Gcse 2018 (10) The one with half term

[Stickerrocks]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3256691-GCSEs-2018-9-Will-we-get-to-half-term-for-never-was-a-story-of-more-woe-than-this-of-Juliet-and-who-is-Banquo

Oops. Can't remember how to link nicely, so this will have to do.

hmc They have said that the system should be up & running from the taster day onwards for a fixed slot. It's easier to worry about that than anything to do with the exams themselves which I can't influence!

Kingscote excellent news. DD's match yesterday probably did her more good than procrastinating over Spanish and chemistry all day.

My school posted our A level results. We lived the the middle of nowhere and my dad drove around the Postie's route until we found the post van and he handed me the envelope. We were allowed in the collect O level results on the Wednesday evening if we wouldn't rely on getting them in the post the next day before they were dropped at the post office.

Thethird That would be in that mythical MN world where it's only worth sending your child to school if they have the correct genitals to go to Wincol as a scholar, only take up a sport if they have an assured place on the national team (but nobody plays football unless they are a girl), have minimum household savings of £338k (& not a penny less) and have been NC with their in laws because of a perceived slight over a holiday with an infinity pool somewhere.

There is an entire world of non RG graduates out there with very successful careers and good salaries. I know, I teach them! There are also (shock, horror) at least 40% of the population who didn't get their 5 GCSEs at the right grades, but survived, many of them delighting their families because it's all relative.

I took up an offer of EE for uni & it made my life so much easier and took the pressure off when I got there as well, as I didn't suffer from imposter syndrome.

Sorry to everyone that I spooked with raising the subject of results day. I was just curious as to what the system is, but now I know there is no one way.
For me, it feels like the exams are nearly over even though they are really only half way through. I think it's because the amount of revision left isn't very much compared to the mountain in front of DS a few months ago.

Kingscote I think it’s right to play. Not only a confidence boost but there is also a lot of luck involved in success in sport (and everything else) and if you say no once he may not get the chance again and regret it later or be thinking what if. I guess I’m saying we try to teach them in life take every chance as one thing leads to another so it makes sense to apply that to their sport/hobby as well

Just goes to show though mmzz though how every school is different again, like on the study issue.

Ah well, I am onto next stage. DD is leaving 2 FEColleges dangling (applied to but won't attend), by not telling them she won't attend. I'm a bit peeved, after getting invite for parents the other day, to a FEC she won't attend. If I tell dD she needs to inform them of her plans she gets stroppy -- she never was good at letting go of things. I will email them, I can't go along with it any more.

I was worried that yr9 DS would be unhappy to get his results (C?) same morning as DD (high grades), but seems like DS will be fine.

lljkk the colleges here all expect to lose 50-60% of their applications by enrolment day with another big movement between courses as well. DD has to get 5 GCSEs and a 7 for maths to go to either of our two choices, so no grade worries at all. Her heart is set on one place, but she will hold the second place until the bitter end. I would continue to hold just in case.

lljkk won't your DD be doing A levels by 2020 and get her results a week in advance of your DS's GCSE results?

I've got a similar issue looming in the future, except DS2 is very able and ultra competitive when it comes to his brother. He expects to equal or beat DS1 at everything whether it's academic, sport, even height!

@KingscoteStaff - well done your
DS. It looks like a beautiful day for it - just had to let dog out so I've been out already. I think it will do him a world of good to be out today.

Kingscote I completely get where you are coming from! DS fell onto tarmac whilst playing football at lunchtime a few days before the mocks. The hospital thought he had broken his scaphoid and immobilised his right hand. (It turned out just to a sprain). The school's response was to suggest that he writes and types left handed (despite having dysgraphia which makes doing it right handed hard enough!).
I spent a week really regretting that DS chose to play football that day. He made it through anyway, but did the exams either left handed or by removing the brace for the exam. Even a month later when the mock results were given out, no one remembered the conditions under which DS did them. Knowing how a broken wrist is not a solvable problem, I can totally see your dilemma.

However, it sounds like an amazing opportunity! Maybe someone else isn't available because of their exams, and so this gives your DS a chance to show what he can do?! If he doesn't take the chance, it might be something that he always regrets, and he is more like to emerge unscathed and feeling good about himself than end up injured, so, if I were you, I'd let him play.

lljkk it's normal round here to hold several offers at least until the results come out so I wouldn't worry.
DS has taster days at two sixth forms (1st choice and 3rd choice) on two consecutive days at the end of June!

