Year 11 support thread

[pasanda]

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

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!!

[Laniakea]

I've got one who won't manage an academic path - ASD etc, he's home educated & can't cope with school at all. I try very hard not to compare them but it pisses me off when I see dd not taking full advantage of the good fortune she has - good health, intelligence, good school etc. But she's 16, maybe I expect too much.

Bought her a festival ticket tonight. My mum is taking her & my nieces (another y11 & a y12) to Brighton for a long weekend as a post exam treat for them all.

She's still pissing around on her phone & has started listening to pod casts while she's apparently revising. It doesn't distract her honest. FFS.

At 6 this evening she told me she'd done two hours of work & was doing maths now. She didn't get in until 4:45 & her maths books were on the table in front of me.

Feel quite weepy - she's so lucky & has no fucking appreciation of it.

[Laniakea]

"It's why they can be so unreasonable, so selfish; so unable to appreciate the palm strewn golden pathway to the deep, pure sparkling waters that we've laid out before them."

ha! That made me laugh :)

Onward!

[Tigerblue]

Been lurking here for a day or two.

Teddy, my DD has been given an exam schedule now with days and times. Some days she had three exams, so one starting at say 9am around 10.30/11am depending on timings and another early afternoon. Short break are built inbetween for toilet, snacks/drinks. The school will sort it out.

DD is on the second day of her actual GCSE art exam today. They've had to do a second portfolio as part of the coursework in a short space of time to be submitted now and also they were allowed to prepare one or two things before hand, plan etc. Sunday-yesterday morning she looked positively white and tired, but much to my relief having got the exam under way (art is 10 hours) she came home much happier last night as everything is going how she planned.

Just another 10 subjects to go! Some of her coursework just need tweaking a bit and she'll have to self teach a couple of science modules as they haven't got the time to do them or have just had a lesson on a module. Other than that, hopefully it's down to revision soon.

How much revision (if any) have others done?

[pointythings]

We had this with DD1's second French speaking exam - we were very worried as she had got her dates wrong so it was three days earlier than planned. She had a major panic attack. Then we crammed like mad over 48 hours and she got an A*. Phew.

Mocks part 2 results trickling in - 8 for maths (she was not happy with this as it was the same as the last mock and she wanted improvement), RE A* which she was pleased with as she fond it harder than the last mock which was an A.

[teddygirlonce]

Thanks for all your insights about what is done regarding exam clashes. Think DS has an overly vivid imagination! I think it's more than likely they'll do one of the afternoon clash ones in the morning or late afternoon.

DS is revising steadily but commented t'other day that he was glad he's started already "as there's so much to do". He is doing Triple Science but finds all three subjects quite hard (he's not a natural science buff) so has to put lots of effort into revising those (which takes considerable time and concentration) compared with the 'Humanities' ones which he favours.

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Ds has actually started working this week! There'd been a slow build up to it, sorting out all his books into a magazine file for each subject, producing or printing out a list of topics for each subject, and gradually acquiring revision books for just about every subject. And this week (Monday to Thursday) he's done 1.5-2 hours work each evening - woohoo!

We've got parents evening next week and for once I want to be really prepared and have a couple of useful questions to ask for each subject, as it's so late and so close to the exams. Not sure if ds will be with us - feel that he should be but he has a clashing house competition that he really wants to be in. (And he really doesn't want to come to parents evening!)

[Laniakea]

good new/possible bad news ... they sprung a set of maths mocks on them last week (well two papers anyway) ... dd got 64/80 in the first one. That's her highest mark (by far lol) ever! The other paper was really hard & she isn't expecting anything like as good a mark. But still - it's a small triumph!

They had a physics mock too - which went fine, don't know the mark yet. They are using PDP & PE lessons for these exams - dd is fine with that as she'd rather do maths & physics than hockey.

She has her 6th form interview next Monday - I assume it is pretty much a formality - instructions were to be prompt & look smart (one of those is not a skill she possesses). Not much happening apart from that.

