GCSEs 2018 (15) The Reckoning

[mmzz]

thread 14
The next step of the all new GCSE journey.

Done

Oh dear, dd has had a disaster with the buses today. And she wants me to let her go to London alone?

I dropped her off at the gym and she was supposed to get a bus back. Except she ignires ther bus stop right outside the gym and crossed the road to get on in the wrong direction (basically ignoring the fact that to return back from somewhere youhave to turn round and GO IN THE opposite direction. She also missed a bus because it didn't stop and she didn;t realise you actually have to stick your arm out and stop it!

AH these are only mistakes you make once.

I'm sure our generation were much more independent though.

Alexander don't worry she won't do it again! If she's not used to buses it's not always obvious what to do but she knows now.
Last year, DS managed to fall asleep on a train on a journey he had done often and a concerned passenger woke him up at some point to ask if he was ok. He got home eventually!
What he was really rubbish at was keeping his phone charged so he could tell us what had happened. You can imagine how I felt when I heard he hadn't got to his destination and I couldn't get hold of him!

I think we have all done the same thing AH ( I still do)...DD and her friends got on the tube the wrong direction in London despite me sending them all directions of which tube to aim for...and they turned up 35 mins late to a rendezvous ...all part of the learning curb.

I have that Friday feeling and havent got much work done...

Anyone else with children who will be away on results day.
DS will be on a music tour with his band.
Wondering what arrangements you've made to collect results?
We were told to email the exams bod at school and have done this but no reply as yet.
Do you think they will email DS his results ( as he requested in his email)
Or if DD and I go in would they give them to us?
Surely they would have to do one or the other?
Or DS would have to collect them a couple of days later when he gets back?
Just wondering if anyone else has these type of dilemmas?

JugglingFromHereToThere will there be anyone at the school to give out the results on the week before term starts?

I think the procedure for giving out the results varies by school. Each have their own policy. I suspect the reason you haven't had a reply is because everyone is on holiday.

DS's school's arrangements are: in person between 10-12 on the 23rd, or on the first day of term in September

However, DN's are: in person on 23rd, or by email if by prior arrangement, or on the first day of term in September.

When does your DS need to register for his various sixth form options?

Just looked at DD's letter (found it) and they can go into school at 9am to collect results but they also email out at 10am...it is possible for someone else to collect but prior approval and ID required. It looks like the school look to identify queries and add in correspondence in the results envelope on what action needs to be taken- which I thought was quite nice...

DD's school allows a pre-authorised person to fetch them on the day with id or they can be posted in a self addressed stamped large envelope. I would call the school & keep trying until you get a reply.

Check their website as well.

Thanks all, good to know the various arrangements, with email to DS or us collecting for him seeming like possibilities.

Think I will try emailing again to see if I can get a response before we get to the day itself!

He's hoping to do well enough to stay on in sixth form where he is. Fingers are more crossed for DS on this than they were for his sister who did really well particularly at GCSE. Did more what she needed at A level to go to the Uni she wanted, and has just done really well again with her first year exams. Yey!

He also needs to email them to confirm A level options after results. I should make sure he knows this and makes a note of the email address before he goes away!

Juggling there will definitely be staff/exams officer at the school on the 15th & 16th August for A levels so you might be able to speak to someone then.

Well done on your DD's Uni results, whatever stage they are at the exams they are sitting are always the most important .......at the time anyway!

Thanks for that link AH - I've signed. What a tragic situation for Paula.

And in regard to busses, I've lost count of the times I've helped DDs remember that you need to get the bus from the side of the road where the traffic goes in the same direction that you're heading (and to do the opposite side of the road on the way home from somewhere!). It takes practise, and not just for the one with ASD!

It's encouraging to hear stories of your DCs exam success and future pathways. Makes the growing anxiety I'm feeling on DD1's behalf feel a bit silly!

