GCSEs 2018 (16) - The Final Countdown

[mmzz]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3304925-gcses-2018-15-the-reckoning?

We are not talking about them here , J suspect they are lurking st the back of his mind . We come home tomorrow so I suspect it will kick in then .

With ds1 I just dropped him off , he kept me waiting until after lunch as he went to celebrate with friends and ‘ wanted to tell me in person’! With ds2 dh went with him .

Will let ds decide, may drop him off and go for coffee with a friend we’ll see.

Made you wait until after lunch!?!?! I would have beaten him. I will be staring over her shoulder waiting for the results to come in!!!

Strangely they email them first thing on Thursday and then they are still expected into school at 10-11.

Afternoon gang!

DD finished NCS and off to town with her friends - counting down the days until R Day!

Loving all this PIL talk - not an issue here as MIL passed away 12 years ago and FIL lives about an hour away with his new wife (we weren't invited to the wedding!). He is 81 and I guess time is short, but he cant cope with seeing us - possibly too much of a reminder of his previous life. We send photos every so often with a note but not much else. Worse than teenage kids I reckon!

Ellen I hope that chocolate is worth it - Cadburys is pants - I favour Hotel Chocolat!

Had some exam results chat with DD who doesn't seem fazed at all. She isn't worried about the results (good) and has moved onto uni courses and deciding where she would like to go - some iteration of politics is favourite and probably a southern uni (we are north west England). She has been looking at clearing results to see what is needed! I can see a few open days coming up in the next 12 months.

Banished to school gates here too on results day - but then can take her for lunch after the interview to be accepted to 6th form. My predictions are 7/8s for the A level subjects and a mix of 5 to 7/8 for the rest. Weaker subjects are French, maths and physics. Strong ones are English, history and chemistry and RS. We shall see.

Chilli - you obv have a planner there but that's good to have options considered before the event. We don't have a plan B but she is adamant that it wont be needed...…. I guess the other DC of this thread fall in between the extremes.

Enrolment at her school is on Thursday and then any other place, such as a college etc is the same afternoon or the Friday - but that isn't an option. I will try and broach that subject this week to try to get her to give it some though, just in case...

PMSL Oratory - "L'icopter" is a real classic.

Reminds me of when DD1 was learning phonics and we spent a long time working out what a feeyold was. And then realised that it was a field and we had underestimated the influence of the estuary english that is the language of small people round here!

mmmz DD1 doesn't have to register on Thursday, but we've been told to expect her to come home with lots of paperwork, including a bill for about £60 to cover a trip to a universities fair and various other items.

Registration is on her first day of term, when only year 7 and year 12 will be in school.

No enrolment here - I guess they just assume your staying unless you tell them otherwise. Parent tutor meeting on the first morning back though to finalise subjects and I’m guessing get a pep talk on how hard they need to work etc etc

Yup first day is like an iduction for DS as well and I’m assuming there will be quite a few new students joining, which DS is also looking forward too.

DS has to register at his new sixth form on Friday, after submitting his result to them online on Thursday. He has to go even if his results don't seem good, as they will advise him where to go from there (there won't be any teachers offering advice at school on Thursday because they are only a 11-16 school) He is not even slightly worried (yet!), he says "worrying won't change them"

I would love Christmas dinner with all my family except most are foreign and/or live overseas or are dead. My mum has joined us once or twice on the 25th but we didn't want to set a precedent! I actually rather have all my mum-mates (or Mumsnet) round - at least they'd appreciate the food and the conversation would be lively

DD is not actively and overtly worried about results, but I think intrusive thoughts might be popping into her head in the middle of the night and disrupting sleep.

We are confused about what she needs for Sixth form college because in the brochure it specifies that a 6 is needed in Biology to study Biology plus a 6 in a second science subject or maths, and to study Psychology it specifies a 6 in a science and a 6 in English and maths.....and yet we had an email from the college last week saying:

"We hope you will all have cause for celebration on Thursday 23rd August when the GCSE results are published. You do not need to contact us that day unless your son/daughter has not achieved the entry requirements to study a Level 3 programme i.e. 5 x GCSE's at Level 4 or above, including English and Maths".

On results day - she plans to pick up her piece of paper / envelope and not actually look at it until she gets back to the car where I am waiting for the big reveal. She doesn't want to get into any awkward conversations about grades with her peers, and doesn't want to hang out with them after results. I suppose her feelings might change on the day

hmc
Your DD will be accepted for something provided they meet the basic requirements (5 grade 4+ incl English and Maths).

however to specifically do Biology & Psychology she needs 6 Maths, 6 English, 6 Biology, 6 Physics or Chemistry and a 4 in a random subject. (according to your info above)
If she doesn't meet that they will still take her but she'll have to change subjects.