[pointythings]

64/80 is great. DD1 got that in one of her first mock papers and that was said to be high 8 level.

We've had 6th form interviews, they were a formality. No instructions about smart, fortunately -6th form is non-uniform and other than ripped denim and rude slogans they can wear what they want. Including dying their hair blue if they want to. Thank goodness.

[Laniakea]

your 6th form sounds much better pointy - they have a really stupid dress code at dd's. 'Business smart' - bloody ridiculous - boys in naff suits & girls looking like wannabe estate agents/bank tellers. Yuck. IME the better the school the less strict the dress code, certainly in 6th form.

dd is always in trouble for uniform infractions. They are allowed pierced (one set only) ears in 6th form though so that'll be one less thing I get emails about.

The maths was a bloody miracle - the best thing was that in feedback her teachers said that they could tell she's been working hard & has improved massively. That's very motivating for her.

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Oh well done to dd Laniakea!

[pointythings]

Laniakea the prospectus 'recommends' business dress and you don't get to be Head Boy/Girl if you don't run around in the Estate Agent gear, but at least there's freedom to choose. Mind you, the school is sensible on uniform generally - blazer, tie and PE kit compulsory but very very affordable, the rest can be from any retailer. Dyed hair is allowed, including dip dye, if the colours are naturally occurring. Painted nails are allowed too, as is makeup - irrespective of gender. Ear piercings are allowed as long as it's a single pair of studs which are removed for PE. I'm very grateful for all the common sense, it allows the school to focus on the important stuff - teaching.

[pointythings]

Draylon our sixth form is basically 'wear business dress if you want to be Head Boy/Girl/Prefect, or otherwise wear what you want except dirty ripped denim/rude T-shirts.

The blazer/nail polish/hair rules apply for Yrs 7 - 11.

And congrats on your DS Spanish, that is great and will really give him wiggle room.

DD1 got A in her History mock with some sort of crazy score, she was top of the entire year and completely chuffed because History is her thing and she's doing it at A-level. She also got A in her RE mock. She is working so, so hard and I'm so glad it's paying off.

[AtiaoftheJulii]

My ds wears a grey suit for school atm (I say suit, it's an un-logo-ed jacket and trousers, no one cares if they match brilliantly), and in sixth form they can wear a darker grey or black suit - wild

One daughter's school was wear pretty much whatever you liked, the other daughters' school is 'business' wear which I detest.

[Shaistaali]

I'm so so upset and unhappy today, so is my ds he's done his Mocks again for maths and got the same result -4 his target grade is 7 but we will very happy if he gets a 5.

What made us both unhappy that he's been doing pass papers and been getting more then half right he's got a maths tutor and he's upset cause the new version of maths is so different then all these old pass paper.

We have got the 3 papers back he's got 46/240 overall I don't understand wat can we do?

[Shaistaali]

Can someone out their help us their are no new papers only the school ones that are a few.

[Shaistaali]

Thanks for ur support Draylon. My ds needs a solid 6 but I don't know how will he avhieve that will be happy with a 5 he's done nearly all the pass papers but he's struggling with the new maths exams the layouts. His tutor is going to look through the mock paper's Tomorrow and see what he could do any ideas?

[Shaistaali]

Maths gcse exams are so hard this year I really feel for all the DC.

[GandolfBold]

Thank God I have found my people.

DS1 is driving email to drink. He won't revise, isn't taking anything seriously at all and I think he has screwed up his Business Studies coursework.

I am annoyed with the school, who for years have told me that DS is a solid 7 for maths. He had mock exams in January and February and has got level 4 in both. They don't think there is a problem, but I am petrified DS is going to fail, but there lack of concern makes me.look like an over anxious parent.

DS has chosen his a levels and wants to stay at school by I am worried that he isn't going to make the grades. He has potential but he is lazy and blasé and whatever I try it doesn't work.

[GandolfBold]

DS did 2 GCSE's last year and so already has a B in German and a C in RE.