GCSE 2019 support thread 6

[DeRigueurMortis]

Hello All,

Welcome to thread 6 - results...

Last thread here:

Gcses 2019 support thread 5 http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3610608-gcses-2019-support-thread-5

It's been a fantastically supportive set of threads to date with a diverse set of expectations and challenges (for both parents and children).

I expect this thread may be the most emotive for us all (crikey how did the time fly!!)

Good luck everyone

Tindrum

Well done to your son on his grades, yes I am in same position . If you hear any good advice about resits let me know!!

@summermadsession similar here now I think about it, they did manage to cover everything in the end but didn't finish physics in particular until after Easter. I remember a few conversations along the lines of 'how come you haven't done any practice questions on electromagnetism' - 'because we haven't been taught it'. I am a bit as that's 5+ terms for the first paper and now they have 2 terms to cover the second paper and the practical?! Hoping it's all under control..

Excellent post lightly poached.

I think it's really sad that in the last few years that education seems to have been boiled down to a purely academic focus

I'm a little ashamed of myself and in awe of my 16yo that it was him and not me who realised this. I'd been promoting A levels, he's chosen the BTEC route and I now know that it's absolutely perfect for him and I'm so excited for him.

On my FB I have many friends who are saying how excited their DC are going to 6th form (these kids were never not going to do Alevels, they're naturally academic) and only one saying how after a tough year she hopes her DS enjoys his college course. It's as if the mums who don't have academic DC are some how don't feel able to publicly celebrate their DCs achievements, which is very sad.

If a baby learns to walk at 18 months instead of 12 months, you can damn well bet the parents are just as proud of their first steps and post it on FB

And I really think BTECs shouldn't be looked down on as much as they are, they are a great route to a degree course, not everybody wants to go to a Russel Group uni.

I know students at RG unis with btecs!

My dc got a couple of 7s the rest 6s and 5s
She is devastated after my mother said Don't worry you can always resit.

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit your poor DD!

Indeed, the world is currently at an end in my house atm.

@Ligresa - indeed, the BTEC course DS1 did they were able to do Alevel maths along side, and some of them went to RG unis (DS1 didn't want to which was lucky because he forgot to go to the exam, and sat in the classroom thinking everybody else lazy for being late)
I was so snobby about him doing a BTEC, but I really shouldn't have been!

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit - We've avoided telling Granny exact results, just saying DS is doing the course he planned to and it's all good.

Your mother and my mother are probably friends.

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit those are excellent results and she should be proud of them.
It's the kind of thing my mother would say but luckily we don't live close to each other and I was able to tell her DS's results through my sister, who is a teacher and would have been very celebratory no matter what.

Exam results are the the only thing my mum cares about, I’ve now been told 4 times than my niece got 3 A’s in her A levels. I find it really frustrating

@summermadsession Where my DMs concerned there's always someone who got better exam results, one of the reasons we've avoided telling her. Only last week she was telling me how badly I did in mine. I took my GCSEs 30 years ago...she needs to get over it. I told her she was lucky I went to school at all, which shut her up!

Honestly, some mums!

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit my daughter achieved similar results we are very proud of her and thankfully so is our wider family ! Ignore the GM!
All we ever asked of her is to do her best. All those teenagers sitting as many exams as they did at once - not sure I could have done it! We all proud of those year 11 students just sitting the amount of exams and getting to the other side not broken is what’s important. One of my daughters friends got a fantastic set of results at 9/8’s when she opened them she was pleased but what she put herself through mental health wise to achieve them I’m not sure was worth it.

@summermadsession same. My nephew just got a first from Cambridge so my DCs have got no chance in this weird competition that nobody except her is interested in

Thanks everyone, not sure when positivity will kick in, but I'm sure it will.

@singingstones Sorry, but I did laugh at that!

@JuniperOakPark where can I find the Y10/11 GCSE support threads?

@Possiblynotever on this secondary board, hang on I'll find a link for you

This is the year 11 in September thread here

There is also a year 10 in September thread but I think you mean the one above. For revision get your child to ask for guidance from their teachers. They know the content they are teaching.

My DD did a great job in lowering everyone's expectations, which I think is a great life skill! She actually did well in the end, but we were all very prepared (including DGPs) for if she hadn't!

I am a bit confusing to a lot of the other "Mummys" around here. Not only do I have 2 older DC who didn't go to Uni, both struggled with mental health. And they are now in "just above minimum wage" jobs, one is very happy the other likes the money but does want to change to a proper career at some point. But in addition to all that my youngest is not going to: private school, or very highly regarded state sixth form (of the school she was at) or even very highly thought of sixth form college. Instead she is going to Sixth form college in neighbouring town which is a bit down market to here - but it has a fabulous pastoral side, is very flexible, and does very well with its intake (great value added) - and DD wanted to go there.
You can see them double take, and not know how to respond.

And I think all of my DC are clever - just in their own ways. The youngest works relatively hard - but not as hard as she could or some of the overachievers do. But if she gets to do what she wants - then what's the harm?

I also have a friends DD who struggled through school - but still ended up getting a degree with a lot of support. But uni especially at 18 is not necessarily the right route for everyone.

I've found this thread super supportive. Not all dc are academic and not all dc want to go down the A level/uni route.

Ds1 has a somewhat spikey academic profile in that he got 8s, 7s 6s and 5s :)

I'm desperately proud of him. He worked his socks off to get his maths grade up from a 4 in January mocks to a 6 in his exam :)

He is doing his perferred A levels at his preferred 6th form.

What's not to be happy about!?? :)

The youngest works relatively hard - but not as hard as she could or some of the overachievers do. My kids are under the impression that quite a lot of the over achievers do very little.