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Secondary education

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

Original poster

GCSE summer 2020 thread 6 - Carry on Corona Cohort, Further adventures aboard the Corona Charabanc.

961 replies

FoolsAssassin · 16/06/2020 21:06

The summer of discovidtent for the Corona Cohort trudging on towards results day.
Ofqual have done them a little video to explain their results:

Please feel free to join us to see what twists the next bit has in store for us all.

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Thread 1 year 10

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BlueMarigold · 30/07/2020 09:48

Thank you the lovely welcomes!

I have taken the day off too. I am so nervous for her. It’s our oldest child so going through it for the first time... She has to go in at 9 to collect her results.

I am not sure if it’s better or worse she didn’t sit the exams.... I would have felt just as stressed either way!

crazycrofter · 30/07/2020 09:56

I was going to take the day off - but dd says she's going to go out with her friends for a Nando's or something afterwards and we're not allowed into school anyway, so I think I might as well work (from home)! And check this board regularly... whilst not getting much work done! She says she'll let me know her results as soon as she has them... but knowing her she'll be distracted comparing notes with her friends etc and forget! I'll be on tenterhooks...

MirandaWest · 30/07/2020 10:04

I’ve taken the day off - DSs school is having them split into 4 groups and two places to get their results. Two at 8 am and two at 9am. Luckily for him he’s at 9am although I will still need to poke him to get him up I suspect Grin.

ChristopherTracy · 30/07/2020 10:05

I think you'll find that has to be referred to as a Cheeky Nandos @crazycrofter Smile

Original poster
FoolsAssassin · 30/07/2020 10:18

We’re in 3 groups by surname and different place plus parking for each. Opens from 9 am. We need to email results by 12 to new place then go the next day to enrol and can start dropping things off. I need to start buying I guess.

OP posts:
Zandathepanda · 30/07/2020 10:25

What’s the betting there’s a spike in the virus after results day (s)? There’s social distancing painstakingly done by schools then then all get out and hug each other!
At least it will be, hopefully, More herd immunity to protect staff and vulnerable children by September I suppose.

stoneysongs · 30/07/2020 10:44

DS gets his by email at 8am and then goes to school later to register for sixth form. Hopefully then will go out with his friends and do something fun, they haven't met up at all yet.

It's not quite as nerve wracking as for some people as he wants to stay on at the same school and we're sure he'll get enough to do A levels there. He did some exams in Y10 so already has 3 whole GCSEs and 5 halves. Still a bit anxious though and having to stop myself talking about it all the time..
He has signed up for 4 A levels with a view to dropping one and I'm trying to get him to start thinking about what combinations he might need for various undergraduate courses he's interested in so he doesn't drop the wrong one iyswim. It would probably be possible to make a decision now if he thought about it but it's all a long way off for him at the moment..

RedskyAtnight · 30/07/2020 11:23

Can't see a a spike after results day. Teens already seem to be split into those mostly following the rules and those who aren't bothering at all, and I doubt results day will change that.

DS's school say to come and collect results between 9-10 and they are operating a socially distanced queueing system. Might be a long wait for some. Sixth form enrolment normally happens at the same time and I'm not quite clear how this is happening. There is mention of appointments, but not everyone has to attend an appointment, so I think "straightforward" students will just do minimal sign up.

I'm working from home (which is less than a mile from school!), so available if DS needs me. I suspect he will just head off with his friends. The issue will be if his results are as bad as worst case scenario and he needs to make a radical rethink about future direction. I want to encourage him to not make any snap decisions.

makemyweek · 30/07/2020 11:48

My ds' school say an email will be received between 8 and 8.15 am which is great - no endless waiting. Subsequently the head of sixth form will send an email by 2pm to outline further steps with regard to sixth form.

We feel very fortunate as my son did well in mocks and his predictions were great. So all being well, he will stay at his school for sixth form and do 3 A levels plus a BTeC in music performance. My main concerns are for others close to us whose predictions were borderline. They are very stressed about the outcome on the day.

I'm sad that he won't have the 'whoop whoop' atmosphere of results day at school and then a day out celebrating with his friends. Here's hoping that September and sixth form will proceed as planned by school.

I don't post very often on here so I just wanted to wish everyone on this thread the very best outcomes for their children.

sandybayley · 30/07/2020 12:07

We'll hopefully be in Italy (Tuscany) on results day! We can log in at 9am (10am in Italy). I will make sure we have naice stuff in for breakfast and maybe we'll go out for a slap up lunch somewhere.

The holiday was booked months ago to fit in with DD's Switzerland trip last week, her trip to sing at the Edinburgh Fringe (cancelled) and DS1's A Level results. Oddly enough it's worked out OK as with results day not being normal this year DD is quite happy she'll be by a pool.

crazycrofter · 30/07/2020 12:17

My dd has been meeting up with friends a few times a week, usually just one or two but she's had a couple of 6-person meet ups. She has the best intentions, but having seen photos on her phone I think social distancing has largely gone out the window unfortunately. Nothing major, but it's just really hard to keep 2 m from people, especially for huggy girls.

