In preparation for entry exam results tomorrow..

[kcact]

I don't know about others who are in the same boat but, but I'm so nervous about tomorrow! My DS gets 3 results of the 4 exams he took tomorrow including his first choice school. for13+

He got his second choice last week and he got a place as well as an academic scholarship so I'm very proud of him for that. We are coming back from 7 years of living abroad so having been out of the UK education system and in US and Canada who don't push as hard - he only had 10 weeks to prepare for the exams as thats when we decided we are moving. Given all that he's really worked hard and done well.

His first choice school is super competitive and he does not feel like the exam went well. He's always hard on himself and sets his bar very high so I don't know if its that or if he actually didn't do well. He had the interview on the same day as we were only in UK for the exams so they interviewed him on the same day to help us so we don't even know if he actually would have been called back or not to give us any clue as to how he did.

Im so proud of the way he has handled himself and worked hard - its not easy for a 13 year old to be positive about a move to a new country but he's been so good and took the bull by the horns and got on with it.

My concern with tomorrow is how to handle his dissapointment if he doesnt get into his first choice. Im nervous but not about which school he gets - about his happiness! I just want him to be happy! He works hard always so I know he will do well which ever school he gets. He however has his heart set on the first choice school.

What are your strategies which helping your kids deal with disappointment and move on when things don't go to plan??

Apologies for me ramble!! LOL

Good luck to you and your DS. I can understand your anxiety.

If you have been living away for 7 years and still DS has managed to get a place with scholarship, you should be very proud and relieved.

As for breaking a bad news, your case is very straightforward. You should tell your DS that there are 100s of kids who prepare for 1-2 years for this exam and he has done it all within 10 weeks. So it is not his failure, it is just lack of preparation .
He isn't less able, he was just not at right place at right time.

Let him enjoy and celebrate his other success.

Good luck. Hope you get a good news tomorrow.

Are you headed for London?

Be honest, be proud and have a nice family treat lined up for all of you!

I so want him to be happy and celebrate his success but he's always so hard on himself! He was happy when he received the scholarship as he didn't think he had done that well that it would be scholarship worthy so he was pleased but he's very critical of himself and his work! Often won't let us celebrate his success if he isn't happy about it!

We have a dinner planned for tomorrow to celebrate regardless as he has already achieved and he worked hard too!

Frekko - yes we are headed back to London, all big change going on.

I'm so proud of him and his younger sister as they have both taken this move and all the exams so well and just got on with it.

Anyway - a sleepless night for me! Im a stress head behind closed doors when the kids are not looking! LOL Last week before he got his second choice results I couldn't sleep the night before either - I kept waking up every hour! and then was refreshing my emails every 2 mins as soon as it was morning in the UK! This week I thought I would be ok knowing he has that one in the bag! But Nope!!! lol.

Good luck - is it the ‘big 4 then?

Frekko whats the big 4?

We missed a lot of the good school application deadlines as by the time we new we were relocating they were closed. So his choices for we saw as good schools was limited.

I was guessing Westminster, st P, kings, city (so pretty central ones, so that was the range at our is school). There are loads of brilliant schools around though.

Hope your DS gets his first choice. I didn't realize they are schools releasing results over half term.

Understand your nervousness. I've had a few sleepless nights recently-- refreshing emails endlessly and stalking the postman. We are waiting on one 13+ but unsure when they plan to release results.

Our second choice also released first with a substantial scholarship and DS said Wow, they really get me. Maybe I should pick them.
I took his words and ran with it. I went on and on about how that scholarship meant "love and appreciation". I might've overdone it a bit as now he's seems to like it more than his first choice. So maybe give angle a try haha.

Anyway, good luck with it all and welcome back!
There's always 6th form anyway.

Yay he got his first place!!! So so pleased! Glad this is all over and now!!

Fekko - we are not central London we are NW London. Would have loved to have applied to those though but we were just too late for applications.