Thread 49 - Covid GCSE Cohort - The nights are drawing in...

[OrangeSpicedBun]

Autumn 🍂 well and truly underway, has been chilly this week !

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 :

www.mumsnet.com/talk/parents_of_adult_children/4880640-thread-48-covid-gcse-cohort-summer-before-year-2-uni?latest=1

Well done to your DD @OublietteBravo !

@EerilyDecorated we wrote a letter to say that dd gives permission to share data and for me to be advocate / contact. We try an give a copy to everyone who needs it these days! Interestingly at A&E she put my phone number on the log in screen, but the notes sheet they printed out had her number - she was really cross! I think they just auto filled it from their existing records, so worth checking!

Shouldn't post so early - ignore the name on that post, I have reported it!

And then I remembered the edit function on the website.... 🤦

I am so behind with this thread. I need to catch up. But I just popped on to say Ds got his place abroad. He's off to Brisbane university. I must admit that after he had an email say they'd had an unprecedented amount of applications and most would be unsuccessful, I was sort of hoping he'd not be going. Mainly because he will now lose his place on his summer job, ds1 had the job 4 summers, then ds2 took over for 2 summers. Plus obviously I am worried about the cost of it all. I would have preferred him to finish uni, then travel. But I am pleased he's got what he wanted. Ds says it'll work out cheaper than Sussex for a year. I can't see that. He usually earns £5k at work over the summer too.

Well done to your ds@icanbewhatiwant , will he be allowed to work for some of his t8me in Australia?

Well done to your DS @icanbewhatiwant

My DS was 20 yesterday and we had a nice unexpected video call before he went out with his friends. I think it was a meal, a college bar at a different college then cinema so relatively quiet! He's a bit fed up he can't get on the river yet as levels too high

Well done to him!

Ds has various assesments due in this but in typical Ds style he’s offered to play keyboard for two of his friends in cabaret nights that are part of their assesments. Last week he was playing for another concert.

meanwhile his band have recorded a song and are releasing it on Spotify next month.

@icanbewhatiwant Well done him! Expense aside it's a fantastic opportunity.

@Comefromaway You'll have to share a link. We'll be telling DC 'I heard them before they were famous'!

How exciting for your DS @icanbewhatiwant! I bet he has a fabulous time.

DD is on her way back to uni today. Which always makes me nervous as it’s such a long drive (300 miles). She’s picking up her flat mate in Gloucester on the way. I’m hoping she’ll message me at that point.

@icanbewhatiwant thats fantastic, well done your DS!

@Comefromaway yes we need the link to the song!

@craggyrat this was the river last weekend where DS rows. Apparently the water was chest high where the boats are stored. 😬

Handmade - it sounds like you need to make a formal complaint.

this is a raw point for me. A lady I met on another forum (for parents of dancers) gave me some great advice when Ds was having problems at secondary school then something dreadful happened to her son and she began campaigning about proper training for medical professionals on dealing with autistic people.

Our GP doesn’t have any of ds’s contact details at all. When he turned 18 I asked him about it and he said he wanted me to get texts & phone calls.

Best of luck to all the people navigating health situations, I am sure that if we don't comment, it is because we have nothing helpful to add, but you have our empathy.

@icanbewhatiwant good for your DS, did he get the place on merit or do they randomly allocate if over-subscribed?

@Comefromaway exciting!

DS had his first car accident last weekend. Was going from Bristol to Norwich, accidentally turned west on the M4(!), said it was due to Waze showing him the wrong lanes, got as far as Chepstow(!!) and was approaching a roundabout to go all the way round in a distracted state and went into the back of another car. It was very low speed (<5MPH) and no visible damage, we offered to pay for any damage they found, but they wanted to put it through as an insurance claim. Really frustrating as he has a young driver excess of £540, so I think that if there is any damage we will end up paying for all of it and losing our no claims discount. 😟

@JustHereWithMyPumpkin - now that is a flood! I think DS is just doing gym work and swimming this week until things back to normal.

@Monkey2001 - very frustrating re the accident and having to go through insurance. At least no injury

Unfirtunateky I can understand them wanting it to go through insurance. We get things such as a courtesy car which we wouldn’t get if repairs were done privately etc.

DD is now safely back in her student house. She said the traffic was great today. No queues anywhere.

I've taken DS back today too, we went a new route today because we had to call in somewhere and missed a junction on the dual carriageway, it was a beautiful journey with the low sun out. Already had the first phone call about something left behind .

@Monkey2001 I've no idea. He will say on merit. 2 others in house applied but weren't successful, another wants a year in the industry, but also unsuccessful. They didn't take on the rental for 2 years as they all had plans year 3. So maybe they'll stay now apart from Ds.

DS has his first exam of the year today, Criminal law, this one is only three hours but still online. Please keep your fingers crossed that he does better this year than last! 😬

@JustHereWithMyPumpkin good luck to your DS. I've just read question 1 - it's a bit gruesome for a Monday morning 😱

Good luck to your DS @JustHereWithMyPumpkin

@mummyinbeds is your DS doing the same module then? Good luck to him too! DS told me it would only be one question out of a choice of three, is that right? I don't want to ring him while he's in the middle of it.

@craggyrat thank you!

@mummyinbeds Oh I've just realised what you probably mean by gruesome! 😂