Parents of Year 11s - the end has been and gone

[BitOutOfPractice]

The thread that got us all through the exams is now full so here's a new one to get us through the nervous wait for results

Well done to all our brave Y11s and wish every last one of them all the best

Link to the last thread

I agree that this week seems incredibly long. Is it really only Tuesday? Just want it all to be over. Can't imagine how nervous we are going to be with A level results.

My DD worked really hard and has a place at sixth form. I am more worried about any low results knocking her confidence and spiralling her back into panic attacks etc as she starts A levels.

We are whizzing into school and then off to a rowing regatta so a busy day. Not sure if I am allowed into school but I will hanging around outside if not.

That's exactly it Knitting, plus a huge amount of juggling to be done with work and travel, just the practical side of it. It's ok at the moment, but it's going to get difficult in a couple of weeks.

Two more sleeps.

ooo, getting dd to clean her room is a good idea. It's tidy, but a clean won't hurt. Also need photos done for her travel card and to sort out her bike.

Please can I join too? Ds has gone from very nervous to excited (?!) in the last few days. I'm fully expecting him to be awake most of the night before results as that's what he usually does when he is nervous. I'm trying not to be too jittery but it seems that everything that comes out of my mouth is exam related somehow! I just keep thinking about my brother (now 40 and very successful) who failed all his gcse's and blamed it on the single magpie he saw en route to collect his results (nothing to do with the fact that he had done very little work at all for two years)!

I made him send me a picture of the results note last batch but was totally scuppered as it was all in Welsh and made no sense to me whatsoever!

We have a go into school day on Friday to sort out A levels so I am hoping that I can plead my case for so much transition in his life AND school making a hash of it to get him into the courses he needs. He's only picked one truly academic one but it's the one he really needs.

2boys sorry to hear about your dad fingers crossed for you all. We found out my father had cancer when on holiday three years ago and the children were going through so much waited to tell them and in the end didn't need to as he had a injections and a long course of radiotherapy but no side effects so never got round to telling them at all.

5 B grades to get into sixth form seems hard thesock! Are there other sixth forms with lower entry requirements?

MrSlant - I wish 5 bs was all DS needed - his sixth form was so oversubscribed for some subjects that they turned down kids with anything less than As predictions, and haven't offered him double maths because of a single B prediction in English (despite A* prediction in maths ) - he may be offered it at enrollment on Friday, but only if he does better than everyone else in the same boat - so doesn't really know what he needs. His second choice sixth form will have him with bs in the subjects he wants to go on with thankfully, so that should be safe (as long as they don't give his place away thinking he's made the offer of the 1st choice sixth form which he had to accept, even though he doesn't want it unless they change his subjects at enrollment.......) Is all very complicated, and I wish it was a nice simple offer he could make or not make.

DD is staying on at her school and so has a guaranteed sixth form place, but not necessarily on courses, that depends on results.

I think she will be fine in her subjects, except possibly Maths. Her heart isn't set on Maths but it is the only option she liked in that column.

So sorry Kitten and 2 boys.

DS was unexpectedly invited to a sports camp this week so he has had to take his head out of the sand and work out what to do about getting his results. I now have permission to go and get them so no worries now about him forgetting to let us know! I also have strict instructions about what to do with them.

He also hasn't decided yet which sixth form he wants to go to (or at least hasn't revealed his preference) so this adds to the unsettled feeling. Not long now but finding it difficult to focus on other stuff. I'm sure my parents weren't as concerned back in the day (when you had to wait for the post).

Dd's had a lovely summer and really enjoyed her NCS. She's starting to get nervous about her results. She has decided she really wants to do biology but needs BB in combined science which is going to be tough. She is very good at art but has decided not to do that because she didn't think she could work with the teacher at her new because he reminded her of the teacher at her old school

There's a well regarded BTEC course at her new school and I think she would do well on that, but after being initially keen she is now down on BTECs because she has heard other people looking down on them. She is dyslexic, and has just left a selective school so I supposed I shouldn't be surprised that she's feeling confused about where her talents lie (creativity) and where she feels they should be (academia).

Sorry to hear your news kitten & 2 boys, dh is being made redundant which was playing on my mind, but it's put into perspective now
I've warned Ds that I will be requiring him to log onto the pupil portal at 8am on Thursday to check his results. He wasn't impressed 😁

Nice to see you MrSlant! You might remember I got separated/divorced right at the start of DS2's transition to secondary. Wasn't good timing but couldn't be helped. Don't blame yourself for any disasters, it's just how it goes with ASD sometimes. (There's always contemporary dance!)

There is more than one way to skin a cat. If A levels turn out to be a mistake you can always change to a more vocational course. Two friends' DS's have done college courses, BTECs and the like, one transferred to Sports after doing poorly in AS levels, one in public service training, both are going to university, sports science and criminology respectively. TBH, to do well at A level you need at least a B and preferably an A in the subject. For DS, who is most likely to get Cs with a sprinkling of Bs and Ds, A levels wasn't a good option.

