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Secondary education

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Original poster

Starting Y11 support thread

999 replies

AtiaoftheJulii · 05/09/2016 13:02

(Yeah, I'm procrastinating ....)

For all those with one or two (or more?) offspring going into year 11: controlled assessments, coursework, practicals, performances, GCSE revision (or not ...), being guinea pigs for the Maths and English 1to9 exams, choosing what to do next - schools/sixth form colleges/college/apprenticeships/BTECs/A levels and more - and generally being 15!

It's a tough year academically - in some ways harder than sixth form I think because there are just so many subjects and exams - and a tough year emotionally - not always mature enough to organise themselves, too old to have organisation imposed upon them!

Ds still has an MFL CA, a couple of science practical CAs, and two assessed drama performances, plus coursework to do for History I think. I can't see there's going to be much let up and he's definitely feeling the pressure Sad I think he'll probably end up staying at his school for 6th form (he's very mathsy and his school is a good fit) but we may well look at a couple of sixth form colleges as he's already talking about whether he can go somewhere that won't feel quite so pushy.

OP posts:
namechange7711 · 22/01/2017 11:38

Possum - if you are genuinely worried about your DD's mental health, you can go to the GP without her and explain the situation. The professionals are good at working out which fall into the "I hate my life - I want to kill myself - melodramatic slamming of doors" category (which lots of teenagers fall into at times) and which are actually exhibiting more worrying behaviour.

If she's in the former category, I would back off for now. There's plenty of time left.

Study leave starts on 8 May here (when DS will already have done one paper, which is a bit weird).

Ontopofthesunset · 22/01/2017 12:33

My son's start on May 2nd but luckily it is an 'easy' (low revision) one -French. There seems to be so much pressure put on them now - all these revision classes and booster sessions; I'm so sorry for them. It was so much more laid back when I did them. So it's not surprising some children are overwhelmed. I think the chat to the doctor is a good idea.

Laniakea · 22/01/2017 16:45

Just checked dd's dates - she starts on the 16th May with French & biology & her last ones are physics on 16th June. Production showcase is the first week of May& study leave starts on the 12th May. Prom is the week after the last exam & 6th form induction the week after that. Then we're going on holiday! She says she is going to aim to do nothing this summer.

No progress with 6th form application. I'm going to tie her to a chair & make her do it tonight.

minesawine · 22/01/2017 20:51

Hi - does anyone know where I can access Maths higher GCSE practice papers or revision quizzes. Need to be Edexcel based. My DS has worked through the examples given by his school. Thanks

Laniakea · 22/01/2017 21:22

dd has just got this (hasn't used it yet so can't comment on how good it is)

minesawine · 23/01/2017 10:08

Thank you Laniakea

AliceLostinWonderland1 · 23/01/2017 11:00

Could not resist joining in Sad
Possum I feel for you, as I am in the exact same boat.
DS took the mocks very lightly and did terribly in all subjects except English, for which he managed to somehow get an 8 Confused!
He still seems very relaxed and I seem to be the one bouncing up and down the walls and counting days down to May Sad
Don't know how to start the fire in his belly...

PossumInAPearTree · 23/01/2017 12:10

Had a letter from school, generic letter along with a copy of dd's current gcse predictions. Letter states that the mocks have raised some issues with English, mainly to do with exam technique which the teachers have taken on board and will be focusing on now.

Dd is still predicted 6 for both lit and language even though she got a 2 and a 3.

So it sounds like when dd said most of the year failed she was right.

But surely they should have been them how they need to answer the questions already!

AliceLostinWonderland1 · 23/01/2017 12:23

Schools do go through exam techniques, the general comment we received was that DS does not read the question properly!

pointythings · 23/01/2017 12:39

DD1 is definitely revising, but she has a second set of mocks mid-February so she needs to. She has about 5 weeks of exams but not every day so time to cram/revise between. I think monitoring mental health is vital. DD1 has a history of panic attacks and mild self harm so I am watching her. Sometimes they need a break and some TLC.

