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

With you NotDonna, yes, as far as I can tell there is evidence to suggest that some young people do better with exams. Especially those they call 'disadvantaged' which I guess we fall into that category, though that is not how we call ourselves!

Bluebell, yes, I know what you mean about wellbeing and so sorry your DS is in this situation. If any help I think that turning up has its merits by itself and totally agree about the balance of sport.

School here is doing a four week intensive 'Spinning' class for them once a week which is not expensive and it is really helping. I have noticed all sorts of mental health issues in DD's peer group due to the pandemic, so yes, keeping an eye on that is a priority here.

I'm generally better at posting early in the mornings but will check in with this thread later in the day. Glad that I sent the article to the head thanks for identifying it people, will see what happens.

Think I'm just putting my practical head on again which is my way of coping. Off to tidy the kitchen...will check in later

TPT
your post has just come through, point taken will start ending GCSEs thread on seperate thread and leave this, will still post here to try to get through situation we all have to deal with as is. Thanks all.

My DS has his assessments starting next week, I keep on veering on my feelings about this. On one hand he is starting to lay the groundwork for the possibility that the exams may be cancelled next year, but on the other hand he is going to be spending the next school year sitting lots of tests as if it were the GCSEs themselves. The stress of that over such a long period of time can’t be great.

Toobuktim I sympathise. My dd’s are allowed back to school now as their primary aged brother got a negative test result. Dd1 just found out about a physics exam today. It’s one of her favourite subjects, so she really cares. But seems to have done next to no preparation. 😟

Oh no ISBN111 that is not good on the schools’s part, she should have been informed about that. My DS is kicking off with biology tomorrow, so he’s spent all weekend studying for all that’s on thy is week.

DS has first diagnostic test on Wednesday. For some reason, the emails from school are going into my spam box, so I found the timetable this morning. DS has Science on Wednesday (the topics covered during lockdown). He has a revision booklet, the first section is on Ecology. I asked him to define ecology, his response ... Erm! Somehow I don't think his tests are going to go well :(

DD1 school didn't have time to get to any assesments for Y11 before they all got sent home due to postive test result in her year.

They started the Y7 and sixth form back first but not Y11s then there was a week and few days and then home for 14 days.

DD1 had been quite postive talking to the teachers and hearing the exam board changes all seemed doable - when she was first sent home there was talk of lessons and follwoing timetables - and that's been hit and miss.

We have already had one psychology, one English and one maths assessment. Economics and science are next week.the pressure is
Really turning up.

Dd1 is having lots and lots of tests at the moment. She had 5 today! Some seem to have gone ok. Others Shd is much less sure about. She worked hard in the summer holidays for these so I hope she isn’t disillusioned if she doesn’t do so well. I just think it is good to gain an understanding of how to revise and a sense of the bits of each subject she finds tricky ....

DS has been given the dates of his mocks today 30/11-10/12, it’ll be here before we know it

Ours start 22 nov to 10 dec.

Anyone else finding the homework is really piling up? Not sure if it is normal for year 11 or if they are using it as extra work to catch them up but DD has loads. God knows when she will find time to do any revision for mocks or get her art coursework done!

Ds is currently in exams postponed from the Summer and his mocks are in January.

Really felt for him last week and this week...came home and said those exams weren't good! He is worried they will count if they cancel the exams next year. I told him not to worry and they really cant count since they haven't been in school for 6 months!

Take these exams as experience and learn from it but it is hard for them when it seems so full on.

I cant wait till exams are over late next week.

DD also has mocks in Nov. I don’t get why they’re doing them so early this time?

She thinks that revision H’s something she can do in October half-term. Hmm.

DS has just finished the exams that were postponed from the summer but his mocks aren't until January.

However we have bigger problems as he & DD have both been under the weather and I didn't think too much of it until DD was called to say she's a close contact of someone who's just tested positive.

@Titsywoo yes, DS has just spent 4 hours on homework today and still has 10 tasks on Hegarty left plus 3 lots of seneca due. He's a lazy bugger as well so is struggling with longer days at school plus homework every night.

