot higher than last year or is it my imagination?

I hadn't noticed that yet. I did definitely notice it last year.

DS1 wanted to after about a week a few years back and his mate dropped out of Keele after about a week and a half. I think freshers' week is brutal to be honest.

In other news, DH's car has been cleared for take off so DS will get his stuff today. I am a bit vexed that I won't get to see his house for ages now but at least he will get his stuff.

Pray for DH's car on the M1/M6!

I feel the same @Piggywaspushed as DH took DD to her new house on Saturday, then got to watch her play hockey and brought her home again. She was going to stay for a while in her new house but bf & friend decided to go to Alton Towers today so she wanted to go with them (her friend is seeing her BF friend now so I guess that means even more time spent here).
DD did facetime me from the new house and it looks great, much better than I expected. She is really happy with it which is the main thing, and DH said it was secure etc.

She isn't sure yet when she will go back to Nottingham, but assume DH will take her in the van (as she didn't take everything with her the first time) so no seat for me. I suspect it will be a while before I get to see the house.

Fingers crossed for the Nottingham results today for those still waiting. I really hope things work out for you.

@Zebracat Well done to your DD for tackling the issue. Hopefully that will be the end of it now and she can get to relax and enjoy herself.

Glad things are sorted with the house @Heifer and I hope dd has a better year.

Dd gets her results today. 🤞 She went out and bought storage, cushions, plants etc yesterday. We also have a new desk chair to take and a full length mirror as well as clothes and bedding, but dh is adamant we’ll fit everything in/on our Dacia Sandero!

How is your girl getting on this week @Zebracat ?

He's through! Thank god for that. Good luck to everyone else waiting.

I also haven't visited the new student house, will go up in a couple of weeks I think.

Great news @JustHereWithMyPopcorn !

DS is through by the skin of his teeth. He's a bit annoyed by the derived mark he's been given for his French literature (11% lower than his previous assessment) but if he asks for it to be marked he can't progress to 2nd year yet. So, he's putting a terrible year behind him, finishing his packing and I'm taking him back to Nottingham this evening 🙂

And well done @JustHereWithMyPopcorn DS

And, lo, DH's car has broken down on the M1. On one of those horrible smart motorways.

Yay!! @mummyinbeds fab news! DS got a derivative for his Tort, probably better than it should have been if they based it on mocks tbh. Anyway, they're joining year 2 so onwards and upwards!

Not tort, Public law.

Well done, JustHereWithMyPopcorn and mummyinbeds, and everything crossed crazycrofter.

We moved DD into her 2nd year house at the weekend.
As student rentals go, it’s clean and pretty neat, but my god, when I think that they are paying £3.5k per month (7 of them), to live in a mid terrace in the rough part of Brum, I can’t help but get cross with greedy landlords.

The rooms aren’t big - all described as doubles but at least 2 have 3/4 beds, including DD which we hadn’t planned for when buying bedding, and you can’t swing a cat in any of them.
DD’s mattress is absolutely awful, as is another one, so they’re going to have to request replacements.
Theres not enough kitchen cupboards for one each, and only one big reception room so no escaping people cooking if you want to chill.
One other stocking point is that there are 8 TVs in the house, provided by the landlord. Pretty sure no-one wanted a tv, but obviously that means they have to sort out a license.

Oh no! @Piggywaspushed do you have a recovery service membership?