First term of yr12 over - working at grades / workload /much holiday work?

[circular]

Curious how its been for others with the 'big step up' from GCSE to to AS.

DD1 doesn't seem to have been getting much homework, possibly completing most of it in free periods. When I casually mention 'reading around a subject' she looks at me as though I'm from another planet, and says she is not interested in any of her subjects enough to do extra, apart from Music.

She would typically come home and say she got an D or U in (say) a Physics or French test, but then says half the class got a lower mark than her. This is at a school that gets around 60% A to B at A level., so selective 6th form. DD1 got 2A and 2A at GCSE in her AS subjects.

Had parents evening just after half term, and although then working well below ultimate targets, none of her teachers seemed unduly worried. No end of term report yet, but hearing subsequent test results, not expecting much change in grades.
DD1 Says she understands everything in lessons, teachers seem to agree, and think it is just more question practice that she needs. But unless work is actually set, she has no motivation to go and do any extra. She thinks past papers should be left till nearer exams, says text book is rubbish, and has found a few inaccuracies in study guides so pushed them aside too. Tried to get her to look at Khan academy site but not interested.

Does this seem normal, or should I be worried at this stage?
Anyone else seeing similar or are they all flying?

mumslife - DD wouldn't have got into the other grammar either. It is funny though how she got an A in maths and is being given the target of an A at AS. DD will not be doing 4 subjects at A level either.

hellsbells99 Maybe they recently reset your DDs targets based on performance? From what you said previously, she had been doing very well in maths.
DDs school used the ALPS scores so based on GCSE grade average (DD just below A), initial predictions are ABB. But her subjec targets all initially set at B, none changed yet, except Music recently changed target to A/B.

Mumslife I think the predictions for Uni applications are done after AS results, so beginning of yr13.
It would be nice to have some idea in time for Jun/Jul open days so as not to waste time and be too aspirational.

hellsbells99, I agree some big name universities my DD is aspiring to, perhaps she's being too confident, but she feels she can possibly achieve AAAB at AS, which are her initial predictions given by her college - I have no idea how they were arrived at! On results day, it may be a different story and I will have to eat my words.

circular, I know what you mean about the potential of wasting time on Open days, it's hard to know what to do, eg, we won't probably bother looking at Durham because it's miles away from where we live and possibly out-of-reach academically for DD. But no point aiming too low either.

As mumslife says, mocks results will give a better indicator for all our DCs.

Mumslife I think the general guide is one or two aspirational, two or three on prediction, and one or two below for insurance .

Just catching up on this thread - DD2 is home at the moment so the house is a bit noisier than usual. I did suggest that DS asked her about about any further maths that he's not sure about but DD2 said she can't remember how to do any of it (it wasn't that long since she did it and she is doing maths at university )

DS wants to do English at university so he will only take further maths to AS and will drop film studies as well (he does that because he's made on film making/script writing/ directing) so that he can concentrate on English, History and Maths in year 13. He is considering Oxbridge and school have been making encouraging noises so he needs to choose which one he prefers. We are going to Durham in half term (a trip down memory lane for me and DH ) so that DS can have a look round.

webwiz Is hat open day or just general visit? I thought most of the open days were June/July then Sept/Oct. Not hat Durham is on our list anyway.

Munslife Up to 5 go on the UCAS form. How many you visit is up to you, I suspect we will look at more than 5, as for the type of course DD favours, they all want quite high grades, so she will need to choose her aspirational choices carefully. Also, as she is jittery about being away from home, no way would she go somewhere without having seen it first. Not that I would recommend anyone else to do that either.

If your DD ends up applying anywhere she had not yet seen and gets an offer, there's always the chance to visit later, before making a decision.

Just a general visit circular as DH has a load of East Coast train company points that are about to expire!

Just catching up with

What happened there?

Circular, ds1 is finding M1 quite straightforward. His school is quite unusual as pupils do either S1 and S2 or M1 and M2.

Agree with all the posts about deciding which universities to visit. How do you even draw up a shortlist? Ds and I have waded through quite a number of university websites already but, really, Chemistry is Chemistry wherever you do it!!! The only differences so far are in the extra options that can be taken.

He has considered taking Warwick off the list on the basis that the information on the website is unintelligible which is as good a reason as any!

I picked my Uni based on the fact it was far away, but not too far away, and was a direct train line, no changes. And had a good student's union :)

I suggested to Ds that he not apply to Durham or Newcastle on the basis that they were too far north and it would be too cold!!! He wasn't impressed by my crazy logic.

Interesting what you are saying about target/predicted grades. Thought DD's maths target was an A but Just got her report out that she got at the end of term. Her AS targets are BBCC - not sure where these targets come from. The Cs are for physics and biology. For gcse biology she got an A* in all 3 papers but a B in her Isa so overall a high A. I would have thought biology would be easier than chemistry at AS level but her target in chemistry is a B? Her actual grades so far are AABD so doing okay.
DD's school take them to a ucas day in Manchester As a starting point I think.
We have very little experience of the university process - DH left school at 16 and I went to a local poly after flunking my A levels - but I don't actually remember applying to any universities so it was probably assumed I wouldn't do well!

Raidne - by the way, Warwick university is actually in Coventry I believe and not in Warwick!

Its our first time for Uni applications too.
Agree its difficult if all the courses look very similar, but perhaps there is a particular area of interest that only some courses cover?

The typical entry requirements may also rule quite a few out.

School careers teachers will become freer in a couple if weeks once the UCAS deadline for he current yr13s has passed. Worth questioning them on best courses for subject. There are league tables by subject too.

Distance, accommodation costs (halls and for subsequent years), travel costs are often big factors.
There may also be a preference by size, both of Uni and subject department.

Some students may prefer a campus, be near a large/small/seaside town.

Choosing universities is difficult. There is a website where you can put in your likely grades and the subject you want to study and it lists the possibles- that helps a bit. The destination of other kids from school is also worth looking at. There are also league tables of "student happiness" which is reassuring for parents at least!

Uni league tables here can drill down by subject.

Guardian subject tables here

Curfew Is this the site you meant?

Or do you know of a better one where you can enter grades rather than points, as points can be a bit misleading?

Got home from work tonight and found DS asleep on the sofa - he'd obviously had a hard first day back!