Nat 5/Highers etc - Anyone getting ready with their S4 - S6 dc?

[weegiemum]

My dd1 is in s4 and about to sit 8 Nat5s. I don't know who is more wound up about it - her or me! (and I'm a teacher!!).

Wondered if there's anyone else out there to hold hands with?

DD is sitting English, Maths, Ghaidlig (Gaelic native speaker), French, History, Art & Design, Physics and Design & Manufacture. First is English on 5th May.

[rogueantimatter]

Larkie - a thought about your DC's timetable - H music is 60% performance. Could the rest be caught up with in lunch or after school if a music teacher is willing perhaps?

[Groovee]

Loved my French history trip in S5!

[WankersHacksandThieves]

It'll do them good hiding. Mine did the WW1 trenches in first year. The water tastes funny as it's got clay in it - that's about the extent of the info I got. Ours break up tomorrow lunchtime.

[hidingwithwine]

DS1 is away to Belgium to explore muddy WW1 trenches and DD went off on a train to London this morning at 7am, so not much S6/4 work happening for either of them this week

[WankersHacksandThieves]

DS1 seems happy with his timetable. He is doing the crash Higher Graph Comm that he wanted and is one of a few doing it so that's good. He is not nervous about results day at all, seems confident, I hope it's not misplaced...

One of his friends isn't too happy though and I think will be looking to shuffle some classes/subjects after the holidays.

[prettybird]

Ds only had 2 weeks of his new timetable before spending his last week on Work Experience.

Now on holiday

Only just over 6 weeks to go until the results.

[Groovee]

How has everyone who was staying on got on with the new timetable? Dd was not happy but has settled into highers easily and appears to be enjoying. Still hoping that she passes maths!

[WankersHacksandThieves]

Hope you enjoy the trip.

So, in terms of work for DD you need something that is stimulating but also alerts her to engage? How is she with Tech or people? Something engineering based or IT support? Retail? I'll st my thinking cap on. Have you engaged with Skills Development Scotland?

[Groovee]

One of my friend's son is going to college to do an access to apprenticeship course. World of Work is a great website too.

It's hard as they are now of an age where they are now more aware of their right to choices, but guiding them to where can help them is hard work.

Dd gets home tonight. Been so peaceful without her! She obviously makes too much noise

[unlucky83]

Thanks for the link - she really does have no idea - because of her ADHD I don't think a desk job will be suitable, she needs to be able to use her brain (she is bright) and also it has to catch her interest to keep her concentration...I thought something outdoorsy but she has said not.
I'll have a look at it tomorrow...(hopefully) I have lots of work/voluntary work stuff to catch up on.
And there was some confusion over the timing of a primary school trip -I thought it was next week! They needed a parent helper and I was going to phone next week and volunteer if they were desperate (when I should be more on top of things). Found out at pick up it is tomorrow and DC said they had a helper...I had to phone to confirm something about it and said glad you have a helper - I was going to offer ...to be told they hadn't got a confirmed helper and could they let me know tomorrow if they needed me? I couldn't say no -but now have my fingers crossed that they don't!!!! (And kicking myself for not keeping my mouth shut )

[WankersHacksandThieves]

Worth a scroll through to see if anything suitable/get some ideas?

apprenticeshipsinscotland.com/

[WankersHacksandThieves]

Aww, tough choices, DS1 will be 16 in July and DS2 will be 15 in August - they aren't ready for the world yet so I'm glad that they are happy in school.

DS1 was bullied for years in primary - I still get the rage thinking about it - definitely not an easy choice.

I would also have thought that if they are leaving they would be out of school. If the teacher hadn't specified ADHD then i would have been right with her as I agree that when they get to the Higher classes, they should only have people in the class who are interested in learning and not simply there because they have to be, very clumsy of her though but maybe not done with bad intentions?

It's not great when you have to limit their options purely on geography and transport but in a way it can make choosing easier? It's sounding like she might be best staying at school but with something done about her class allocation. Could you maybe reassess at Christmas when she will be entitled to leave and look at apprenticeships? I'm sorry I can't remember what she was interested in and the thread is too long to scroll through.

[unlucky83]

Hi Magnum
No idea what she would do at college - I'll have to get her to look in more detail. And after talking to a friend I was dithering more - a bit worried about the practicalities and whether it would be a good idea.
We are semi rural and she has a choice of two colleges she could go to - both over 10 miles away. One there is a bus every hour in the 'rush hour' (every 2 hrs or less the rest of the time ) then a 10 min or so walk - but in quite a nice smallish place - we looked at courses there and she wasn't interested.
The other is much larger, much more choice and would be two buses away.
Also it is in a large town with some pretty 'tough' areas...there is a chance at college she might meet some 'bad' influences. And she can be quite easily influenced - or rather impulsive (just glad her friends at the moment are really nice sensible types who look out for her). And she is young - will only just be 15 and a half next Aug. And both she would have to go on her own - she doesn't know anyone else going.
I probably wouldn't be able to give her a lift to college - even part way - cos I still have to get my youngest to primary...

