GCSEs 2018 (3)

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Following on from:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3113917-GCSEs-2018-2

@Stickerrocks your DD sounds very grounded!

She is sensible, but a bit more of a risk taker than me. If someone tells her that it doesn't matter if she doesn't succeed, as long as she had tried, she becomes even more determined to get what she wants.

Re the unexpected interest in biology. I think their heads are turned by anyone showing enthusiasm at open evenings. I let DD take a look at all kinds of bizarre subjects, knowing that the interest was likely to be short lived once she looked beyond the practicals & trips into the actual topics covered. She came home on Monday full of enthusiasm for a trip to Cambridge at Easter for a science residential. I've promised I'll read the email, but reminded her that she wants to take maths, history & politics next, so it would be fairer to leave the science trip to people who actually want to do it as their next step.

Agree the chaos could be benefit for some 😀 including my DS. Very dyslexic and heading for some B s and C s under the old system even though bright and chosen maths physics and computing for A level. He thinks that if he gets a range of numbers no one will really know whether that’s good or bad whereas the mantra had wrongly become that B s and C s were poor grades even though if course they weren’t at all.

DD received some of her mock results today and, due to the fact she’s been struggling healthwise with long term conditions and found it an enormous struggle, she is thrilled.

Eng Lang Paper 1 7 (predicted 6)
Eng Lang Paper 2 8 (predicted 6)
Maths 4 (predicted 5)
History 6 (predicted 7) - ran out of time and didn’t complete 2 questions
Computing 3 (predicted 7) - she’s finding the theory very hard
Science 4/4 (predicted 6/6)
Classical Civilisation F (predicted B) 🤨 teacher has been worse than useless and offered them no support.

She has a hospital appointment tomorrow as we’re failing to manage the most severe health condition which has caused her considerable pain and, with it, fatigue. If we can get her health under control, she can do this. She’s really, really happy and she wants to do well but knows she has to focus on her weakest areas. These results have helped her mindset massively.

Parents evening tonight. Planning to request as much guidance as we can from science, computing and classics teachers. Maths is in hand with a lovely tutor and dedicated teacher. History teacher is brilliant and doing all she can to get them working better under timed conditions.

He s now focusing more on his a level subjects to try to get those as high as possible and trying to make sure he passes English and rs. He s also dropped dt to give more time to the others - and take away the stress of finding more time to Finnish dt course work. As others have said 9 is plenty so u think it’s a great decision. Someone said won’t it mean he wasted 2 years studying it but his redponse was he learnt a lot doing it and doesn’t need the certificate to do that. He would have got a good mark in dt but he now has more time to get extra help with maths and English. This is turning in to an essay but I also think we are placing more stress on the kids by the length of the process. It was already going that way but because of the new system we starting talking about these exams much earlier and telling they need to work harder - it’s relentless and I feel my ds needs a break. I may suggest half term off and start full on afterwards

Hi me again haffdonga that’s fantastic she must have worked really hard - gave you considered droppping classics or computing or both to focus on maximising the rest / I would

I think parents are probably more stressed - my stress is probably not down to new exams etc but more to do with the fact that I have a DD who is not meeting her full potential and I seem to be hitting my head against a brick wall in encouraging her not to waste this opportunity for the sake of 3/4 months focus on school work/exams!

Good parents evening ....I was surprisingly impressed on how all the teachers are in control of where they are in the Syllabus - some have already completed (Maths) but the majority will be completed in 2/3 weeks time giving plenty of revision time in school (,Computer Science maybe the exception).

The teachers had detailed sheet of all the area's of the mock exams showing strengths and weaknesses (this was done by DC and reviewed by teachers) so that they can target these area's prior to main exams. Most of the teachers had added site links where they could actively practice area's of weakness (where more revision was required) - This may help your DC too.....I think DD has also been given about 6/7 years of old exam papers in folders - IGCSE papers.

I asked about Tassomai - mixed responses - non of the teachers had heard about it ...Biology teacher was fiercely of the opinion DD didnt need it and she had been everything that she needs to do well in the exam (DD hoping to do A Level). Chemistry teacher more open and interested....didnt mention to Physics teacher because I think he would have been offended !

