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Secondary education

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

Finishing (not starting) Year 13 support thread (number 5!)

999 replies

Littleham · 22/04/2015 21:58

Exam season starts....

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muffinmonster · 18/05/2015 20:10

circular good luck to your DD in tomorrow's mechanics paper. We are hoping here that it will pull up the A2 marks. One more resit after that (Biology, Thursday), and then it's half term and the final stint. I am keeping DD distracted with prom and birthday plans. Grin

circular · 18/05/2015 20:17

Horsemad guess all the boards timetable similarly. Good luck to your DS for tomorrow.

Muffinmonster DD surprisingly showing little interest in prom. Think at least one more party during exams, but she's trying not to think to much about that too. Good luck to your DD for the Physics and Biology resits.

circular · 18/05/2015 20:19

hellsbells I'm wondering if they really would do better doing them at once. Tend to think they are doing better in the AS because its 2nd time around and have had more practise - in maths type subjects anyway.

hellsbells99 · 18/05/2015 20:27

Circular - I think maths and science AS exams are a lot easier at the end of year 13 as the A2 work is building on the AS work. After studying A2, the AS seems a lot easier.

mumslife · 18/05/2015 20:42

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Horsemad · 18/05/2015 20:43

Thank you circular and Good Luck to your DD tomorrow also - another one to tick off on the calendar! Smile

Horsemad · 18/05/2015 20:45

mumslife only some of the A levels are switching to exams at the end of the two years; a few subjects are staying modular for a while longer, I believe.

mumslife · 18/05/2015 20:47

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mumslife · 18/05/2015 20:52

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Horsemad · 18/05/2015 21:09

Several students I spoke to at uni open days had done BTEC exams instead of A levels. Not sure how they work though.

seimum · 18/05/2015 22:47

Good luck to those with exams this week.
My DS last day at school is Thursday. No exams until June 8th, which is 3 weeks away, but no obvious signs of revision yet! I hope the secret studying is going well.

The school have a presentation evening at the end of June for the year 13s.
Last time I went to one (when DD1 left), I was back at the school again the following week with DS for his year 6 'taster' session.
Now it will be the end of an era. DS is my youngest, so no more school. I've even resigned from the PTA!

Marlinspike · 18/05/2015 23:08

Can I pop in and join you folks? DD is retaking several AS papers (I lose track of exactly how many!) as her results last year were pretty catastrophic - she was predicted As and Bs, and ended up with Cs and Ds. I thought she was revising hard, and so did she...alas not it seems. So anyway, roll forward 10 mths, and here we are. To her credit she's worked so hard this year - and she now sees that last year's efforts were pretty lightweight in comparison. She's done a maths resit (core 1) which went well, then psychology today...she thinks she's done better than last year (when she scraped a C) but we'll have to see.

She's decided to leave uni for this year - there were just too many variables to consider taking into account potential resit results, and her predicted grades from school would have been way down on what she needs to get where she wants (Newcastle - offer should be around ABB). She's got plans to work / travel during her gap year and apply for 2016 entry.

We are just trying to keep her fed, watered and rested at present - it's like having a very little baby again, where you focus on their physical needs, IYSWIM. She's OK at handling pressure (perhaps she was a bit too laid back last year!), and has cut right down on her social life (once again, no evidence of that last year!) I am so proud of how she's applied herself this time round, and I just hope 2015 results day sees tears of relief rather than despair!(That's from me as well as her!)

MrsBartlet · 19/05/2015 06:37

Welcome Marlinspike. Sounds like you had a difficult time last year but great that your dd is working so well this year. Definitely sounds like she has done the right thing in taking a gap year so that she knows what her final results are. Fingers-crossed she gets the results she wants!

mumslife · 19/05/2015 06:53

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AtiaoftheJulii · 19/05/2015 07:03

Well done to her for learning from last year's experience, hope the improved effort pays off Smile

So, after my dd's realisation that some of the set texts had changed for her AS resit, she and the other girl involved have decided to withdraw from it, and concentrate their revision efforts on the A2 papers. It had just been to try to give her a bit of leeway for this year - that paper was a B but she'd just scraped an A overall last year, and needs an A this year. Nothing until 9th June now.

Horsemad · 19/05/2015 07:07

Welcome Marlin, good move by your DD to apply next year. Smile And well done to her for learning from her experience last year!

Littleham · 19/05/2015 09:21

Hi Marlin. What happened to your dd last year seems to be really common. Hope it goes better this year. I'll be glad when it is all over too. Smile

Sounds like a sensible plan Atia. These high grade requirements are such a worry. DD doing a mock in her weakest subject today. Shudder.

Leaving school behind must be a weird feeling seimum. DS is in year 9 so we still have a long time to go and will have to get our head round the new numbered grading system.

OP posts:
Mindgone · 19/05/2015 10:04

Feeling sad here too, DS2 finishes school on Friday, the end of an era! September will be hard too, IF he gets in!!
Will need a term-time holiday to help!
Best of luck to all for the rest of the re-sits, and of course the A2s after half term.

mumslife · 19/05/2015 15:57

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Littleham · 19/05/2015 18:17

Primal screaming gets my vote. Grin How about you?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-32690644

OP posts:
NiceCardigan · 19/05/2015 21:08

We quite fancy having some micro pigs around.

MrsBartlet · 19/05/2015 21:30

Feeling very sad as we have just come back from a leavers' reception at dd's school. One of the governors made a very moving speech about friendship groups enduring long after they have left school. There was hardly a dry eye in the house and even a few sobs!

Last day for dd tomorrow. They finish at lunchtime and go to the pub. They have been warned not to go back to school once they have been to the pub Grin

hellsbells99 · 19/05/2015 22:36

I hope your DD has a lovely last day tomorrow MrsB!

Horsemad · 19/05/2015 23:35

Anyone watching Starter for 10 on BBC2? About a lad starting uni at Bristol in 1985 who want to be on University Challenge - so funny!! Grin

Horsemad · 20/05/2015 07:23

Good grief, it is DS1's Last. Day. At. School. Ever Shock Shock Shock

Can't quite believe it! My baby is leaving school! He has no exams today but is off early to school for a Leaver's Breakfast and then he is coming home at lunchtime when DH takes DS2 in for his Physics exam.

They get their Year Book and Leaver's hoody today. Must take a last day at school photo of him for the family album Smile

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