GCSE Results thread and starting 6th form

[WitchofScots]

Follow on thread from the GCSE exams and proms thread. For hand holding and recommendations of wine/chocolate/biscuits to get through the post results stuff.

DD's Spanish AS is the week before summer half term, so ~3rd week of May.
The Second half (if she was doing the A2) is 3rd week of June.

(if you know the board you can look them up)

I know dd is on study leave from 6th may for a month. Presumably exams are then, she has 2 and 2 too!

I think generally the AS are fairly early and A2 are later, am probably totally wrong.

Christ - early May I am NOT mentioning this to DD!

She isn't happy because the external girl she clicked with wasn't in today and they think she is leaving. Plus one of her subjects seems to demand daily presentations, which she HATES. Doesn't help that the (heavily pregnant) teacher watching the NQT(?) teaching them clearly hasn't grasped what DD told her about her anxiety and isn't doing anything to help. However, she is now working with DH to complete the homework.

SugarPlum, hope your DD has appeared back with her new flask

I have just stuck AS exams on our calendar, I was thinking that once they were on we could put them to the back of our minds for a bit but a look at the sixth form website says there will be mocks in early November - less than 9 weeks away! Eep!

Welcome to Lower Sixth Form Life!!

It's like this ALL the way through. Mock AS, then REAL AS, then results - have they done enough to get good predictions for their UCAS application, heck, have they done enough to even REMAIN in the Sixth Form (quite a few of my DS1's cohort were kicked out for 'underperforming' - to be fair, grades were poor).

Then after all that it's Round Two - UPPER Sixth! And it starts again, BUT, with the added complication of the UCAS application compounded by the Open Day Visits and finally, culminating in Results Day and if you're really really lucky, you might even get a go at Clearing.

Strap yourselves in Ladies for a 2 year rollercoaster ride to rival that of an American theme park.

I'm giddy at the thought of it already!

thanks Horse ( I think)

Lol! Sorry if I've brought the mood down, but seriously, that IS what it's like!
Still, at least we've all got each other to have a rant to now and again!

Just lived through 4 years of the nightmare Horsemad. Roll on another 4 years.

MossAgate

Horse you are making me feel grateful that DD is only doing 1 AS (alongside a BTEC) and I'm not currently expecting her to go to university!

Horse Moss, 4 years?

And all this alongside DS's GCSEs, gulp!

I had a horrible feeling that was the case having seen friends go through it. Friend with triplets in year 13 now looked a wreck by the end of last year and said she didn't want to talk about things yesterday. From watching others, us bring prepared and know what should be happening when will help. Horsemad and MossAgate can be our resident experts

Actually I am a fraud as DD isn't doing exams but she does at the moment want to go to University so will have run the UCAS gauntlet and produce show reel/portfolio which I am clueless about.

BTM daily presentations would have freaked me out. Is it worth a gentle email in from you?

SugarPlum, I think they would freak most people out! I haven't yet had a reply to the rather forthright email about her that I sent on Sunday night - in contrast to the incredibly fast replies we got/still get from her old school which DS is still at.

I don't know whether it's better or worse that my two will go through this process at the same time .

More extreme, but better to get it all out of the way at the same time? Well, that's what I shall tell myself!

Hello! Been missing for a while due to back to school caos , me not the kids! Ds settling into 6th form with his usual laissez fair reaponse, yeah don't nag it's fine! But having just read horse's post I am gonna nag and keep nagging.

Sugar hope things are better for ds, and everyone else is getting on ok, off to rtft from where I lost you all.

I am actually feeling quite relieved DD is not doing A levels after reading Horse's post! I'll feel all left out come May! I'll have to take on a supporting role. Make soups, and cake and such like.

Aww spudmasher, that's kind

If my experience second time around is a complete reversal of my first, I'll come back and update!

Welcome back AuntPetunia
spud - I'm sure cake and soup will be very welcome come next May

We've had a more challenging couple of days this week as the reality of sixth form reveals itself. Basically lots of homework with a couple of corresponding late nights so dd has been tired and emotional and dh has been grumpy about it all. It wouldn't have been half so bad but we went away for the weekend to a family party and this made things quite difficult for dd. It's so hard isn't it when it feels almost impossible to do simple ordinary family things like going away for a weekend? But it was much appreciated by my DNiece who loved having her cousins there, so it had to be done really
I think dd is just about catching up now.
Better news is she's enjoying art and been put in a form with other artists, and says maths has been OK so far

Also thinking with ds now in Y9 and obviously dd in L6 we're really going to have to have a serious homework routine now, so doing some very soon after they get in and not leaving it all til after supper I think - and claiming he didn't get any for today which ds says remarkably often!

Spud, a supporting role sounds perfect to me!

DD's tutor is making them all do presentations about themselves. Needless to say DD is NOT HAPPY about it although she was laughing about what her tutor said about himself in his own presentation.

And the school haven't got back to me about the email I sent on Sunday night. WIBU to call them tomorrow?

But the girl who she thought might have left was back today, so fingers crossed.

Juggling your two are same age as my two, so far seen no sign of homework for either of them! Need to really get on top of this especially with DS he claims he's doing all his work in school. He is in every day from 9 till 4 and obviously doesn't have lessons all the time, so hope hes telling the truth.

BTM I thnk if nothing forthcoming tomorrow morning I would get on the phone. Good news the other girl is back.

AP thanks for asking. His tutor has been lovely and is supporting him, after slight hiccup over email address. He is feeling a bit better. Think some of the problem is he started puberty early and very hormonal.

I shall be here in May with Spud helping provide liquid and solid substanance. DD will only have her GCSE Maths resit.

The bus was slightly late to college due to a donkey on the road , a little different to our drive to school last year !

SugarPlum, that was what I was thinking re calling. Glad to hear your DS is feeling happier and that his tutor is supporting him. My DS started puberty pretty early - his voice broke 2 weeks after he turned 12 and the testosterone was surging everywhere!

AuntP, DD seems to have a lot of homework but also doesn't seem to be studying much in the "free" periods

Hello, I've been awol too since before our holiday in the last week of the school hols - I occasionally need to go cold turkey on MN when I find myself spending too long on it. I'll try to rtft too presently.

I want to pick the brains of those of you with DDs with a dress code of 'business attire' or suchlike - I know some of you must have recent experience of them needing this. Where's good for that sort of thing for 16yos? - esp short ones (5'1, size 10/36D) who hate dresses/formal clothes and shopping. DD's school allows pretty much anything so long as it's decent so she's living in skinnies and checked shirts. But she needs something for the Arkwright awards event which is during oct half term - dress code 'school uniform or business attire' I think. I can't visualise anything she'd feel comfortable (no heels for sure!) and confident in that fits the bill, and I rather fear a grumpy fruitless trek round shops - I had a heck of a time recently trying to find myself a plainish jacket in a petite size recently. She'll probably get to meet her sponsors (BAe systems) which is why I don't want her wearing stuff she feels awkward in IYKWIM.