GCSEs 2018 (12) Are we nearly there yet?!

[mmzz]

mmzz

Although its a couple of years old, this article by the Secret Teacher in the Guardian still makes interesting reading

www.theguardian.com/teacher.../secret-teacher-last-minute-revision-classes-do-...

I am not sure if the link will work, as I couldn't copy the end of it, but the article is quite easy to find via google!

Here’s a bit about the economics of it blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/care-for-people-with-learning-disabilities/

Sorry very few topic. Ds1 is lucky in that our particular city does have some good complex care providers and the NHS are buying him a house (I kid you not - but it is cheaper than him staying in Hospital because the cost is so high). He’ll hopefully spend less than 18 months in hospital. I have come across people in the system who have spent 8 years plus in Hospital because their local area doesn’t have the interest/resources/suitable providers to get them out.

Maybe an interesting future EPQ for future A level economists!! How to fund & what model to use for care for the vulnerable.

Does anyone know anything about A level economics - Ds2 was interested at one stage. How much maths is needed?

Devilish I believe similar is happening with elderly care too, where the private investors are buying up care homes and home care providers, and then pulling out if they can't make the profit.

This must have been unbelievably stressful got you and your DS

*off topic

Yes it is - Edwina. The people who bought out ds1’s providers are buying up providers of elderly nursing homes as well.

Devilish your poor DS, that's awful in every way, especially as he had good care and it was snatched away.

Devilish that all sounds really tough.

I work in nhs and when I first started working we had residential homes and day centres run by social services with well supported, experienced staff. Now there are no day centres, no state residential services, just private providers who put together cheap packages of care.

It's ridiculous how long it takes to put together complex healthcare packages. Recently I asked if we could apply for someone with a nasty progressive condition who almost met the criteria and would very soon. No was the answer. The person deteriorated before full care package in place. Wrong.

@EdwinaLIzzard that secret teacher article is really interesting! Applying what it is saying to Mr Persistent maths teacher, he doesn't care about DS as individual (that rings true), he runs revision sessions to ensure his subject gets studied over other departments (also seems likely to be true) and mostly he does it to cover himself that if the year does badly, it was not his fault, and his career is unaffected (yes, he comes across as preening and selfish!). He just wants DS there to prevent anyone else who does need the session thinking that they can get away with not attending.

So, mystery solved! I still hope that I never have to hear his name again after Tuesday!

Actually it applies to certain other revision sessions too. DS has been describing going to an hours revision session and being given a summary sheet to fill out for a particular topic, but instead of making his own summary, or choosing the topics he needed to work on, he had to copy down the teacher's summary off the whiteboard .

I wondered what the supposed benefit was, and now I know the answer: as far as the student is concerned, there isn't one. But it makes it look like the department are trying.

Devilish I did some economics later (was part of my job, as were hedge funds by coincidence). I suspect there is a fair bit of maths in there, even at A level. I used my maths knowledge to make sense of the economic theories so that I could understand them and apply them to my work. I suspect you could manage without, but you'd have to take a lot on trust.

Dd has gone to a biology revision session this afternoon but it’s quite pro active. The students go over things, discuss and have an input.

Devilish my nephew is 15 & sounds as though he has similar issues to your DS. He currently receives 1 overnight stay per week & one respite Saturday per month, both of which get cancelled regularly if the unit has to take in another DC urgently with even more complex care needs.

Economics - you need to be able to manipulate figures, but you don't need more advanced skills. I think our local colleges will let you 5ake A level with grade 5+ for maths. It is very formulaic at A level.

Stickerrocks, don't you need to be able to do some calculus (all the marginal cost / revenue and rate of change stuff for example)?

Devilish hugs for you and your son. Brilliant EPQ idea! My DS is starting economics a level next year and has dreams of being a hedge fund manager (lack of ambition, I say ) So I shall suggest it to him. I wish he'd revert to his previous career choice of being a diplomat.

I think the maths requirement for economics is quite high, DS planning maths alevel too. I did maths and economics and geog back in the dark ages and found that maths helps almost all other subjects (except English/history/languages obviously), I suppose it's something to do with it helping your brain to be orderly and precise perhaps?

My FIL's just been taken to hospital from his care home with a suspected seizure. He's absolutely 'fine' but they have to run all the tests because they can't ask him anything (very advanced dementia). DH has gone off to meet him there. I hate it, he's no quality of life, can't walk, barely talk, no cognition, mashed up spoon feeding, lies in bed and naps all day. It's no way to be. But of course one can't say out loud that one wishes someone would die

edwina I was not able to access the secret teacher link... It says the URL doesn't exist. mmzz you seemed to manage?
devilish uf so much on your shoulders
Could go on a rant about privatisation but derailing from GCSEs so I will refrain.

TerfTerfTerf my DS will be doing Maths, Economics, History and Geography too with a view to reading Economics at uni (current thinking). Any good ideas for an economics based epq gratefully received!

Link didn't work for me either but I found it here:
www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2016/mar/26/secret-teacher-last-minute-revision-classes-do-more-harm-than-good

I just googled it. Secret teacher revision guardian.

Got it thanks.

Sorry everyone, my computer skills are rather lacking

No edwina I could've googled it but I'm half working so delegated to others

Terf I know what you mean. I secretly and guiltily am willing my mother to just drift off in her sleep (also dementia) - since she too has no quality of life either, but just enough intermittent cognition to be distressed about her situation (she keeps repeating "I'm sorry, I think I've gone barmy" and then 20 seconds later "I'm sorry, I think I've gone barmy", repeat ad nauseum)

Dd is currently bemoaning the huge amount of material for Paper 2 Biology AQA which she feels is significantly more than paper 1. Has anyone else's dc reported similar?

Ds2 is fine on formulas - it’s proofs, circles, things like that he struggles with. Will see how he does in his maths gcse though! M

I will pin Ds2 down with biology tonight and have a look at the syllabus. He seems rather too relaxed about it.

Catching up again on today's thread. Whilst totally disinterested in going through this GCSE experience again, it is a relief to know there will be so many familiar friends to join in 2020 when DD1 does A Levels and DD2 does GCSEs!!

I'm humbled by the challenges so many DC and parents are experiencing. Like Sost, I send my prayers and good wishes to you all.

Reservoir where's your DS hoping to do sixth form?