GCSEs 2018 (2)

[Stickerrocks]

Pre-empting our 1000th post.

I could write reams about the issues around not being able to write (or type) quickly enough. It's been an issue for all of DS's school life although it was only diagnosed when he was in year 6.

The problem with cutting out all the waffle is that sometimes the DC ends up editing out some of the points needed for the marks too. Eg in describing an experiment in chemistry, DS might just start describing heating some compound in a crucible and capturing the resulting gas, missing or the marks for ensuring the crucible is clean first.
DS's written answers can be succinct to the point of terseness and that's an issue for all the essay based subjects.

I feel your pain mmzz - I was very ignorant of the issues that my DD had and she was only diagnosed in Yr 10 when she started getting severe pains in her chest and legs (she ended up on an ECG machine one day after school because the pain was so bad). YET her pencil grip was pointed out to us throughout reception and lower school (we tried various pens/pencils etc) - I just didnt realise she had Hypermobility and Acid Reflux - I just thought she was double jointed - although allot of the symptoms of Hypermobility manifest when they are 13/14 years old. The school have been mixed with support - most of her teachers very good and really helpful- SEN very poor. I think DD's writing is still a little fluffy but just being able to finish exams is a massive positive.

Definitely look into the possibility of typing. Hyper mobility is a real issue and I sympathise with anyone afflicted. (Luckily for me I only have problems with it in my feet!)
DS1 is going to be really thrilled when he discovers he's got some additional mocks in core subjects in March including two maths exams on the Inset day!

She did struggle a bit today - three exams in one day pushes boundaries with pain - so hand completely seized up during the afternoon DT Mock. Oddly enough she said that the Chemistry one hour paper today was much easier than the 2 hour paper - yet this was just a paper for the girls sitting triple science.
LooseAtTheSeams - not great when you have to let them know they have exams on an inset day :-(

@Teenmum60 I'm not sure if you are, but don't beat yourself up. Its really hard to see the symptoms of these things at the time as they come on gradually and can appear as a series of unconnected issues. DS's problem is completely obvious with hindsight but might still be undiscovered if a primary school teacher hadn't tried bullying him into writing faster and more neatly.

Typing really helps. It means that DS gets the marks for what he has written, with no fear that a pair of tired exam marker's eyes will just find it too hard to read and decide that the answers are wrong. The downside is that when typing its easy to have typos and in these days of SPAG marks, it matters if DS spells the as "teh" etc. It also helps with the pain and tired hands, so its easier to do a second paper in the afternoon.

I'm not 100% sure of the rules, but using a laptop (with spell checker etc turned off) in the exams is acceptable if its the normal way of working i.e. its what happens in class and internal school exams. There's a cut-off date for applying for these accommodations, but I don't know what it is. I wouldn't be surprised if it was soon though. (This is the conversation the SENCO could have been leading with you).

I just looked up the final date for online access arrangements for 2018 GCSEs: 21/02/2018. That was using a link from AQA (I think, but it might be the same for all exam boards )

www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/key-dates-and-timetables So, there's still time, but not a lot spare.

Thanks Mmzz - The SENCO at DD's school is useless (he doesnt have a great deal to do anyway) - he suggested typing as an option (she uses an Ipad - Its an Apple Distinguished School so most of the work is on the Ipad) I pushed for DD to sit a few exams using a laptop at the end of last year and I left it with him to arrange and despite follow up - nothing happened. In fact he's so useless that she has been told she had extra time by all the invigilators in her mocks and she has had to correct them - stating its rest breaks not extra time (because I was worried that this would happen in the real exams and she would be penalised). Fortunately she only has two exams in any one day come May/June - although History and English Lang fall on the same day - but I think she will be fine - today was the one day in the Mocks where we knew she may struggle and she could have moved one but she just decided it was TOO much hassle.

