Year 12 / 6th form support thread

[minesawine]

The term is about to start and I though it would be good to have a support group to help us on our 6th form journey.

May the year be drama-free and our DC's study hard and without complaint

wiifit DS is doing Spanish, History and Politics. Would have stayed at his old school if they hadn't dropped Spanish as an A Level option (lack of funding and - ridiculous IMHO in these so-called Britain is Open for Business times ). Had another great 6th form college option, but the history course content swung it for him when choosing between the two. I think he will thrive at college. He loves the freedom but is very self-motivated so it suits him (plus lack of suits and calling staff by their first names etc...) pesky of all the gin joints in all the world...MN is indeed a small world

DD has had a good first week. SHe's had to get used to getting up earlier than she's used to. She used to be just getting up when I left for work, but now she has to be leaving at the same time as me. The plus for her is that she can have a lift to the top of the street to the bus stop.

She's settled on her choices - History, English language, Psychology and Welsh Bacc (compulsory!) - and enjoyed her first full week there. It's a dedicated, brand new sixth form college and looks very impressive. It's paperless though so I have no idea of her timetable, but I do know that she's got a few hours of frees on a Tues and nothing after 11/12 am on Wednesday. There's no public transport back from there, without changing buses and costing a fortune, but she could get a bus back to where I work and she's investigating being able to do the commnuity challenge aspect of the Welsh bacc by volnteering at my work. Waiting to see if it pans out.

Also waiting to see whether they include her on their MAT programme, or even if she makes the Seren network, although she feels her one B grade means she won't have made it.

Dd has plenty of time to fit in her extra hours. No registration groups or assemblies etc means more frees.

She has 8 x 1.5hr lessons. And 6 x 1 hr lessons.

cafe my DS is also doing History and Politics, our DS's would no doubt have been rubbing shoulders.

Glad to see lots of motivated DC, mine has the ability but at the moment lacks the independence and isn't as driven as he could be, college will either be kill or cure I think!

DS is back to balancing school + music commitments this week, after a quiet one where 6th form was back but the music groups hadn't started yet.

3 hours of music today. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, plus 3 hours every Saturday morning, on an ongoing basis. And don't talk to me about December.....

He'll either get self-disciplined, or vanish without trace. The jury is out!

Wish my DD would "balance" her music and school commitments... or just DO ANYTHING towards either right now.

Has spent the weekend at the local comicon doing cosplay (apparently great photo opportunity for Art), has discovered "boys" (hmmmmm) and is away on a school "teambuilding" trip for a couple of days this coming week.

Homework will already be behind, and as for piano practise... hey ho... grade 8 is going to take 2 years at this rate. But, as she says

"you said you wouldn't nag, I'll get it all done"

and I will get an ulcer....

I find the hardest thing is not knowing wether to push DS or just let him get on with it.

He won't learn how to self motivate if I don't leave him be but he's the type that needs a kick up the arse in order to get going and keep going.

Late arrival to the thread! DC1 has first day tomorrow. It's been a looooong summer.

@blametheparents IB here. Higher chemistry, Eng lit & anthropology with Standard maths, history and Russian. V excited to be starting new subjects :-)

peskyrat it is a hard balance isn't it?

We have told DS that we will push him until half term but after that it is down to him. We also made clear that people who are not as good as him will do better than him unless he pulls his finger out and engages properly. (Certainly GCSEs didn't reflect ability and while there were some mitigating circumstances, they can't last forever).

DS has 30 x 50 minute slots each week in which he has 15 timetabled lessons, 2 compulsory enrichment and 1 assembly. The rest are free periods and so far he has got on and done his homework in them. His new sixth form is in the middle of nowhere so not much else to do in free periods until he makes some friends.

Cafe... my ds was homeschooled before this. We looked at a few london 6th forms. He chose this one as it is more independant and like Uni. He is totally self motivated and doesn't want anyone breathing down his neck. And yes to the small world!

she finally had chemistry today - class of seven - four girls, three boys. Another book to buy. Got three hours home work & about an hour of reading from today, she managed to do a couple of hours at school. Nothing much of interest happened!

DD started at her new school last Wednesday. A few nerves so really glad she's finding her feet.
She has 9 periods a fortnight for each subject - so 36 lessons and 14 free periods every fortnight. They have to be in full time until half term and then can be at home for study periods if they've proven they are working hard enough!
Half of her lessons for one subject are at a different school so has to find her way there tomorrow on her own - hoping she remembers the way!
Hope everyone else is settling in ok.

DS finally had his first class today (maths). Only 7 kids together for the next 2 years! In a school of 2000! It is because they group the kids doing maths and further maths together into one set and there are so few of them. Textbook is digital apparently which is interesting.

So DS was doing Maths, Physics and Economics A Levelss. All was well, or so I thought. He has just presented me with a form for me to sign, stating he wants to move from Physics to Psychology. He had never shown any interest in Psychology but says he doesn't like the Physics course, its hard and its boring. Yesterday, he was doing his homework without any concerns.

He said he is not going to take Physics at University and doesn't want to waste time on something he is no longer interested in.

I don't know what to do, I know there is only a small window to change subject but I don't think he has given it enough time. BUT I don't want him to do it if he is not happy.

He said that he can only choose Psychology or Philosophy, but he has not really researched either. I have said that he must speak to the teachers of each subject tomorrow.

I don't know what to do. Should I let him change. HELP!

