GCSEs 2018 (17) What will be in your coffee cup on Thursday?

[PeggySchuylar]

Thread 16 full to brim. Hope nobody minds me starting new one.

Maybe you need the gin this morning mmmz. Never have any trouble finding this thread - it moves so fast it’s nearly allways at the top of the secondary chat whatever it’s called.

Following on from earlier comments one of ds issues from being bright with spld was not so much that it made him average but that he would do brilliantly in one piece of work and poorly in the next which some teachers don’t understand ( he, and we, have though got used to having exam results ranging from genius level to fail !!). Also until recently he hasn’t had the work ethic and determination to really overcome and compensate for his difficulties. His sister like mini mmmz and cblue was more determined and had a bit more of the gifted but and really started to take off academically around year 8/9 when she found the maturity and extra support to cope. I’m still waiting with DS but with a faint hope that his hard work in the last few months may have done the trick. Whatever happens he is happy in school though and well liked and popular and I know with his profile it could be so different.

Loose I'd rather be thinking about GCSEs tbh. DS says he's not thinking about it, but he wouldn't talk about it here even if he was. If he's struggling then he'll come to me once we are back home.

Escape... have been trying to think how I might do that but I can't see how avoid the worst bits. Right now I am not feeling very warm to DH. We argued. He offered to put me on a train. I suggested that I take the car and the boys and he suffer the train! Either way, it's not a good atmosphere.

Cblue and mmmz yes to the frustration of primary school just not getting a 2E child. At some primary schools education really is reading, writing and arithmetic. If your child can't do this then they are seen as not able full stop.

Teacher - "It's funny because his general knowledge and vocabulary are excellent but his reading and writing are weak."
Headteacher (embarrassed) - "Miss Smith, that is dyslexia."

Senco - "Your children are unusual because they are really bright and dyslexic." No shit Sherlock then why can't you even differentiate spellings?

Headteacher (different infant school) DD's books full of comments saying she must write more and she must write more quickly, "She can be be stubborn mind. You just have to accept she isn't as bright as her sister." Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

So I get that you want the results to prove their abilities rather than confirming their fears that they aren’t able after all.

The nerves are kicking in big time for DD. She spent most of the weekend stressing that she won't get a high grade in her main A Level subject and that the new school won't let her go ahead with it.

I had thought that NCS would be a distraction this week but in fact it's just thrown her in with lots of other stressed 16 year olds.

I am so going to need a drink by Thursday!

Sostenueto

1. You got it spot on when you said this at the end if your post last night and it doesn't matter as long as she gets grades to do A levels and that bloody English language! The rest will all come out in the wash.

1. I think waiting for exam results has always been stressful, more so when the results make a difference to the future. I remember getting my O grades like it was yesterday so they must have felt important to me at the time. Mind you, that's nothing to the day when I got a letter saying I'd failed a professional exam - that was horrible!

Peggy we had this in year one and two when all focus was on reading and writing which two of mine couldn’t do so were seen as a problem - your video link last week really resonated with me as when they moved schools it wasn’t so much the extra learning support and small classes that helped them the most but a subtle change in focus on to what their strengths were and what they were good at whilst quietly working on their weaknesses in the back ground.

Morning all, I can’t believe ‘R’ day is almost upon us! DD has been suffering migraines over the last few days and, while outwardly seeming calm, she thinks it’s due to underlying panic about Thursday.

I’ve reassured her and said she achieved the biggest challenge two months ago when she actually managed to attend every single examination, despite being in significant pain, and that we will deal with Thursday as we always do, with a pragmatic and practical approach.

I talk a good talk, but I’ve not slept well for days now!

DD plans to attend school at 0800 on Thursday, grab her envelope, open it outside with us, then return to discuss with teachers. She would be quite happy with 5s, plus a 6 in one of her chosen subjects. Her days of hoping for 7/8 grades are long gone and she just wants to achieve what she needs to gain her place at her chosen sixth form.

It’s so near, yet so far!

& for you all

Always your dd is phenomenal and so are you! as you say, the achievement was in sitting the exams.
My heart goes out to dyslexic students as well - they have to work so hard and it's exhausting. My friend's dd has finally been diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia (not a surprise to those of us who know her!) in the third year of a four-year Oxbridge degree and is getting support, but she managed to ace her very essay-heavy A levels. I know she has an amazing memory but it's not just that. She must have developed her own strategies - her spelling was always terrible, though!

Morning all, I have a day off today, I am finishing my book in bed before wandering out for lunch with dd and ds while ignoring the housework!

Ds is 'not thinking' about the results....on Thursday I will be driving him to school and waiting in the car. I may not be needed if he decides to hang around with friends. All crossed.

Since turning 16 a few weeks ago my ds is rapidly growing up, including taking an interest in exercise. Bit of muscle building using my dumbells! He also brought a friend home after the cinema, they sat in the garden drinking a cider each! Very rare for him to socialise.

What are you all planning to do for (hopefully) celebrating?

Terf with my username I should also be at the gym!

Peggy writing aside (which was exactly as you describe), DS's issue was that he could do the work, needed something more, but the teachers didn't want to go beyond the extension work they were already setting for the top group.

Just one of the more extreme examples of this, it happened to DS2 but it illustrates the point, at the start of year 4, his teacher told me that he was too far ahead in maths, she had other children who were struggling, and although she knew that DS needed to be moved on, she didn't have the resources to do it so he wouldn't be learning anything ( maths-related) in her class for the whole year. At least she acknowledged it, but in other years teachers would say things like the was was sufficiently challenging because DS2 was only regularly getting 99%.

