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 🍀

dd has just handed me the reading lists that 6th form have emailed them. I'm shocked, she's doing three sciences subjects & each of the lists is over £150 It is a state comprehensive btw. They even need to get their own lab books.

I knew we were expected to provide text books (£25-35 each (for each year!) ) but there's an awful lot of other stuff they want. I ordered her the headstart books after induction (they needed them for summer work), and have ordered the first of the text books & one of the maths books. I'm smarting - the bus went up again, train ticket is double what it was now she's 16 and now this.

She got horrendously sun burnt at Reading & spent all of her money (& now wants to borrow some from me). She starts back a week today.

Can't she just borrow the reading list books from the library? Ds had a reading list but only required to pick a couple from it. It is more to read around the subject than part of the actual curriculum

Laniakea, that's steep. DD has a reading list, approx six books for every subject. However, school pointed out they are available to borrow in school, so I've bought her one for each subject for something to look at in the holidays. We've got to provide all stationery now, ie paper, files - we''ll see what else they throw at us.

DD will start a week today as well. Where has the time gone?

I'm waiting to get anything more than I've already got; they put a load of revision materials on too, I assume they aren't necessary until they start heading towards exams. I can't even find much second hand, have they changed the syllabi recently? She's doing OCR A for chemistry & biology and OCR B for physics. This is the first year the school has done OCR so they don't have more than a couple of copies of anything.

I hope we will be able to order some kind of essentials pack from school, lab stuff & calculator etc - I have no idea what to get.

DH's boss asked about dd's results & when he told him he said that was brilliant were we going to buy her a car now ???!!!??? errrrr .... no! That can't possibly be normal surely

I'm ready for her to go back now, she makes a lot of mess & eats a lot of food!

OK, I know results are 'old news' now - but I am rambling on in my head.

DS did well - I know he did well and I am delighted with him over some of his results. 9 in Maths, 8 in English Language, A* in 2 sciences and music, A in a Science, History and Further Maths. I am pleased because in some of these he over-shot his target or predicted grades.

Then we get to subjects where he did less well than target and predicted: Literature: 6, French:B , Computer Science B, RE B.

I feel frustrated with him because had he shown more interest in these subjects he could have got all his predicted As.
I think he will do well at A level because he will be doing all subjects he enjoys, and which lead to his intended science degree at Uni.

I am frustrated because other people are sucking their teeth about Bs, I wonder whether he has restricted himself from top science Unis, and a couple of friends are being disparaging about Bs.

I KNOW this is ridiculous - but do Bs restrict top science Unis, and what grade in old money, is a 6?

He got 8 A*s and As. Those are amazing results!

and I think a 6 is roughly a B.

Oh, thanks for the info about the grade 6. We got a rather blurred diagram from the school about the new grades.

I know really they are amazing results, on the day I was ecstatic for him and am proud, he did work hard. It isn't the B grades per se, it's because they are lower than his predicted and targetted grades, if you see what I mean.

But he was quite bored with some of these subjects, and was finding school a bit of a treadmill by the end of Yr 11.

I don't think it will limit him. He might get the odd rejection but as they are allowed to put five choices down when applying he will still get good offers.

Maybe have one aspirational choice, a couple of good ones and a backup option (five university choices allowed on the application form). Take advice from teachers nearer the time.

I know what you mean. DS got a B for PE. He got an A* in the practical which was worth 60% but a D in the theory. So he got a B.

He could so easily have got an A if he had done more revision.

But, in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter if they can get on to the next stage of their education.

That's it, Pasanda!

He's got 12 GCSEs B-A* which is far better than many achieve. As regards science at uni, they'll be looking at his grades for A level - I'd imagine they'll be particularly interested in any science or maths grades.

Hi - I am a bit nervous about the step up from GCSE's. Do you think a starting Year 12 or a 6th form support thread will be useful, or do I just need to get over myself!

Do you think a starting Year 12 or a 6th form support thread will be useful?

Yes!

or do I just need to get over myself!

No!

When does your ds start back? DD has an admin day on Wednesday then lessons start on Thursday. We got an email from the school saying that we may not get papers back until November, I'm still a bit that we should've got her biology remarked but too late now.

She finished her summer work yesterday & is planning to spend the next couple of days baking (no complaints from me).

Good idea minesawine

Thanks Laniaka andLittleHo My DS starts on Wednesday with an induction day and then the rollercoaster begins.

I will start a new thread, just so I have somewhere to rant whilst smiling sweetly and encouragingly at my DS.

I feel I need to rant right now. DS starts sixth form tomorrow and has only just announced his jeans need washing. Cue a rant about how if he's thought about it beforehand tbcould be done.

He has to get up at 6.30 and needs to be in bed in the next half an hour or so. I feel like screaming, he never bloody well takes responsibility for himself. 😬😬😬😬