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

It’s just such a stressful situation all round, the uncertainty of whether or not the exams will actually go ahead next year puts an even greater pressure on our children doing well in their mocks. @Neversaygoodbye it’s my worst nightmare currently just waiting for that imminent email saying my child needs to isolate - I completely understand and sympathise with you and your daughter. In a year group of 150 I have received 10 emails relating to covid cases.....it’s only a matter of time.

In my dd's experience 2 years ago, art gcse had by far the most heavy workload of all. Consistently throughout. The volume of work is phenomenal, and really can be at the expense of other subjects.

Not an easy choice by a long stretch.

@NotBabiesForLong

In my dd's experience 2 years ago, art gcse had by far the most heavy workload of all. Consistently throughout. The volume of work is phenomenal, and really can be at the expense of other subjects.

Not an easy choice by a long stretch.

Oh I know and I was always worried about it but she loves art and in her mind there was no choice about whether she should do it or not. She would happily do the alevel too but I don't think she can tolerate this teacher. It's a shame.

Yr11 bubble burst. 2 weeks off for DD who’s apparently a close contact as sits in front of infected person. At least it’s only close contact meaning only half sent home to isolate. They’ve got online learning set up so it’ll be fine.
Unlike Art. Aghhh! Thank heavens mine have zero artistic talent. Always a bloody nightmare. Way too subjective. And never ‘done’. Plus there’s always an art teacher disagreeing about content/context etc. As I say, bloody subjective, never finished nightmare! Give me maths any day. Not helpful, sorry.
Re exams - I think England is likely going ahead and our DC should assume so. Meanwhile ensuring they give 100% effort in every test just on the off chance it’s needed as evidence. So no pressure there then!!

@NotDonna. Oh what a pain! Luckily dd not had to isolate yet but its only a matter of time. My son in year 9 is home for the rest of week - not for self isolating but due to staff shortages. I've had to email the head of languages as dd has no French teacher (hasn't for about 3 weeks) and isn't learning new content or getting set homework. No reply yet though! Yes art is a massive pain in the arse. The mock for that has been delayed again as the art teacher is now self isolating. So it will be in the last week of term when everyone will be exhausted and fed up - oh and the same week the portfolio is due in. You can't make this stuff up!

One bit of good news - dd got her history mock result back and got a grade 8 so very happy about that! They do 2 sets of mocks at her school for some reason (next lot in Feb/March) but if the exams are cancelled the good grades will help a lot!

Jeez titsy a grade 8 at this stage is flipping amazing!!! Well done her. I’m shocked that your yr9 is home due to staff shortages. I’m guessing that’s teachers who are ill or having to isolate? What a nightmare for all concerned. Is that the whole of the year or just a couple of yr9 classes?
And yet there’s all this planning for a 3 household Xmas - so probs more cases in Jan/Feb, staff & kids isolating, etc etc. Not sure it’s such a good idea. It’s exactly when both my yr11 & yr13 will be doing their mocks (just the one lot). And no doubt similar timing to a lot of mocks.

@NotDonna

Jeez titsy a grade 8 at this stage is flipping amazing!!! Well done her. I’m shocked that your yr9 is home due to staff shortages. I’m guessing that’s teachers who are ill or having to isolate? What a nightmare for all concerned. Is that the whole of the year or just a couple of yr9 classes? And yet there’s all this planning for a 3 household Xmas - so probs more cases in Jan/Feb, staff & kids isolating, etc etc. Not sure it’s such a good idea. It’s exactly when both my yr11 & yr13 will be doing their mocks (just the one lot). And no doubt similar timing to a lot of mocks.

Thanks. She's been getting grade 5s generally so this is a big leap! Yes it's the whole of year 9. Last week year 10 stayed home so I guess they are alternating. The staff situation does seem pretty bad - mixture of vulnerable staff/self isolating and actually ill I guess.

And our area is only 119 cases per 100000 so quite low in comparison to most places!

We are in the north west, so very high risk up here. I seem to get a few emails a week about cases in our school and 6th form. The 6th form is in a totally different building, but they do share staff. That’s where the majority of cases are currently. I just want ds unscathed until 11th Dec, his last mock exam day - so fingers and toes crossed here. He missed the cull last week where about 20 got sent home as deemed to have been in close contact with a year 11 case. He’s trying his best to stay focused and study - but it’s so hard.

Email from our school today:-

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and update you on a number of things happening within our school community. In no uncertain terms, the last week has been the most challenging in our continued management of the ongoing impact of Covid 19 upon the operating of the school.

Over the weekend we were informed of another three confirmed cases of COVID 19; two in our Sixth Form Bubble that are already learning remotely and one in our Year 7 bubble. We have been in contact with our local health protection team, LA, Governors and the * Trust and have taken all the necessary steps to identify and communicate with direct contacts.

Due to the recent increased number of identified cases there are now several staff self-isolating as direct contacts. Moreover, a number of staff with dependants that have developed symptoms or are having to self-isolate are also unable to come into school. This has meant that there is a reduced capacity to teach and supervise students on site. Controlling the spread of the virus is a significant priority and one that we are having to balance with the need to operate safely and deliver high quality teaching and learning for the students, both in school and remotely. This has led to an additional two days of remote learning for Year 10 who will now be returning to school on Wednesday 25th November.

Whilst the number of positive cases within our school community potentially may continue to rise we are having to explore a range of options which may lead to the school having to rotate Year groups in moving to remote learning for short periods due to depleted staff capacity. In doing so, we will take all steps possible to avoid disruption to those year groups who have exams this year and seek to distribute the impact as fairly as possible between other year groups.