Having said that her meet ups have all been outside except for one friend whose house she's visited, so I hope the risks are low. I don't think results day will be any worse. I'm sure school will discourage hugging but they've actually said they want the girls to be able to celebrate with the school community so it will be as normal as possible. In any case, two weeks later they'll all be back in school/college hopefully and I'm sure they won't be keeping 2m from everyone then!

Rhubardandcustard · 30/07/2020 14:29

My dd school results by 9.30am via email followed by the grades that school submitted to the centre via email by midday. Head and co-head of year 11 and head of sixth form all available via email on the day for questions and queries.

I’ve decided to work from home that day just in case there are any problems that will need my help or support. Sixth form enrolment is a week later and I’ve taken the day off for that just so I can drop her - it’s a new college for her as she’s not staying at current school for sixth form.

This is my first experience of exams - what do people do to celebrate- do you give gifts etc? We had a international holiday planned for straight after exams as her ‘reward’ but obviously had to cancel that.

Didn’t know what the norm was in terms of gift - if any? I’ve known a few parents with older siblings bribe with cash for a* etc - but wasn’t something I was prepared or could afford to do. Was thinking just getting her a voucher for clothes store so she can kit herself out for college - no uniform rules to consider so she’ll be needing some new gear.

Piggywaspushed · 30/07/2020 14:44

I'm a bit surprised by these 8am promises! The schools aren't getting them til 8am this year (it's normally 6 am).

Decorhate · 30/07/2020 14:55

@Piggywaspushed Schools get the results the day before so they have time to check than and print them out

crazycrofter · 30/07/2020 14:55

We've bought dd a guitar as a 'reward' for effort - even though she hasn't had to put any work in for the last 3 months! But she worked hard in the run up to March and we wanted to recognise that, rather than reward grades.

There's no right or wrong though. I remember a friend of mine at school who was offered a certain amount per A/B/C. I remember she got quite a lot more money than her older brother! I didn't think it was a good idea, but I'm actually considering it with ds, as a way of motivating him. I mentioned it to dd recently and she thought it was a great idea, knowing her brother - who at the moment sees no point in aiming much higher than a 5! - which is fine if that were his natural ability level, but it's not!

sandybayley · 30/07/2020 15:17

I'd always reward the effort and not the results.

Piggywaspushed · 30/07/2020 15:21

Decor, I am not sure that is happening this year. There was a press release thing last week. I may have misread it but it definitely mentioned 8am.

Comefromaway · 30/07/2020 15:21

I was going to do that with Ds as a last ditch motivation attempt but base it not just on the grade but a realistic prediction of what he is capable of.

Eg at the start of year 9 based on data from his previous school & cognitive tests Ds was predicted Grade 6’s. So he would be rewarded for achieving that with extra for achieving above that.

Whereas Dd could get mostly 7’s without breaking a sweat as she retains information much easier so her bar would be higher. (She got mostly 8’s in the end with a couple of 9, a 7 & a 6 in her worst subject.

Piggywaspushed · 30/07/2020 15:22

It may just be that they aren't to be released via schools until 8 am. There was also something about A Level and UCAS.

Decorhate · 30/07/2020 16:11

@Piggywaspushed Perhaps they said 8am the day before? I really don’t think schools could hand out results an hour or two after receiving them. Even if everything went smoothly it would not be enough time to download & print them

20NewNames · 30/07/2020 18:30

We have just been promised emails ‘early in the morning’ whatever that means. It also comes from the woman who takes at least a week to answer any emails so I won’t be holding my breath.

We didn’t do rewards for results. Our DC have different academic abilities so even if I agreed with the cash for grades (which I strongly don’t) then it wouldn’t be fair anyway. The aim was to reward effort so with DS1 I took him abroad for a few days just the two of us after his exams and had planned the same with DS2 but obviously that got cancelled. I have planned a treat the day before exams but no other plans as yet.

Piggywaspushed · 30/07/2020 19:24

I found the release. It's a slight change in rules which confused me. Schools still get them the day before (although in practice this is about three people). Nothing can be released to students or via UCAS until 8 am whereas usually it is 6am, apparently!

I think they wanted to set this so schools weren't emailing stuff out too early.

crazycrofter · 30/07/2020 19:48

The cash for grades thing goes totally against my principles too! But generally speaking ds has smashed all my pre-children parenting principles! The usual approach doesn’t work with him. But we’ll see, he’s a very young year 9, so hopefully he will mature.

That makes sense that the schools know the grades the day before.

Wheresthebeach · 30/07/2020 21:17

We would have taken DD out for a steak dinner, regardless of the grades. No cash, no way. Not sure what we'll do now...

stoneysongs · 30/07/2020 22:20

No money rewards here but I am making a Bakewell tart, which was all DS could think of that he wanted, so we will celebrate / commiserate over a slice of that. DD Yr9 is much more materialistic and she got a new pair of tracksuit bottoms for a good report and for coping with schoolwork during lockdown. She found it a real struggle at times and there were many tears, but she persevered and did end up getting everything done. Definitely worth some recognition and hopefully that feeling of accomplishment will stay with her 🤞