Morning all

Alexander I have just signed the petition and I am saddened to hear about Oliver. A close relative of mine suffers from schizophrenia. Olanzipine was not helpful to say the least, now a newer medication is administered. I am exasperated to hear it was given to a vulnerable young person in these circumstances.

mmzz I know what you mean about our generation being more independent - I wonder if it's because of various reasons children in general are supervised more when they are growing up....I used to roam around and go to park on my own as a child, but different times..

I am pleased my ds now gets the train on his own! No disasters yet but he worries about what happens if he misses his stop.

Anyway just back from our week in Spain to a somewhat messy house I didn't have time to clean and two grumpy cats ignoring us! We had a great week and did some sightseeing - but one day it was too hot so didn't manage to see much of Park Guell and kept cooler on top of the Tourist open top bus. I loved Sagrada Familia, beautiful place.

Now I am back the GCSE results seem to be scarily close! As far as I am concerned ds worked hard; some good grades will improve his confidence but no pressure for his 6th form place as the college has only asked for 4s in Maths English and Science.

Enjoy this sunny day everyone. I struggled with the heat in Spain!

I know why exam results arrive at the end of the holidays but I wish DS could just get his over and done with now. They are becoming a looming shadow over us, and some certainty would be nice, even if it wasn't the hoped for outcome.

Must be hard for those of you with uncertainty as to where they are going. The rest of us can forget about it. DD2 has an unconditional uni offer after a gap year but was still very glad to get her accommodation offer a couple of weeks ago so now has some time knowing where she is going to be living and can look forward to it and visualise it rather than a last minute scramble

Also agree re comments on independence and trying things out and making mistakes whilst we are around and on the other end of a phone to help out and run to the rescue if neded :). I remember DD2 asking to go to a party in London (an hours train away plus tube) last year. With trepidation I agreed as I felt it better she get used to doing these things alone. DD1 was surprised at uni when others had never caught a bus before and were totally fazed when on a London trip without a clue what to do !!

DD back from holiday with her DF and now I'm busy washing bits and bobs for her to go to NCS tomorrow ...

I think she will remember this summer has the summer for making lots of new friends ..although she's slightly nervous about tomorrow which is hardly surprising when you are about to spend 3 weeks with a bunch of complete strangers.

She said this afternoon she'd consider maybe taking a year out after she finishes her degree and work on a cruise ship and see a little bit of the world.

re: independence, I've got both ends of the scale. DS1 never pushes boundaries and, therefore there are a lot of things he's never done.
Ds2 constantly pushes boundaries and has therefore given me a near heart attack many times.
However, neither seem to have the least bit of common sense when out and about. e.g. DS1 stuck all his money and train ticket loose into his side pocket last time he was up in London and was surprised to find that it wasn't there when he wanted to come home. Luckily, he was meeting Dh and I otherwise I guess one of us would have had to make a special trip up to London to collect him.

I despair of them both sometimes.

Sometimes learning to get out of these scrapes and errors is more valuable than never having made them in the first place :) Terrifying as it may be for us !

NCS week 3 begins tomorrow. It's slightly disappointing, as they effectively cut 2 days off the skills week so that they could start planning their community action, but their final week overlaps with a 4 week group also based at their hub site. This means that there are twice as many community projects all being planned at the same time, they are struggling to get venues. and can't publicise events planned for Wednesday because there is nowhere confirmed yet to hold them. DD is letting others panic at the moment, but I think she may get fed up tomorrow.

Teen she may find being "below stairs" on a shipa shock to the system, but I can assure you that week 2 of NCS will be good preparation for such hardships (but Mum, they boiled the mince...!)

Does anyone have a sense of how big a step up A levels are?

I saw a friend's DD yesterday and I was wishing her luck with her A level results next week. She doesn't think she has done well, but she was really keen to emphasise that A levels are a huge step up. "Much, much harder".

Is that true, or does it just seem like it is true until you re-calibrate your definition of "a big step-up" when you go to university?

sorry missed a bit out of that last post - the DD was saying A levels are a big step up from GCSEs.