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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Starting year 13 2016

992 replies

HSMMaCM · 06/09/2016 08:46

Continuing from the year 12 - 13 thread.

Good luck with continuing studies, uni open days, driving tests, etc.

OP posts:
ono40 · 03/10/2016 20:54

BTM, the Hacienda is now an apartment block and Affleck's is still there. I spend quite a bit of time in Manchester for work and have never felt unsafe. The student accommodation at Owen's Park is a bus ride away which might not appeal to those who like to roll out of bed for lectures. It isn't particularly nice but those who live there love it. I've walked round there at night and there are usually lots of people about. I'd always advise students to go out in pairs anywhere.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/10/2016 21:57

I used to work out of an office in york uni (for a company but my boss was an academic) , loved the place and I'm sure she would have too except for the small detail that it doesn't offer EEE. Grin The others on her list are in cities but maybe in different sorts of area. Each to their own - various of her friends are dead set on manchester, and I rather like the vibe of the 'curry mile' that lies between the uni and the halls.

JugglingFromHereToThere · 04/10/2016 09:40

DD really enjoyed her practice expedition last weekend, especially the first night evening meal in the local pub. She's off on the real one tomorrow - I think they have to cook for themselves this time! Hopefully a few days at home has been enough for her blisters to heal - got a couple of small ones on the practice.
Any advice - extra socks? A blister pack from the chemists?
DS is hoping to do his bronze this year, and just needs to get his application in to school, including having a think what he might do for each section.
DD wants to add a few things to her PS, hopefully including an exciting trip she did in the summer, and some reference to bits she's done for DofE. It's all about the subject ATM so I feel we do have to work on the balance a bit with that. It is meant to be a personal statement after all!

LittleHoHum · 04/10/2016 09:54

ds got blisters for his walk. He managed to avoid them on subsequent walks by getting some better socks, applying plasters before the walk and during any rests.

dd is heartily sick of her Personal Statement. She has finished it but keeps getting comments like 'needs to be more dynamic' without saying anything specific. She is logical and needs specifics. Also one teacher says take something out, then another teacher contradicts that and says put it back in. It is driving her nuts. Her friends are finding the same thing too. I think there are too many people commenting on the blasted things and they all have different ideas.

Rant over.

JugglingFromHereToThere · 04/10/2016 10:42

Yes, I'm sure that in many ways good enough is good enough for the personal statement Little. Anyway DD is hoping to get hers in around half-term so feels like we're nearly there now!

ErrolTheDragon · 04/10/2016 10:58

My DD had blisters from trudging up and down the hills on Bristol open day the week before hers. She used a lot of zinc oxide tape. I believe the idea is put it on places which are likely to rub beforehand.

Juggling, if she's off tomorrow hasn't she had to buy vast quantities of junk food (plus actual food)? The food planning seemed like quite an important element of the thing.

ErrolTheDragon · 04/10/2016 10:59

My DD had blisters from trudging up and down the hills on Bristol open day the week before hers. She used a lot of zinc oxide tape. I believe the idea is put it on places which are likely to rub beforehand.

Juggling, if she's off tomorrow hasn't she had to buy vast quantities of junk food (plus actual food)? The food planning seemed like quite an important element of the thing.

ErrolTheDragon · 04/10/2016 10:59

My DD had blisters from trudging up and down the hills on Bristol open day the week before hers. She used a lot of zinc oxide tape. I believe the idea is put it on places which are likely to rub beforehand.

Juggling, if she's off tomorrow hasn't she had to buy vast quantities of junk food (plus actual food)? The food planning seemed like quite an important element of the thing.

ErrolTheDragon · 04/10/2016 11:02

Sorry, I should know its lying when it says its failed to post. Blush

JugglingFromHereToThere · 04/10/2016 12:17

Errol your post seems to have entered a strange in-between world (where it's come up multiple times on "threads I'm on" but not at all on the actual thread) Very strange!
Anyway I gather there was much traipsing up and down of hills resulting in some blisters!
Am planning to pop out and get DD some plasters etc. before she sets off tomorrow Smile

JugglingFromHereToThere · 04/10/2016 12:22

Oh, they've all re-appeared now making me look like an idiot! Blush

Zinc oxide tape? OK, adds to list for first-aid kit.

