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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

Y12 thread - mocks are done, looking ahead to AS exams and beyond ...

20 replies

AtiaoftheJulii · 17/02/2015 15:56

So, dd1 is in y13, has her uni offers, and 'all' she has to do is get the grades in the summer, and dd2 in y12 is the one starting to make plans.

She wants to do MFLs at university. Did well in her French and Spanish mocks, and ok in maths and history. Has a nice little group of friends at school who are all beginning to compare prospectuses Wants to apply for Cambridge, but isn't sure she can deal with rejection!

She went to a masterclass in Cambridge last weekend, really enjoyed it She's applied for a Sutton Trust summer school, but doubt she'll be successful. Has also applied for a Uniq summer school course - should have more chance there, but the latest figures we found (2012) suggest that MFL is the second most oversubscribed Uniq course! (Surprising given the low numbers taking MFL A levels.) A teacher suggested trying for an Eton summer school place, but it's ten days and she doesn't really fancy it. (Costs four hundred quid too!)

Dd1 wasn't anywhere near this stage at this time last year, but her school did a lot of university prep, so I think it just seeped in anyway. Dd2's school isn't like that, so she's having to be more self-motivated! Anyone else already contemplating UCAS?

OP posts:

Leeds2 · 17/02/2015 16:00

I should be, but I'm not!

DD has mocks in two weeks time. Her school have had a talk by an admissions tutor from a (very) decent uni, but I don't think they have done much else yet. I know they get a few days off at the end of the real AS papers, so that they can go to open days.

Marni23 · 17/02/2015 17:02

Blimey Atia I don't envy you having DDs doing A Levels & AS Levels in the same year!

DD has mocks over the next 2-3 weeks. They're not all in one block-they seem to schedule them for when they finish the course-and she's revising this half-term.

She will be applying for English or English & Classics. Can't go to UNIQ or Sutton Trust as she is at an independent school but has applied for an English Masterclass at Oxford (and will apply for the Cambridge one when it opens) and has done a Classics Masterclass at Cambridge. She wants to apply to Oxford...

Her AS Levels will be over by 22 May so I think she's planning to go to open days, start thinking about her PS etc after that.

It's all creeping up scarily quickly...

LIZS · 17/02/2015 17:05

Ds didn't have mocks as such , each subject did a test paper in lesson time. Coursework for English deadline imminent.

GentlyBenevolent · 17/02/2015 17:38

DD1 had mocks before half term, she won't get the results for a while because it's WE week next week (although she isn't doing hers then, she's doing it in March because she had the sort of offer you don't turn down and the school were fine with that). She's already been to a couple of open days, she's applying for music, through CUKAS and UCAS (I know those have been combined now, I think it's conservatoire track and university track now, or something like that. anyway - she's applying to both). Conservatoire has always been her favourite option but I sense possibly a bit of softening of her previously iron attitude - she's thinking of Cambridge as one of her university choices and while she still regards that as back-up I'm not sure if it actually is...She's going on a Cambridge music taster day in March. In addition to her ASs this year she's also doing A2 Gen studies. And I think the EPQ begins son after half term - they have a 'launch day'. She also has the coursework deadline for English but I think she's finished that...music performance deadline looming too.

KittiesInsane · 17/02/2015 17:45

DS is thinking about it... gloomily. As he's currently on track for a splendid A, C, C, D, I think we'll need a Plan B possibly involving salt mines for next year, let alone UCAS.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 18/02/2015 00:25

Oh dear, Kitties, maybe he'll turn it round.

DS1's mocks were in January, everything seems to be OK. He went to an open day in Cambridge last week and loved it, before that he was convinced it was Oxford. He has applied for Uniq and Sutton Trust. He is planning to have a go at Oxbridge assuming AS goes to plan, he is starting to consider the other options now

hellsbells99 · 18/02/2015 00:38

Same position as you Atia. DD1 has all her offers now and needs to work hard and get her grades. DD2 was dragged round the open days at the same time last year. Both girls have finished mocks which went well. DD2 now needs to decide what she wants to do. She has been to a couple of Oxbridge talks at school but thinks it all looks too hard and intense, and not for her. She has just spent a couple of days on a taster type course this half term and has applied for a headstart course in the summer. She will struggle with having to drop a subject in September as she is not sure which direction she wants to go in.

GentlyBenevolent · 18/02/2015 09:33

Hells - I would love DD1 to drop a subject in September but they aren't allowed to at her school. To be fair, she isn't keen, but that's because she thinks it would be weak.

DontGotoRoehampton · 18/02/2015 11:07

DS school does not do mocks for AS, but he has a major block test after half-term (he is away on school ski trip, hoping for no broken limbs...).
The school has said to leave university activity till after AS exams.
He is fairly sure about what he want to study, but no idea of where yet...

Original poster

AtiaoftheJulii · 18/02/2015 12:14

The school has said to leave university activity till after AS exams.

