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Secondary education

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Original poster

Year 11 support thread

999 replies

pasanda · 10/02/2017 09:37

I can't find a new thread, moving on from the old full one, so I thought I would create one (please tell me if I'm wrong!)

Last night ds stayed up till 4.30am doing his biology coursework Shock

This time the tsunami affect didn't work and he left it far too late to do a reasonable job. Which is a bloody shame because he wants to do biology A level and he has done so well in his other controlled assessments.

I wait with bated breath to find out his mark

Oh well, thank God for half term!!

OP posts:
Laniakea · 09/05/2017 11:18

How is everyone?

It's very stressful here, I'm trying to build in some nice things - cinema, meals, trampolining - but dd is totally miserable & snarling at us all. She can't sleep, has hay fever & a sore throat, her back hurts, her legs hurt, she's getting tingly fingers, she looks terrible tbh. School finishes on Thursday & I'm trying to get her a GP appointment for Friday. I'm doing my best to stay cheerful & supportive & biting my tongue lots. I have horrendous IBS & had a full on panic attack last night ... I know it's worse for her but I hate that's she's being so unpleasant. Not a good time to give up Wine

LIZS · 09/05/2017 11:26

Human bio tomorrow and last week's mock didn't go quite as well as she'd hoped. Will be glad when this week is over tbh.

pointythings · 09/05/2017 14:20

DD1 is doing OK, she was trying to keep up with her revision timetable and homework and has a meltdown when they turned out to be impossible. So much homework set, all of it revision based of course... So I finally persuaded her that it counted as revision and she adapted her timetable instead. She just wants the exams to start now.

Ginandtonictime · 09/05/2017 15:26

Can I recommend Mr Bruff on youtube for AQA English gcse? He is AMAZING at breaking down how to score well and has given tips on the power&conflict poetry bundles too ...

Just a shame my two are doing CIE English ... Envy

namechange7711 · 09/05/2017 16:06

Very stressful here too.

DS2 has his second Geography GCSE exam tomorrow and DS1 has his Geography AS resits starting next week. The kitchen seems to have become a dumping ground for piles of maps, books, past papers, mark schemes etc so there's nowhere for me to actually prepare food. Heaven forbid that I should suggest they transfer said items into their own bedrooms. Hmm

Two very snarly teenagers who keep swearing at me. Sad

Madhairday · 09/05/2017 19:23

Dd swears by Mr Bruff @ginandtonic.

Ouch namechange - two at once! You'll be needing that G and T then Grin

Dd oil very stressed now. She says teachers are piling the stress on them, telling them they need to be spending every waking hour on revision Hmm it is a relief to have art out of the way. Her psoriasis has gone mad, big red patches worse than ever so she's scratching a lot which doesn't help in long exams :( poor love. Her friends all seem to be having terrible dramas as well that they all have to wade in on as they are 'all there for one another' so seem to spend an inordinate amount of time messaging one another. It's all gone a bit nuts.

Ontopofthesunset · 09/05/2017 19:35

DS has been on study leave since the Bank Holiday. It's difficult for him to conjure up a sense of urgency as these first two weeks are really spaced out and 'easy' (ie minimal revision) exams - English language and his two MFL. But then it all really hots up for the next two weeks with an exam a day and two on a couple of days, and I'm not sure he's planned ahead enough for those subjects. He's already bored and lacklustre with the lack of structure and activity.

By the end of this week he'll have completed 4 of his GCSEs though, so that's good.

BigSandyBalls2015 · 09/05/2017 21:13

I just bounded up the stairs to tell my DDs about my inside knowledge of Mr Bruff (as just seen on here!), to be met with incredulous looks:

"Mum, our teacher threatens us with Mr Bruff, she said today if we don't stop talking we'll all be in detention listening to Mr Bruff, and everyone went silent"

I need to check this out myself I think.

GiraffeorOcelot · 10/05/2017 08:26

Never heard of Mr Bruff, will have to check him out. Thanks.

DS is working hard and we even had a voicemail from his head of year yesterday saying how impressed they are with how he's working! What a shame it's the first time they have praised him in 5 yrs...

I am hopeful he can pull off better results than predicted but we will wait and see.