Draylon · 23/01/2017 13:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PossumInAPearTree · 23/01/2017 15:01

draylon. Dd has a very fixed idea of where she wants to go for sixth form. Different place to where she is now. But it's academic and hard to get into. Saying that the subjects she wants to study for a level she is predicted As for (got A in two in the mocks and a C in the other). So maybe they will take her? Should find out in march if she gets a conditional offer.

Any suggestion to look at any other options made her cry when I broached the subject last so am leaving it.

Draylon · 23/01/2017 15:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PossumInAPearTree · 23/01/2017 16:19

Yes, I'm making a list of possibilities so if it goes tits up on results day we know who to ring.

Dancergirl · 24/01/2017 19:39

Finally dd has her results:

Bs for Physics, Chemistry and Biology (which would be AA if dual)
C in History (disappointed with this but knows where she needs to improve)
C in Spanish (again disappointing but very close to a B)
B in Maths (iGCSE - over the moon with this, will hopefully get an A in the summer)
B in RS
B in Music
and the best one....two 8s in English! Smile

I'm very pleased bearing in mind that she appeared to do very little work! With hard work she should do well in the summer.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

pointythings · 24/01/2017 20:06

dancerthat is a fabulous set of mocks results, and if she puts the work in now it will really set her up for the real thing. Well done her - and you! Flowers

Dancergirl · 24/01/2017 20:12

Thank you pointy We had so many rows over the Christmas holidays about dd's lack of work, it's a relief really. And whilst dd knows there is room for improvement in some subjects, she's right that we should trust her to just get on with things.

Fleurdelise · 25/01/2017 08:22

Got DS's exam dates, 16th May to 16th June. Revision is done mainly at school in this house, he joined all the revision sessions available after school and some at lunch time. Hopefully it will help and get him the results he's after.

Fleurdelise · 25/01/2017 08:25

Well done for the mock results Dancegirl you can now relax a bit.

PossumInAPearTree · 25/01/2017 13:23

dancer. Great results.

I have slightly good news.

Dds new English tutor has started. Dd likes her and feels she learnt loads in just the first hour. More importantly tutor (who marks gcse papers for four different exam boards) says there is no way dds mock paper was a level 2. She's seen the papers and said she would have marked her a C in old money and a 5 with the new marking system.

God knows why dds school have marked so harshly. School have sent out a letter to parents which reading between the lines say they've realised there's a major problem with the English teaching and they're going to try and sort it out asap! Hmm

pointythings · 25/01/2017 14:08

Possum that is good news, though dreadful of the school to have handled it so badly. Mocks are meant to be marked harshly, but it sounds as if ghis lot were marked by a Grinch with gout...

PossumInAPearTree · 25/01/2017 14:25

I'm not so sure that they've marked them harshly on purpose.....I think they just might be clueless. Letter says the English mock results have given the staff direction about where they need to focus their teaching in the coming weeks, i.e. On areas such as exam techniques. Says something about learning from the results.

So I think the SLT are genuinely worried that the kids haven't been taught effectively.

god knows.....this is the school where head of science emailed the a level student parents and told them all to employ private tutors as the school couldn't effectively teach the kids due to lack of staff!

t875 · 25/01/2017 15:50

Hi everyone

Well were B's and C's here, which is good, we knew from her struggle last year for the beg of year 10 we were going to be hard pushed for A's but very pleased how she has strived forward and trying hard.

well done everyone, its great to read how how everyones DC is going along.
We did have to drop GCSE art in the end, was gutted but she is seeing what her friends are going through with that, it is very hard by all accounts and dd wasnt that fussed about it. Trudging away still with the GCSE History although again from the gap of the beg of year 10 we are stuggling with american west and medicine through time, but her test is coming up where its stalin and Russia!

Our revision isnt until March but lots of seperate lessons in between.
science intervention and also English is on offer!
not long and it will all be over!!! ahhh