I thought one of the ex bullies was leaving but she is still there (she is old enough to leave) -I thought if they were they wouldn't be in school now? So don't think they are going to college? Even if they did - the bigger one at least she would be unlucky to see them - unless they were on the same course...
I will have a word with guidance - just suss out whether I should mention the teachers comment or not - I asked DD and she said but the teacher is nice ...then she didn't really say anything so I am guessing she doesn't want me to say anything but I'll let her think about it a bit more.
And I thought the toddler stage was tough!!!!

[WankersHacksandThieves]

That's such a shame unlucky It's Magnum here btw.

I think you are right in that there may be a lot of movement after the holidays however, I think you need to get in and let them know about the bullying girls before then so they can take that into account when they restructure the class so that it just looks like things have changed due to that rather than because you've complained in case that causes DD any problems

As for the ADHD comment - that's shocking but I agree you need to discuss that with DD before you decide what to do.

What would be her options if she went for college? Could she still get a place for after the summer? What's the chances of these girls being in college too?

[unlucky83]

DD has started her new timetable this week - and is miserable.
None of her friends are in the same classes (even ones doing the same subjects) and she is in classes with children that used to bully her -she is actually stuck sitting next to one of the worst ones.
I've told her to hang on as it might all change after summer...but I might have a discreet word with her guidance teacher...
(I am still trying to persuade her to go to college instead - this might be an incentive)
I was going to anyway as the fact that she has ADHD was overlooked due to guidance teacher changes and then long term sick leave at the beginning of last year.
But apparently one of her (new) teachers today was giving them a pep talk about how it was all serious study this year. There should no class disruption as most of the troublemakers had left - like the children with ADHD -which she thought were just naughty children with no boundaries . I feel like complaining - or at least mentioning it to someone - but then maybe it will be enough that she will be embarrassed when she finds out she has a child with ADHD in her class - who is mainly quiet in class - just day dreams, is disorganised etc but has never been disruptive...
DD1 seems ok about it -told me quite dispassionately -but I'll ask her more about it and see if she did find it upsetting and if she wants me to tell anyone.

[WankersHacksandThieves]

Absolutely! You need to try to do what's best for your child.

[Larkie40]

I'd just like to be reassured that they have thought through all options before accepting their decision.
Can only try 😄

[WankersHacksandThieves]

Here's the curriculum for Higher Art

www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/47892.html

It might be worth a read through before the meeting. It's best to go with some options and suggestions and see if they can make it work within any understandable constraints. You'd think that they would do whatever they can to support but at the same time they can't magic up an extra teacher out of thin air.

[Larkie40]

Have a meeting on Friday to discuss!
The idea of doing the art in a Nat 5 timetabled class seems a reasonable suggestion. I'm not keen on the crashing higher chemistry at all
The art doesn't have huge number of taught classes it's mostly practical so it seems as if it should be a fairly flexible subject

[Lidlfix]

My science colleagues don't recommend crashing in S5 as the courses are sequential learning based. Total nightmare to try to have even a bi-level Nat 5 /Higher course (some subjects dovetail nicely) is nigh on impossible. They only recommend crashing in S6 if success at Higher, in 2 other sciences, already proven.

[Groovee]

We've had a timetable clash too and the deputy head has been useless! We cannot start to sort it out until Friday as she's on a school trip!

[WankersHacksandThieves]

It's a tough one Larkie as I presume it's because of timetable issues rather than anything else. DSs go to quite a small school so it does limit combinations but he has managed to get what he wanted (based on what they offer - not all subjects are available full stop) and started classes this week. They may be happy to allow her to do those but there is simply not a class and a teacher available at the time she wants to do them.

Is it possible for her to do any of them at another local school or at college? Could she do Art in one of the Nat 5 timetabled classes and do a lot of self study for the higher bits?

[Larkie40]

Glad the exams are over, now the waiting for results and the battle over options begins.
Dd wants to do higher physics, music and art but can't because the three subjects are only available in two columns, school think she should just defer one to 6th year and crash higher chemistry.....
They don't seem to be budging, wondering if anyone has any thoughts, I think she should be able to study what she is good at and what they have previously encouraged her to do !

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

If th e9th is a celebration in our house it will be a toss up who gets to choose the menu as it's DS2s birthday as well as results day for DS1. It'll have to depend on which one I love the most! :o

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Well the plump female has sang and it's all over for 2016 until results day.

Well done everybody and hope everyone gets what they wish for come the 9th. :)

Highers start on Monday here too. Maths, Physics, Engineering, Computing and hopefully a crash Graph Comm. That's if he makes it home from DofE on Sunday...