I am annoyed with myself because I was juggling a stressful job when she was 4-12 years old - I just didnt understand why she could not hold a pencil correctly - but at the same time dd didnt realise how flexible her hands and fingers were...I think this is an area that the health visitors /school nurses should pick up on ....I have a friend whose daughter has just been diagnosed now at 15 and she has mild Scoliosis too.

I honestly don't think you would have got to the bottom of it, even if you had been a SAHM. It's just there and something you notice abstractly every now and then. You tell yourself all sorts of excuses, like children progress at different rates and the years go by.
Professionals that are supposed to spot things and help, don't. In DS's case, the teachers were looking at a boy who is twice exceptional and just thinking that he must be lazy when it comes to writing. They didn't stop for a second to consider that he was extremely compliant in every thing else.
I felt that I'd let DS down. It took ages to see that you can only do what you can for your children and that I'm only human. Like everyone else on here, I love my children and when I look at them, I see two people who aren't perfect but are pretty damn good. Maybe you should take a long look at your DD too, see the things that make you proud of her and be honest with yourself that she wouldn't be the person she is without you.

Mmzz that's quite sad really that no one questioned why your DS was writing slow when everything else was exceptional - I think I just remember being repeatedly told that DD needed to write more - I just totally dismissed her when she said she couldnt keep up with copying things from the blackboard (DD has not always been focused so I always thought she was probably distracted - she's a natural chatterbox).

I am very proud of her ...she's a really kind thoughtful kid- very inclusive and sensible ...not perfect but a nice girl.Hopefully we are giving her every opportunity to fulfil potential even though we have made some mistakes along the way.

Well done toAlexanderdd! And Happy birthday to Sostenuto dgd!

We are Up North and there doesn't seem to be the competition for 6th form round here (unless zinc mm spectacularly missing the point). DD has elected to stay at school, but other options are two other local school 6th firm (all walking distance) or get public transport to 5 or 6 sixth for colleges all about 30 to 45 mins away. She did her application forms in October and selected courses so I think that it is it until August.

DS1 got his mocks back - 6 for English lit, 7 for maths and all 3 sciences, A* for Business Studies, 4 for French and more worryingly for History a 4 too.

He spoke to his French teacher, who advised him that as DS was off sick last week, he and the head of MFL decided to put him in for the higher paper as they feel he should be capable.

History he got a shock with as he loves it and is wanting to do it at A Level, so he has sat down with me and doe a full revision timetable, with extra time devoted to history and French.

We will see.

notso well done to your DS they are good solid results sciences were fab! that's what mocks are for to highlight weaknesses it certainly helps in planning future revision.......certainly don't let one disappointing result put him of a subject he loves from studying it at A level.

That is a good set of mock results Notso - well done to your DS.

notso that sounds very positive - he knows which subjects need extra revision but he passed so he's looking to boost the grades. I'm just wondering if his history paper had material not covered yet in class?
DS1 is double booked for revision on Saturday morning! He only needs to go to computer science for an hour though so it looks doable!

My DD didn’t manage to finish her History paper this week. She ran out of time with two questions to go. She completed the highest marked questions first, but her teacher has said it could result in a grade being dropped.

Much of her revision will continue to consist of past papers under timed conditions to ensure she’s managing things far better for the real thing.

The main thing, for her, is that she’s successfully completed 6 exams this week without any overwhelming anxiety or resulting panic attacks causing her to need to leave the examination venue.

That is a huge achievement for her, and she’s so thrilled. Her health will protest in the weeks to come, but we have medication on stand by and a plan to manage things if they deteriorate.

It’s tough being a parent at this time in their school lives!

loose- he said they have covered the content he thinks, but he admits he didn't revise topics covered and some of them were from ages ago.

Hopefully its a useful lesson for him.

He has after school revision session now 4 days a week, and his french teacher has asked him to go to extra lessons one day a week at lunch time.

His history teacher feels he is capable of a 6 with the correct work/revision so we will see. He has more mocks at the end of February, but has his school 6th form interview before it. He will have to fight his corner for the history, but the other option he put down was Business Studies, so that is always a possibility, though i think i History keeps more doors open.

