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Secondary education

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Original poster

Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread

967 replies

Littleham · 23/11/2014 12:17

Is anyone else fed up with GCSE's and the stress they create? Thought I would start a support thread for the following few months. Mocks start next week at my dd3's school.

OP posts:
SugarPlumTree · 10/02/2015 10:15

Littleham I really feel for you . A friend is going through the same thing snd I have seen the huge amount of things we all have coming at us in years 12 and 13. I think it is a good thing that you don't actually know what is coming at you when they are little really. Have you got anything in the diary between now and the end of exams for you to escape for a bit in the name of self preservation?

Errol, that sounds very sensible. I find it very annoying when they can't do what they want for 6th form due to teaching constraints but do understand it is hard for the school and there are all sorts of constraints we aren't aware of. I think you are probably bang on the money with CS being oversubscribed.

6th form interviews not happened our end yet and hoping no curveball as was hard enough to find 4 to put down.

TeenAndTween · 10/02/2015 10:28

Littleham I feel for you too. I'm so glad there are 6 academic years between my girls. I think I'll need the whole 6 years to recover!

Sugar I think the timetabling constraints are the downside of in-school 6th forms. The 6th form colleges round here seem to let you do any combination you want, but with 1500-2000 pupils per year it is much easier for them. On the other hand you get more continuity and also possibly better advice over whether a DC can cope with any A level.

We had a meeting with school last week regarding how DD was (not) coping with essay based subjects. It all seemed quite positive, but has gone rather quiet now ...

lalsy · 10/02/2015 10:32

Littleham, I hope you are stocking up on Wine.

Re A levels choices, having watched dd and her friends (now at university) go through it, I think school's advice to choose subjects you enjoy and are good at, was right. Of course, have a think about whether they keep options open (that RG guide is very useful for that), and if you want a very specific career like medicine then make sure you do the right ones. But most careers don't need specific A levels - and you do spend hours on them, week in week out.

MrsSquirrel · 10/02/2015 11:06

Poor dd told me she will have to stop her flute lessons at school next term. She didn't see how she could fit them in with all her exams Sad.

I tried to reassure her, talked about different ways the flute lessons might be rearranged to fit around her exams. All I got was crossed arms and eye rolling.

In the end I decided to email the music teacher and ask her to reassure dd. I'm fairly certain dd will listen politely to the teacher Grin.

TheWordFactory · 10/02/2015 11:13

DS has been asked to make a 'firm commitment' for sixth form subjects this week.

I suppose the school want to start time tabling, allocating resources etc.

He actually surprised me by saying he has made his decision and shoved the form under my nose, already completed.

DD had to decided ages ago as she's moving schools and needed to tell the new school of her choices with her application.

With regards to half term, both DC have decided to spend the first few days getting organised. Everything needs to be properly in order before the Big Push.

ErrolTheDragon · 10/02/2015 11:15

MrsS - is it particularly important your DD carries on with the flute lessons at the moment? Maybe if she had a break and could just play when she wants for relaxation till the exams are over it might work better for her?

MrsSquirrel · 10/02/2015 11:35

Maybe not important, but she does want to carry on with lessons. She still wants to do her grade 7 exam next year. I did check with her just to make sure I wasn't barking up the wrong tree.

OK I appreciate the flute playing will not be her main focus, but it would be a shame to miss a whole term of lessons.

ErrolTheDragon · 10/02/2015 11:49

Def sounds like you should talk to the teacher, MrsS. It would be a shame to stop, and maybe the teacher can find a workable solution but in the big scheme of things, maybe a term (or half a term) off wouldn't be a disaster?

My DD's passion is windsurfing and sailing, the all-too-short season for the youngsters starts in May but I think she's resigned to not doing any till June 20th! Mind you, with that there is a finite possibility of physical injury quite apart from taking out most of a saturday. My dilemma is that I love it too... would it be horribly mean to go without her?

Original poster
Littleham · 10/02/2015 12:09

It is really hard trying to fit everything into exam season, so my children tend to abandon hobbies during May /June and then take them back up afterwards.

Stocking up on Wine and I am escaping for one weekend to the coast with friends.

OP posts:
MrsSquirrel · 10/02/2015 13:00

I had a lovely email back from the music teacher. She was very understanding. DD is not the only y11 music student, they are all in the same position. She will have a chat with dd.

DD's youth orchestra don't rehearse during the summer term for exactly this reason. Too many of the young people doing (too many) exams.

