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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Year 11 support thread - keep on keeping on!

867 replies

AtiaoftheJulii · 09/06/2017 06:36

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 🍀

OP posts:
BertrandRussell · 03/07/2017 18:03

I know- they put them into the forms they'll be In and had lessons in all their subjects- no idea what we'll do if he doesn't get the grades.......

Danglingmod · 03/07/2017 19:16

Oh I'm sure he will, Bertrand. Sounds like he had a fab time.

No sixth form induction at all here (staying at same school). Ds already told me he's a bit bored. I think he'd be happy to start back in two weeks! NCS doesn't seem to be really big round here this year. Don't know anyone doing it and haven't seen a whiff of publicity.

LIZS · 03/07/2017 19:21

Dd seems to have finally crashed. We went on holiday straight after her prom for a week but on return she was unwell and spent yesterday sick with a temp. No induction here until September except for a subject briefing on book return day. Decided against NCS in the end but she has a drama production to look forward to.

Humphreyhippo · 03/07/2017 23:02

DS has crashed tonight after 5 days of non stop partying including prom, during which he was only home for one morning. Time for some work in the garden with DH, room tidying, decent food and a few good nights sleep I think!

BringOnTheScience · 03/07/2017 23:23

We just had an epic weekend of music and London: Green Day in Hyde Park :-)

Prom isn't until this coming Friday.

Redone bedroom posters and watching GoT from the start :-)

pointythings · 04/07/2017 21:42

DD has 6th form induction tomorrow - she got a call today to say she can't do Philosophy as a 4th A-level because the one teacher who would be teaching it is on long term sick leave. She's taken it philosophically, as it were, and decided to do three and an EPQ instead.

Prom on Friday. DD has mostly been sleeping a lot and watching Netflix, she's lost that drained look that she's had since Easter. Smile

JanetheObscure · 07/07/2017 08:48

Hello, all. I'm a long-time lurker and have found this thread incredibly useful during the past few months. Now I'm after thoughts from anyone whose dc did Edexcel higher maths GCSE this summer.

I was recently out with two friends whose dc all did this exam; they go to three different schools locally. Swapping GCSE stories, one friend said that DURING paper 1, a member of staff (not an invigilator) came into the exam room, told the students that there was an error in one of the questions and gave them some guidance about an extra step to take. I don't know what the question was exactly, but I think they were told to continue a line (which was already given) to reach a required point.

The other friend and I consulted our two and neither of them had any announcement at all during the exam at their schools. In fact, my daughter said she had heard this had happened at school 1 and thought it "a bit unfair" because she hadn't worked out the need to continue drawing the line and so couldn't finish the question. Or something like that!

Something doesn't seem right here, so I wonder if any of you know if your dc received any guidance during the exam? I'd hate to think that some children were at a disadvantage; I'm sure it's only a matter of a mark or two, but I suspect every mark counts this year!

minesawine · 07/07/2017 11:30

Hi - I have just asked my DS and he said that during the pre exam chat they were told there was an error in one of the questions and told what to do to fix it. He couldn't remember any details, but yes it looks like it is true.

JanetheObscure · 07/07/2017 13:42

Thanks, minesawine. Sounds like I should contact our school to see if I can clarify what happened.

The exam boards are surprisingly careless with their questions, aren't they?

ifonly4 · 08/07/2017 21:50

DD went to the induction at her present school and found it was a waste of time - she was out 1hr 20mins early. It's her second choice but it was compulsory to attend if you wanted to keep your place open.

After her GCSEs, DD has the pressure of her Violin Grade 8 - all worth while we found out today she got a Distinction.

So now her break can finally start and we're off on holiday next week.

errorofjudgement · 09/07/2017 08:33

Oh my word!
DDs school have put up the summer tasks for the new Y12s on the school website.
As she'll be taking all humanities, DD has just told me she's got 6 novels and 3 plays to read and write a short review on, plus an essay on Churchill to research and write, and 2 factual books to read and produce timelines on!
Looks like the long holiday just got a lot shorter!! Grr.

pointythings · 09/07/2017 15:02

error it's amazing how different schools are... DD1 has been set nothing at all. She was told to read the set books, but no reviews or essays demanded. That's all. Is your DD at a very academic private school?

errorofjudgement · 09/07/2017 15:32

Nope, mixed comprehensive. What MN likes to call "naice and leafy" though small West Country town rather than the South East.

pointythings · 09/07/2017 15:39

Interesting. We're mixed comprehensive too, sixth form has its own site on the other end of town so it more like a sixth form college - but part of the school. We're a very mixed catchment though, some leafy, some very rough and deprived.