Please can I take this opportunity remind parents that if your child is unwell and/or suffering some of the possible symptoms of Covid 19 that they should not come into school and they should take a test, only returning to school upon the receipt of a negative test result. Additionally, if they have a sibling in school, please do not send them into school while awaiting the result of the test. In normal circumstances, we would encourage parents and students to try and attend as much school as possible however, if anyone in the family has symptoms and is getting a test or waiting for test results we would ask you not to send your child into school at this time in order that we can contain the virus and remain open for as many students as possible.

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Only 3 weeks ago all was pretty much fine bar the odd case but it is getting worse and worse (SE here)

Sorry I didn't mean to post that here!

How's everyone holding up, fun times

DD has avoided any further isolations and we are counting the days till mocks start next week and praying she gets through them considering we are in a London borough with very high cases, several of her teachers are isolating which is less than ideal this week.

She is working her backside off and I really couldn't ask any more of her, we got her report and predicted grades so she can use them for sixth form applications. She either wants to stay at her sixth form or come to the one at the school I work in, still a bit undecided on courses though.

First day of mocks here, English and maths. History on Friday. Revision has been constant, sending off practice question over the weekend which teachers have marked and given feedback by Tuesday. They have been brilliant and DD really encouraged. Just glad that so far no days off. A good parents evening via school cloud, and all going well. Hoping we can make it to the end of term with no isolations. Some of the year 11 in nearby school have been off isolating on three separate occasions and have had their mocks move back! Rotten times. Hope all DC in different situations are managing to cope somehow.

We have managed so far without having to isolate at all with is nothing short of a miracle considering I’m a TA so also have the potential risk in my school.

DS has his mocks after Christmas. He got his report today which some predicted grades, not sure how accurate they are but quite honestly I’d be more than happy with those-majority of 7/8’s plus a 6 for Geography and a 4 for Spanish.
Never thought I’d say this but at the moment his mental health is more important than any grade. He is normally very calm and laid back, but they are having so so much pressure on them that he just can’t cope. It’s awful to see him at the moment, he’s just a shell of his usual self. I can’t even remember the last time he laughed.

DD back in school tomorrow after self isolating for last 2 weeks. The remote learning has been fine but she’s keen to return.
They had a virtual A level information evening tonight that was pretty informative and she seems to have decided on her subjects. All dependant on the grades she gets but it feels good to have some idea at least.

iheart It’s awful to see him at the moment, he’s just a shell of his usual self. I can’t even remember the last time he laughed.

That just breaks my heart, the pressure they are under is immense, DD suffers with anxiety but she seems to be holding up fairly well so far but it shows in other ways, she's exhausted, snappy and nothing I seem to do or say is right.

How do we get them laughing again? This is truly heartbreaking!

Notdonna It's the relentlessness of it for DD, go to school, come home, revise, go to bed and repeat. They can't go out with their friends and do 'normal' things they should be doing at their age to break it all up and release a bit.

I'm currently livid with DD's school. Due to return from isolation on 1st Dec straight into mock exams....only during an email with the tutor to check timings for mock week he mentions how she'll miss her first exam and they're rescheduling as she's not due back till Wednesday 2nd. Last day of contact with positive case was Tuesday last week, NHS guidance says that's the day you count from which would mean the school letter was correct.
Anyway, he's now just sent me another message saying it's definitely the 2nd and we will receive an updated letter. Seriously, this late in the day with the school having inset days tomorrow and Monday! What a joke. Fuming doesn't do my current mood justice.

@UncomfortableSilence
That’s exactly it, the relentlessness of it all. He is doing nothing other than going to school or revising (with a bit of x box thrown in). He sees his girlfriend at school so it wouldn’t bother me if she came round ours as normal because they are together at school anyway (I know it’s not in the “rules” however for me it’s all about levels of risk and if they are there with each other (and obviously not social distancing) then it makes no sense to keep them apart out of school but her Mum won’t let. I totally respect her decision but it’s made the whole thing even harder. He can’t play football (at least that’s coming back), can’t see his girlfriend and is getting pressure all the time at school.

It's comforting to read this thread and realise there are others going through the same thing. My ds has just finished a week of mocks. It's been brutal. Had a text today to say he now has to self-isolate for ten days meaning he will miss two exams on Monday.
This is so incredibly unfair on them. My ds is at a grammar school and they have been utterly shit in helping him prepare, as they were when lock down began initially. A number of his teachers have been out with Covid. I am so sad for him and that this has been experience of his last year of school.

We've had mocks here too, they just finished in time before DS had to self isolate because somebody in tutor tested positive.
Good luck to those still waiting for results and those managing to still be in school.

DDs school now have so many teachers out they've had to close two year groups. She has had supply after supply teacher last week apparently they haven't even looked at unseen poetry yet and her English teacher is off so I've been trying to help her with that this weekend as that's her first exam tomorrow.

Mocks start tomorrow, she's very nervous, she's worked extremely hard and that's all she can do. She was hoping to go for a long walk with her boyfriend today but he has to isolate now it's bloody never ending

@UncomfortableSilence

DDs school now have so many teachers out they've had to close two year groups. She has had supply after supply teacher last week apparently they haven't even looked at unseen poetry yet and her English teacher is off so I've been trying to help her with that this weekend as that's her first exam tomorrow.

Mocks start tomorrow, she's very nervous, she's worked extremely hard and that's all she can do. She was hoping to go for a long walk with her boyfriend today but he has to isolate now it's bloody never ending

Good luck to her with her mocks.

Thanks billy glad your DS got through them before having to isolate! Guess that takes you pretty much through to the Xmas holidays then.