CrazyTights · 10/02/2015 18:08

Sugar we haven't thought about voluntary work at all, the local zoo is fully booked and other places won't take under 18s :(
There is the chance of a summer job but it's not anything to do with animals unfortunately.

6th form interview tomorrow afternoon, eek!

Sparklingbrook · 10/02/2015 19:01

I have Year 11 Parents Evening tomorrow. I have 5 appointments between 6.25 and 7pm. Sad I really hope there are no surprises.

SugarPlumTree · 10/02/2015 19:27

Good luck Sparkling. I have similar on Thursday and feel the same.

Shame about the Zoo Crazytights. No chance of a local vets, farm or riding stable if you have them around or even an aquarium or aquatic shop ? He probably won't be into this at all but what about the Cinnamon Trust ? Our local cat shelter takes volunteers from 16 I think or any Wildlife Trust sites around ?

Littleham I am glad you do have a break sorted.

MrsS, glad the teacher is sympathetic and I'm sure DD will listen to her - isn't it teenage law that they will listen to anyone other than their parents ?!

Errol that is a bit difficult if she isn't going. Part of me says you shouldn't and thd other party says who not so I have splinters in my backside.

Sparklingbrook · 10/02/2015 19:36

Thanks Sugar. I get really stressed at parents' Evenings. I find it all a bit claustrophobic, and i can't always concentrate properly on what's being said.

ErrolTheDragon · 10/02/2015 20:00

The Wildlife Trust places near us do have volunteering opportunities for under-18s (and some even for under 16s) but it's not necessarily related to the actual wildlife.

SugarPlumTree · 10/02/2015 20:11

Tell me about it Sparkling. Report has just appeared, effort score gone up which backs up my feeling that she is buckling down more. And there seems to be a chance she might get Geography. Science not a hope and her teacher told her as much. The sad thing is she is actually ok at Biology and if they were separate as back in the day when I did O Levels she would get it.

Maths is the big big issue. I desperately need a tutor she gets on with and understands. Friend asking someone she knows for us. She's watching the Mathswatch DVD her teacher gave her which she watched for 30 seconds previously before declaring it was rubbish. Second time lucky maybe ?

Horsemad · 10/02/2015 20:35

I've got Parents Evening for DS2 (Yr11) on Thurs.
I hate Parents Evening as it's not very private and the other people are waiting behind you for their turn.

Sparklingbrook · 10/02/2015 20:39

Parents Evening is 4.30-7pm. My Five appointments start at 6.25. When will I get out? I already know Maths is double booked. Sad

Original poster
Littleham · 10/02/2015 20:43

Also have a parents evening this week. My child has acquired a completely new name in the report. I suspect some copying and pasting as it is the name of the person that precedes my dc in the register! Hmm

OP posts:
Horsemad · 10/02/2015 21:52

Oops, are you going to point out the error Littleham?!

Sparklingbrook · 10/02/2015 21:55

Thing is you only have a few minutes, bring it up and that's all your time gone. Sad

ErrolTheDragon · 10/02/2015 22:09

Hope you can find a suitable tutor, sugarplum. Have you asked the school if they know any? One of my friends has a DD who was exam phobic in general, and maths in particular apparently she'd never passed an exam, but her school recommended her a tutor and she got a B in her mocks! Maths I think in particular is one of those subjects where some teachers don't explain at the right level for some pupils.

Original poster
Littleham · 10/02/2015 22:15

No I don't think I will as the teachers are overloaded at the moment. Easy mistake to make.

OP posts:
LynetteScavo · 10/02/2015 22:25

I wouldn't bring it up at parents evening....but when DS became a she for several subjects, and his surname became his first name a few times, I did point it out, and the report was re-written.

DS told me this evening isn't allowed to go to the prom as he won't have finished the practical course work for one subject. All course work is done in school, and he has put in an extra hour a week since the beginning of December, and will be doing two extra hours starting this week. I've emailed the school to find out what's going on!

ErrolTheDragon · 10/02/2015 23:34

That does sound a bit off. Some of the coursework stuff can take an awful lot of time - DD's electronics she's been consistently diligent, putting in a lot of lunchtimes and some after school too since before xmas, and she's only just got it completed in time (partly because of delays beyond her control); sounds like quite a lot of the other girls won't have properly finished theirs by the end of this week (not sure if that's the official deadline or the teacher's).