Starting Yr11 Gcses 2020 Support Thread [Edited at OP's request]

[OrangeCinnamon]

A continuation of a Year 10 support thread
previous thread

Last thread was great and supportive as some of us tried to navigate year 10 and some very helpful peeps steered us through.

@RedSkyLastNight Dd exhausted too! Coming up to the final days of exams. Last week we had tears after a gcse performance mock. Im not sure why she had to do it in the same week as other exams as that will not be the case for the real thing. Just more pressure! She also took a theory exam too = extra revision. The end is nigh ...hoping for a chilled wuiet pressure free Christmas

I'm such an evil parent that I've been away from home for 3 nights while DS does his first mocks this week (on holiday, not working!) I'm sure he's less stressed when I'm not around. DH says he was really happy after Maths 1 on Monday, said it went well. I'm on a train home now so I wonder what will await me at home, after 6 exams.., He's done no revision btw...

Meltdown from normally solid, phlegmatic DS today. Oh dear.

Had to look 'phlegmatic' up. Wasn't sure it was a real word until I saw who the poster was. Any particular reason Piggy or just general stress?

Haha, I shall fling more big words yer way!

I think it's generalised. School is boring, revision is boring, music performance soon. Pressure.

I was revising English with him and he sulked a bit, told me English is stupid etc.

It's just all projected anxiety.

He only just had a load is assessments a few weeks ago, and mocks in two weeks.

We had a disaster. Ds didn’t write a word in his history exam, he then texted me at work in a state. Teachers obviously disappointed. My dd had a fall recently and whilst rushing to get her to physio found an email from his peeved Eng teacher because his Eng mocks were so dire. Think 5. He can’t focus and is so miserable. Feel as if we’re banging our heads against a brick wall. Not

Not sure what happened there, pressed too soon. Basically at wits end, no idea what to do.Pretty sure however we handle it will be wrong. Got physics, RE and Spanish tomorrow so not predicting a good day. Might just hide in the stock cupboard and rock quietly to myself in the corner. 😩 Feeling cross, upset and fed up with it all.

for everyone.
Gritting teeth and thinking positive today. DS has actually made it to 2 lunchtime revision clinics this week so I'm satisfied with that. Fingers crossed that he carries on going so that there'll be some benefit which would be translated into dragging up his grades in his weaker subjects to enable him to stay on in his current school. I can but hope - baby steps....

@Bl00mingCactus for you, that sounds so stressful
The good news is it's mocks and loads of people completely mess them up and go on to do well in the real thing. This could be just what he needs iyswim. I would try to be super relaxed and supportive for now (at least when anyone is watching ) and then once you have all the results you can work out a plan together.

Yes I’m trying to think like that but really up against time. Starting counselling for 6 weeks Mon with a charity. Trying to find a counsellor as follow up if it doesn’t work. Support/ info is really hard to find.On CAMHs waiting list but need it now.It’s so frustrating as it’s come so late.

I’m holding on to the fact we’ve got 6 months. Going to contact all teachers when we get the results and ask for a structured revision plan I can oversee and he can have plenty of breaks to refocus.. He doesn’t seem to have the strength to organise things himself. He has been doing a couple of hours a day but it simply wasn’t enough. He says he struggled to focus during much of it.

We both lost our fathers( ds’s grandfathers ) suddenly and in quite distressing circumstances within a few short months. One we lived very close to.We’ve had to park our own grief and have 2 mothers struggling we’re trying to protect him from iykwim. On top of that dh and I both have had recent minor cancer scares( I know you couldn’t make it up) and dh is in a fair bit of pain following an op but doing really well.Just gets on with it. Ds doesn’t know any of this but it’s just all a bit much at the moment. I dropped the ball re ds with all of the above and should have pushed for/ identified that he needed counselling earlier. Was very proactive re the bullying though.

I do think we can do this but it’s such a fine balance. Make too much of the exams and pressurise and we could make it worse. Don’t grab the bull by the horns and get on with things and we/ he may regret it.

I go to work to relax at the moment.😂

Hoping everybody else is having a more positive experience. Kind of glad the mocks are now as it does give us all time to regroup.

