GCSEs 2018 (13) Untwisting our knickers, lucky for some!

[Stickerrocks]

Thread 12 Link to the thread with our potted histories. Now the end is in sight.

Thanks ladies (on behalf of dd)

Gorgeous dress!

I feel like the strike through monitor today!
Cherryburn on some phone/computer systems if you type two short 'n' dashes -- it changes it to a long 'm' dash — which doesn't work for strike through.

JugglingMummy The school is about 500 yards from Addenbrookes Hospital a Cambridge Uni teaching hospital which runs decent work experience/enrichment programmes open to all not just students there. Also many of the parents are medics/scientists and there is a massive pharma industry in the area which feeds into a high proportion of students going down the sciences/maths route.

They also offer Pre-U maths and sciences as well as A levels.

hmc love that dress! blotsma the link didn't take me to a specific dress.
farang 👏👏👏 to your DD for her music prize.

What is "Pre-U"? I've seen it mentioned a few times, but I have no idea what it is!

It's a bit like IGCSE and GCSE for A levels. A CIE course that's accepted by universities instead or alongside A levels.

I think P's website is misleading - its 41 offers ...looking at the destinations info - 15 DC's go to medical school (so X students get more than 1 offer in fact they probably 3/4 offers) although lots of other students go into some form of medicine ...Its a high achieving school but if you look at where its located its not surprising....its neighboring college - Hills - is also extremely successful with 67 Oxbridge students last year.

Chemistry today was fine,

2 tomorrow but as they clash it’s doing 1 on his own in isolation, 1/2 hr break then the next.

Am expecting a knackered DS tomorrow night.

TeenMum60 The destinations for the P website were last year's destinations ie. for those that left in 2017. This year's destinations will be posted post results day when they become destinations rather than offers. This year was a record year for their offers and the current A level cohort achieved 95% A/As when they took their igcses with 177 As for Maths and just one A with nothing lower, so they are a high achieving year group (even in the context of the school).

Hills has 67 Oxbridge offers but their cohort is 1500. (4.5%) It is obviously a very high performing selective state 6th Form like Peter symonds and Farnborough etc.

Perse has 50 Oxbridge offers but their cohort is 180. (27%)

mmzz www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-advanced/cambridge-pre-u/

Pre-U gradings offer a D1 and a D2 (D1 is higher than an A at A level D 2 is equivalent to an A). Again it is just a way that the school uses for better preparing their students for their degree courses. The new linear a levels will be more like Pre-U in that Pre-U had the two year, no coursework approach.

JugglingMummyof2 and anyone else interested - DD (year 13) wanted to do medicine and she went to the local comp for 6th form. They hadn't had anyone even apply for medicine for years, but DD go offers from all 4 uni's she applied to. We had to do lots of research as she didn't have much input from school, but don't let it put you off. She still has to get the A level grades though!!

Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

HMC - Love the dress - what a bargain. Also like the Chichi site - such lovely girly dresses....still no shoes to go with DD's dress but once she finishes exams on 19th we can make more effort... DD would like a Balayage look to her hair beforehand (must arrange)...also fake tan (BUT NOT ORANGE) and she'd like her make up done professionally. I guess we also need an after prom dress too...one step at a time.

@adrinkofwater I have been reading the medical thread going through all the ups and downs...DD is keen and I;m over the moon that she has done a lot of research - she's very determined once she makes her mind up! Would love to be able to tap into your knowledge at some stage...

Well just when you think things can only get better something comes along and smacks you in the face!

Glad we are turning to happy things like proms and holidays it will cheer me up!
Did getting excited about secret weekend. So much so that dgd asked me what her mum has took as she is happy and larking about! Texted dd not to let cat out of bag as dgd very astute and may think something's going on!

hmc love, love the dress - wish I had the height and figure to wear it!
We don't have prom - there is a leavers' assembly type thing. DS wasn't going to go but he says he may be doing some music in it. (Some of us mums may celebrate in our own way in a nearby pub!)
I think mentally DS has already left school - I have to keep reminding him that he still has an exam on Friday.
So far his holiday plans are playing music, doing some coding, and learning to cook all his favourite meals.

Love the dress HMC, my DD1 has the same one in navy for the year 13 leavers ball.

No year 11 prom here as it's a split high school county - years 7-9 at middle school then change school for year 10 and 11.

So they have a prom at the end of year 9, which is actually lovely because they're still sweet and innocent enough to wear proper girly prom dresses and there to be no thought of alcohol or after parties!

DD2 is having a party here on Saturday as an end of year 11/end of exams celebration.
She's invited most of the cohort - luckily we have a big garden and understanding neighbours . .

Back to the GCSEs, Chemistry AQA got another "not too bad"

Resistant materials (aka woodwork!) tomorrow.
Not one she's really bothered about though (D&T compulsory at her school - don't get me started!)
So she's been cracking on with Physics this afternoon.

loose the cooking sounds very wise!
DS has grade 6 theory exam, a movie and two sleepovers with friends, playing in five concerts, a week's work experience, sixth form induction day followed by party, and has said that as soon as he's free of gcses he's planning to practice five hours a day. So there's just not going to be time to breath anyway... I clutch at the old saying that teenagers ought to be busy.

Just seen dress hmc lovely!

brainmelt five hours a day is very impressive!

Another one happy with Chemistry here. One to go, one to go!

Ds is working on Physics at home tomorrow morning, going into school to eat the lunch I'VE PAID FOR and for an hour of cricket nets and then home for more Physics.

No prom here, but Saturday's post-exams party has a 'Caribbean' theme... A nice DJ would be easier!

Good luck to all tomorrow Spanish writing for my dgd. Go ace it everyone!

Anyone's DDs refusing to wear a dress to prom (or DS refusing to wear a suit?)

No prom here either. A year 11 dinner between 6 and 8pm with speeches but they have Leaver's Ball in Year 13 and the majority stay onto 6th Form.

they can't even have an after-party as half of them are off on a school trip that night

Sost is all ok with you? Or I could be misreading your latest post.

Change that to 21.01 post.

Hi Cherry,
A very topical subject in our house! my 6ft 4 slim year 11 son has just bought a fab 3 piece suit online for Prom . After some trial and error orders with ASOS and M&S he got lucky with Burton online. £108 in the sale 3 weeks ago, charcoal grey with a great lining for the jacket and waistcoat , and most importantly trendy skinnyish trousers that are long and touch his ankle . Pm me if you’d like the link. We’re also thrilled today that his 5th shoe order for size 14 black dress shoes arrived and he loves them( he tried Jacamo, Next, M&S , premierman, and some specialist shoe shops.