Starting Y11 support thread

[AtiaoftheJulii]

(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 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.

Draylon - great to read he sounds like she's doing great too

Our dd had her phone confiscated the other day and it was left at the school over night and we had to write a letter to get it back. ott if you ask me!!
Hanging out for the week off!!

oh there have been actual tears about it tonight, it's like she's grieving - she lay on the floor of her bedroom (in the dark!) for a good hour* until I tempted her out with pancakes :p

(*history revision time)

She was using it to text after bus drop off before morning bell - so on school grounds but not in school time iykwim. So I have a small amount of sympathy, especially since she's never been caught done it before. They are supposed to have it removed for three days - which would take us over half term (I'm not sure she could survive that long) - unless they can get a parent to go in & apologise, that's a bit difficult for us since we live 20 miles away & only have one car (at work with dh). I sent a very polite email, requesting they give it back before home time tomorrow in light of the travel logistics, promising I'd remind her of the rules & suggesting they give her a detention or two instead. I just got an equally pleasant reply from her head of year saying that it was very out of character for dd & of course she can get it back tomorrow & no mention of detention. I haven't told dd yet.

I'm still snorting at an angry call!

Oh that's good she's getting it back! Can't believe we had to write a letter too. Difference is for us she's been caught once so they are like she has the hand it in morning and pick up end of day which as you can imagine hasn't gone down well!! Lol

possum how is your dd doing?

Hope everyone else's dc are doing ok.

My dd has made the decision to do dual Science instead of triple. Think I agree with her - she's not doing any Science A Levels, they finish the dual award course earlier allowing more time for revision, she will get higher grades doing dual and it will leave more time for her to concentrate on other subjects especially those she is doing for A Levels. This means she will have 9 GCSEs, that's enough isn't it?

Dancergirl - I think that's very sensible. DD is doing triple (she wants to do science A levels) but they have 6 hours a week of science & have pretty much finished the final modules already so are doing revision from now on.

9 GCSEs is standard at dd's school (outstanding lots of RG & Oxbridge blah blah) - they have an enrichment block where they can either do another GCSE, a BTEC (which dd chose) or the EPQ but coming this close the exams a fair number (of high achievers too) have dropped their enrichment so they can maximise results in the 9 core GCSEs. Grades matter far more that numbers imo.

t875 - she's like a changed person apparently she was crying because it put an end to her 72 day snapchat streak!

Yeah dd has actually found a front screen back ground with a angry puffle saying my phone leave alone!

I think if it benefits them to drop or change things around it's a good idea dance girl. Has she done her science gcse core exam!?

Got some great books for history
Medicine through time
Great western.
Dd was thrilled you can imagine

DD still hasn't chosen her a levels. She has a meeting with a tutor today which should hopefully help. I just want her to decide.

dancer. Dd seems ok this week, thanks. She was worried about going back into graphics this week as one of her main complaints has been about the two teachers in that class. One mainly ignored her, the other shouted at her a bit and called her lazy but that's quite minor compared to what they're normally like with her.

I think 9 GCSEs for your dd is fine. That's standard amount here and I agree if not planning to do science a levels I don't see the benefit in triple science. Certainly not if there's other stuff she would rather do.

rask what subjects does she like? Is she more Science or Arts? When does she have to decide by?

My dd handed her A Level form in today - English, History, Government and Politics and Psychology. Her school advise them to start with 4 even with the new system, with the option to do an AS in one of them or drop one.

She loves the sciences, modern languages, plus Latin and History. Equally good at all of them. No idea about career. I think she should do modern languages or classics. She is very good at, but does not love maths, so I think she should abandon the sciences. But she looks cross when I say this. And when I say do the sciences then. Can't win!

It doesn't have to be one or other other though rask, she could do a combination of sciences plus maybe a language or History. Lots of dd's friends are doing Maths, English plus one or two others.

Is she choosing 3 or 4 subjects?

A Levels are tough and there is a huge jump between GCSE and A Level. She should choose subjects she really loves.

Agree, dd's latest choices are Maths, French, German and Biology. Unfortunately most of the proposed AS options have been dropped. She's supposed to be checking if she could do French AS as well. Madness that we have to choose before parents' evening or even mid year report. The choices can be tweaked but there will be restrictions from now on due to timetabling.

When is your Parents' Evening lizs?

End of March!

Yes that is late!

We had ours last week. Dd is doing ok, just some minor tweaks to get grades up from mostly Bs.

I emailed her History teacher as she was off sick for Parents' Evening. Dd got a C in the mock, her lowest grade and she is doing History for A Level. The teacher had met with dd after the mock and told me she was worried that dd hadn't made any flash cards or revision notes. If you read my earlier posts, you'll see that dd did precious little revision for the mocks so was lucky to get the grades she did. I hope she will realise now she will have to work harder to get good grades.

She does seem to be doing the bare minimum though. Spending lots of time on her phone and claims to have no 'homework'. I pointed out that she should be doing something every evening even if there is no set work. I am worried especially when I see how hard other dc are working.

The AS syllabus differs though, so while it isn't too tricky for Maths and sciences, including iirc
Geography , it isn't possible for most humanities.

They do 4 at her school but she wants to do 5. I am pushing back strongly/forbidding her. She works phenomenally hard, hasn't stopped since Sept. She is remarkably unstressed - a combination of hard work and good brains means she finds a stars easy - but I think 5 A Levels (not further maths) could send anyone over the edge. And totally unnecessary.

Do AS levels still exist? I thought they had gone. No one has mentioned them to us.

Topics seem to be more different in Humanities. Agree it shouldn't and needn't be but maths for example builds upon the basic knowledge which matches AS. Not all boards still offer AS either.

Right, am in serious need of advice please.

So last week I very politely "complained" about dds graphics teacher. Told the HOY maybe dd was being sensitive but in her perception she was being victimised by the teacher, teacher wasn't helping her but was others, etc.

So today in graphics teacher told dd to get a can of spray glue stuff out the cupboard and spray the back of her work she's been doing since Xmas. Dd got the only bottle in the cupboard and sprayed the back of her work and it was spray paint. Dd went and told the teacher who laughed. Teacher said dd will have to wait two weeks until the end of the project "I will sort it out then when I'm less stressed" she said to dd. Dd is stressed, never mi d the teacher. She's worried it can't be sorted. Teacher says it may well peel off.

Teacher has told dd she's behind and needs to catch up and now this.

Teacher is putting on a catch up day in half term but has told dd she can't attend because "I only want a small group". Five kids have been invited, dd reckons they're all further on than she is.

I want to go back to HOY but dd says no because I will make it worse.

This is a subject dd wants to do for a level, degree and a career and if this graphics teacher keeps on like this dd isn't going to get a grade good enough to be allowed to do a level.

Can you ask the HoD or the teacher directly why dd can't attend the catch up session? No accusations about the teacher and her attitude/relationship with dd, but a formal request for information on where she's at, what she needs to do to catch up and what help school can offer. Calm, collected and factual?

RE ASs - they're mostly not co-teachable, ie the content for an AS is different from the full A level. They've gone back to being what they were in the old days - a supplementary qualification for students who want 3.5 A levels instead of 3. Most schools I know of are only allowing the odd AS level in the "content" subjects where students are prepared to self-teach.