Current Year 10 2020/2021 support thread

[Alsoplayspiccolo]

I can’t see a thread for upcoming new year 10s, so I thought I’d start one, as the long-running GCSE one I’ve been part of for DD has been a life-saver.

DS has opted to take history, German, drama and music, plus double science, maths, English x2, and RE.
He’s pretty bright and does well without having to break a sweat (much to my frustration!), but doesn’t really know what he wants to do in the future. He’s a music scholar at his school, so does a lot of music (DH and I are both professional musicians...or were, before Covid hit...) but loves history and English.

His school provided excellent online schooling and he was lucky to be able to go in 2 days a week for the last 3 weeks of term.

His sister has just finished year 11, so we are biting our nails, waiting for results next week. She has quite a different academic profile, having ADHD and possibly dyspraxia, and has had to work hard throughout the last few years.

I hope us parents of DCs just starting the GCSE journey can help and support each other over the next couple of years. 🙂

[StColumbofNavron]

Here you go

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/4301269-Current-Year-11-2021-2022-support-thread-pt-II?watched=1

[IThinkIMadeItWorse]

Sorry to hear about the isolating @StColumbofNavron hope it's not too bad Eid mubarak to you and your family.

@Rollergirl11 the holiday sounds wonderful, it's great to have something to look forward to, hope it all goes smoothly for you. Also hope the Sports Day is good.

The thread is nearly full and the year is nearly over, the weather is hot and of course will change as soon as they break up! They are all melting at school. We're all a bit tired (struggling to sleep in the heat) and a bit grumpy but not long to go now. Thanks to all for the support of this thread, I have really appreciated it. Does anybody want to start a new one?!

[Silkiecats]

Hope you have a lovely holiday Rollergirl We gave traffic light roulette a swerve this year but a holiday with a pool does sound lovely.

[Silkiecats]

StColumbofNavron So sorry to hear that, I hate this system too.

Lightsabre Sorry French holiday got cancelled. DH really wanted to go to France to as he is French but not viable again, sure a lot of it is political. We also are expecting 2 weeks of rain in UK, though I will take any holiday atm.

Aramox Those are good grades still and should be able to improve by next year's exams to 7s at least which will be enough for A levels which is the main thing.

DS back in tomorrow and both finish on Thursday.

[Rollergirl11]

Hey all, sorry to hear about all the isolations. We are limping on until Friday when they finish. Sports Day tomorrow. DD is going along but she isn’t taking part. DS doesn’t want to go as all his mates have decided to give it a swerve!

We have our week in Devon that I booked back in Jan. But then last week I was feeling reckless and decided to book 10 days in a villa in Majorca. It went on to the amber list the next day, because of course it would! Both DH and I are double-vaxxed so hoping it will still be okay and we get to go. Fingers crossed the DC’s don’t test positive in the 48 hours beforehand! Just really felt like i could do with some guaranteed sun with the shitty last couple of months we’ve had. I have no doubt that we will be taking the ED along with us but hopefully DD can relax and continue recovery in a nicer setting with a private pool to jump in and out of!

Only a few more posts until this thread is full up. Seems rather fitting as we are very nearly at the end of Year 10. Who would have thought it?! 😱🤪

[Lightsabre]

Sorry to hear that StColumbofNavron - nightmare. Hope his test is negative and the self isolation doesn't affect your plans too much.

Ds not finished until Thursday. So tempted to keep him off due to the big rise in cases in our area but he wants to go in. Cancelled our France trip for the second time and on to plan B - Lakes and Scotland but I doubt the weather will be good!

[StColumbofNavron]

Ah, so DS1 (y10) has been identified as a close contact so now needs a PCR test and that is in person school finished for the year and tutor/parent meetings now to be online. I am so sick of this.

[StColumbofNavron]

@aramox those are really good grades. I think the numbers make things seem less than they are.

