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Scotsnet

Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

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Original poster

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

862 replies

weegiemum · 05/04/2016 15:39

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.

OP posts:

Groovee · 30/04/2016 07:54

Maths is the issue for dd. She got the highest prelim mark for English and was mortified when the teacher announced it. But she loves English and has a good way with words, unlike Ds and I!

hidingwithwine · 30/04/2016 08:24

My DS is predicted for A in Higher English, Mods and History. However he won't be sitting N5 maths until this time next year at the end of S6. Meanwhile DD will be sitting it in S4 at the same time . Which is the same as my brother and I way back in the 80's. I could ace anything with essays and maths was a foreign language. DS1 is the same. However DD is in the top set for maths and science. Just shows you never get the same thing twice! DS went to Mods study class for the last two Thursdays and was the only one there. 2 hours each time with MY old Mods teacher. I sat O grade Mods in.... 1986 . After his disappointment last August over his N5 results there have been no issues with him studying this year. The school also emailed parents a 10 page doc with all the extra study master classes offered before and during the study leave. I can't believe I stuck all these exams in the calendar at the start of the year and they're here already

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 08:52

I have it the other way around. Though DS2 was always a maths wizz at primary he has lost his way a bit and had a poor teacher for the last year. I'm hoping it all comes back to him with hopefully a different teacher this year. S4 on tuesday, eeek!

prettybird · 30/04/2016 09:31

Ds has had the same Maths teacher since they were set in the September of S1 Fortunately, he's a great teacher (head of Maths). He's been told they'll have completed the Higher curriculum by September and will be starting on Advanced Higher.

He's also been in the same class for English since they were set in October on S1: a very scary intense teacher but she seems to get them enthused about English.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 09:45

Ds2 only knows one of his new teachers and that's for English. He's heard she isnt very good and is also an over enthusiastic feminist. Not sure how well that will go down in a year where there are two thirds boys and my experience thus far is that its the boys who are the downtrodden masses in the school :) His maths teacher is very clever just not very good at speaking and explaining. DS feels sorry for him I think there are about 8 maths teachers so it will be a lottery.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 09:47

I'm dissapointed he is not keeping his current English teacher. Both my boys have/ had her last year and she is really lovely and an excellent teacher.

Groovee · 30/04/2016 10:26

Arrggh the maths tutor has just cancelled for Tuesday. Just what Dd doesn't need!

hidingwithwine · 30/04/2016 10:46

I've just realised that since I name changed due to all the Adam furore, no one has a clue who I am on here now .

DS1 will be keeping the same maths teacher we don't want her and should have the head of dept for his higher advance classes. I guess we'll find out once he goes back to class on 7th June.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 10:48

What was the Adam furore?

hidingwithwine · 30/04/2016 10:51

Bloody autocorrect - DM as in Daily Mail has morphed into Adam whoever he is

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 11:02

Ha ha, i thought id missed something, it wasnt such a furore when i ended up on loose women. But to be fair I can no longer remember what user name i was using then.

Groovee · 30/04/2016 11:53

Who were you?

prettybird · 30/04/2016 15:52

Ds has a massive amount of fun in his Maths class - their teacher seems to be a real clown but he gets results

.....that included last year with the controversial "new" Higher Maths exam, which so many pupils apparently had problems with. None of his class did.

I don't always agree with the Subject Heads always being given the top class (as I think the lower sets also deserve the "best" teachers), but ds thinks he's brilliant.

Although I've just remembered, he did have a different teacher in S2 and she was also good.

Because ds' school started the Nat 5 curriculum in S3, they usually get the same subject teachers for the 2 years.

Original poster

weegiemum · 30/04/2016 17:35

Dd1 has to go in on Tues then off until after the exams.

She had her options meeting and the school are allowing her to take Art as a single pupil in the one 'column' she didn't like anything in. She'll have to sit in the back of other classes but she's very motivated with art.

Therefore, pending the Nat5 results, she should be doing English, Ghaidlig, Art, History and Graphic Comm.