She's doing an after school shop to make sure she has adequate supplies of cereal bars and chocolate Smile And whatever else they're planning to survive on.

ono40 · 04/10/2016 12:32

Juggling, DS used Compeed stick, I think it is silicone that you rub onto the foot to prevent blisters. It worked like a charm and he came back blister free. Last time he had horrendous blisters. Buy some Compeed blister plasters too, the bigger the better, just in case.

DS took pre-packed camping food from Go Outdoors (all day breakfast, chicken tikka etc plus chocolate puddings), wraps and those sachets of tuna for lunch, chocolate filled pancakes, cranberries, nuts, protein bars for snacks. Their camping was more or less 'wild' as the campsites had no facilities (in the best one there was a 'toilet' in a shack Shock). But he really enjoyed it and said he reckoned he could've walked for another day.

ErrolTheDragon · 04/10/2016 12:38

I just noticed on another thread there seems to be some synchronisation issue with posts done on the app if you are viewing on a browser.

DDs was totally 'wild' - I think one night they cooked in an old bothy. I believe that the group was required to use a trowel, and instructed to burn the loo roll. That probably didn't work too well after she had (aptly but unfortunately) dropped hers in a bog.

JugglingFromHereToThere · 04/10/2016 14:52

All sounds great - character building!

Have just got back from Boots having bought everything they had for blisters! Thanks for the suggestions, hopefully they may help and DD could even share around with friends as needed Smile

ErrolTheDragon · 07/10/2016 11:53

DD did her UCAS application on monday and now shes twitching every time she gets an email. Just acknowledgements and general guff of course. AIBU to tell her to chill?

LittleHoHum · 07/10/2016 12:18

dd has sent her UCAS application to the school so her bit is now done. Hurrah. Hopefully the references will go on in the next few days.

What a relief.

Errol YANBU She might not hear anything until after Christmas!

bebumba · 07/10/2016 13:01

Ds has just sent is UCAS form in to college too. He seems quite happy at college at the moment and has been really organised so far this term.
Concerned that he may be unwell as he has always been comletely disorganised in the past!
I think doing university open days in the summer term really inspired him.

bigTillyMint · 07/10/2016 13:05

Are these all potential Oxbridgers that have sent off their UCAS's? DD says her school won't deal with any others until they have been done and dusted!

, DD is working harder than last year - praying it continues!

ErrolTheDragon · 07/10/2016 13:26

Mine is having a shot at Cambridge - it might be a bit of a long shot and shes not that convinced that General engineering is the right course for her anyway.

teta · 07/10/2016 13:27

Dd's sent off hers too.Not before correcting the grammatical errors in her reference.They're allowed to read them in a meeting with the headmaster.He apparently said with so many corrections she should be a teacher Grin.She also got a pep talk about how good her statement was and came home happier.Until 11pm when she phoned me from her attic bedroom in a panic about references.

aginghippy · 07/10/2016 14:07

My dd is the opposite Errol, not applying to Cambridge because she doesn't want to do general engineering.

She is planning to submit after the Oxbridge deadline. She is still tweaking her personal statement, but has otherwise completed the UCAS form.

bebumba · 07/10/2016 15:15

Not an Oxbridge candidate here either.

Horsemad · 07/10/2016 18:12

Our school won't do anything until after the Oxbridge applications have been sent.

DS still hasn't decided which course he wants to do 😕 I am getting twitchy now, especially as he hasn't written a PS yet - says he can't until he knows what course he is applying for.

I want his application sent early so we can just get on with life a bit.

We're off to look at B'ham next Saturday.

bigTillyMint · 07/10/2016 20:38

Yes same as DDs, Horse.

DD is happy with her predicted grades and seems to be getting closer to finishing her PSWine

LittleHoHum · 07/10/2016 21:59

Our school won't do anything until after the Oxbridge applications have been sent.

Same so she put in on the list!

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