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Original poster

GCSE’s summer 2020 thread 5 - And then there were none..

993 replies

FoolsAssassin · 26/03/2020 15:07

Once upon a time there was a group of year 11 students who had spent the last few years preparing to sit their GCSE exams in the summer of 2020. Then one day they woke up and found themselves as characters in a real life disaster movie and as if by magic the exams disappeared.

What lies next for the Corona Cohort?!

Thread 4
Thread 3
Thread 2
Thread 1 (Year 10)

Anyone lurking please feel free to jump on in .

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Piggywaspushed · 20/04/2020 10:54

I emailed the not sacked replacement music teacher and copied in the head on the day schools shut. He deserved a medal for what he did.

namechangenumber2 · 20/04/2020 11:01

I couldn't imagine having it in me to email teachers about the grades! Shock

ProggyMat · 20/04/2020 11:02

I’m one of ‘those’ parents, too Blush
I thanked the teaching team for all they have done for DD in my letter of notice.

Piggywaspushed · 20/04/2020 11:04

I have had some dodgy emails from students. They are easy to spot though : once sneering and unpleasant and antagonistic, they are suddenly full of enormous gratitude form my inspirational teaching! Grin

I haven't had any from parents Sad

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 20/04/2020 11:16

I haven't sent any emails, maybe I should have??? Shock

Fiddlersgreen · 20/04/2020 11:59

I haven’t sent any either.
Only one right at the beginning of school closure to ask about some mock grades we hadn’t received back yet. This was before we knew how the results would be given or even if the exams might take place at a later date

EwwSprouts · 20/04/2020 12:07

I haven't sent any emails to subject teachers because DS is staying on for 6th form so 'original official' end of teaching seemed a better idea? I did send one to his form tutor as he is leaving in July and I was concerned he might just disappear off the radar as a games teacher. (Hoping he still has a new job to go to.)

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 20/04/2020 12:47

Yes, DS sent a message on Teams to his English teacher when they finished as she has been a superstar genuinely and is going on Mat leave. He will be going back in 6th form so it doesn't feel like hes leaving either.

ChristopherTracy · 20/04/2020 12:48

We have had three emails from the head asking us collectively as a parent group not to email at all so I haven't. I wouldn't thank the teachers either as I have met them all exactly once - they change quite often. DS doesn't seem to have relationship with any of them which is sad.

I would thanks the head of year if I was going to thank anyone as he sends out the most communication.

FlyingPandas · 20/04/2020 13:20

I must admit did send one email to DS's head of year (who has been their head of year since Y7) thanking her, and also asking her to pass on thanks to the teaching staff for everything they've done, but I would never have dreamed of mentioning grades. There was one teacher that DS specifically asked me to mention (I showed him the email before I sent it) but that was because DS has genuinely found him inspirational. I had a lovely email back from her, I can imagine it must have been hugely emotional for the teaching staff trying to deal with everything.

Our head has also emailed stating that parents/students must not contact teaching staff about grades. They've said that they will sent out a standard response email to any grade related requests (which I would imagine will simply say something along the lines of sorry we're not allowed to tell you anything!), which sounds like a sensible approach to me.

Wheresthebeach · 21/04/2020 12:53

DD doing online school, teacher has said that Yr 11's will be asked to come into school to do A level courses til end of term in July if schools open.

So...I will be emailing the school today!

RedskyAtnight · 21/04/2020 13:47

Now we're all (?) "back" after Easter, can I ask what work (if any) your Year 11s are being set now?

DS's seems to be a mix of

  • GCSE revision (e.g. complete these GCSE questions)
  • work that is probably not specifically part of the GCSE syllabus but extends what they learned there (e.g. in Economics, DS's task today is to find out why oil prices have just crashed)
  • A Level bridging type work (set for all DC, not just those interested in that subject for A Level)

They are still following "normal" timetable.

His motivation to do any of these is scarcely above zero, though I personally appreciate he has something to do to keep his brain at least slightly working.

He's also getting PE exercises and "pastoral care" type challenges. He's entirely ignoring these.