The competition posts reminded me of when a very shy DS totally lacking in confidence went for his first day at secondary school. Went to assembly only to hear his sister announced as having the best gcse results in the school. He was terrified he would be expected to achieve at a similar level. fortunately it hasn’t been an issue since, they are so different and their own people and he has grown in confidence in other ways.

And when the girls got gcse and a levels in the same year they both got what they needed to progress so we could celebrate that for both of them. I do get its hard for some though.

Those of you who have dc who struggle with English language - what are they planning to do today and tomorrow?

Dd is very anxious about it and needs a plan to keep her calm. (Preferably one that isn't "revise maths")

Practise Writing plans for the longer high mark questions
Reading all the tips/notes/ reminders they ve been given
Reminder of timings
Mainly just try and make sure he stays relaxed and has a strategy for when he gets in there so doesn’t panic/mind blank but stays focused on what he has to do. The questions appear to be a similar format each time so I’m hoping that should help - at least he is familiar with it now.

The rest of the day will be history - it’s a shame theyre so close together

Thanks oratory. Really useful. Dd plans to watch a few videos on descriptive and narrative writing, make sure she knows all her literary terms and read through her notes. I'll suggest making plans and I think I'll add in opening sentences as that's where she tends to freeze.

This is by far her worst paper and she really needs a 5. When it's over I'll feel like my exam season is over!

yr9 DS finished a GCSE this yr. If he wants his result on "results day", has to be at school same morning as yr11 DD gets her results.

DD already has 4xA* (yr9 & yr10) so only needs 2xB from yr11exams to get into 6thFm she wants; half way thru exams season, there's no way she didn't get the 2xB by now, even if she falls apart for any remaining. It's a waste of time for other 6th forms to keep contacting us with info about when DD starts with them; DD is only going one place. I feel like we're stringing them along (& some of these colleges have skint budgets). Need to tell them now.

I guess some folk send their kids to 6Fms there the minimum entry is 8xA. Holding offers makes sense then.

Dd has places at 2 big sixth forms and her current school and plans to hold them all until results day. They seem to encourage it.

Current school is her insurance as they will take her unconditionally based on knowing she's capable of A levels even if she has a disaster.

Other two both have the same entry requirements (6 passes inc 2 at a 6) and want 7 in maths to do the A level.

She's holding them both because she might be influenced by where friends are going. Also the local train network seems to be imploding so she might switch her first choice to the one nearer her dad's house.

I feel quite sad that she might end up staying away midweek come September. I was ready for empty nest syndrome in 2020 but not yet

I'll survive!

Lljkk - the places your DC go don't stipulate "at the same sitting" in their criteria? I guess not.

Around here, that's all I ever see. Nowhere is interested in what you got on a resit or when you took an exam early. They just want you know what you can achieve when having to do everything at the same time.

Thethird one of my DCs has just finished her degree at an ex-poly. She got good GCSEs, struggled at A level, fine with degree.

3 days after her last exam she had an interview, then a second interview. She has landed her dream job with great prospects and starts next month.

The MN bit would be the really relevant work experience (both paid jobs where she worked hard and did well on her own merit) which frankly she got an "in" to through people we know, extra curricular stuff, confidence, people skills and the mock interview that her sister and I did with her.

Stickerrocks I agree. The back-up uni would possibly be more suitable for him in some ways, as there's more contact time and more academic support. It has a high number of entrants from access courses or foundation years.

DD1 held 3 offers, 2 to do A levels and 1 to do a BTEC/ALevel combo. She held onto all 3 until after exams. Then released 1 (PS), and said to second (BP) not attending taster so only went to taster for #3 (Brock). She held on to BP until results day though just in case she changed her mind.

I get the impression some of you might live in my area. The parents of friends have been happy with their choices of PS/BP. At PS you only ever get to see the tutors if they want to see you!

Good luck to all the DC for the last big push.

Peggy this university is so new that it isn't even an ex-poly. That's reassuring that your DD succeeded at university and employment after struggling with A-levels.

The linear structure of A-levels doesn't suit DS1, who would be better with modular assessment. The structure of BTECs would have suited him but they don't do them in the subjects he wanted to study.

I looked on the parent portal yesterday to try to deduce from the letters to last year's prospective year 12 parents what the school's arrangements for results days are. I couldn't find it, but what I did find was a reference to the (state comprehensive) requiring parents to have paid a fee before their child can join the sixth form.
They were expecting outside students to pay it in cash on results day when they have to matriculate, and mentioned that parents of students who are just staying on would have been billed already and paid this fee in July.
It's not that much, just the price of a pub lunch for four, but I am surprised as I thought state education is supposed to be free? Does that change post-16?

Teentimestwo you've spotted us! DD didn't apply to yours but is holding the others.