Year 11 support thread - keep on keeping on!

[AtiaoftheJulii]

Just getting this ready!

Following on from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/2936097-Yr-11-support-thread-the-scaffolding-is-holding-up-well

Good luck to those with exams today 🍀

"Our comp-schooled 16 year olds grew up in a 'all shall have prizes' culture, where tests were hidden and disguised, rank was never publicly discussed"
I heitate to respond as I would like to to this statement, considering the nature of the thread, so all I will say is that your characterisation is not something that I recognise. On another thread, I would have used a single, more expressive word.

Bert, I agree. My comp-schooled DCs have grown up in a school culture where marks and effort grades are publicly displayed and frequently discussed, where tests are commonplace and visible, where high targets are set and marked against and where ranking (and setting) are transparent.

I do wonder whether some posters have been in a comprehensive school within the last 5 years, or whether most are posting about the schools they attended in their youth and have not visited since?

(Oh, and where there is an annual prizegiving that is every bit as exclusive and unapologetically elitist [in terms of effort and excellence needed to attain a prize] as those in my old highly academic girls' boarding school)

OCR Gateway biology 'fine' for ds this morning. A few of the questions he had revised last night so knew them and was so chuffed! Up till 11.30pm last night and awake at 6am cramming for this one

Still got C 4,5 & 6 (Monday) and P 4,5 & 6 (Weds) which although means ds can't celebrate with a lot of his friends this evening, he is actually pleased about. DS is more the 'do it at the last minute' kind of child and has not been working hard for 2 years. Only since the beginning of the Easter holidays has he been taking it seriously at all. So to have these extra few days where he will basically be teaching himself the syllabus (not quite that extreme, but almost!!) will be good for him.

He has a plan and he is going to stick to it (I hope!)

Congratulations to all those who have finished today - let the parties commence!!!

Our comp-schooled 16 year olds grew up in a 'all shall have prizes' culture

No this is not always true. Lots of the students failed in the old exams in our school. Although I agree the constant re-takes were a pain.

ds has never had a prize once in the whole time he has been at comp. The prizes go to the struggling about to be expelled kids to make them behave better.

AQA Physics over. One paper nicer than the other but reasonably happy.

Hurrah - GCSE's over in this house. dd has just gone in for Further Maths A Level.

DS is finished and has gone to Five Guys with his mates. Textual communication revealed the following about the IGCSE triple Physics: "Yeah it was a nice paper as well."

DD home after Physics higher paper 2(?) not sure of exam board etc this morning. She said it was really hard as did all of her cohort. Eek! She got an A* in her mock, will be interesting to see how the final outcome measures against mock results. 3 more next week and she is absolutely exhausted and losing motivation to revise(she started in January) anymore.

Our comp-schooled 16 year olds grew up in a 'all shall have prizes' culture
I dont recognise this statement either.

DS replied that "physics was ok, decent" whatever that means.

I don't know what school some dcs go to but my dc goes to a school that has stressful end of the year exams, that are constantly assessed, that are not all prize winners (in fact DS never got a prize in his 5 years there) but only the ones shining and competition is highly regarded between pupils in all aspects (they even have a house music competition besides sports and academic competitions). Maybe some parents are not in touch with the school as much as others are therefore don't know what the current system is or maybe DSs school is an anomaly.

Anyhow, GCSEs finished in this household, DS on his way home to change and go out and celebrate.

Ladies (and gentlemen if there were any) it's been a pleasure even if stressful at times, I felt this thread helped me keep my worries to myself (and the internet) rather than release them at home.

Good luck to all the dcs taking more exams next week and see you all in August with hopefully great results to share!

Wine o'clock tonight (or now if you're not at work like I am)

It is OVER at last. That was so, so, so painful. DS has just been to the barbers and shaved off his hair, which he is not allowed to do at school. He says he feels liberated. He is now going into town with his girl 'friend'. Roll on NCS.

I hope we are going to have a starting Year 12 thread. I don't know what I will do without my virtual friends.