DS seems quite calm, but I think he's got a very good chance of meeting his requirements for the BTEC course, especially as they seem to have dropped slightly. So, sort of looking forward to Thurs, will be glad to get this uncertainty over and done with.

I remember, how on EARTH was that over 5 years ago now? We were so worried and now look at us! Still worrying .

He's got two vocational courses lined up but really needs Biology A level to follow his passion, wouldn't be any problem at all as it's his likeliest good grade but they also want B in maths and his teacher was, frankly, crap. Not that ASD is genetic in any way but I get really flappy if I don't know what the plan is, hurry up thursday.

DS is on holiday with his father and brothers so at least we can't infect each other with flappiness.

TeamGB People are very snobby about BTECs but then people can be very snobby about schools/colleges. My DS went to what was the old technical college as opposed to the sixth form college (no sixth for at his school). You could almost see people's faces when I said that he was studying BTEC and which college. Having a already had a DD who had gone through sixth form college they weren't all that

My advice would be to look at course content and see whether it suits your DD. It is often a better fit for some.

BTEC are also accepted for entry to universities (although most RG don't) so life isn't over if the DC don't make the grades for A levels and decide to study BTECs

My DS has said he can't be bothered to go an get his GCSE English result and will just wait for it to be posted. Can't believe him

Just joining too.

My son gets his results on Thursday. He seems quite nervous. He's never been interested in school and it's only during Year 11 that he actually started to knuckle down, have a bit of confidence in his abilities which he's always been lacking and do some work (too little, too late methinks). Revision was patchy.

He has a place on an engineering course at the local tech college, honestly I think he could aim higher with some effort but he's adamant that sixth form and A levels aren't for him. He's just said that if his grades are better than he's expecting then he might look into doing the engineering course which is the next level up. It's difficult, we've tried to suggest applying for apprenticeships to him but he's not interested. He just wants to do this college course and I'm sure it's no coincidence that he has several friends from school who are also going to be doing it. Not exactly the best way to choose a career.

We have a plan for Thursday now, we're picking up a Y10 friend who will be getting the results of their science GCSE and then going out for breakfast afterwards. I feel better now I know he's not walking in on his own and also because he's faced up to the fact that it is happening whether he's ready or not.

We've had all three grandparents on the phone in the last 24hrs checking when results day is. I wish we could just blow some white smoke up our nonexistent chimney to say it is all ok when the time comes. I was hoping one group text would cover all bases and mean no problem with the order to call them in but no, they want actual verbal communication.

My mom is travelling down from the Midlands tomorrow for results day - just to add to the tension

I'm sorry about your dhs job Derek. I hope he finds something even better soon. It's a horrid process.

oh no at the grandparents! talk about extra pressure. I've had a few people ask how dds results have gone and I've had to explain she's not had them yet. I really wish they could do their GCSEs in secret!

Today we invented the reason that she needed stationery to go out to a nearby town on the train. We went Pokemon hunting and discovered a really pretty park that we didn't know about. So that's most of today used in an enjoyable manner.

DS2 and I went on a trial bus journey to college. He'll need a bit of building up to it and practice, but they come every 10 minutes which means never too long a wait. Hot out there today, though.

We're visiting my brother and SIL tomorrow to while away some time. No grandparents left here, I'm afraid.

I thought I would surprise ds with a meal at size (courtesy of Tesco vouchers!) and he has already decided he wants a Chinese takeaway from the more expensive (and nicer) Chinese.

Quite glad his football training has started back because it will relieve some of ghe nervous tension tomorrow night. Feel a bit sorry for the coaches though, training a whole team of year 11 boys the night before Results day!

This has reminded me that my parents will be calling bang on 9am to see how he's done. MIL won't bother so I suppose for once her indifference will be a good thing.

Derek I'm sorry to hear about your husband's job, we went through it on the run up to Christmas 2014 and I've never been so worried. I hope that it works out well in the end.

My mother thought she'd come over on Thursday morning, "to be a part of the experience". No mum, you had that opportunity in 1979. If his nightmares have come true and it's all gone horribly wrong then he will need some space to glue his shredded self esteem back together.

The other grandmother has no sense and other grandchildren. DH will say "DS got X Y and Z" and grannie will immediately trump it with another grandchild's achievements. DH will bite his tongue, hang up and go ballistic. Why yes, we have been here before.

I think this is very apt, I've just seen it and realised I'm a shadow of my former self :(

I'm back too. Fingers crossed for everyone. I think DD should be ok. Will be more worried when DS does his in two years time. I'll be a nervous wreck then but it's relatively stress free here in the dowhathow house at the moment.

Posted on completely wrong thread , sorry

I ain't got no man vinocola, I'll carry my own bloody crown thank you, I concur that I am way too smart and beautiful though

Very glad I've got work tomorrow to distract me though. Tomorrow night will be a bugger and I can't even get pissed because I've got to get up early to collect DS from his holiday to get the results!

for everyone with extra grandparents. I think I would quite possibly end up killing my mother if she was getting involved.