Sad (but also inspiring )part of it was how all the teachers without exception stated how capable DD was in terms of natural ability but it was now down to DD to focus and maximise her potential. DT teacher stated DD still spends allot of her time being a social butterfly in class but still got an A* in her mock. French teacher still thinks she can get an A even though DD spent most of Yr8/9 and part of 10 being the class clown but she has been working harder this year! DD seemed to do well on the harder papers where it was logic rather than memorising ....History teacher doesn't think the D in mock was an issue and is anticipating at least a B in final exams (again DD didnt really apply herself in Yr10 so the topics covered are weaker).

I have realised when I thought she was revising she was only partly revising because she was spending time on phone ...phone now removed from dining room when doing homework and revising.

Mixed advice in terms of HT - Biology teacher (who has DD in my daughters year) stated to rest have time out but to prepare/organise...others stating that she has folders full of practice papers which she should do more of (because other children have done more papers than DD).

I cant think of anything else to do to motivate DD - I;ve done the straight talking, dangled carrots - I think I will just have to let her get on with it. Wise words i think from the History teacher who said that DD has probably not found anything she feels passionate about to work hard or have that real hunger for....

She can't drop anything unfortunately as she dropped French last year under difficult circumstances and needs a minimum of 6 GCSEs 9-5 to get the sixth form she wants to attend (her current school).

Am really hoping she can pick the grades up, particularly with Classics as she's always scored so well with it. The teacher has had personal problems leading to extended leave during their time with her and the fact that supply teachers were in place for month really had a detrimental effect. My DD didn't start Classics until year 10 and has made huge efforts to catch up, so it would be a shame to see all of that go to waste.

I think you're right TeenMum - they need something to strive towards gaining and often, at this age, that's an impossible request.

My DD found it hard to push herself to revise with her weakest subjects and it's reflected in the mock results. She has said that she is not going to let it happen again.

Much like other posters here, her educational experience has been decidedly negative and she is desperate to join the Sixth Form of her choice where she can choose her own path from now on.

She's a resilient young lady and deserves to do well. My aim is to gently support her in guiding her efforts with those difficult subjects, with broken down revision goals to ease the pressure and make it less of a mountain to climb.

She'll be devastated if she doesn't get into her choice of sixth form and I think this will spur her on when the going gets tough.

DD had first Sixth Form interview last night...told them it was her second choice school...told her she was a tit for saying that!

English is finally getting better! She got a 4 on November mock but did another mock this week and got a 6 (one mark off a 7). Haemorrhaging money on an English tutor but it seems to be doing the trick. Yet more mocks after half term.

HFTW - You may find the classics is just question technique which hopefully the school will manage to cover in the next few months.
In terms of Computer Science - do you have the revision guide (if OCR exam). I have found this made a difference with my DD who did really well in her mock (85%).

Hiding Your Classics sounds like our ethics/RE. The top set had numerous teachers throughout the course, ending up with one who seemed to ignore the material issued by the exam board and focused instead on learning quotes from the Bible and Islam week after week. Meanwhile the entire top set flunked the mock exam, with a couple getting grade 6 and the rest getting 4s and 5s. Over half the set have now abandoned all hope of getting a decent grade, so they're running riot, leaving a couple of the girls to tell the rest of them to sit down & shut up because they want to get the grades they deserve.

Your DD should be really encouraged with her results. I know from experience that most students who put their mind to it can definitely see their marks leaping by a couple of grades in the run up to the real exams.

Half term: DD is off to spend a few nights with her uncle. He's a GCSE/A level tutor, so she can have his undivided attention on ghost tours, bus trips etc to pick up hints & tips without even realising what he's doing. She needs to crack on with some proper revision before her next set of mocks. The school is offering a few targeted classes throughout the week. Then we're combining visiting my family with a couple of nights in a luxury hotel with a teenage spa package for an early birthday present. Hopefully we're getting the balance right.

