Starting Year 11-GCSE2021 (title edited by MNHQ)

[indy69]

Good morning Mums,

My DD will start her GCSE journey this September. MN always has such good advice that I thought we could have a new thread to support each other. My DD has 4 options apart from English, Science AQA and Maths Edexcel. She has Art and History - Edexcel, and Psychology and Economics - AQA. It wpuld be lovely to know what your DC are doing and we could share resources here. I look forward to meeting you all on this thread. We have 4 weeks to go to start of term and a ton of homework to finish. My DD is feeling too lazy to do anything at the moment, but I guess they have earned the break. I will start reminding her next week about the work. Thanks

Schools open here currently but I suspect not for much longer.

I am guessing schools will try to do a lot with powerpoints loaded onto google classroom or similar. Maybe asking for homework to be submitted online, or for things like maths/science saying people should 'self mark' to answers uploaded later?

Then there are things like Seneca that our school subscribes to.

I'm less concerned about content than I am about essay technique especially for English.

DD does 2 practical subjects - Drama & Food so I have no idea really how they will work.

Our y10 exams are officially scheduled for end April / early May but school hasn't reconfirmed it following current situation. I'd bin them off if I were school and focus on doing content online. Then depending on situation maybe exams early September to encourage work over the summer holidays.

I did have Easter marked for revision with DD, but now (especially as she has missed school quite a bit this year) it is going to be not so much revising as first tuition / understanding / learning I think.

Well, we've just had the exam timetabled emailed out...

#Teen# how are they going to do the exams?

Well the email was sent before the announcement.

My guess is still that they won't do the exams because much of the purpose was to 'mimic real exams but in a condensed way'.

But, I suppose they could post up exams and ask people to scan in answers and upload them for marking, or self mark (except for English probably).

Trying to be positive:

This could be really positive for some of our y10s (and a nightmare for others) as they will have to get used to working alone at home etc, which might then pay dividends for y11 and beyond.

I am very worried about the content that they won't be covering. DD due to have exams the week they return after Easter, although I guessing this may not be happening. She struggles with motivation at the best of times. She is also doing a BTEC course that had exams this summer which I assume will be scrapped. I assume they will just be added to the timetable for next year. One of the reasons she chose this course was to get it out of the way early.

DD has done schoolwork today for the first time since about Wednesday last week. I have bribed her with dying her hair once she has done 5 days' work, so she is aiming to do 2 days in one go . (Who knows what incentives will come into play over the next months!)

She's in a highly anxious state and took 1hr to do an RE question that should only take ~15mins in an exam, but it is progress.

I'm also worried about content missed although I read today that grade boundaries will need adjusting for all current Y10-13s. Was so awful saying goodbye to our Y11&13 yesterday.

DD has been told she will be pretty much following her timetable with lessons on Google Classroom including submitting work online for marking etc I will wait to see how that pans out. She was due to do her second English Oral Monday and they have been told to video it and send it in, her Maths tutor has said he will skype her weekly still. She will really struggle she's such a social girl and loves being out with her friends.

I work in school finance and still have to go in so she will also have to help me with looking after her younger sister

How are all your DCs doing?

DD is an only child and all her close school friends are from large families and she had had the odd netflix social and FaceTime catchup but it is only a few keeping regular contact with her and lots of messages seem to be getting ignored at a time a normally very capable and resilient child is starting to spiral a bit and could really do with her friends. She is spending time learning new skills and we are fortunate to have a garden and space to learn and try out new things. We’ve reminded her that what she learns at this time emotionally will hold her in good stead in the long run. I do think all our DC are going to have a great combination of practical, emotional and academic skills!

We were heartened to hear that Y10 and 12 are likely to be the first let back out if the Government decide on a phased back to normality approach, but it still seems a long way off, current estimates are after May half term.

Hope all your loved ones are safe. x

DD is struggling. She had just started counselling before all this kicked off, so is now doing that by phone. She is managing 30-60mins a day of 'easy' schoolwork (catching up on the 2 closure weeks where she wasn't in a fit state to do any). She won't be fully done before term starts, but we will draw a line under it and hopefully start afresh for the new term.

The last two weeks have been ok for my 3 kids, both my husband and I are keyworkers but are not sending the kids to school. It’s been easier when they had school work to do, think it helped keep them occupied, but this week just gone hasn’t been as easy. They just want their friends and to be less bored. Social media and FaceTime etc are no substitute for physically being there with your friends. The lack of structure is also taking its toll. I’m thinking the government may stagger the return of children to schools mid to end of May. Leaving it till September may cause more problems for the nhs with winter approaching, they’ll go with trying to do their herd immunity and a second wave over the summer.

@TeenPlusTwenties thinking about your DD and @Toobuktim I am in awe of you holding it together as a key worker family. Yes the ‘holidays’ have been a struggle.

I am enjoying these four days as a mum not having to work but yes before the Easter break we’ve been enjoying the routine of walk before work/school, lunch, evening together. Box setting Downtown Abbey at the moment. I am sure we are ‘meant’ to be watching the offerings from The National’ et al but it is all so overwhelming.

In some respects I find it easier working - I’m in my normal routine, albeit busier than normal (pharmacy), but occupied physically and mentally, so am not feeling the 4 walls closing in on me. We live in a village so the kids aren’t really seeing everyone walking around in masks and gloves - I think this would make them worry a lot more.
We still have the odd parent coming in with a child and the look of confusion and uncertainty on their faces when the see us in masks, face guards and behind screens is quite upsetting really.

