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Secondary education

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Original poster

Are we ready for a GCSE’s 2019 thread?

997 replies

KittyMcKitty · 28/08/2018 22:59

If so I’m in.

DS (my pfb) will be going into year 11. Mocks after half term. Crossing my fingers for him - needs average point score of 6.5 (across all 10 subjects) to stay for 6th Form.

Anyone else?

OP posts:
doublechoccadooberry · 05/09/2018 10:12

I'm in also. Hello everyone. DS is just starting Y11. Academically was doing so, so well at school but unfortunately, last year, became very ill with a chronic illness and missed a lot of school including mocks so is now playing catch up whilst trying to keep his stress levels down. Health comes first though so him going to school, at all, is wonderful. Mocks in November.

flatmouse - what a simple but clever idea about the timetable!

Keel · 05/09/2018 11:19

Hi all is anyone's dc doing AQA history. DD was doing a module of it called Power and the People and they had got up to immigration and wind rush I believe so still had trade unions, miners strike and Margaret Thatcher left to do but they seemed to have started a new topic now the Cold War. Just wondered if anyone else's dc had skipped bits of the course? Thanks

Soursprout · 05/09/2018 11:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Butkin1 · 05/09/2018 12:13

DD's gone back into Yr 11 today so looking forward to seeing how the day has gone and if her friendship groups are all in tact after the holidays!

She's doing 9 GSCEs as recommended by school and we're regretting that she's only doing 'double science' rather than triple now.

She does seem to have regressed over the Summer and we hope that her new teachers in some classes will get her motivated. She's an enthusiast for school and tries hard but doesn't seem to have grasped a lot of the subjects.

Still a long time to go and her mocks are in January. We've considered tutors but she's promised that she'll go to the specialist clinics offered in study periods so she can work on what she's struggling with.

Our own biggest concern is making sure that we get the right videos done for her sports GSCE as one of her 3 sports (riding) isn't part of school curriculum and her main hockey training is with the town's club side.

flatmouse · 05/09/2018 12:55

@Butkin1 DD also doing riding for GCSE PE. She's gone on to the syllabus or whatever it called on examining board website and it states exactly what she needs to demonstrate (as it does for all sports). She's also looked at others that have been posted on YouTube. She made a list of everything she wants to cover and has been filming for a while, editing on the laptop.
Still some things to cover, including demonstrating the skills in competition.

Hope that helps!

Having gone through this with DS and rugby 3 years ago (old syllabus), I'd stress "get on with it" for your own sanity!

Keel · 05/09/2018 13:10

Thanks Sourprout and yes you're probably right. They've been doing the course since year 9 but there's a lot to get through and they only have two lessons per week. We've been to Thackeray Museum (although not doing health and the people component) and it is really interesting. Wish they did health module at dd's school. There seems to be more text books for that module too.

JustRichmal · 05/09/2018 14:45

I'm glad other dc have just spent the holiday relaxing.
Sourspout I think you are right about it depending on the child as to what the right amount of support is. I think I will help dd plan her revision, but get her to decide how much she wants to do and set her own time table.
She has said the amount she has to do is worrying her and putting her off doing any at all, so perhaps being there to talk to and help her plan rather than micromanaging what she has to do when and organising it all for her may be right for her at this stage.

Bimkom · 05/09/2018 14:56

Our school indeed had the timetable out a day early! In fact, the list of teachers and sets were out by 8am yesterday (on something called MCAS - my child at school, that i have the login to). They might have been earlier but I didn't check earlier (but they weren't there the previous night, I had been nagged to check!). Then about 2pm the timetable appeared - so both DS2 and DD (Year 8) knew what subjects they had today (except they didn't know how long the assembly was going to be, and when there is usually an assembly first day). I guess I will hear when they get home how many subjects they actually had (they knew they didn't have the first two periods, as it was a late start today). But they went in with folders for periods 3-7 in case they had all of them, and in DDs case, her PE kit (PE is 4th period on Wednesday)!
I confess that for all DS2s frustration with the school, whenever I go on mumnet it reminds me that the school is often so sensible about basic things in ways that we take for granted.

Mondschein · 05/09/2018 16:15

We knew the timetable before, too.

My boys' school use the same programme like bimkom's school. And my girls' school use a app. All five had the first and second period with the form teacher/year group and period 3-5 the subjects from their timetable. My Y8 boy was very keen on his first Latin lesson. Grin

First day was okay for all of them. 'It's still the same school mama!' was the only comment I got so far Hmm

watfordmummy · 05/09/2018 16:31

DS2 back in yr11 and again like @flatmouse he's been largely ignored due to older DS now going to university very very soon (head in sand not acknowledging).

He had his timetable before going back, and did have high ideas of studying/revising from the get go, now on day 3 and nothin yet but I suppose mocks aren't until January.

No idea of what next for him, but strangely calm for me!!

marmiteloversunite · 05/09/2018 16:46

DD2 has a good first day. She is form rep(because nobody else wanted to do it, she said). Her favourite art teacher was back and she has a theatre trip next week. So all in all a good day. Long may it last!