I think that's reasonable general advice - uni open days are timed to be after the exams - but for students who want, or might want, to be doing early applications, I think that's bad advice. If you're a hopeful medic, you will surely already by thinking about it, sorting out work experience, etc. If you're about Oxbridge, there are all sorts of department open days, masterclasses, taster days and so on happening this spring which would be really helpful. Hopefully your son's school are encouraging such students to be investigating already.

Dd2 won't be dropping a subject, because she is doing her maths over three years - two modules in y11, 3 this year and just keeping C4 for next year (means she can resit C3 if necessary - she is determined to get an A*). Although she has also said that if she's really not happy with her history result this summer, that she will drop it and do FM AS next year apparently!

OP posts:

GentlyBenevolent · 18/02/2015 12:22

If DD1 had left the open day at her top choice conservatoire till after the AS exams, she wouldn't be going on an open day (since the open day for her instrument is after the closing date for applications).

Her school are having a higher education 'launch' in March, there's an evening event at the school with speakers and then they are going to some kind of ...H Ed jamboree...at an exhibition centre fairly close to the school. But they have already been pressed to sign up for some kind of computer thing (we didn't, since it is useless for music, and wasn't free). Apparently a lot of PHSE time has been devoted to 'what's next' too and DD1 says that mainly it's a bit disturbing. I suspect that's just her though.

Me, I'm just worried sick about this: www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-31028467

Marni23 · 18/02/2015 12:23

DD not planning to drop a subject either as she's really enjoying them all (although not sure that's entirely true right at this minute as she's wading through History revision ). That may change after AS results of course...

DontGotoRoehampton · 18/02/2015 12:33

Atiai - DS not aiming for Oxbridge (think we may be a minority on MN )-

bruffin · 18/02/2015 12:40

DD has been taking 5 A levels (maths, history, biology, physics and drama) and spectacularly failed her mocks ( a Distinguished* and 4 Us) She and HOY went through what went wrong and it came out that maths was the problem and affecting every thing else.

We were dreading parents evening but all her teachers were really positive and were basically saying that mocks were there to see what is going wrong and what needs fixing. DD has the ability in class, just needs to sort out exam technique and not rush which she had a tendency to do.

We always knew that she had a heavy schedule but she wanted to give it a go. Now her she can concentrate on the other subjects I am sure she will do a lot better in the exams themselves.

Been there with my DS who has got Us in his maths and ended up with an A at A level and retaking his one of his Cores this year to get an A*. Whereas in physics he was consistantly getting Bs and ended up with D on the day.

BrendaBlackhead · 18/02/2015 13:28

Ds has not a clue what he wants to do. His friends all seem very focused and have picked universities and courses.

Ds works (quite) hard, but is just not ready to choose anything and I really don't want him to plump for any old thing just for the sake of it. That might have been acceptable in my day but not now when it could be a very costly mistake.

If only there were a university course in "Chatting about current events and popular culture with like-minded souls".

GentlyBenevolent · 18/02/2015 13:49

My DD1 would be ideally suited to a course on Game of Thrones. Or discussing the similarities between TWD and Lost. Sadly these do not seem to exist.

bruffin · 18/02/2015 14:42

DD would be on a musical theatre course if she was to follow her heart. She can tell you how much money shows made on broadway last week and DS just needs a course that mixed GOT with Marvel.

NeitherHereOrThere · 18/02/2015 15:11

Marking place.

DS was on course to get A & Bs but bombed 2 of his mocks and is resitting these after half term. I don't think he's putting in enough work but I am trying hard not to nag as I think this would be counterproductive in the long term.

SecretSquirrels · 18/02/2015 16:09

GentlyBenevolent Can I introduce her to DS2? A TWD and LOST fan -sounds like his dream girl . We are watching the box set of Lost together at the moment.

DS2 did really well in mocks and that has been a boost to his confidence. He definitely wants to go down to 3 and drop Physics next year.
He has applied for a Headstart course and is going on two college visits to Oxford and Cambridge (though he is not really aiming for them, he doesn't have the drive).
The main problem is that he has no idea what to do at uni. He is a good STEM all rounder but has no burning ambition. DS1 always knew he wanted to do Maths.
As for open days, I recall from when DS1 was in Y12 that a lot of them clash, or you need to be in Bath one day and Nottingham the next . There is a second round in September after AS results of course.
Aiming to take him next time we collect DS1 from uni for a look around the campus.

For those who bombed the mocks. This seems very common. It's why lots of sixth forms make the mocks very formal even having mock results days. Lots of very bright DC who got A* GCSEs have a shock because they didn't realise how much work was needed. Plenty of time to turn it round and lots of help available from colleges who are used to seeing this.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 18/02/2015 20:10

DS1s school had a 'My Future's evening' a couple of weeks ago with a roadshow of unis, and talks on the UCAS process and also from Student Finance England. Y11s are invited too.

He is currently doing five and plans to drop one next year but doesn't know what (Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Geology and Philosophy), he wants to do do Physics so will definitely be keeping Physics and Maths.

Breaking Bad and Big Bang Theory would be the specialisms of choice here.

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