Peggy writing aside (which was exactly as you describe), DS's issue was that he could do the work, needed something more, but the teachers didn't want to go beyond the extension work they were already setting for the top group.

Just one of the more extreme examples of this, it happened to DS2 but it illustrates the point, at the start of year 4, his teacher told me that he was too far ahead in maths, she had other children who were struggling, and although she knew that DS needed to be moved on, she didn't have the resources to do it so he wouldn't be learning anything ( maths-related) in her class for the whole year. At least she acknowledged it, but in other years teachers would say things like the was was sufficiently challenging because DS2 was only regularly getting 99%.

mmzz I know what you mean about remembering back to O grades...mine were awful but I studied at evening class after working for a few years and went to university as a mature student.

Always My ds is avoiding the subject but did say to his cousin he is hoping for 5s, no diagnosis but he has some coordination issues and we were told he meets the criteria for dyspraxia. Good luck to your dd she is very courageous, exams were bad enough without extra challenges.

Morning everyone!

DS1 went to a friends for a sleepover last night. He still thinks he is laid back about Thursday, but there has been a marked increase in his grumpiness and backchat over the last few days. Most of it I have let slide, but we have had words!

He still; has offers from 2 colleges but realistically wants to go to 1 more than the other, and both have the same course requirements so he will let the other college know he wont be going tomorrow i think.

He has to go to his chosen 6th form on Thursday to register, he has a time slot already.

After the fiasco with his school deciding in April not to run a 6th form in September, I'm actually now happy with the choice he has made. Especially as I wondered why the school 6th form results had been absent from twitter and the school webpage - until I heard the results were really poor! So its probably all worked out for the best!

How is everyone else holding up?

Hello all and thanks for the new thread.

I just want to go to bed and wake up Thursday morning, hopefully to a set of 5's and 6's with a nice old 7 in Geog and RE. As it stands I feel physically sick. DD is dogsitting over in the next town so I haven't seen her but she seems ok.

joining in again , DS2 has been really tense and snappy over weekend, poor boy, its really playing on his mind.

Found you all too. We are away so just catching up on your posts. Loving the new title.

I feel I need to invest in a coffee cup. Any recommendations? The ones I have had in the past all tend to develop leaks. Criteria - should be able to hold gin and coffee but not at the same time.

Hello everyone. I'm just starting to get nervous but mainly because my DS needs 3 x 8s in specific subjects to do what he wants to do next. I have not really thought about GCSE results so far as had another DS with A-level results last week that I was more worried about (although went very well in the end)
At the college for the A's most students did not have any parental support with them. Subsequently, we ended up looking after one girl who was upset even though there were a lot of college staff around. I would urge you to try to go in with your DCs to get the results if you can for this reason.

Gettin - I hope your DS achieves what he needs for the next stage. While grade 5’s would be a disappointment to many DC throughout the country, it would put a huge smile on DD’s face. This time last year she was hoping for 6-8 grades but she no longer cares, she just wants to be assured she can stay on at sixth form.

Will you be pursing a formal diagnosis for your DS? I wish him (and you) very best wishes for Thursday.

Jufus is you dd planning on Geography for A Level? Ds also planning on Geography. If he gets a 7 it will be fantastic for his confidence!

May I join in? I'm starting to feel a little nervous now, I'm sure DS has done fine but until he's got those results.. eek.. I'm not letting him know I'm nervous for him. I'm receiving lots of comments off DM re "anxiously waiting" and "must let them know immediately" etc - DS doesn't know about these comments, DM made me feel very anxious when I was waiting for my gcse (and other exam) results so I'm determined not to make ds feel the same!

How are your DC getting their results and where will you be? DS is planning to walk to school with his friends, I'm hoping he'll phone or come straight home to tell me before he goes to register at sixth form (assuming that he doesn't change his mind & choose college instead, he has a place there too) . I did wonder if i should drive and wait in the car but thought that might be a bit much?

GettingTrimmer no, she is doing RE, Sociology and Psychology. She just enjoyed Geog and worked hard and wants to get a 7 for her Geog teacher who was also her form tutor and was incredibly supportive to her during her time at School From Hell.

Lovely new thread - thanks.

On our way home today so will try and catch up properly when I'm reunited with my sofa.

There will definitely be coffee in my cup on Thursday as I will either be at work or working from home! DS1 is still pretty relaxed. His main topic of conversation is how much he's missed the dog while we've been away on holiday and whether the dog will have thought we were dead while were away.

Jumping back in. I’m a lurker and occasional poster.

I’m sitting in Costa watching DT1 doing a cake and tombola stall for NCS. NCS has been the story of our summer with both twins doing it on separate waves at either end of the summer, leaving only 10 days in the middle free for a family holiday which then never got booked because all sorts of other things started creeping into those 10 ‘free’ days

R day - my coffee cup will be full of coffee 😁 driver and non drinker here.

Our battle is that both twins have only one option lined up- sixth form at their current school. So if they get the grades great but that really doesn’t mean they will be doing what’s right or best for them IYSWIM. If they don’t get the grades to study their chosen subjects they seem determined to take whatever the school offers them just to stay there - arrrgh.

Always thanks....also wishing you and dd the very best. I am not sure about diagnosis, these days he just doesn't do things that he struggles with, mostly anything involving fine motor skills. He can't ride a bike but doesn't care now. I agree 5s are a great achievement.

Here we are. I was looking for an I Spy thread. I don't know why but those @username tags don't send me any alerts.

DS gets back from his trip abroad today so I suspect the nervousness will ramp up now he is expected back.

However I got a message saying he is invited to a party tonight and wants to go despite jet lag etc and he is off to Reading Thursday at 9.30 too so was hoping he'd sleep etc and rest up before then!