Bimkom · 05/09/2018 18:15

Seems like a good day for DS2 as well. New geography teacher impressed on first day - which is a relief, old geography teacher left the end of last year, otherwise they try not to change teachers between Year 10 and 11. Also last year exams (in February), DS2 got 38%, top mark in his class was 42%, so there has been some concern (the other class did much better, but DS2 said it was because the other teacher marked much more leniently). So geography is a worry. New biology teacher seemed OK as well (not sure why that changed, physics has also changed, but that is because of major problems within physics, last year the only physics teacher - who was very good was teaching every set GCSE and A Level because he was all there was, so something had to give). Apparently new biology teacher (who is new head of science) is actually a physics teacher - go figure.

chocolateworshipper · 05/09/2018 21:33

Day 2 here, and the prom planning has started already!

UnnecessaryFennel · 05/09/2018 21:38

Several of ds's teachers have changed this year. I don't know how I feel about that really - he seems quite happy but I'd prefer a bit more continuity I think. In any case, he didn't get the fabulous English teacher that I was hoping he would. Ah well, not much I can do about that!

He has a geography test on Tuesday...here we go...it's starting...

marmiteloversunite · 05/09/2018 21:49

Hi chocolate. Here we go again....Grin

Soursprout · 05/09/2018 21:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bimkom · 05/09/2018 22:01

Conversation with DS2 this evening -DS2: "if I start now I can manage two more hours of work before exercises and going to bed". Me: "what about eating dinner?" DS2- I don't have time for that". Cue lecture from me about how you lose a lot of the benefit of study if one doesn't eat properly [sigh] ... its only day 1 here!

He did eat finally, after doing some art and feeling better, and now he is working on French oral with DH (who speaks French) - but it is going to be a long year! Sad

myrtleWilson · 05/09/2018 22:42

Evening everyone, just catching up on posts from everyones' first days back... DD is back tomorrow - she is anxious but promising to work hard... We'll see...

D0UBLETHEJOY · 05/09/2018 23:08

So day 2 today, and we've already been given a list of dates for meetings about post-16 options... Can't they let the students settle back in with "157 days left" (they were told!) before focusing them on A levels etc?!?

Confuzzlediddled · 06/09/2018 00:34

My 2 are happily settled in, and grandad survived his op, prognosis long term isn't good but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, at least it'll be easier than when I lost my dad as I wont be so emotionally involved myself. DS has told me his laptop (which school provide so he doesn't have to write) isn't connecting to the network so he can't save or retrieve work, so I need to email his coach tomorrow to ask her to see if we can get that sorted, DD is worried that she won't be able to go to a theatre trip as part of her drama btec as it clashes with her own rehearsal schedule - I did point out that the trip is so they can see a theatre show and she's going to be in one, she's convinced she'll lose marks, I don't think so somehow, she's probably seen and been in more shows than the rest of the class put together! I did say to her to get the teacher to organise the trip to her show then she can get an attendance mark 😁 annie is a classic after all!

They got the results of the mocks they did in July but can't remember them - ds did say he was only 3 marks off a 4 for English so that's looking good, and dd got the highest in her class, again for English, but as she's the bottom set it doesn't mean much 😁, I'm hoping we'll get something home but it might not be until progress reports in October - then they have more mocks in November!

marmiteloversunite · 06/09/2018 00:35

Double why do they have to stress them out with number of days?! Makes me cross when they do this. They think they are going to make them work harder but the ones who are working panic and the ones that need a kick up the bum don't care anyway. They did this when my first DD was doing GCSEs. I then had weeks of panic attacks and making herself sick at school.

crunchtime · 06/09/2018 07:31

ds said his 'coolest'[i paraphrase] teacher ha told them it's a total waste to spend loads of money on your prom because it's just one night etc and he seems right onboard with that! Let's see how that pans out!

Bekabeech · 06/09/2018 07:34

Hi!
DD is my youngest about to start year 11. She is pretty conscientious. Could get a lot of top grades (but may get some less good ones in some subjects). Already has a top grade in the one subject she did early.
Will probably go to a local college as has had enough of school.
Would love to do IB but I'm not sure there is a local school that does it that we can afford.

I think that stress is a bigger problem at GCSE than laziness (and I've had DC with both problems).

marmiteloversunite · 06/09/2018 07:45

Hi Bekabeech. Stress is definitely a big factor in our house. Interesting how each D.C. deals with it differently and as a parent juggling this!

Powergower · 06/09/2018 08:15

Ds had his first day in year 11 yesterday. He's already got a code for forgetting his pe kit and was on his phone until midnight and then couldn't get up this morning. The head had an assembly and told them not to worry about the exams. I mean, seriously my ds could not worry any less! I don't think he's registered that this year will whizz by.

He's doing aqa history and they've rushed the whole curriculum. First mock is in 4 weeks!