How do you feel about the comments by ex Ofsted head suggesting Y10 and 12 will have to repeat an entire year? I know nothing has been decided but I can’t see how it could happen. The Y9s would I assume become Y10s too and we’d have Y10new and Y10repeat and having to fit a whole extra year group into a school and competing for a place at sixth form and university with double the number of pupils. I can’t see it could possibly work.

That doesn’t make any sense. A lot of year 9’s have already started their gcse work and they would then be at a disadvantage. They can’t roll it over indefinitely.
Discounting the Easter holidays our kids are on their third week of missing lessons. Should they go back end of May or beginning of June they’ll have missed 6-8 weeks of schooling. I don’t know about your schools, but ours generally has a week of exams after May half term and very few lessons in the last 2/3 weeks of the summer term as that’s when all school trips and things occur. So if none of those go ahead they’re looking at having missed around 4 weeks of teaching.
Everything is up in the air, but I think our year 10’s will have priority access when schools do return.

I can't see them missing a whole year...more likely they will change the gcse exam dates to July and year 10 will return on the 1st June.

My ds school has states when they return they will have exams to assess where they are.

I believe this whole process has effected year 10 and 12 the most.

If your child is self motivated and disciplined that is great, unfortunately my ds is only like that in the subjects he likes.

He more science oriented and he had to take a language but he never puts an effort into it, so I am seriously considering emailing the school and asking if he can drop it!

He is in a selective school and has to take 11 subjects but I believe it is more worth while taking 10 and dropping the language since hells heart is not in it.

Has anyone does this at all? I feel a bit nervous about this. My ds has said he can catch up but honestly think it is a lot of work since his knowledge is very limited and it will take a lot of time.

I believe school will start in June and it will be a phase return focusing on year 10 and 12.

DS2 is in Year 10 and at the moment is doing brilliantly...far far better than I possibly could have imagined but I’m concerned at how much longer he can keep this up for. He is submitting all the work he has been given on google classroom and doing extra revision as well. He is worried about his PE practicals cause he was supposed to be assessed on Athletics and Cricket which are both Summer sports. All his other subjects are ok apart from English Lit as they’d just started Romeo and Juliet and despite my best efforts he just isn’t getting it. He’s top set for everything but is more Maths/Science minded than English so is struggling a bit there. Think we are going to find the film version and watch it together.
I haven’t seen anything about them repeating the year...surely that would need to apply to all years rather than just Year 10 or it wouldn’t work?

Our school trailed online learning for a few days before Easter break and after parent and student feedback have tweaked it. 8.40-3pm classes with shorter than normal lunch break (school would normally end at 4.30). They even have PE scheduled!
My daughter missed a month of school last year due to illness and caught up easily enough, but she is stressed about falling behind now, though they have extended summer term for two weeks. It's a private school and she is academically competitive so I'm not worried about her - if it was my son it would be different altogether! She had exams last term so they won't have big exams this term. School is gearing up for physical return after May half term, government permitting.
I don't see how repeating a year will work at all. We are moving to London for sixth form and we can't put that off a year, and what about the other kids moving up to Y10? Schools and exam boards can't double the year group.
My daughter thinks the grade bands will be lower. My feeling is that the kids at schools that are not well prepared for online learning will suffer disproportionately, especially if a particular student needs alot of outside motivation to do well.

DD is coping fairly well, she's had lots of Google meets and her teachers are doing so much to help them.

I work in a secondary school and I cannot see any way that logistically repeating a year would work. Even moving the exams to July wouldn't work in terms of marking time.

I'm hoping if schools do re open after May half term Y10 will be the first back but who knows!

So..Y10 May be able to see their teachers before the summer holidays, not sure what this even means but doesn't sound like back to formal teaching. Feeling more and more worried now for our year group, DD is having days in the week where she is only set work for one subject and I'm finding it harder and harder to try to motivate her to revise and do things off her own back. She's become anxious and quiet and has lost her appetite

I know what you mean...I am seriously worried for our kids in Year 10. I can't believe they could potentially go back sometime before the Summer and by the time they formally go back they will be in Year 11! Slightly worrying.

It’s not ideal in any way, but they are all in the same boat and that will be taken into consideration when they sit their exams next year. I’m still hopeful they’ll get to sit them!!! My ds doesn’t get a lot of work every day, I guess around 2-3 hours, but he does get it done and has finally matured into someone who can self start and be organised (never thought I’d see the day!) His sister in year 8 does the set work too and is continuing to practise music - her sax teacher is starting zoom lessons next week so that will help too.
I’m assuming that they only meant year 10 going back - as year 12 are at college/6th form and not secondary

It’s not ideal in any way, but they are all in the same boat and that will be taken into consideration when they sit their exams next year.

They aren't all in the same boat though, there's a huge gap in provision with some schools providing a complete days worth of online lessons following timetables exactly down to ones that's don't have access to a laptop and have a work pack at home and are being left to teach themselves. These kids will be at a huge disadvantage and we have to hope that the government will put looking at this Y10 & 12 cohort as a priority.

I would say that the schools that are doing that are in the minority though - the only school in our area doing that is a small private school with a very small year group.