Thread 55 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Autumn 25 - Yr 4 Uni and Graduates

[Oblomov25]

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 54:
Thread 54

@craggyratglad your DS is enjoying his job.
😱 re snowy Yorkshire, not ready for thst yet here on the Wirral.. thankfully just wet at the moment
sorry to hear job is tough going.
hope things improve..

@EwwSprouts same
for DD that everyone went out with their families for
evening meal so although her housemates did come
for a drink at the after grad ceremony do, she would have been fine if they hadnt been able to. Even if students did or didn’t make friends with people
on their course they tended to hang with family after anyway.
DD flitted between friends and family having her photo taken with various people.
At the restaurant with us she saw about 10 people she knew
with their families.

@EwwSproutshope you get a new instructor soonest.
we are lucky here in that there are about 6 different sports centres
locally that I can use for free with my Invigor8 membership.

We've had snow! Big old fat flakes for a couple of hours and it settled but stopped about half an hour ago. The sky looks very full though. I hate snow so much, it's so hilly around here nowhere is safe to drive once the snow starts.

Ds is home for a few days. He is playing for his old amdram company before heading off to Pantoland.

Dd discovered padel a few years ago. She has always been rubbish at sports but enjoys padel and it doesn't matter that she isn't very good.

@crazycrofter Thank you ever so much. I've just spotted this post, how very kind of you. Will definitely pass it on.

The only thing i keep hearing about SOAS both in rl and online is that, it is a good uni, especially for global development but very 'activist', so if your DS is very keen on issues such as, decolonial dialogue, Inclusive education, feminism and matters of that ilk, it could be a good match. Right now, I think some tutors aren't marking assignments (Tutors4Change) in protest of poor working conditions. Sounds like an interesting place.

Yes, colours denoting personality type and some sort of outdoor activity. We've got big wet flakes of snow coming down this side of Yorkshire but it's not settling so not the best conditions.

@Heifer I hope for a new instructor but he's the only one at the two nearest leisure centres and he's got plans for a his own centre. I've concluded (on hearsay rather than knowledge) that he's trying to build a new path on the basis all the tennis places have had enough of him. Lot of the tennis clubs are putting in Padel courts, I think because there is more funding available for those. DS likes it but too fast for me!

@Shimy that sounds like a perfect match for DD. She's looking at doing an online MA in Global Development over two years, spending some/all of that time living in Ghana. She likes the fact that they teach from a non-Eurocentric point of view. I'll get her to do some research on the protests...

That sounds fascinating @mummyinbeds and right up her street, from what you've told us about her. I agree its probably wise for your ds to focus on getting through his last year. Dd is doing the same, although it's a bit different for her as she won't be applying for grad schemes.

@EwwSprouts all I remember is that in the group of PwC managers I did the colours thing with, most of them were red! We had to stand in our corners and I think I was mainly green, standing with 1 other person... It did make me realise why I'd always felt like a bit of a misfit there!

@mummyinbeds I couldn't think of a better place to do an MA in Global Development. Perfect!

Good to hear all the updates from everyone.

After DH had dangerously high blood pressure, he has stepped down to working 3 days a week and is in much better health. I have just had the ordeal of a school inspection. It is my 7th in my 32 years in the classroom. They don't get any easier and there seems to be very little focus on teaching and learning, more on compliance, safeguarding and ticking boxes. They are pointless and very stressful. I am not sure I can face another, so might need an escape plan before the next one comes round!

DD is back from deployment in December and is in a much safer area now. She has had a great time and some interesting 'run ashores'. We have been invited to the homecoming of the ship. Some of the ship's company have been away for 9 months.

Where's she coming home to @Aslockton , is it Portsmouth? That's my home city, I don't have RN connections but always feel
emotional watching the homecomings when they pop up on local news pages. I'm a school governor and we're due our inspection any time soon, I agree about the box ticking.

Ofsted - the biggest box ticking exercise ever! We waited for 12 years for our last one and they’d clearly decided before they even came through the doors what we were being given. I totally agree about box ticking. I’m hoping I’ll have retired by the time another one comes around.

@EndlessDistraction and @NCTDN This was an ISI inspection (private school) and they happen every 3 years (to the month). I have done 4 Ofsted and 3 ISI inspections. It felt like a trial this time where SLT/staff/children were interviewed about lots of different aspects of the school and the inspectors just had their heads in laptops writing up evidence to tick boxes.

