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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Starting Year 11-GCSE2021 (title edited by MNHQ)

991 replies

indy69 · 01/08/2019 05:57

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

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EleanorRising · 30/11/2020 16:35

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KittyMcKitty · 30/11/2020 17:48

@UncomfortableSilence

Hour before she's due to leave for her first mock call from the school she has to isolate, no mocks for her I'm devastated for her, she's worked so hard, I could cry.
Can she not do them on a Google Meet? My yr 13 did some this way when Self Isolating- an invigilator was in the Google Meet with the students isolating and invigilated in normal way. They were emailed papers and given a couple of minutes to print at the start and then scanned and emailed them back at end. On first day back in school had to drop in actual papers.

Worked really well.

AsPerMyLastEmail · 30/11/2020 18:05

I’m guessing though Kitty that the exams your 13yo took weren’t GCSE mocks? Schools are stricter for mocks because they’re supposed to replicate the actual exam conditions. But yes I’m surprised there wasn’t a contingency plan ready to go. Poor planning.

Lowther · 30/11/2020 18:06

DD halfway through mocks. Today the paper 2 of maths and she was really anxious and need pep talk and texts. Came home with a sort of smile- at least no tears. Hope the rest of the week goes well too. So far no isolation and days off, but still on edge waiting for the call! It is difficult to know what to say/do at times. Looking forward to end of term. Take care and stay strong Smile

EleanorRising · 30/11/2020 18:15

Several pupils in DC's school couldn't take their mocks due to SI. They just took them when they returned to school.

KittyMcKitty · 30/11/2020 18:47

@AsPerMyLastEmail

I’m guessing though Kitty that the exams your 13yo took weren’t GCSE mocks? Schools are stricter for mocks because they’re supposed to replicate the actual exam conditions. But yes I’m surprised there wasn’t a contingency plan ready to go. Poor planning.
@AsPerMyLastEmailThey were A level mocks which predicted grades for Uni were based on so I’d say more important then GCSE’s Smile I think you misread my post - they are year 13.
UncomfortableSilence · 30/11/2020 19:19

Had an email from school, they are writing a new timetable and will do them before they finish for Xmas. She can go back to school next Tuesday as her last contact with the child was last Monday.

Kitty, my friend said her school did it this way too on Google Meet, really can't believe they didn't have a plan in place ready to go Confused

AsPerMyLastEmail · 30/11/2020 19:58

Oh sorry Kitty I did misread Blush

Yes, definitely more important Grin

AsPerMyLastEmail · 30/11/2020 19:59

I thought you were saying she was 13 years old. Must not skimread!

KittyMcKitty · 30/11/2020 20:22

uncomfortable glad they’ve got something sorted although a bit of a mixed blessing that they’ve postponed them as it just prolongs the agony.

First day of GCSE mocks here - 2 down eleventy million to go (or that’s how it seems) and then a second set of A level mocks first 2 weeks back in January. I seem to remember from when ds did GCSEs that there are more gcse mocks in January too!

UncomfortableSilence · 30/11/2020 20:39

It really does prolong it and the revision.

She wants to get her sixth form applications in soon too so told her to have a good read of the specs tomorrow while I'm at work as she's still a bit undecided.

Toobuktim · 01/12/2020 05:19

@UncomfortableSilence I understand your rollercoaster of emotions - this tidal pull of will they/won’t they is hard enough for the actual exams, let alone the mocks. When you are mentally prepared to walk out that door and get started, only to have the door closed in your face, it’s so hard. I’m glad they have delayed them for her, but the school should have been prepared for this!
I think our school are having a mix of Teams mocks and delayed sittings for those in isolation. One way or another they will sit them and hopefully all before the Christmas break.

UncomfortableSilence · 01/12/2020 07:34

[quote Toobuktim]@UncomfortableSilence I understand your rollercoaster of emotions - this tidal pull of will they/won’t they is hard enough for the actual exams, let alone the mocks. When you are mentally prepared to walk out that door and get started, only to have the door closed in your face, it’s so hard. I’m glad they have delayed them for her, but the school should have been prepared for this!
I think our school are having a mix of Teams mocks and delayed sittings for those in isolation. One way or another they will sit them and hopefully all before the Christmas break.[/quote]
Thank you, you've summed the feelings up perfectly Smile