DD1 has finished too!! Happy overall with her exams, some better than others but she hopes her lowest grade will be 5 in English ( her worst subject)
Now.. the summer she has been looking forward is starting!! Prom, 6th form morning, friend visiting from Spain, 5 weeks in Spain (with parties every weekend) and Reading Festival end of August!!

All over here! No more uniform in this household - I will wash it but some bits are destined for the rag bag as they've been held together by safety pins recently! the blazer pockets need emptying of those 'very useful and cannot ever be thrown away' bits of paper.
Prom in a fortnight and festival day at sixth form college to look forward to.
For those still going - it's not long now!

No all shall have prizes at our comp either. Boards listing effort and achievement rankings displayed in dining hall, very exclusive annual prizegiving. DD1 might get a subject GSCE prize or two, DD2 on track for English subject prize but has been absurdly high performing this year. Disdain for comps without evidence is pretty patronising.

We still have two to go (chemistry & physics) but I can definitely feel the stress and shackles loosening. Dd is in town with friends for the afternoon. I have no idea how she will do come August, it could be terrible or very pleasantly surprised - revision and performance has been very mixed (& I mean that kindly), sometimes I have despaired at what she doesn't know. Low point when she hadn't realised there were two english language exams til I pointed it out but other times when I felt she was trying really hard, and pleased that one way or another she was keeping a check on the stress induced hysteria.

I totally agree with your comment tho Fleur: "I felt this thread helped me keep my worries to myself (and the internet) rather than release them at home." So thank you everyone. Looking forward to whatever the next phase brings and

We have a lovely swimming pool in our town. Ds was in it at 10.35 this morning!

Yey, it's all over here too

DS has finally finished school and won't be going back for prom or leavers day as we are away. He didn't want to go to prom anyway but leavers day is a shame. We did try to move the holiday after the dates came out but couldn't. He has said lots of goodbyes to people and said he is pleased in a way as he only had to talk to the people he wanted.

He has gone out to Nandos with a group now. Nobody drinking tonight but there is a party tomorrow night where I imagine they will all be trollied.

August really is all up in the air for DS (and us) and I genuinely have no idea whether he will get into the sixth form of his choice. I am hopeful but it really is 50/50, 60/40. For now though we have to forget it and be glad it's over, I'm sure the worries will come creeping in again in August.

It's been a pleasure and good to have a virtual sounding board.

DD still has 3 next week so I'll be on this thread for a while longer, it's going to feel a bit lonely round here

Hope all the DC's who have finished enjoy relaxing and have a lovely summer.

Well done to everyone who finished today

Good luck to anyone who still has exams next week - nearly there now!

Dd found the RS paper yesterday (Philosophy) 'very hard' but hopes she's done well enough in the Ethics paper to get a decent grade.

Her reaction about finishing exams yesterday - complete and utter exhaustion as in lying on the floor unable to move exhausted...followed by tears Think it was the anti climax of it all. But I know dd, an hour later she was fine again, said she felt better after the cry. She had a huge dinner followed by a late night pampering session (she decided to scare me and dh by coming it to us with a face mask on )

Today she's gone off to Westfield with her best friend

Lovely picture dingit bet you can hardly believe that's the same person!

Madhair I'm sure there are quite a few people with exams next week, hang in there!

Ceci DS is also going to Reading festival it is our present for his GCSEs (if he gets into sixth form, otherwise I'm going 😂).

DS has sixth form induction days on 26th and 27th June and then prom on the 28th June. He's got a job lined up over the summer also. We're in holiday for a couple of weeks in August and then the results should come through. Then Reading festival. The summer doesn't seem so long anymore when I put it in writing.

I hope that now we've bonded through hard times we will have a year 12 thread but let's not jinx it, let's open it first week back.

I'll still be here madhairday!

Gateway 21st Century Physics - DD she is was "ok" in a positive tone. She's shattered and still three more exams.

I really hope she gets her predicted grades, but being a pessimist I'm worried she'll drop some by a grade.

Twitter post of the day, I can't stop laughing