OP posts:

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 17:55

That's good then weegie :) All being well with the Nat 5s, DS1 will be doing Maths, Physics, Computing Science, Engineering Science and a crash Higher Graph Comm (if he is allowed). He's playing to his strengths :) He's dropping the dreaded Geography, Art which he used to love but has really been put off this year and deferring English Higher to 6th year.

Pb to be fair DS2 quite enjoys some of the maths class as they play catch phrase bingo but he isn't learning anything and has lost confidence. I'm glad he changes teacher and I will ask for a change of class if he gets the same teacher again.

DS2 is taking English, Maths, History, Modern Studies, French, Business Management and Chemistry.

You never get two the same :) DS1 was into jigsaws, lego, trucks and also books in a big way and is torn between engineering and computing after school. DS2 could speak before he could sit up - his first word was yellow at about 7 months old and he hasn't shut up since. He fancies a career in Politics.

Original poster

weegiemum · 30/04/2016 18:02

Dd1 will be doing crash higher graphics as her technical subject was Design and Manufacture but the tech. teacher is sure she can manage it. I'm trying not to think about the folio work for both art and graphics!

OP posts:

Groovee · 30/04/2016 18:07

Dd plans to do higher english, biology, dance and modern studies. She's also doing Crash higher in RE.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 18:08

He wanted to do Graph Comm last year but it was in the same column as Engineering Science or computing I think. Anyway at the time of parent's night the teacher said she'd be happy to have him for Engineering and that she'd spoken to the teacher who takes Graph Comm and he'd put DS1 on the list as one of the most desired pupils for his course. She said on the back of that that she was sure he'd be able to do a crash higher. Officially the school info says he needs an A in Art to be able to be put forward for the crash Higher. I don't think he will get that in Art for a few reasons so it's a bit up in the air.

He doesn't talk to people so he just handed in his option slip without making it clear it was Higher he wanted to do so we have no idea what he has been put down for!

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 18:13

Groovee, despite being an atheist DS2 has already sussed that RE is just essay writing so if he needs another option for a crash higher he is going to do that.

prettybird · 30/04/2016 18:32

Ds will be doing English because he knows he's not allowed to drop it , Maths, Geography, Physics and Chemistry for Highers, with a view to doing Physics/Chemistry/Geography or something along those lines (Astrophysics, Geophysical Sciences?) at Uni.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 18:44

DS1 needs to defer the English as the thought of talking/doing a speech makes him overly anxious to the point of tears. He needed a year with the pressure of just to concentrate on stuff he is good at. He's been told (by us) that he needs to get a good mark in the Nat5 though in order to not do the Higher next year as we want him to still work hard for it to put him in a better position for picking it back up again in 6th. He got a B in the prelim so should be capable of at least that in the exam I would have thought.

prettybird · 30/04/2016 19:03

Ds has no problems with speaking - he completed the spoken bit of his Nat 5 in S2 : the 3 pupils who got 1s for their spoken piece then didn't have to re-do it. He did an impassioned talk about Nelson Mandela which his scary English teacher was still talking about with respect at the Parents' Evening this year Have I mentioned his English teacher is scary?

Groovee · 30/04/2016 19:05

Yeah RE is like modern studies which she got a B in the 2 year higher prelim! She got the best higher mark despite not actually sitting it this year. We'd been told that she would be expected to get a D or E but she surpassed that.

If she fails maths then RE can get dropped for maths. There's method in her madness!

OneMagnumisneverenough · 30/04/2016 19:14

DS1 has to do his spoken pieces in private - he has done previous pieces just with the teacher but needed an audience for the last one - he asked his brother. I don't know who was the most proud of them that day, me or the teacher. She was also raving about some rap that DS2 had done the previous year that she said was amazing. Chalk and cheese.

good plan groovee :)

prettybird · 30/04/2016 20:44

Well done to your ds Magnum - that shows real courage, doing something you're really scared about

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