School are doing a full 'walking talking' English lit mock this afternoon which should be helpful as DS's English grade is rather variable.

tiggytape · 10/05/2017 08:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GiraffeorOcelot · 10/05/2017 09:45

I am glad we don't seem to have study leave. I think it's a lot easier to get them to school than it is to get them up at 8.30 and make them work at home. Good for his education and my sanity 😂

BlackDoglet · 10/05/2017 09:53

BigSandyBalls (have you been there? It's lovely!) - I did the same... yelled into the abyss of dc bedroom:

"Hey, liitledog - have you seen Mr Bruff YouTube?"

"Yes mum, teachers threaten us with him regularly"

Seems like he's a bit marmite! Might check him out myself later!

Merrylegs · 10/05/2017 11:22

German done! It was a mix of 'challenging' and 'straightforward'. So let's hope the straightforward answers are correct at least. Good luck to all as we carry on!

Quadratilla · 10/05/2017 13:33

Study leave started last week and all has been relatively calm here with latest revision mainly targeted at next weeks exams (Biology, Latin and Chemistry). However today she decided to get the school bus in so that she could revise with a friend. The now unusual early start resulted in a foul mood because I was 'slowing her down by looking at her' and culminated in me telling her to "fuck off then" as she stormed out. Obviously I now think she will die in a hideous accident today with my last words to her ringing in her ears.Sad SadBlush

I hasten to add I have been perfect and loving and providing her with coffee/fruit/bacon sarnies/chocolate/cuddles and anything else requested for the last week. Pass the gin...

LIZS · 10/05/2017 19:27

1 down, 19 to go ... 20th June seems a long way away.

Ginandtonictime · 10/05/2017 19:30

Girl don't look here for judgement! I think it's healthy to press the reset button even in these stressy times ... you're doing your best and so is she ... but she can't use you as a doormat for a horrible mood!

You're only human babe - apologise if you must but don't beat yourself up ... it may not be the last time!

Snowfire · 10/05/2017 19:35

DD has her first exam tomorrow, French oral. She has revised and practiced and seemed fine until today, now she apparently has no idea what she is doing and is in a flat spin! I probably haven't helped by yelling at her to "Calm the fuck down!" I just can't wait for it to all be over 😞

RedHelenB · 11/05/2017 08:12

First exam tomorrow drama performance counting for 40%. Watched the dress rehearsal yesterday and was impressed ( just hope the examiner is today!)

Ontopofthesunset · 11/05/2017 08:39

DS has now finished his Drama and English Language GCSEs and will have finished both his MFL by tomorrow afternoon.

All ok here but realising where the gaps are eg Latin literature. I am definitely more stressed than he is.

minesawine · 11/05/2017 09:43

I thought DS was doing ok with his revision until he said yesterday that some of the kids know the whole of Macbeth inside out, with one girl saying she has read it 20 times. Well its too late for that!!!

Realistically, how much Macbeth will he need to know and how indepth will his knowledge of the poems need to be.

I have this constant knot in my stomach and feeling so anxious.

Dancergirl · 11/05/2017 09:53

Hope everyone is doing ok.

Dd had her last day before study leave. They had a lovely fun day, were allowed to 'muck up' their uniform and the school put on a tea for them. Lots of them were crying but not dd (surprising really as she's leaving).

I was expecting a battle to get dd out of bed this morning to start work but she set her alarm for 8 ish and when I got back from the school run she was up Smile

First 3 exams next week - RS, Biology and Chemistry.

castleontheground · 11/05/2017 10:01

I have surpassed myself. Dd learning tens of quotes for Eng Lit but I have bought a cheap digital casio watch, taken the back off it and disabled the alarm for her exams. Perhaps best not to tell her how chuffed I am with myself!

tiggytape · 11/05/2017 10:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tigerblue · 11/05/2017 10:47

Glad to have art coursework and exam out of the way here as well. DD is prepared for her exams next week and the ones right at the end as they've recently completed those science modules and revised for a test. It's everything in the middle. I think she's suddenly aware others are revising a lot more and more effectively.

Study leave doesn't start here until half term. How much revision are those at school doing? Also, those on study leave, how much are they doing? It needs to be done, but I guess they also need a break to stop them becoming saturated.

t875 · 11/05/2017 13:08

Last day for dd today and only goes back for exams. She's looking to go to college so it's been a pretty big time for her.
It's hard as her best friends are possibly staying there but she's going along best she can.
Revision seems to be 5-7 but not sure what she will do in the day revision as she will be at home.

First exam next wed RE she got A * in that last test so not too much pressure with that one.

Hope all our older teens are going along ok. And us mums
The lady who said her daughter was ill and stressed hope she is feeling better asap.