[aramox]

One more week here! Ds managed 6s in most of his exams, a way off his hopes but not as bad as the marks sounded. Got a lot of holiday planned, didn't occur to me he might be revising. Good luck to everyone finishing off...

[Silkiecats]

Hope everyone had a good weekend. So hot.

DD had a day out planned with friends in London but got cancelled due to self isolations of all but one and her. DS is still doing nothing, back Tuesday. Wed is DDs 6th form open day if school makes it that far, most of the 6th form is isolating. DD had an orthodontist appointment on Saturday. The teachers have told her what she needs to catch up and she said it was more than she was expecting though history say next year you only need to do 3 out of 4 topics and also she has done all of next year's already. She is wondering about dropping economics now as that puts her to 12.

Thurs is our last day here, no more isolations permitting. Have a good final week to those not already on holiday and hope holidays are going well to those already on it.

[GhostTypeEevee]

@Silkiecats the amount of times ds needed the toilet made me very but he finally figured out that it just made the revision/homework longer.

[StColumbofNavron]

I’m having a crappy week for various boring reasons so am just giving myself the weekend off. Doing some washing and general bits but mostly drinking coffee and reading a nice fluffy book which I intend to devour and finish before Monday.

Secondary finish on Thursday officially but we have tutor/parent meetings Wedn and Thursday so actual teaching finishes Tuesday, but Tuesday is Eid so my kids will be finished on Monday. DS1 has managed to get his orthodontist appointment at 12.45 on Monday too!

Primary DS3 is going back on Monday after isolation but I think his last day might be Wed even though he will be off Tuesday as well.

I’ve now got a much bigger workload and deadline for my PhD than I was expecting over the summer.

[Silkiecats]

Well done on your DS's results Its Hope he can drop French.

DD is still very happy at new school and appears to have friends. Getting so many covid case e-mails from there - now coming through in groups like 9 kids have it and sometimes a few a day. Her last day is Thurs at lunchtime. And they have sent plans for Sept though later back than originally planned. UKMT have sent through details of her summer camp. Getting some differences in curriculum coming up between schools but DD seems on top of it. She went to open evening for their sixth form.

DS has EHCP through and £10.7k of funding but science are being a nightmare again and putting him down a set and only double science as he didn't write anything in end of year exams. Middle set normally gets between 3/3 and 6/6 and at the start of year he was on 9/9/9, argh. The Head of Science hates SN kids, he's very old and is of the autism doesn't exist school of thought. So am trying to get the LA to change the named school to another one which goes to 18 and is a specialist one for autism and gets great results. Its oversubscribed but think an EHCP overrides that. Not ideal timing as it will be start of y10 and don't know if LA will approve as more money needed. DS still has severe schoolworkitis and has done nothing all this week apart from lock himself in bathrooms and eat fruit. At least 1 day was PHSE day so only 4 days missed. English say they can work around speech.

Had my second vaccine so at least that's over, started weird bleeding 30 mins after from my finger and had a headache like someone had hit me over the head with a hammer but apparently this is good for me. At least I got to go to Lido after and was a lovely swim and lovely weather and starting to feel more human now. When we came back knocked on door as locked from inside and opened it and just rabbit was there like he had opened the door, DS has sped off into hiding incase I had schoolwork for him.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

[IThinkIMadeItWorse]

Hope everyone has had a good week, only three and a half days of school to go!

Finally got DS's results (and report) and feeling quite a sense of relief that he not only did really well in his strengths but also managed to bring his English Lang grade up to a 6 - massive improvement for him. If he gets the grades he's now predicted he will be able to go to the sixth form he currently prefers (though as their open day was postponed until the autumn we haven't yet looked around it!) Still a very weak grade in English Lit so a lot of work to do there but if the school see sense about letting him drop French hopefully we will be able to improve it (sadly the teacher has predicted him a 4 in French so think we will still be having the argument next term).

Hope everyone enjoys the sunshine this weekend!

