Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

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

Original poster

Average (or lower) acheivers exam thread time?

299 replies

yolofish · 27/04/2015 00:57

Is it time for this? I mean those of us with kids who will not get 11 As in their GCSEs, or 4 As at A level.

I know most mumsnetters will not be in this particular boat Wink but quite frankly in this house we just have fingers crossed for a C at GCSE English language for DD2, so she can get into 6th form and dance to her heart's content, and for DD1 good enough results to get into Y14 to finish off her media studies A level (started too late in Y11 to finish this time round).

They are not knuckle draggers, or indeed thick as pig shit (both comments I have read on here). They work hard, are good kids - but a row of A*s will not be on the agenda.

Join me please if you feel the same!

OP posts:
catslife · 12/05/2015 09:57

First real GCSE exam this afternoon - core Biology for Y10s. Still have normal school timetable for rest of the day so is now in Double PE! Extra snacks in lunch-box as a treat!
She is hoping for a grade C and has worked hard recently so hope it pays off.

SugarPlumTree · 12/05/2015 16:33

DD unimpressed with Biology bug not trying for Science so it doesn't really matter.

I will go ballistic if DD gets mice in her room as have warned her many times about it and I haven't been in he'd room fid about 6 months.

At least now we can put lines through exams as they are over.

thunderbird69 · 12/05/2015 17:09

Waited nervously for DS after school, just hoping that it hadn't all gone horribly wrong!
Apparently French listening exam was really difficult to hear so he doesn't think he did very well, but the writing was ok. Surprisingly he said both Biology exams went well and I think he has realised that revision is actually worth doing.

He's now lying on the sofa watching Breaking Bad.

Original poster
yolofish · 12/05/2015 22:42

GCSE Biology "could have been worse - but could have been a lot better, Mr K didnt teach us the big words" oh dear.
but on the bright side, Sociology A level was "really quite good".
ICT tomorrow for DD2, DD1 doesnt have another one til next week.

Thank god for crossing lines off the calendar.

OP posts:
Four125 · 13/05/2015 06:19

Biology was ok but she didn't answer the last two questions Confused but in better news she made a joke about those last two questions on Twitter and got loads of re-Tweets. So that's alright then.

Next one is Chemistry tomorrow.

SugarPlumTree · 13/05/2015 07:24

Good luck to anyone with something today.

Yolo what A levels are you dealing with ? Sociology is one of DD's options .

I know no chemistry revision will happen but hoping she will do some for English lit and Geography for next week.

stormb4calm · 13/05/2015 08:27

I get sooo frustrated by the labelling of children as 'average' 'able' 'academic' 'non academic.' The only difference in the achievement of our DC is their own level of focus and motivation.

Sadly intelligence is measured by the grades at school and until we look at the wider picture we will continue to have children leaving the eduction system with low self esteem and self worth and at the other end of the graded spectrum those with a sense of being at an advantage and in some cases superior.

Of course we need a system to measure achievement but let's not disadvantage our DC by allowing this broken, target driven system to corrode their confidence. We know that the schools are only interested in figures so that they can display a beautiful banner boasting their success and until league tables are abolished this nonsense will continue.

Every DC is capable of success.

stormb4calm · 13/05/2015 08:38

Sorry just read my last post and it reads like a rant. I just feel very strongly about it....

Original poster
yolofish · 13/05/2015 08:55

sugar DD1 is just finishing photography and sociology and will stay on for an extra year part time to finish media studies. long story: she started doing philosophy & ethics, hated it, but they encouraged her to keep going until finally agreed she could drop it 2 terms in - by which point was too late to pick up media studies`. so she's doing A levels over 3 years... she says sociology is very interesting, quite a bit of essay writing (not her forte).

DD2 has ICT today.

storm couldnt agree more!

OP posts:
drumKitten · 13/05/2015 09:30

stormb4calm. (Great username btw Smile ). I understand what you are saying and I agree that labelling children's intelligence is wrong. Not only can it be damaging to label someone as not intelligent it can also be damaging to label the super bright. I don't think it's healthy if a child or young adult only values their 'worth' on how bright they are it.

I'm not a fan of SATS although I understand why they exsist.

However I disagree that academic attainment at school is to do with focus and motivation. I've four young adult DC, three of which are in the super bright/bright category and one who isn't. You know which one I'm going to say is the most motivated and focused don't you. Wink Poor old DC 4 works incredibly hard but can't quite pull off those high grades. There are no learning difficulties or other external factors, it's because of her inate intelligence. I know it seems like every kid on MN has 20 A*s and goes to Oxbridge but for most that simply isn't attainable.

drumKitten · 13/05/2015 10:04

Ugh, sorry about crappy English and typos. Blush

stormb4calm · 13/05/2015 11:29

Thanks Kitten. You certainly have a comparison there with your 4 DC so you are better placed to comment than me.
I just feel that our DC shouldn't be categorised in this way. All of our DC should feel confident in their ability to achieve, whatever their grades. There are so many ways to measure intelligence and as you rightly point out, instinct is an important aspect in the process of development.

