DS1's report is due out today and I've got butterflies

[Ormirian]

He's in yr9 and about to start thinking about his GCSE option. Recently he has been deciding on what he wants to do when he leaves school. I am getting a bit freaked out that life is going to be really tough for this generation - to find a job or to afford university. DS wants to try for an apprenticeship but they aren't easy to get hold of especially in the area he's interested in.

Suddenly his grades and results seem really important. And the decisions he makes over the next few months. More so than ever before. He's doing OK, much more than OK in some areas, but I am so worried it won't be enough.

Anyone else getting panics about the future?

DD is in the same year and also starting to think about options, I feel really sad because she is going to drop (through her choice ) everything creative - art, drama, music etc to concentrate on other things. It seems so sad to be filtering stuff out and narrowing down the curriculum at 13! Her joy lies in chemistry, maths, biology etc, but I wish she had to do something more creative too.

I know exactly what you mean about making decisions, it suddenly seems so important to be making the right decisions, the problem is, we aren't exactly sure what they are!!

Exactyl!

DS went to a careers fair and all of a sudden there were deadlines and goals and it all got a bit panicky TBH. I still think of him as a child. Hell he still thinks of himself as a child! Too young to be making big big decisions. He's lucky in that he sort of knows what he wants to do.... what happens if you haven't got the first clue?

Thanks herbie. I rang DS at home just now and he has the report but isn't allowed to open it .

Ormirian - he is still a child.. DD still sleeps with her cuddly giraffe, and sometimes when I tuck her in when I go to bed, she is sucking her thumb. How can she be ready to be thinking about the future?!

She actually won't have lots of choice in reality, she will do triple science, so that plus the ones they have to do means she will probably only choose 2. Her problem will come in dropping subjects that she doesn't want to, for example she is thinking she will end up choosing between history and geog but actually wants to do both.
Tricky innit?!

So what effect does this report have on his choices?

No more than before I guess. Directly. It just seems more signficant. I have tended to be quite laidback about their reports in the past - well done if it's good, never mind keep trying if it isn't. But it feels as if time is moving on. There aren't years and years of school ahead of him anymore. He's had a curriculum day where the pupils had a lot of info about apprenticeships and the local college, they have been to a careers fair and they had been invited to go round the college where they'll do A levels. All good but there is a feeling of thing ramping up.

Mine are year 8 and 10 but I was talking to a year 7 girl last night from a differnt school and they are taking their options in Year 8

My DS is 15 and still doesn't really know what he wants to do, other than forensics or medicine. He really didn't get that much choice for his options basically a choice of 2 academic and one technical subject. He could also take a twilight which he did, but he is struggling a bit with that at the moment.
Ormiran there is a big shortage of engineers at the moment. DH's professional magazine always has articles about the shortage.

"there is a big shortage of engineers at the moment."

Hurray!

Problem is can DS find somewhere that is prepared to take the risk of taking him on and training him? I am just getting jittery I think. Reaction to years of being the 'oooh don't worry about it' type of mother.....

In year 8?!?

Fuck me! DD is in yr 7 and still worrying more about Littlest Pet Shop and horse-riding than any sort of future.

My DD had to choose her yr9 option in yr8. Her school does an option a year over yr9-11. Last year was pretty easy. DD choose the one thing she really wanted to do and put subjects she wouldn't mind doing in the other two slots. As for her yr10 option, which she will choose after Xmas she is umming ALOT! She is contemplating choices that didn't even make her reserve list for Yr9 option. Gawd knows what she will come up with for yr11 option!

From what I can gather Britain cannot compete with the rest of the world in manufacturing any more, but can compete in the brain department for high end engineering. Dyson apparently employs more people in his UK based R&D division than when he had the whole of manufacturing based here. He has just doubled his uk engineers and scientist by taking on another 350 engineers. DS has taken Electronics as one of his options, I really wouldn,t be surprised if he ends up in that area rather than medicine.

DD is year 8 and there has been no mention of her taking options early yet.

Hmmm..... report was OK. Just a set of numbers. Effort, attitude etc all good or outstanding but I don't understand the target levels. He seems to be on target for most subjects but the targets haven't changed since last year. I am hoping that is because I don't understand them rather than that he hasn't improved

How was the report??!!

That was weird!

X post!!

Do you have a parent meeting coming up? You could always ask to meet you tutor and go through it.

Not until Feb.

My DS1 would be thrilled that you all spoke about engineering. He's soon to graduate with a (hopefully) First in Civil Engineering. I didn't know what that was before he came home at 16 and said that the lady from Connextions had suggested it. I had to look it up.

It's a v voccational degree and he's gone for the four year masters course. Currently applying for jobs (scary) but at least global companies are still recruiting. Eventually he can become a Chartered Engineer which seems to be good.

It's all maths, physics and a touch of chemistry.

options chose in year 8 here and were talking after xmas then they start in year 9

omiran if like ds school they set the targets for the end of the gcse year or do here and then they have to work towards them ,

DCs have had the same targets since year 7. Their targets are for the end of KS3 (yr9) DS got new GCSE targets this year

Hi Orm! Good that the report was OK.
ds1 had a similar "interim" report last week.

Their school give them targets 'for the end of yr9' whilst still in yr7, then for the next 3 years they just get BT - below target, OT - on target, or AT - above target: according to the progress they are making towards this end of yr9 target.

Are yours the same? ds1's end of yr9 targets vary from L5 (PE - below target - LOL! ) up to L8 for quite a few 'trad academic subjects'.

I know what you mean about thinking about the future though - it is scary. ds1's options process starts after Christmas too (he's in yr9).

We don't have targets like you describe and we haven't had careers advice/ fairs etc yet. At the mo, DD knows the subjects she likes best - chemistry, biology, maths, physics and is wondering what she can do with them. There is some research thing in the Antarctic she fancies working at, but she may be put off when she realises there's no top shop/ hollister there.

She is also away with the fairies half the time, so thinking about the future is a challenge!

Well roisin - that is what bothers me. DS#s targets are all 6s and he is on 6 for a handful and 5 for more. But he's doing really well with behaviour, attitude, effort etc. He's in the top set for most subjects. So either those targets are only for end of this year or he (and the school) have very low expectations

rather - DS has started to have some idea of what he wants to do. But it's only recent. DD won't have any idea at all! She 'wants to work with animals' but not be a vet because she couldn't cope with them dying