[Silkiecats]

Thanks QueenMabby

When I was teaching DS in lockdown every lesson would involve DS needing the toilet about 5 times and cleaning his teeth (or at least walking his toothbrush) 3 times though at least he was listening inbetween. When I would query this he would say I ate too many apples and I would say well eat maybe just 1 or 2 then and he said but I love apples and I don't mind living in the bathroom. Though I asked him how often he goes to the bathroom at school and he said never I never drink at school. Though DD said school bathrooms are best avoided.

[QueenMabby]

Hope the 2nd jab goes ok Silkie - I certainly had a much better time with my 2nd than my first one.
I understand you on the schoolworkitis - it amazes me how long my ds spends in the loo when there’s work to be done!

[Silkiecats]

Thanks StColumbo and QueenMabby Hope you both have lovely holidays.

DS continued to be a PITN today, his strategy seems to be to spend his days eating industrial quantities of fruit and living in bathrooms so he doesn't have to do schoolwork. DH saw me struggling so spoke to him but he just locked himself in the bathroom with a severe case of schoolworkitis and he is not communicating at all. I've sent messages to school but no-one is replying but they have another unexpected Ofsted and covid cases in y9 went up 3 again to 9 so they must be busy. At least DD is going well and she hasn't been asked to isolate yet.

I would love to do something nice but all I have this week is my second covid vaccine and virtual 6th form open evening. I was supposed to have blood test pre second vaccine which I had to cancel due to dealing with kids. Though have booked lido same day so at least I get to swim. Poor DH is super busy at work.

[QueenMabby]

Silkie sending unmumsnetty hugs. Hope you get something put in place to help your DS - it sounds as if he’s really struggling poor chap. This covid time has been so tough on our children. Am glad your dd is settling in well at her new school.

We’re all done here - broke up on Friday. Got DS’s report. Despite his great exam performance it was mainly full of things he needed to do better in/work on which was a bit of a bump down to Earth! Definitely a change in style from previous years when all you get is fluff!

[StColumbofNavron]

@Silkiescats it seems never ending for you at the moment. I know it’s easy to say from behind my screen, but gently, please take some time to look after yourself too. Even just a little.

[Silkiecats]

Thanks Its and Ghost. DS was a complete pitn today and refused to do any work or speak all day and also found out he didn't do his y9 science exams so they have now graded him down from 7/6 to 2/1 current grade. This probably means he won't be allowed to do triple and may get put in bottom or middle set though am trying to find out. So he only did maths. Sent a desperate email to school and la as this does not bode well for gcses plus he is mute with no friends and even mute at home now. la finally replied and said he has 20 hours funding of a TA in ehcp awarded to current school. The 20 hours is good but not sure if a needs a more specialist school, have emailed one. La said they can consider that but costs more. Moving him will upset him for 6 months but specialist school goes to 18, current to 16.

Dd thinks she may get told to isolate soon but at least had another good day and we can now get on parent system. Still no lunchcard but she eats before and after and otherwise been set up brilliantly. No grades entered.

8 days to go here.

[IThinkIMadeItWorse]

Oh no sorry to hear he has to isolate again @Silkiecats - what a pain!

There is a new thread about the adjustments to exams next summer www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/4294791-Y10-and-12-parents-Exams-2022-covid-adjustments-consultation

[GhostTypeEevee]

@Silkiecats Oh no what a nightmare!

Ds has managed to avoid any bubbles bursting this term still time though

[Silkiecats]

And another 2 cases today and DS has to self isolate until 20th, argh.

[Silkiecats]

Just been told of 2 more year 9 covid cases so playing the is my child going to need to isolate game though at least those two have been off since Wednesday.

DD has gone to London for the day. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

[StColumbofNavron]

We got maths back today. He knew it was a weaker subject for him so got a 6 but was one mark off a 7, but that’s great because a bit more work will pull that up. He got the paper back and knows where he lost marks, largely on questions they hadn’t yet covered properly.