Horsemad · 13/05/2015 11:53

I agree with Kitten - like it ir not, intelligence does have some bearing.
However, I definitely agree with you, storm when you say our DC should not be labelled - either as unintelligent or as super bright. Can't agree enough with you there.

KittiesInsane · 13/05/2015 13:20

I think Storm is saying that a child's achievements depend on their drive -- but that their grades aren't the thing that best measures their achievements.

Minifingers · 13/05/2015 14:59

"Sadly intelligence is measured by the grades at school and until we look at the wider picture we will continue to have children leaving the eduction system with low self esteem and self worth and at the other end of the graded spectrum those with a sense of being at an advantage and in some cases superior."

Tell me about it. I have a 9 year old who can jack up a family car and change a tyre in 10 minutes, install computer programmes and updates on the family PC, name the make, model and (usually) list price of any car which flashes past in the second of an eye, hammer a three inch nail straight into a plank wood, saw a clean cut through a piece of 2 by 4, build and dismantle almost anything, and use a power drill correctly and safely. He will struggle to achieve a level 4 in his writing but is vastly more competent in practical matters than any child I know. He's a born builder/engineer/mechanic but will leave school labelled as 'low achiever'. Angry

stormb4calm · 13/05/2015 17:39

Well minifingers your DS sounds phenomenal.
I get so concerned about the language used in schools. My friend's daughter is a NQT and was chatting to me the other day about the children in her class who are bright and those who are 'not so bright' and I challenged her perceptions (gently of course) to encourage her to view the wider picture. She's been in the profession for such a short time too!

Original poster
yolofish · 13/05/2015 23:18

mini - he can do all that at 9???? he sounds amazingly useful and will never ever be out of a job - good on him. FWIW I couldnt do any of those things.

in other news: ICT today was "ok". I have no idea what this actually means, but I've just spent 3 hours at a training session on how to analyse RAISEonline (school gov) and then me and DD2 have just spent an hour cuddled up on the sofa watching Dynamo. Tomorrow brings chemistry (oh fuck) and then missing extra curricucular dance to finish photography coursework. Roll on Friday, meanwhile I'm on the Wine

OP posts:
thunderbird69 · 14/05/2015 10:00

Bit off topic, but following on from the language used by teachers to describe students - my younger DS has a tutor report yesterday which described him as quiet but well-liked. Why not quiet AND well-liked? Why does being quiet have to be seen as a negative?

Anyhow, older DS has 2x chemistry exams today and announced last night that he doesn't understand any of it. He has passed the controlled assessment part and still has the 3rd exam in a few weeks so maybe he's got a chance of passing. Apparently it is really hard but previously the pass rate for a C has been less than 40% (so he tells me)

SomewhereIBelong · 14/05/2015 10:16

mini - does your boy want to come round and fit some shelves for me? Smile

TeenAndTween · 14/05/2015 14:04

DD rang v. upset after Chemistry - 'everyone else' saying it was easy when she had found it really hard. Sad . She knew it as well as she ever has, but has problems recalling info to order. So I brought her home for a couple of hours to regroup, and we managed some Physics together, then dropped her back for her last Spanish lesson before tomorrow's exam.

SugarPlumTree · 14/05/2015 16:21

Flowers T&T. DD didn't have a clue either but we did know that would happen in advance.

Original poster
yolofish · 14/05/2015 22:33

DD2 says chemistry and citizenship today were "ok". I am not confident, particularly in relationship to chemistry, and we have had a stressful evening finishing off photography portfolio, culminating in the fact that we have no card on which to mount final image. Tears. Am hoping she can go to art dept tomorrow and find the vital piece of card. Meanwhile, DD1 tells me she is going to fail sociology A level after all, despite having been quite confident. Apparently it is "very difficult". Roll on 3pm tomorrow, this has been a tough week esp for DD2.

OP posts:
TeenAndTween · 15/05/2015 18:44

Hope everyone on here has survived the first week OK.
We've had 2 'OKs', 1 'terrible', and one 'hard but I could do it'.

Next week's 3 exams all have the potential to be 'terrible' so this w/e will be a combination of revising and trying to stay calm and optimistic I think.

Original poster
yolofish · 16/05/2015 08:58

PE was "good" PE GCSE compulsory at our school, fuck knows why. Final Y11 BTEC dance performance last night, they all cried and had made lovely cards for their teacher. This weekend will be one of SLEEP, relaxing and perhaps a bit of revising before the storm of next week - another 6 for DD2, 2 for DD1, at least 50% with the 'terrible' potential for both. How's everyone else doing?

OP posts:
thunderbird69 · 16/05/2015 09:34

My DS got up relatively early, good start, then announced that he was going out with his friends for the day.
I thought he had started to appreciate the value in revision. Tells me that all his friends have exams next week too and they're not revising. Well, good for them...