School sent home a "we know no more about when schools will re-open than you do so please stop contacting us" letter. I can't see DS being in a physical school again until at least September. Schools have enough to worry about without factoring in Year 11s.

Original poster
FoolsAssassin · 21/04/2020 14:48

Nothing, there are 6th form intro pack or something to work through for those staying. DS’s new college are saying to do Head start I think.

OP posts:
ZandathePanda · 21/04/2020 15:25

Redsky nothing been set for Yr11

AnneOfCleavage · 21/04/2020 15:36

Redsky ha-ha yes DD also getting PE type exercises from her PE teacher and form activities too. Same as yours she is not doing them.

She's back to full on working after 2 weeks off for Easter and all her teachers are setting stuff left right and centre. She's concentrating on completing coursework first then subjects she wants to carry on doing at A Level then some maths and science just to keep her hand in.

Not sure how long she'll be able to keep this up as it's quite relentless.

ChristopherTracy · 21/04/2020 16:20

We are having GCSE type work set for the next couple of weeks and then full-on bridging work for A-level subjects and 3 others of their choosing in case they cant take their first choice. They will also be starting some sort of Extended Project thingy.

Also career/mindfulness/wellbeing videos and things like that. No PE though.

ealingwestmum · 21/04/2020 16:26

Just this week of tidying up end of courses and saying goodbyes to subject teachers before moving on next week to A level type timetable for 8 weeks.

ExpletiveDelighted · 21/04/2020 16:35

Normal timetable till half term (finishing coursework, other subjects to keep ticking over just in case these autumn exams are taken, or normal maths/English resits), no homework but 1/2 hour PE a day. Then over to 6th form subjects and transition stuff (most are planning to stay on). He's pleased to have a more structured day again after the holidays.

EwwSprouts · 21/04/2020 16:55

Today DS had 4 online lessons.
1 said do private study or look at specific website.
2 set a past paper (went down like a lead balloon here).
3 they did a class quiz related to subject.
4 set some reading.
This GCSE level work will continue for a couple of weeks. It seems to me a way of occupying pupils while teachers sort out grades/rankings and I think that's fair.

After the bank holiday is supposed to be guided pre A level study.

crazycrofter · 21/04/2020 17:11

Just optional A Level work here. Ideas of things to do are uploaded on the Microsoft teams subject pages. Dd has already told me it's nothing to get stressed about as it's not actual A Level work, it's just to keep them ticking over! She's doing a bit though, which is fine by me. It's actually quite helpful as she wasn't sure she would like two of her choices - RS and Psychology - but so far she says the subject matter has been really interesting.

ProggyMat · 21/04/2020 18:26

In respect of GCSEs, DD has been set a few ‘tidying up’ tasks for a couple of subjects to be completed this week.
Also, PE and PSHE ‘stuff’ for this week that she has given the bum serve to Grin
A level bridging work has also being set on firefly from current school and new school, where DD is moving to in September for Sixth Form, will send A level bridging work from next week
In one sense it’s a double whammy for DD but in another it will keep her focussed on her chosen A levels.

Redazzy · 21/04/2020 19:27

My ds has had some RE work and Chemistry put into our learning platform. That's it. Very different from my year 9 dd at the same school. She has had lots of lesson plans and homework for each subject. It's very clear they have wound up year 11 learning for the children at our school (comp).

Monkey2001 · 21/04/2020 19:52

A couple of optional bits of work here. They are talking about consolidation work for subjects and preparation for A levels but no A level stuff has come yet and we have not heard anything specific. I have not seen anything about sports recently although there was something when the isolation started. Both my DSs (Y11 and older one on gap year) are focused on fitness and gaming rather than work at the moment.

Wheresthebeach · 21/04/2020 20:40

Full timetabled lessons with work being completed in class as it were. No homework

20Newnames · 21/04/2020 21:21

Optional A level bridging work here but no GCSE stuff being set any more. DS is changing schools but haven’t heard anything from new school yet so he will do the A level prep stuff from his current school.

I’m glad they are not bothering to make them do subjects they won’t be continuing. It’s hard enough to get DS to do the bridging work.