Parents of Year 11DC support thread. The final term.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Eep.

All are welcome - parents of high achievers/coasters/tries-best-but-gcse-doesnt-measure-their-fantasticness, if you are a parent going through this gcse crap you are very much welcome here!

It is difficult when they are so tired and they need to keep going F&H. Haribo is their friend!

DS1 found today's Chemistry ATP much harder than last week's Biology. He said he didn't understand a lot of it, but used what he called 'mark scheme clichés' as an educated guess on the questions he didn't know.

So for the design an experiment question, he didn't really understand the question, but wrote stuff about safety precautions, providing a control and repeating the measurements to minimise error. Hopefully that get him some marks.

Everything is calm here now, my coaster assures me that he's getting plenty of revision at school and that all is well and that I shouldn't worry. I have backed away from the argument over screens and mates (and mates on screens) and am now spending my time trying to cope with anxious husband syndrome.

They must have done all the available maths past papers now because this week saw the return of the paper where some of the class previously came up with the answer of 3.6 pigs. As the pigs were alive the answer did really need to be in whole pigs.

There's still plenty of time for a last minute flail but DS is starting with two subjects that he finds easy so I'm hoping he's well into his stride before he hits the tricky ones. He's lucky that they are spread evenly before and after half term, he has a couple of days with two exams but mostly it's one per day and never more than two.

Checking back in with new name paranoid in case anyone's stalking me on here

Have had a better day today. DSD seems much better and has been at school all day. She had her last English lesson and the teacher (who she hasn't previously liked much) has written them all postcards with a quote and a personal message of support and good wishes on it. That sort of thing makes such a difference to DSD. She was really chuffed :)

DS's school meanwhile have sent an email about the extra maths revision classes during study leave - including two whole days - and want parents to reply confirming their DC will attend. Have had to persuade DS that maths is absolutely the one subject be does not need to revise - it's the only one he's certain of an A* in, and he really needs to use his study time on the other subjects. But he likes maths best and wants to go to them!

First exam for dd tomorrow. It's IT Web design.
Only a few lessons left now as all the Leavers activities happen on Thursday.
There is a very complicated looking timetable for revision classes that reminds me of a train timetable. I think dd will be attending some of these in addition to DT.

DS had German today. no useful info about for except 'it was okay'
This evening he has been gaming in that thing where they wear headphones and are online with their friends and heard him shout out something in German.
Hope that augurs well....

DS has officially started the new timetable except that there's nothing that affects him until next week. I have no clue how it works but then it's not my timetable and not my problem. They are in school all day every day but it's a mixture of normal timetable, revision sessions and exams. Every day will be different. DS has helpfully wandered off with my beautifully annotated copy of the timetable, it had all his exams picked out and all his revision sessions highlighted. I spent absolutely minutes on that. Fortunately it wasn't the copy he brought home from school (and lost) but one I downloaded so I know where I can get another. I will start tomorrow with tea and highlighter pens.

DD reckons they still have two topics to cover in Maths - vectors and elevations?

We are not a red meat eating family, although DD does eat red meat when out. I offered to buy her a steak for tea, in a caring, nurturing sort of way. £6 for a fillet steak And she ate all of it. Not one morsel left for the dog!

These exams could get expensive.

lol at the timetable! I want a copy of a timetable to beautifully annotate!

Elevations is really quick to cover - it is just draw the front, side and top of a shape (or create the shape from the elevations)

Vectors takes a bit more work - a couple of lessons to do it justice really.

good luck to your dd catslife.

I just re-read the bit about steak. We had salmon fillets in a similar vein tonight. Can't afford to do that throughout the exams!

Had chemistry this afternoon (cie board?). Wasn't good, but wasn't expected to be good. Ds let slip he couldn't answer one question at all.

Chuckling at knitting's annotated and highlighted timetable taking absolutely minutes! Love it!
I have entered all dd's exams and scheduled revision sessions on the "big" calendar - you know, the family one in the kitchen - in our house if it isn't on the calendar it isn't happening!
DD went decidedly pale when she came home and saw all her exams written on there - said now it's officially official!
My school are in the midst of SATS this week and I've spent so much time trying to reassure anxious parents that they really don't matter very much.
Isn't it strange to look back on year 6 tests now? In comparison to this they seem so insignificant and unimportant.
I wonder if we'll feel the same looking back on GCSEs in 2 years time and comparing them to A levels?

Ds let slip he couldn't answer one question at all.

If the question was towards the end, then neither could anyone else, judging by the response on Twitter.

Dd is yr 6. Monday evening was fun
I have put ds1 exam dates on our calendar, it's about the only thing he has let me do for him other than cooked breakfasts and ferrying him to and from school.

Thank you to the poster who explained that exams are spaced dependent on the different examination boards. I know I'm jumping the gun but does anyone know if this cohort of young people will do AS levels (if that's the route they're taking) or just A levels.