@EndlessDistraction yes Portsmouth. It sounds like it will be a big event. Just hope it warms up!

Mine’s private too @Aslockton but boarding so we have the Ofsted social care one every year and Ofsted for education too. I’m not as hands-on involved as the staff but all the same there is a lot riding on it for the governing body. Yes, the homecoming events are big, lots of places where crowds gather around the harbour entrance, I love it down there. Hopefully you will get a bit of time to explore while you are there as well as reuniting with DD.

Well, another day of parent-admin here. It is taking over my life it is fair to say. Just popping onto MN for a break (I don’t work Fridays). Ooof.

Poor DS got rejected on medical grounds for Army yesterday. He's not v happy to say the least. Tuesday he had email to say they have his records so was v happy. Wednesday he is rejected because of 'exercise induced urticaria in 2020' . No idea what that's all about.

RAF never queried his records at all. He has done email appeal pro forma nd is going to ring recruiter today but not sure it will do any good.

He is super fit, exercises every day either gym or swimming. Done competitive sport from aged 6 right through to now. GB u23s coxing coach coming to watch him compete this weekend. Am just venting now!! And he was applying as Education Officer so hardly front line, even if he did have anything. He had allergy testing as a child and is allergic to dust mites but not anymore, and that wasn't the reason for rejection anyway.

Rant over!!!

He is enjoying TA job so one good thing and has PGCE interview at Cambridge. He also says may try RAF again as passed that medical...

Wow @craggyrat I am so sorry to read that. So, so disappointing, but good for him on pressing the detail on rejection.

I have noticed this with DD's friends and the few applications she also put in, that organisations these days, private and public sector seem to provide a rejection insinuating it's on the applicant. Haven't completed assessments/virtual interviews, submitted in timely manner etc etc when previous automated emails have confirmed all completed and received. It's a new weird of gaslighting that they've added into their process.

Good luck to him with the Cambridge interview.

@ealingwestmum thanks yes i think you're right. Am hoping he can appeal this but will just have to wait and see. Hes v disappointed and confused!

How frustrating. Hope he can get to the bottom of it.

DS has flu. Which is annoying as yesterday was the first day of panto rehearsals. He turned up anyway (ironically everyone was offered a free flu jab) and luckily it was a pretty easy day of just setting everything up. I think he is off today and back in tomorrow.

Oh no @craggyrat , disappointing to get a rejection for any reason, but that is so perplexing - hope he can get to the bottom of what's happened and have another crack at it.

Sorry to hear about the flu @Comefromaway - hope he shakes it off quickly and it doesn't affect his panto involvement.

Dd has finally passed her driving test! Third time on this occasion (although she passed first time originally). Such a relief; she's taken her car back to uni and we've paid the extortionate new driver (with 6 points!) insurance.. Thankfully ds' insurance is starting to come down and his two years as a new driver is up in February. He doesn't have any points yet...

Well done to your DD @crazycrofter. No more giving her lifts everywhere!
@craggyrat thats so disappointing & seems really unfair. Do you think they confused him with someone else?
Well, the much vaunted job that ds2 said he had has dematerialised .Apparently he had a 5 hour shift that he said was disastrous. The person he was working with flooded the kitchen & service had to be halted.
He thought he'd been offered another job & told the original place this as the shift was so bad. The second place then ignored his emails & said they were just about to pick someone after a month of trial shifts!? For a holiday job 🤔. Needless to say he wasn't paid for any of the 2 shifts.
It's all a good lesson in life.
A lot of places are pulling young kids in for trial shifts & not paying them apparently.

Thanks for the sympathy everyone. Hes spoken to recruiter today so wait and see at the moment. He has day off today as school closed due to gas leak so catching up on his admin.

@crazycrofter thats fab news re the driving test! What a relief!

@comefromaway sorry to hear about the flu. Hope he feels better soon.

@Cantonet so rude re the job. These places just take such advantage of youngsters especially at this time of year I imagine. And I don't think any employer should get away with not paying for trial shifts.

Fabulous @crazycrofter. May life resume back to normal for your DD, she has an incredible ability to crack on in spite of setbacks, well done her.

Thanks all! @ealingwestmum it’s been a real pain but there was a silver lining - losing her car meant giving up her care job, which was replaced by a job at Nando’s, where she’s made lots of friends and gets free food 🤣 I also think she’ll be a much more careful driver now too 🤞

@Cantonet that's really disappointing 😩