He's just submitted his first college application. He's applying to 6 colleges because he has no idea what to do. Only managed the one submission so far as he really likes the History A Level offered there. He doesn't like History at the 5 others so no idea what he's applying for at those 🤷‍♀️

@Hellohah I hadn’t even thought about college/6th form applications With DS being my eldest I’ve not been through this process before and tbh have no idea of what’s involved!

@Toobuktim fortunately my niece has just started college, so she gave us a list and said some have closing dates of November for applications (we wouldn't have known it was so soon otherwise). We don't have a local college, no sixth form so a lot of research is required here.
All the open events are in October/November (virtual) as well. No help from school so far either, I think they have forgotten with everything going on.
DS is applying to 6 colleges (with absolutely no idea at the moment of subjects, but you can change your mind at a later date). We are applying early as they all say once an application is received they'll do small group tours... So trying to ensure there is an opportunity to visit them with enough time to make a decision 🤦‍♀️

We’ve a virtual 6th form event next week. They used to run taster lessons for yr11’s where they could sit in with 6th formers but these won’t be happening. A shame as it’s useful for those subjects that aren’t offered at GCSE but no doubt they’ll provide more specific info regarding these courses next week.

@Titsywoo, back 3 weeks and my Y11 and Y13 sons haven’t received any homework. We’ve used this time to go over old topics just to remember what they are.

That being said, I am surprised we’re not getting any homework.

DD’s school are using the elective slot for girls to try out A level subjects such as classical civilisation etc. One different option each half term. DD has attended one online sixth form open day and we are waiting to hear about whether another will go ahead or not. She does love her school and wouldn’t be upset if she stayed but it does have high criteria for staying on. We are fortunate we visited a few back ups last year but hope DD doesn’t fall apart. She has a father denied prompt cancer treatment due to COVID and seriously ill but just operated on and should know by Christmas what the longer term prognosis is. If he’d been treated in March it would have been straightforward.

I hear of other schools where the year group has been sent home. How on Earth are children expected to sit exams in any fair way. Scotland has already decided to suspend exams again so how does this create a fair environment? At GCSE it may not but when our English youngsters are applying for university places and they are looking at qualifications at 16 they are not going to be comparable.

[quote Toobuktim]@Hellohah I hadn’t even thought about college/6th form applications With DS being my eldest I’ve not been through this process before and tbh have no idea of what’s involved![/quote]
Yeah I feel like with everything missed last term there has been no talk of sixth form/college from the school and now applications are being opened up and I don't feel at all prepared. The lack of proper open evenings makes it feel like stepping into the unknown! DD started filling in an application for a good college a few miles away. However they want predicted grades and we don't have those yet - I think we were going to get them at year 10 parents evening but that never happened. I emailed every teacher last night to ask if we can have these - only one replied so far to say she is going to look into it. The college accepts applications from 1st Oct and clearly states the earlier you get yours in the better your chances so I hope the teachers are forthcoming with these grades! Extra stress that isn't needed tbh.

My DS wants to go to the 6th form at his current school, he’s not interested at all in looking elsewhere. It’s a good school and I’ve no qualms about it. We’ve chatted about it tonight and he’s said nothing has been said to them about the process as yet, but I’m sure it’ll all come out soon enough. The website says there is an online open night in November and applications are to be in by early January.

Oh what a nightmare Pets I’m so so sorry to hear that. I do hope he gets treatment asap!
No homework portico for either of your sons? I’m assuming that’s unusual for your school? It certainly would be at my DCs.
There’s plenty of time to sort out 6th form options. IIRC it’s Feb/March time and even then nothing set in stone as depends on actual results. My DD will stay put. She’ll no doubt choose traditional A levels that they offer so no need to move. She’s not keen on change at the best of time!

@NotDonna

Oh what a nightmare Pets I’m so so sorry to hear that. I do hope he gets treatment asap! No homework portico for either of your sons? I’m assuming that’s unusual for your school? It certainly would be at my DCs. There’s plenty of time to sort out 6th form options. IIRC it’s Feb/March time and even then nothing set in stone as depends on actual results. My DD will stay put. She’ll no doubt choose traditional A levels that they offer so no need to move. She’s not keen on change at the best of time!

The college DD is looking at has a deadline of 2nd Nov for applications and they do interviews from Dec to March so much more rushed!