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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Is there a hand holding thread for Y11 parents and GCSE results yet?

439 replies

fatowl · 13/08/2014 15:48

DD is waiting on GCSE results next Thursday.

She is bouncing around being a teen on Summer holidays (she is off in Ireland for a week with her friend's family)

I am beginning to feel a bit sick.

She is hoping to stay at school and do A-levels, but now the results are getting closer I'm a bit concerned we don't have a back up plan.

How are the rest of you doing?

OP posts:
Molio · 21/08/2014 17:51

DS got 12 A/A but undershot his predictions with the s by some way. He took them when he was 14 so I'm very relieved and he seems happy too which is what counts. Quite a few As are on the boundary of the * grade but I'm not sure I want to send him the message that he's not done well enough, so I'm not inclined to put in for re-marks, though if the school opts to that's fine. I think by the time he applies through ucas we may well be seeing a different, kinder HE environment anyhow.

Molio · 21/08/2014 17:54

Sorry - the whole * thing has unintentionally bolded my post.

TalkinPeace · 21/08/2014 18:00

molio
TBH the only reason that we'll go for the re-mark on the English is (other than the fact that its English) is that its less than 1/2 of 1% from the boundary ....
her other B is solidly in the middle of B and will stay there

QOD · 21/08/2014 18:24

I want to know what happened with bacon and acadcdado s son!!

Dd did great, yr 10 grammar school so took 3 early, she got an A in maths and I am so fecking pleased, she was in special ed maths in year 4 Grin

FreakinScaryCaaw · 21/08/2014 18:29

QOD that's very impressive well done your dd.

BoffinMum · 21/08/2014 18:31

Bloody hell. DS did really well. He also got A* in English language, which as he is dyslexic and has ADHD is absolutely staggering. That teacher must be amazing. He's into his preferred sixth form and I had to spend the afternoon buying him a proper grown up suit, shirts and so on.

Decorhate · 21/08/2014 18:41

For those of you with dcs unhappy with Drama results - the Head of Drama where I work was almost in tears today, so perhaps there is a general problem with the marking this year?

ijustwanttobeme · 21/08/2014 18:43

DS did better than expected, ranging from A* - Cs

So so proud of him as had to work super hard to get those (plus my nagging paid off :))

Molio · 21/08/2014 19:08

I see that TP. More difficult where a whole raft are just below the A* border. I think best to leave alone?

BaconAndAvocado · 21/08/2014 19:15

QOD DS did very very well! He got 1 A* , 8 As and 1 B. He was asked to come in early to,have his,photo taken with some other students by the local press.

He has AS but worked so hard. We are beyond proud [proud]

exexpat · 21/08/2014 19:15

That's excellent news BoffinMum, after what you said about the ADHD medication etc. You must be so relieved. But still no need to cook tonight if you don't want to...

I asked DS what he wanted to do to celebrate, and he just said 'Dominos', so pizza it is. I might also get a half-bottle of champagne, but he'd probably prefer a beer.

Snapespeare · 21/08/2014 19:50

I felt really low today seeing friends kids GCSE results. DS1 was bullied at school, leading to anxiety, depression and school refusal. He got held back a year to repeat y10 and then finally got a few hours a week of home tuition. He eventually got an Aspergers diagnosis and took one iGCSE this year in English language. I have had to battle to get him any form of education at all.

I didn't know whether to expect a result today, as he has now been assigned specialist provision and we weren't told to go to new school to collect results. He texted me when I was waiting for the train home and told me he'd got got an A*. I burst into tears in the middle of Charing cross station.

I couldn't be happier or prouder.

Dunlurking · 21/08/2014 20:02

GirlsTimesThree thanks for posting about your DD's AQA drama. And thanks Decorhate for passing on about your head of Drama. I do feel sorry for our head of Drama, she is so good and committed. She will be upset I'm sure. Definitely sounds like something funny has gone on in the Drama. Do you think it's a Gove effect for some reason? To imply that the Drama wasn't rigorous enough before?

QOD · 21/08/2014 20:02

Way to go bacon and avocado baby bites!

Oakmaiden · 21/08/2014 20:15

My son missed his C for English by 1 mark... I'm wondering whether to go for a remark - do you reckon it would be worth it?

legallady · 21/08/2014 20:15

I'll add my moan about AQA drama. DD got very low mark (by her standards) for written paper and her overall grade was only salvaged by the fact that she got full marks in the practical. And this is a child who got A* for English so can obviously write a bit. Very strange marking or maybe just a very strange paper?

TalkinPeace · 21/08/2014 20:20

Oakmaiden
talk to the school
At DDs school the remark forms for the most urgent 20 had been pre prepared by the HoD and were in the envelopes with the results Grin

frogsinapond · 21/08/2014 20:32

Molio, it gets expensive if there are a lot, but statistically one in 3 or 4 are likely to go up (the marking really is that bad), so if you have the cash you could take a punt on any that are 1 or 2 marks short of the grade boundary?

I guess it really depends if you are going to be left wondering 'what if..' if you don't or not and whether any of your dc's future plans are likely to be critically affected by the number of *s

mrsmaturin · 21/08/2014 20:32

Ohwhatfuckery - sorry to read dd is disappointed. I feel very lucky that my dd is happy with her results. It's a few marks either way that can make it all difference. Once she gets in to the swing of a-levels I'm sure she will be fine. Can you treat her to a new bag or something for the new school year? She HAS done well but it's no consolation when they're hoping for more is it?

GirlsTimesThree · 21/08/2014 20:49

Dunlurking DD did mention something about the paper being 'weird' and the question format being different from anything they'd done before. I'm not convinced it could be so different for those who were consistently getting A* throughout the course to drop to D/E grades though.
I thought it might have been my DD having a concentration lapse, but hearing about others' experiences is making me think again. We were definitely going to get a remark anyway, so will see if it makes a difference. I won't worry if not - a B is fine, but would like to know if that's definitely what she's got (we've had 7 papers remarked over the past 4 years and all but 2 have resulted in a higher grade, so worth a punt).

Barefootgirl · 21/08/2014 21:09

Snapespeare I am so pleased for your DS and for you. Somehow that one A means more than a whole clutch of As and As for kids who have not had such a tough time.

mateysmum · 21/08/2014 21:44

8 A*'s, 1 A and a C.
DS worked really hard and we are very proud.

Unexpected · 21/08/2014 22:03

I may be completely misunderstanding the grade boundaries here but DS, doing Edexcel Add Science, got a high A in Physics, a comfortable A in Chem and a very high A in Biology. If I am reading it correctly, he got 71 in Biology and needed 72 for an A in that section. His overall mark was 286 and he needed 288 for an A. So should we get Biology remarked? It doesn't make any difference really if he gets A or A and I am thinking that Science-based subjects probably have less scope for changes in marks but there's nothing to lose is there? Or have I read this completely incorrectly?

yougotafriend · 21/08/2014 22:12

unexpected on the grand scheme of things (uni admissions; job applications) there will be no difference between A* and A

Snapespeare · 21/08/2014 22:13

Thank you barefootgirl I'm very private about our complicated relationship with mainstream education and very few people in real life know what a battle it has been to get any recognition of his problems.

I texted his English tutor with his results (she obviously already knew) & she was delighted. She is a lovely, warm woman who has captured his imagination, stretched him and opened up communication for him. She's 'A' star and I will never forget how marvellous she has been.