Sorry, missed the 'or maths' for Biology, so it should say:
6 Maths, 6 English, 6 Biology, and a 4 in 2 other random subjects.

DD said this is what it must have felt like for you, Mum, when you were waiting for your babies to be born! Hmmm, whatever...
Yes, dd will have 2.5 hrs to make a big decision - she has places at her current (academy) school for year 12 and also at a local grammar with slightly different A level choices at each. The grammar wants her there at 12 to enrol.
I am not telling her that I had the same decision at 16 albeit different schools. I chickened out of the whole lot and got myself a job at the local council. I should have had the courage of my convictions. It took me a long time to get back to the same place.
I keep hearing Two roads diverged on a loop inside my head. I know which one I want her to take but I am keeping it zipped, staying schtum. Best policy with this particular teen.

Thanks Teen - now you've said that it makes perfect sense

Very lucky that we don’t have difficult choices here - not too worried either about results (as DS requirements aren’t too high) but my mind is definitely racing back in to term time/planning mode with DS in to sixth form, DD2 into first year at uni and DD1 back to uni after placement year. A level results day and the chat on this thread has brought it all closer after a relaxed few weeks. Could be a busy few weeks ahead.

hmc I obviously also received that email. As long as they have the minimum, they have a place there for something. So if my DD doesn't get a 7 for maths, we suddenly have to think of something else she can take. She didn't have any entry requirements for the other subjects. DD has a busy day on Tuesday with a physio appointment, followed by enrolment and finally sports team trials. She is remaining optimistic, even though her County squad chums have previously been rejected. I'm not sure when she is going to turn down the other college.

I'm starting to feel sick now - lots of anxiety dreams about ds not checking work, unreadable handwriting and the like . Ds reasonably chilled - says he just wants it over now. He wants a crack at Oxford for Maths so getting his 9 is very important and realistically he probably needs another 7x Grade 8s for this to be a realistic aspiration. He has already bagged an A for AS Maths which he taught himself so everything is firmly crossed that no silly mistakes were made. Grade 8's in other subjects are open to question though.

He is walking to school with a friend on Thursday - I have permission to lurk outside.

DD has a couple more results to come on Thursday. After the trainwreck of her IGCSE results, I think we all just want them over. She is very wobbly, poor girl. It's going to be a very long week.

Her sixth form made quite reassuring noises when she applied, in terms of alternative courses for those who don't meet their grades, but I really don't know what will happen. Being the eternal optimist, I am just hoping that they will see it as underperformance due to medical conditions, and give her another chance. Have to sell alternative courses to DD, as well, who is currently off in denial, and refuses to read anything about courses.

I made the mistake of reading that stupid Daily Mail article about GCSE maths grade boundaries, with the comments full of puffed-up little keyboard warriors going on about how 'easy' the exam must be if you only needed 17% to pass. Okay then. [And breathe].

Any if you like us where DC going in to school but results available on line. I know I can access his account on my phone and will be so tempted to take a peek when he s in there collecting the envelope. I know I shouldn’t but ............

Sorry to here that rogue and more difficult when changing school/college. Will college give some leeway based on predicted grades/year 10 internal exam results or reference from school. Will current school help. DD2 had a ‘blip’ in her education and missed a level but we both realise that had no bearing on her intelligence/ability to cope with the next level. Exam grades are proof of that ability but you can sometimes demonstrate it another way.

Oratory Very much hoping that they will give some leeway, and school will definitely help - just don't know anyone in a similar situation and don't know if my optimism is well placed or not!

Oops, pressed send too soon :\

College advisors won't really be in until after the bank holiday, so most likely we all have another few days of biting our nails.

In our experience schools/colleges vary in their understanding/flexibility with the best going out if their way to make things work - so keeping fingers crossed for you both.

I'll drive DS2 to school and send him in to collect his results (and hopefully confirm his place) while I wait in the car for him to come and tell me the news.

Then he and his friends are planning to meet up at someone's house for a celebratory round of D&D.

Rogue Every student a college accepts allows it to access more funding, so they should do everything they can to help.

Sticker - We have a plan B for alternative A levels if her minimum 6's in those 3 critical areas don't come through so that's something. Whilst she will be happy with plan B, I think her pride / self esteem will be knocked if she doesn't get her predicted grades so its still a worry

My dd is doing the football trials on the Tuesday. I've tried to manage her expectations explaining that she might be overlooked - since how much can they tell about someone's ability in a one off snapshot? I know she will be mighty pissed off if she doesn't get selected though (particularly if some of her team mates from her club are chosen and she isn't). What will your dd be trying for? Bit of a pro at tennis if I remember?

rogueelement - I hope things go a bit better for her remaining results this week

rogueelement I suppose the most important exams are English/Maths - crossing fingers for your DD next week...

Oratory - It seems odd that our DC's took a very similar path through the exams and now we have similar feelings about results.