Thread 52 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Autumn 24 - Start of Uni Yr 3

[Oblomov24]

2024 Autumn, start of year 3 for those at Uni.

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 don't know either!

@Delphigirl Glad you've heard from Peru & it's positive. Good to know little OJ is not a journalist role model!

Well done on the theory/driving test passes. For those trying to book tests, DS did his with his instructor which I think was the key to being given another test date in the same week when his first was cancelled after they had pulled into the test centre car park.

Ours went back this week, and after the trials of last year has a lovely house mate, so that’s good. We have been really unwell with hand foot and mouth, so ds had to drop her. We are now in northest Northumberland eating non family meals type food and doing very little, beyond admiring the worlds most beautiful beaches. I am still very cross that dds private Hall demands the rent a full month before her loan comes in. This is the sort of nonsense that prevents students from poor families/ care leavers from getting to University. Not everyone has someone who can lend them £1400 pounds. Grr.

@Zebracat Totally agree with your comment about rent/loan dates. Very envious of your break in Northumberland. Love it up there.

Enjoy Northumberland, @Zebracat! So glad we moved up here. 😀

Aaarrgh! Thanks @EternallyDelighted , the congrats on the driving test was for @Cantonet . DS failed his rushed & poorly prepared for test back in August so will start lessons again. @Zebracat have a great time up in Northumberland.

Sounds lovely in Northumberland @Zebracat. I'm very envious of the non-family meals.
Currently cooking some meals for ds to take with him to uni. Tandoori chickpeas, chicken adobo & sourdough pizza.
He's playing computer games....
Hasn't twigged that he needs to pack.
Probably thinks I'm going to do it for him.

I too had to google vox popped by OJ. I feel old.

I knew Vox Pop from That's Life as I had their Christmas Annual in 1977 so that makes me v old!

I used to love That's Life 😀 "and finally Cyril".

Question: DS has had three jobs in this tax year, a term time one which he is going back to next week and only earned in April/May so far and two summer ones now over. He has just received a tax code letter where the vast majority of his allowance has been allocated to the two summer jobs when more of it needs to be the term time job (all are correctly listed). Also one of the summer jobs did deduct tax. Does this sort itself out at the end of the tax year or would he be better going online and trying to sort it there? We set him up with a Govt Gateway account yesterday but my heart is sinking a bit because I have been banging my head on a wall trying to sort out a mistake I made in my self assessment a couple of years ago.

@EternallyDelighted DD had lots of jobs in her gap year so we ended up having to phone up the tax office and speaking to them and they ordered the jobs in order of more hours (or the choice DD wanted) as they had put the first job she'd had since a young teen where she worked 2 hours a week teaching a dance class first and it mucked up the other jobs as that one took her biggest allowance. She only declared the ones that were in businesses so not cat sitting or babysitting etc. They were very helpful and she used one P45 code to get her uni job. Hopefully it won't muck her up with future jobs.

DD is back at uni and nearly at the end of her 2nd week where they've thrown her straight in with 5 day a week lectures and she had to do a practical presentation yesterday which thankfully went well.
We're visiting on Saturday as we had to drop and dash home for an event when we dropped her off on 14th and her new-ish boyfriend is visiting next weekend so she is doing okay so far this year.

Hi to everyone and hope the new term is going okay for everyone's YP 👋👋

DS passed his RAF medical today so on to the fitness test. He's v happy

Fabulous Craggy, that’s great news.

Oh well done him! That’s a hurdle passed - he must be totally delighted.

Thanks @AnneOfCleavage . He goes back on Sunday, I'm away till Sat now but will see if we can sort it online before he goes. He should be able to work out what tax code should be allocated where from his payslips. Just not sure about reclaiming tax already paid.

Brilliant news @craggyrat !

That's fantastic news @Craggy.
Did my last childs uni drop off yesterday.
Can I say that Loughborough wins hands down the most caring experience to new students. Lots of absolutely lovely students helping unload with trolleys. Staff directing parking. Student helpers collecting them all for dinner, pre-drinks & clubbing. Knocking on doors to check they've included every one. Warden talk. Lots of welcoming things & stalls on for them. It was so well organised & knocked socks off Bristol, Guildford & UCL.

Great news @craggyrat 👏 and also congratulations to the driving test/ theory test passers too 👏 👏

@Eternally the overpaid tax should automatically be paid back but may take a while. Hope you and they get it sorted.

That’s so lovely to hear @Cantonet. I’ve got to admit, I get a little down reading some of the negative experiences of students on the FB uni forum, I really should take myself off it now but haven’t got round to it yet. But a definite 👏 for Loughborough!

@craggyrat Brilliant!

Well done @craggyrat DS! Nice to hear about Loughborough, too, @Cantonet.

Well done to ds @craggyrat !

@EternallyDelighted he will need to write to HMRC with details of the anticipated hours per job and how much allowance should be allocated to each. Once the right amount of tax code has been allocated to each, he should get the tax paid back - if not now, then after the tax year. Or he could write earlier and ask them to repay it - this worked for both my dc.

Great to hear about Loughborough @Cantonet !

Fab news @craggyrat good luck to him on the next stage.

@EternallyDelighted despite being very good with maths and generally a sensible person, something about HMRC makes my brain freeze. I’m so scared of doing something wrong I pay an accountant to deal with my very straight forward accounts much to everyone’s amusement. Hope
it gets sorted!

DH gave DD two local cake shops to source her cake for today’s celebrations (21st), not bad for £10!

Oo lovely cake @ealingwestmum ! Hope she has fab 21st

Wow that cake is amazing and £10 is a steal @ealingwestmum Happy 21st to your DD.

What a fabulous experience at Loughborough @Cantonet I hope it continues throughout their uni time there - sounds like they are amazing pastorally.

None of DD's housemates (or indeed DD either) have done anything about council tax as yet as nothing has come through the post so they are just not bothering til they get asked. Is this head in the sand approach okay or will they get a huge fine does anyone know. It's a known uni house let so I wonder if the council already know it. It's getting me twitchy but I can't do anything obv.