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.

I only got told after the event that there had been a session on "close reading" for English on Monday To be fair, ds couldn't have gone as he was up at Strathallan School from Friday to Monday participating in a cycle race.

I believe that there are other sessions but none that ds feels the need to go to .

I really should go onto the school website to check for myself, shouldn't I?

My DD is going into school on Monday, something to do with her higher P.E. I'm glad she's going as I don't think she's left the house all week apart from when I told her she needed to do the food shop with me.

I follow the school on Twitter so know which departments are which day. But I had to sign to say I was aware of the classes too.

I follow the school too - but I'm not always good at checking Twitter (I go through phases). Dh is more of a Twitterati than me, so I'm sure he'd mention if he saw anything relevant.

He's been doing Geography today, saying how pleased he was that all the glacial stuff was really familiar. I just hope he doesn't get cocky complacent

Our school doesn't do Twitter (I'm too stupid to understand it so its probably just as well) They do run supported study for certain subjects in the first week of the Spring break. Unfortunately for dd, they don't do them for AH classes. She went in on Monday for the afternoon for higher physics but that's her lot.

I'm always extremely grateful to our wonderful teachers that give up their time to help the children. They don't have to and I'm not even sure they get their time back.

No Easter school in the school I teach in but DD2 has plenty of sessions open to her, however, she'll only go to the "bothered aboot wans" - History and Biology. Dodging English despite it being first.

DD4 pointed out to me 3 years ago when DD1 was awaiting "the envelope" that I'd be doing this for 9 years non stop between them. That's only school SQA exams not uni or college stuff. After DDs get their results (and they insist on snail mail) I scoot to work to see my pupils' results. Oh and I mark for SQA. Still beats Biff, Chip and Kipper 9 years on the trot!

DS2 is sitting 5 highers this year. He has been in school for supported study most of this week & is definetly taking it seriously. Our oldest DS is at uni now so we have had 3 years previous experience & 3 more years to come DS3 sits Nat5s next year. We don't do rewards for exam success, last year they got a packet of Percy Pigs, but we shell out a lot of money on travel & hobbies sailing, hiking, drama classes, fencing to name a few & as they get older they realise that there are Significant costs to these & accept that other things have to give.

Definitely no easter school at our high school or supported study after school or lunchtimes either. There's confidence for you considering how keen they are to promote their good showings in the passes lists.

I have mixed views on holiday supported study as it is unpaid for teachers. If teachers are so committed to helping young people to achieve the best possible results that they will give up their own time - then that is truly altruism and they should be praised for it (many thanks to those who are giving of their time for my DD2).

But the reality is that you often are browbeaten into it. I remember one of my previous schools Easter revision was the done thing SMT asked me what I was offering in hols keeping in mind the snow days I'd had when my DDs' schools were closed. Winter 2010 if you recall? What they didn't recall was I hadn't taken any days other than the 2 we had been closed (DH's work did not want anyone making unsafe journeys so he'd stayed home), they were just trying the same guilt trip on all staff who had school age DCs.

I did offer after school sessions until 2 years ago when a year head came to see me about a parental complaint - I was only offering sessions on the texts that I teach therefore other classes were disadvantaged by my unfairness...

Just checked: ds got his days wrong

He'd told me there was supported study for only 2 of his subjects: English Close Reading (which he needs to work on) and Maths (which he can do with his eyes shut).

He thought English was on Monday (which he couldn't go to as he was in Perthshire) and Maths on Tuesday. It was the other way round

Too late to worry now - I'm sure his English teacher will have them working hard for the two weeks after the Spring Break.

I don't think it's an issue that there isn't anything tbh, I am sure a change of scenery does everyone the world of good. I didn't realise it was a thing until people here were mentioning that their children were going in. My DS can't really get to school without someone to drive him without a lot of faff and walking and I enjoy the holidays and not having to drive to school and back added to my daily commute. So despite him having to get on with study its probably a good thing that no-one feels obliged to go in.

Lots of good resources for previously known as close reading, now the ridiculously wordy Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation, available on line. Lots of schools have their teachers' Powerpoints, revision packs etc on their websites so they are accessible to all. Good ones go through the techniques and question types with worked examples and may help him more than plodding through sample papers. BBCBitesize is improving too especially for Nat 5 as it beds in.

Dd had been going to the supported study after school a number of times but with maths she needed the one to one explanations of how to do some stuff.

Dd says she'll sign up for early results as our mail is often 2-3pm.

She's away to her friends birthday party tonight. But early morning drama tomorrow to which she arrived with a huge board of some sort for sports this afternoon. She better not need a lift to school with that.

Good point about the results. Our post doesn't often doesn't get here until after 4

I'll have to ask him what he's planning on doing.

Ds is never wrong takes after his father , I know "nothing" so I can't possibly help or advise.

He'd been doing some English revision on "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (which to be fair, I've not read, nor have I seen the film, but I do know the premise of the film and the roles of the various characters) and refuses to let me even look at what he's done, because I "couldn't possibly comment". He doesn't seem to understand that a) I can comment on the quality of his English (grammar) and b) can still advise on how well he's answered the question.

Still, I suppose I should grateful that we've brought up an independent, self-reliant boy!

And she needs a lift with that huge board!

DS did more Geography and Computing and English yesterday - I suspect after an enthusiastic start he is running out of steam. I think DH made him put too much in each day so therefore it feels too much like a chore - but what do I know?

Ds has appeared briefly and gone back to his bedroom. Not sure he's been doing the exercise he'd supposedly factored in to his timetable - but I get my head snapped off every time I ask him a question.

The joys X

DS1 still has the usual coursework to do - he's just done a Mods essay and has another essay due for History. He's been working on these over the past week.

He's not off on study leave until the 4th May - the day before Higher English.

Tillie - ours break up for study leave on Friday 29th at the end of the school day, but it's a public holiday on the Monday anyway so technically it's Tuesday 3rd - it's not really that great is it? There must be a better system but I don't know what it is.

He was just back after Easter last year then off. This year they aren't back off study leave until about the 8th June - him and 3 mates are sodding off to a mates caravan for the last week as they'll all have finished their exams lucky gits

DS1s last exam is on the 31st May and they are back at school the following Monday but I think he has his DofE silver practice expedition on the weekend before he goes back.

Dd finishes on the 29th. First exam 5th May. She returns to school for induction on he 2nd of June. Although the timetable changes on the 6th, she's on a trip so back 10th June.

Ours all shift up on 3rd May so DS2 will be in 4th year and starting his Nat 5 courses while DS1 is on exam leave. Which reminds me that I need to go and get him a Senior tie asap. One of his main concerns about moving up seems to be the fact that his tie will now have a crest on it so he will need to be more careful about tying it compared to the all over stripey one. Believe me he should have bigger concerns than that but I'll leave that for him to work out. :)