Mock results today. Normally relaxed DS v anxious in his own quiet way despite how much we say mocks are there to show you what you need to do for the real thing. He revised as much as he could in the time available

@Bl00mingCactus "Kind of glad the mocks are now as it does give us all time to regroup."

My thoughts exactly. My elder children had their mocks in the January timeframe and then we blinked and it was time for the real thing. For my DS now doing them, this timing works better as we are going to need as much intervening time as possible methinks!

oh wait it's 8am

😂

Kind of glad the mocks are now as it does give us all time to regroup.
We have mocks now AND then more mocks in February.
Is this the worst of all worlds?

(DS now has a cold, I have sent him to school with paracetomal and instructions to take them at regular intervals. Another 3 exams today ...)

Bl00ming DS really struggling with all the exams that involve writing. English Lit yesterday, he says he spent more time looking at the paper than writing on it. I did give DS a structured revision plan this time, but he still struggled to follow it. Really don't know how best to support him.

Keep going @Bl00mingCactus, there’s a long way to go before the real things. I’m sure he will improve. Sorry about all the other stresses you’re going through 😢

@RedSkyLastNight your school is crazy, 3 exams in one day!? Dd only has 9 exams (one per subject) spread over 2 weeks. Which I think is realistic as she’ll have 18 spread over 4 weeks in May/June, including a couple of days with 2 exams and a few days off. For her this exam period exactly replicates the real thing except for being shorter. Your son’s regime sounds brutal!

@Bl00mingCactus definitely get the teachers to help with revision plans. Plus maybe some help with how to get the most out of short periods of revision. I know my DS needs a lot of help with how to revise - he would just stare at a revision book otherwise. So sorry to hear how everything is piling up on you. Keep going, you are doing everything you can and it's enough!

Just checking back in as I had fallen off the thread. Mocks (only one set here) start on the 2nd, results after Christmas. His attitude has improved since half term, he is more focussed and organised and finally accepting help from us. He is also going to subject specific after school groups three nights a week as he concentrates better there than at home. Still doing lots of sport which I think is essential for his mental health as well as physical. Getting nervous about the mocks though.

DS v happy post mocks. 9x5, 8x4, 7 and 6. Wish it was the real thing...!!

crazy yes, brutal is the word. It feels like more of an endurance test than anything else! (He has 19 exams over 7 days). Your school's regime sounds much more sensible.

Well done estherfrewen ‘s DS!
DD says she would settle for that after her January mocks
No formal mock exam timetable as yet for DD from school but she knows the timeframe is 8 days and after conversations with subject teachers she thinks she is most likely to be sitting around 22 papers.
Given in the exams proper she will be sitting nearer 30 papers spread over 5 weeks-it kinda puts into perspective the stress of mocks.
B100ningCactus your DS has completed early mocks. There is 6 months until the exams proper.

woah -were halfway there!

Well done @estherfrewens DS !!

DD school is doing an actual mock results collection morning - very bizarre!

Thank you - yes DS had mock collection day as well

Slightly envious of those who go to work to relax! (although am in no other ways envious of you cactus: sounds unbelievably tough).

I get exam stress at home, then go to work, for more exam stress. The amount of pressure kids are under is ridiculous. But spare a thought for us teachers, too , who get it all barrels , from the students (who are grumpy in the main) , the management teams (they're the worst! They just refer down their own panic) and some of the parents (to be fair they are the least hassle usually)!

Not sure where I go for a rest ?

Bl00mingCactus so sorry to hear all you have been through. Don’t know if it will help at all but a friend lost her DH recently and has a DD similar age. She went into CAHMs and said her DD wasn’t coping, she wasn’t coping well either so wasn’t able to support her properly and they needed help now. Someone has now been sent to school to see the DD whilst she is waiting for main appointment. Will be area dependent no doubt but might be worth a phonecall to see if they could sort something quicker.

Piggy I really feel for teacher as you have huge gratitude from me. Are you in a position where you can plan yourself a series of things to go to/do spaced out over the year until the summer ie. go off for a night to visit friends/relatives, days out places. Anything really that is just for you and that you want to do? Doesn’t give you a bolt hole on a day to day basis but would give you things to look forward to.

End of week 1 mocks here, one result in so far which went well. DS muttered something about a sheet within grades on that will be coming.