My DS has just changed school altogether after tow days so I call top trumps. very stressful :(
But not entirely unexpected.

In terms of subject change, at my place we get this all the time and motives we get loads swapping and dropping for weeks.

I would suggest get him to actually look at sample assessment materials and see what eh thinks. He shouldn't be motivated by what 'fits' but this is often the option presented by heads of sixth form.

two days...not tow

What DOES he want to do at uni btw? Does ha have any idea?

DS finally had his first class today (maths). Only 7 kids together for the next 2 years!

Our class sizes range from 3 in German to 25 in some subjects. Less is definitely more!

I heard tell that at my DS's school, the English Lit class is 32!!!!! 32!

Tough one minesawine. If he's anything like my Ds I would advise him to speak to teachers & to research the subjects, offer help but leave the decision to him unless he asked my opinion. I think they have to enjoy what they're studying to do well but I would point out the whole out of frying pan into fire situation. I know that if I tried to steer him in any way he would then not take any responsibility & throw it back at me if he didn't enjoy/did badly in the subject.
Laniakea so lovely that your dd has such a great plan, even if it changes it gives her such a purpose now. I'm more like pesky & others who are struggling with how much support to offer. Ds has always been so hopeless re organisation & his work ethic is poor so I feel he needs help, but he is increasingly resistant. I do feel like a weight has been lifted post GCSEs, I know I did my best to get him through them & that his grades whilst ok were totally down to him, I could have done no more. I honestly don't think it properly hit him until we went to collect the results & he was so relieved to get his place, some of his friends didn't.
He has chosen to do A levels, he has discovered parties, he does very little beyond occasionally emptying the dishwasher, he has been offered 2 jobs but has shown little interest in working. I happily ferry him around, have his friends over, provide help if he wants it (he doesn't) so don't know how much more I can do. I'm just not prepared to be on his case all the time any more but I also don't want to give up & feel I've not done enough.
I have given him an incentive of a boardmasters ticket if he works this first year & told him that if he's not working I won't pay his train pass for a second year. He wants me to back off but I can't just let him waste 2 years, it's up to him.

mines I think there is no point in trying to persuade him to stick the the physics - if it goes badly it will be forever your fault & chances are it will make him more bloody minded about changing. I think in you position I'd be encouraging him to look very closely at the other options - talk to teachers, any friends who are doing it, have a look at the text books, an exam paper & the syllabus. Lots of dd's friends are doing psych and/or philosophy and there's a lot of reading & essays already (like economics maybe?). With physics at least there is a big overlap with maths.

dd's classes are 7, 12 & 14. Her chemistry teacher has said that it is the smallest group she's taught, by some strange quirk of timetabling the other chemistry group has 17 in

There's so much work, she's on top of it atm (all of 5 days in!) but I am shocked by how much they get. I completely dossed in my first year of A levels ( not telling dd that). They've got their first test today too. I don't think she believed us all when we lectured her (at length) about the amount of maths in physics - they have one lesson a week which is just maths. She's okay so far but Lovely Mr Physics teacher has offered to do an extra lesson a week with her & the other two non maths physicists when it starts getting tricky.

She's really loving it so far.

Thanks for all the tips. He all but told me to butt out this morning when I was offering my advice, but he has agreed to speak to the teachers today before making any final decision.

I had a look at the syllabus and psychology seems really interesting, philosophy a bit confusing for my tiny brain. At the end of the day it is his decision and I will be blamed for ever if I force him to stay.

Well he's only gone and done it. He has moved from physics. Said there was no point in thinking about it, he knew that he wanted to change. Starts tomorrow apparently. Not sure what to say really. I only hope he enjoys the course and does really well.

For those comparing timetables, have you seen an IB schedule?!
3 hours / week for 3 subjects
5 hours / week for 3 subjects
2 hours / week for Theory of Knowledge

So 26 timetabled hours per week .... plus frees. The day runs 8.45 to 4.30.

My DC1 is clearly crackers, but absolutely loving it so far. Had first Russian class today.

Sorry, it was me who originally asked about timetables.
For disclosure I should fess up that I was concerned about whether DD was getting long enough in her academic studies, but from the replies here I can see that academically it's pretty equal-ish on time spent just on the A levels.
In terms of a long day DD starts at 8:15 with registration, and finishes at 6:30pm. Academic work until 1pm then drama from 2pm until 6:30pm, including a daily dance class for exercise.

ReadyforSunshine - yes, yes, to so much of what you say! Mine did fine, got both sixth forms that he'd applied for , but was a bit taken aback not to get the starry grades that a lot of his peers did. Quite why he was taken aback, given that he didn't really work very hard or (more worryingly) particularly effectively, is the question! But I think the lesson is sinking in, and he has started sixth form (at his existing school - 4 A levels, much more closely-managed sixth form experience than his alternative) with a much tougher focus and more determination. Fingers crossed this motivation sticks, because I really cannot go through another 2 years helicopter-parenting to make him work! Quite apart from anything else, we'll will wind up in such an antagonistic situation, and I can't bear it. Really, really need to restore our relationship to factory settings after a very long GCSE year.

So we've agreed that if he draws up a timetable for the week showing that he's got a plan for how to achieve the 18 hours private study needed to do well, and shows that he's keeping on top of the set tasks, and is basically better organised on notes and revision - I will back off unless the school requires us to intervene. (Action Plans follow sub-optimal reports at half term!) It's hard, but I know I"ve really got to let go a bit now.