SoTiredNeedHoliday · 01/12/2020 12:20

My DS is having his mocks at the end of January. I don't know how this is all going to work out with Wales already cancelling exams, children in the rest of England and Scotland on and off school with covid and isolating and not everyone having online learning and even if you do it is nowhere near the quality of inclass learning. Confused

portico · 01/12/2020 13:11

DS2 had his GCSE mocks in the fortnight starting 9 Nov; they finished last week. He has been, rightfully, chilling since then. They are told to treat as for real with candidate numbers and all the etiquettes of taking the actual exams in 2021. They were told that these mock grades could potentially form CAGs, so they had to be taken seriously. Those who came more than 30 mins late - were disallowed from the exam. That was a stupid decision, as the kids were subject to the vagaries of public transport.
DS1 takes his A Level Mocks in January, and then both will have potentially have a second set of Mocks in Feb and March, respectively.
The hardest thing for GCSEs is to find a suitable bank of practise qns as only the 2018 papers are available online. On set is not good enough for revision. Hope the mocks go well for you all🙏

portico · 01/12/2020 13:13

Typo, meant say one

One set is not good enough for revision. Hope the mocks go well for you all🙏

Toobuktim · 01/12/2020 14:00

And I get a phone call this morning, ds has to isolate till the end of next week. Day 2 of mocks and the stoppers have been put on. Unfortunately it’s a close friend of his who is ill and he also sits next to him in a couple of classes, so he could actually be at risk.

popshops · 01/12/2020 16:08

Devastated? Oh come on!

Have you got a year 11?

If GCSEs are cancelled next year then these mocks are going to be vital. Why post on the thread if it's just to be so awful.

UncomfortableSilence · 01/12/2020 16:22

@Toobuktim

And I get a phone call this morning, ds has to isolate till the end of next week. Day 2 of mocks and the stoppers have been put on. Unfortunately it’s a close friend of his who is ill and he also sits next to him in a couple of classes, so he could actually be at risk.
Oh no that's rubbish, if it reassures you DDs first isolation she was sitting right next to the person who had it and she never got it.

We are waiting for the new mock timetable now, her whole school is going to remote learning for the rest of the week as they are having real staffing issues along with pupil isolations.

paganbilly · 01/12/2020 18:45

DS was sitting in a room with 3 people who tested positive, one was sitting right next to him less than 1m away with no mask for an hour and DS didn't get it.

His year group have been asked to choose some A level subjects they want to do sample lessons for when they go to the 6th form open day, he's picked Biology, Physics, Economics, Politics, Geography and PE. Are others having to make any choices yet?

EleanorRising · 01/12/2020 21:27

If GCSEs are cancelled next year then these mocks are going to be vital. Why post on the thread if it's just to be so awful

You think it's "awful" to point out that it is completely OTT to be "devastated" that a pupil's mocks have been "delayed"?

It's little wonder that some pupils are struggling if their parents are not showing them how to be resilient.

NotDonna · 01/12/2020 21:55

paganbilly great that your DS has no symptoms! Yes, DDs school are doing trial lessons in subjects they don’t offer at gcse - she’s trying economics, politics and psychology plus ‘core maths’. DD doesn’t need to confirm until Feb - after Jan mocks. Even then, if GCSE grades are different than expected, they can make changes in summer.

NotDonna · 01/12/2020 22:19

@EleanorRising I know what you’re saying. Devastated is pretty severe in the circumstances. I think it’s just a case of @UncomfortableSilence
writing a quick post, being disappointed & upset and using too extreme a word. We can’t draw conclusions from that and suggest the mum isn’t supporting her DD. Lots of parents, me included say things on here we would never say to our children or in front of them. We’ve no idea how parents parent in their home. She’s stressed and venting here.

Toobuktim · 01/12/2020 22:29

Thanks @UncomfortableSilence and @paganbilly, it seems so bizarre who gets it and who doesn’t. DS’s sister had to isolate as she sat right next to a boy in registration for ten mins every day who tested positive, she didn’t develop anything. It’ll be 50/50 with DS though as the boy is his friend and he sits next to him for 4 hours a week too, so if he comes through it uninflected it’ll be a surprise!

Titsywoo · 01/12/2020 22:54

[quote NotDonna]**@EleanorRising* I know what you’re saying. Devastated is pretty severe in the circumstances. I think it’s just a case of @UncomfortableSilence*
writing a quick post, being disappointed & upset and using too extreme a word. We can’t draw conclusions from that and suggest the mum isn’t supporting her DD. Lots of parents, me included say things on here we would never say to our children or in front of them. We’ve no idea how parents parent in their home. She’s stressed and venting here.[/quote]
Exactly. Anyway moving on - my friend who we went for a walk with 2 days ago is now ill with covid symptoms and going for a test in the morning. Urgh! If she gets a positive I've no idea if we have to self isolate as the symptoms started the day after we saw her. DD has mocks next week so this could be a real pain in the arse.