Teen I'm sure you have, but have you tried working backwards from where she wants to be in 5 years time? It's a classic project management technique, where you start with the benefits or rewards you want to achieve, then break it down into more manageable steps until you come up with a series of smaller tasks to achieve it. In very basic terms, "I want a gap year in New York in 2022" means you need to find a degree course with that opportunity willing to give you a place in 2020, so you find the A levels leading into that course and get the GCSEs which will get you there, so you then set tasks to ensure you get the grades you need and so on.

Sticker - the Classics class is very similar, not helped by the fact that several students chose the subject as an easy option. DD found the time with supply teachers a little like Groundhog Day and it's become clear that it left those that want to do well at a significant disadvantage. I'm hopeful she can pull it together, but she does needs to know where she went wrong and the teacher hasn't been forthcoming thus far.

TeenMum - I think she does have the computing revision guide, but she seemed to sweep the whole need to study that book under the carpet, as if she knew it was too big a challenge given all she was going through. She and I are going to be sitting down next week to double check she has all she needs in terms of study aids. I'm going to be more proactive in reminding her to utilise the guides she has and she's asked for my support with planning her revision sessions more specifically. Your DD did very well indeed! Good for her.

Half term next week involves her 16th birthday celebrations, resting up, plus time spent planning a revision timetable and making lists of achievable goals. She'll resume revision the week after. The maths tutor is a former colleague from the school and liaises with the Head of Maths regularly so she's fully aware of the state of play in terms of lesson content, etc. She's worth every penny.

I think sticker's advice re longer term goals is great. It makes for a great checklist, or stepladder of achievement to reach an end goal.

You focus on the benefits you want to receive, then work out a way of achieving them step by step, until you have a plan of what you need to do to get there.

DD is going to have a nasty shock when she eventually leaves home and realises that birthdays are just that, a day, rather than a month long experience! Everything from her prom dress to concert tickets seems to have been for her birthday so far this year, but she's still having a few bits & bobs to unwrap on the day. "Cat in a book" page markers will provide hours of fun in AQA revision guides!

Stickerrocks Thank you - I think I have been down that route too....took Dd to Uni open day before Christmas and she did really enjoy it ....she hasnt a fixed goal on what she wants to do yet - so we went to Bham Uni - Product Design - it was impressive and inspiring.

The school have allot of lunchbox lectures where alumna and industry come into the school and try and inspire the girls but DD hasnt been along to any of the sessions ...I mention them but she states she has not seen any of interest.

Thought you would have done, but it was worth a try. I'll send you a brick wall to bang your head against next!

Perhaps I am trying to get a square peg to fit into a round hole and whilst she is academic its not going to be her forte ....

I've come to the conclusion that in many ways, our roles as parents during this time of our teens' lives is every bit as stressful and pressured as theirs! We worry about the bigger picture far more than they are capable of and we know the implications that lie ahead.

It's a juggling act. This thread is hugely helpful in easing the numerous questions I have and, while I may not post much, I read through every day and make notes of the useful hints and tips.

So, thank you to everyone who contributes here 🙂

Teen She will always be bright, but taking the scenic route to achieving her potential may suit her at the moment. Have any of us stuck with the plans & dreams we had at 15 or 16? Probably not. Hang on in there. Nudge, prod & bite your tongue!

Has anyone had the work experience letter yet?

The school have said whilst it's not obligatory it would make sense to sort something to take place this summer given that DS will be finished by mid-June. Oh and it would be good to sort out something 'relevant' to his future plans to support uni applications.

Typically DS future plans involve a profession that no friends or family have ever done. Need to persuade DS to send some speculative letters this weekend or try my luck on FaceBook in case we already know someone.

Nudge, prod & bite your tongue! I think that is very sound advice although I'm not good at biting tongue ...

HFTW - so true : We worry about the bigger picture far more than they are capable of and we know the implications that lie ahead.

sandybayley - we've been getting emails since the start of Y11 but DD has only just returned the completed form. She has however realised that she'll need two half days off for her Futher Maths exams.

We haven't had any work experience letters, not sure they actually do it at dgds school. They stopped d of e as well this year which was a shame as dgd wanted to do it. I hear they are also dropping German.

Got a funny feeling art is going that way as this year only enough students for one class of art opted for art GCSE when they usually have 2.