No sign of weekend revision sessions here - but as he referees (paid), one day, and plays club football the other, I'm not sure he will be going once it starts up!

There's one teacher that DS1 has who isn't very good. All the others range from ok to great! The teacher joined the school last year, when DS's old teacher left and since then DS has struggled to get good grades in the subject. It really stands out on his report card.
DS2 also has this teacher, and he's gone from it being his favourite subject to not wanting to do it for GCSE when he chooses his options next month.
Any other time this happened, i'd have just waited for the end of the year and kept my fingers crossed for a different teacher next year. however, this time, I think its going to result in a lower GCSE grade.
Any advice?

@Teenmum60 breaking off from the subject of GCSEs. What was the timeframe for a Hypermobility diagnosis? And how did it come about?

My DS has been having chest pains for over a year and we were told it was costochondritis. It's not going away so he has finally been referred for a ECG. He also has stiff finger joints in the morning, flat feet and digestive problems (which we put down to gluten intolerance as there is a family history).

Handwriting is not great either and he's an incredibly slow writer.

Whathavefound - it sounds like your DS may have Hypermobility - flat feet are a classic symptom but there are a whole range of syndromes within the Hypermobility spectrum of disorders. There is a website which is really helpful hypermobility.org/help-advice/hypermobility-syndromes/beighton-score/
My DD has always been able to bend her limbs in ways that few other children can ....but when she got to 13/14 years she started to get all sorts of other issues - incredible pains in legs that can last for 3/4 days each month - enough to bring her to tears where she cant sleep (this is slightly easing off now her growth isnt so rapid - she's 5ft 8ins). She was always painfully thin too - although Marfan syndrome and EDS were ruled out. The same chest pains - which is Acid Reflux - which we addressed by cutting out Orange Juice etc. I would get a referral through your GP to see a paediatrician ...

Well done to your dc NOTSO .!

MMzz - again I sympathise with you ....DD had a Chemistry teacher in Yr9 who whilst obviously a good Chemist (PHD) was not a good teacher....Teachers changed in Yr 10 and DD got the head of Science who was an inspiring teacher and DD's grade and interest in Chemistry went from B to A*. Sadly they changed teachers again and she got the Yr9 teacher back in Yr11 and within two weeks DD's grade was put down from A to B without even a test ! How to demoralise a child...I did write and complain about the constant change in teachers and I was informed that clinics would be available - but sadly the clinics are with same teacher - DD has said she doesnt feel that she is being taught Chemistry this last term - we have parents evening in two weeks and I'm just going to be very frank with the teacher - and question her actions (however I'm hoping that Tassomai may help DD self learn weak areas of Chemistry during the next few months)

It's difficult when the rest of the year seem to have good teachers and your child gets the not so good one. Even lower sets were getting higher marks than D'S set for poetry paper. It's even harder when that English teacher is Head of Department. Not sure who to ask for back up cover for that area although it must have been noted because his class are being offered poetry clinics. Perhaps I should leave it in view of this. Parents evening in 2 weeks. Any suggestions?

Thanks Teenmum60

DS is also very thin and currently off the bottom of the centile chart (he's normally been in the bottom 5%) despite having a healthy appetitie. I mentioned this the last time i was at the doctors but they didn't think it was connected. I'll try and get another appointment and hopefully a paediatric referral.

Well my dgd is hardly thin she likes too much

I remember in year 6 after the new weight charts came into force we got a letter saying my dgd was obese and needed to attend a 'fat child' exercise group 5 times a week at the local sports centre. I rang them up and said, " could you actually look at a child when you weigh them please? As muscle weighs more than fat" and we also added that it would be impossible for get to attend the 'fat child' exercise group as she was a county swimmer who attended training 8 times a week and swimming on average 12 miles a week if not more and unless they themselves could swim 50 metres in less than 30 seconds not to call my Dgc obese just because she weighed 3 pound too much!