All this has taken me back to my sons' exams - they were 'O' levels then. Eldest wouldn't revise, not at all - did badly as expected. But did a degree and got a 2.1 some years later and is now a teacher. Younger son much more conscientious and did well, but years down the line, it doesn't really seem to matter. When my younger son got married he invited his boss and his wife and DH in his speech mentioned that DS and new bride had met at university and apparently DS's boss said later "Oh I didn't know you'd been to university..............."

Nana, it depends on the subjects they take and the approach of their sixth form. Some subjects still haven't been decoupled (ie, the marks from the as go into the pot with a level) others, the As is standalone.

The SATS changes are so horrific this year, that I'm not surprised that there is a lot of anger and stress, but when our kids did them, they really didn't need to be a big deal did they? But they felt big at the time for sure.

I think that so much is in the air at the moment, that we really don't know how important the gcses will be. That adds a layer of anxiety.

Nana From this September all the facilitating subjects (apart from Maths) will be the new reformed A level. But any unreformed subjects e.g. dd wants to take Creative Writing will still have AS levels that count towards the final qualification.
AS levels are still possible for new linear subjects, but don't count towards the final grade at the end of Y13. Some sixth forms are still entering pupils for the new AS exams in y12 and others won't be.

I've been a constant lurker on this thread (and the previous one)...

This is it - the last bit! Good Luck to everyone's DC's over the next few weeks.

We have timetables stuck all over the house, but I can only write a weeks worth of exams on the calendar at a time as according to DS "it's all a bit stressful and you don't know how hard it is".

After a set of disappointing mock results in February due to an obvious lack of revision - I had a few phone calls from some of his teachers who were not at all happy with him. It did, however, give him the kick up the rear he needed and since then has knuckled down.

He is attending every revision class he can and putting in the hours in the evenings and weekends. He does have some respite with his sports training and has a cut off time in the evening over the weekend when he will take a couple of hours to catch up with his friends via XBox/or whatever social activity they have planned. This is all off his own back and thankfully I've not had to nag him as I did during mocks and things are working much better. Results will tell though.

He is off to lunch with the Head of 6th Form this afternoon and then has a match at the town's football ground before he's back in school for a revision class until 5pm.

I am counting down the days until the 17th June!

I'm after some advice for my son who has just had his 6th form interview.
He has been advised by the 6th form deputy head today to do BTEC instead of A level. Now my son has had 3 A's and one B in his last assessments for science and 1 A, 2 B's and a C for maths.
He feels rather despondent as he believes that a BTEC will limit his opportunties too early in life.
Now this is an oversubscribed good comprehensive and my son is in the 'more able' cohort whatever that means!!
Additionally my son may have slipped somewhat due to having menigitis and being hospitalised back in March.

Any advice would be appreciated.

What's the subject kappa?

My understanding is that for the more traditional/academic subjects you generally should look to do A levels if you're capable and expect to go to university. But that some of the more vocational ones a BTEC is what's available instead.

If he's looking to go to uni, have a look on the websites of a few he might be considering and see what day about entry requirements and the specific BTEC he's considering.

Does he have any other options for sixth form? Ie sixth form colleges or other schools?

Navylily - Its physics but the deputy head said at this moment in time they can offer him BTEC science.
He has an interview at another 6th form next week and we have tentively looked at some apprenticeships although he did have his heart set on staying on there for A Levels.

Sounds a good idea to look at other options. Is the school not going to offer A level physics to anyone? (Not enough kids to fill a class maybe?) Or have they selected your DS as more suited to the BTEC for some reason?

I think that ALevels are generally considered suitable for those who get at least a B in the subjects they want to go on with, and A level physics would be what most would do if they were thinking of physics / Engineering at university. The BTEC might be more suitable if they were looking to get a job at 18.

kappa My DS is hoping to take Physics at A Level. While the school would accept lower grades on an individual basis, they have suggested a minimum of A at physics and A at Maths to have a successful outcome at A Level. There's tons of Maths in Physics, and this is increasing over the coming years. Does that help at all?

DS continues to work as hard as he feels needed. It's not as hard as I would like, but as hard as he is going to work, so I am leaving him to it.

My only mild concern is that he's decided to really focus on securing A*'s at Sciences and Maths, as these are his A Level choices, but not to even try to get the C at German, which is as good as he's going to get.

DS is also hoping to do Physics and Maths at A Level. He has been advised at his current school that they wouldn't recommend anyone who is likely to get lower than a B in either subject at GCSE to take it at A.

He will (results depending) be staying at his current school for 6th Form but did apply for a place at another school who offered both subjects at A Level with A-C grades at GCSE. Maybe it depends on each school individually and whether or not the subjects are over subscribed?

It does seem unfair if there were extenuating circumstances such as meningitis which lowered his predicted results.

Welcome Starfleet and Kappa :)

A form for a leavers hoodie has arrived home. Hoodies are always popular in this house so form is duly filled out and back in the school bag.