DD's reading list is interesting, she's looking forward to getting stuck in. Ranges from Shakespeare, Hardy and T.S Eliot to Jim Crace.

Laniakea · 09/07/2017 15:45

dd has a maths booklet to do & set work for all three A level subjects. She's also been told to get the CGP get ahead books for phys/chem/biol (& read them!) and a maths for physics A level book.

After all the faffing backwards & forwards re maths AS level the school have said that they 'might' offer it after all but we won't know until the final timetables are done after results day. She'd much rather do an EPQ & is still totally meh about it.

She's organised an open day at Southampton (easy trip from home so she'll go on her own) and is waiting to book one at Bristol. We've just got back from holiday - where she mostly did nothing Grin - she's keeping herself occupied writing a D&D campaign atm!

errorofjudgement · 09/07/2017 15:46

They sound fun, DD has Shakespeare, E Bronte and Oscar Wilde, plus 3 contrasting novels from a suggested list of 5 or 6.

errorofjudgement · 09/07/2017 15:49

Oops, that's to pointy,
Laniakea, I remember both DSs had to work through a maths bridging book before starting the A level. Your DD sounds very busy!

Danglingmod · 09/07/2017 16:26

No reading lists or summer work at all here. Independent school. I think they're supposed to get a rest and play loads of sport or something...

Original poster
AtiaoftheJulii · 09/07/2017 18:20

Ds hasn't had anything from his old school (haven't officially turned down the place yet) and from his intended 6th form college he has some maths questions to do which will take about half an hour, and there are suggested activities/reading for the other subjects on the college website, but nothing compulsory.

OP posts:
BringOnTheScience · 12/07/2017 16:59

So, are they all bored out of their minds yet?!

Mine was totally flummoxed by having nothing to do at first. Now settled to lots of instrument practise and watching Game of Thrones from the start. They're going abroad to visit a friend next week.

LIZS · 12/07/2017 17:52

Dd has been sorting out some of her gcse books and thrown past papers out. Also made a start on holiday A level prep work and ordered recommended reading. Just over 2 weeks until she starts rehearsing her next drama production.

Original poster
AtiaoftheJulii · 12/07/2017 18:27

So, are they all bored out of their minds yet?!

Nah! Lots of sleeping, lots of gaming (some retro Super Smash Bros, plus he was very happy to come second in a Steam tournament, lol), and he's being surprisingly sociable, has seen several friends.

Has cleared out all his old books, is selling the ones that are decent but unwanted on Amazon, and took a few back to school - they didn't want most of them back due to the GCSEs changing. I'd written cards to the teachers who have really been there for him and me in the last couple of years, and he went and found them and gave them the cards and chocolates and told them he was leaving ... I was nearly crying writing the cards and then again when he told me he'd actually given them out in person - I was expecting him to leave them in reception.

OP posts:
Laniakea · 12/07/2017 19:14

Nope not bored - enough stuff with friends to keep her busy, she's sewing for an etsy shop that she'll probably never set up, writing a lot (the D&D thing is taking ages & she's doing some creative writing too). Sleeping often. Annoying her siblings. Eating everything in sight & generally making a huge mess Grin

She's going up to stay with her cousins next weekend, then on holiday with cousins & grandparents at the beginning of August, then Reading Festival (& cousins again!) at the end.

Will gently suggest she has a look at the summer school work before she goes away.

Watching American Gods & all of Netflix too & reading for pleasure again. I'm jealous actually Grin

pointythings · 12/07/2017 19:33

Nope, not bored! DD had prom last Friday, looked amazing and got photographed a lot so is likely to end up in the prom edition of the school newsletter...

She's sleeping a lot, been out with friends a few times, has downloaded her reading list (all except the one book that isn't on it).

errorofjudgement · 12/07/2017 21:28

DD's been busy rehearsing for a show this weekend, plus doing some voluntary work that looks as though it might lead to a paid Saturday job.
Plus she's made a start on the mountain of reading she has to do for September, and she's just heard that the weekend drama group she's been wanting to join for a year, have finally offered her a place!