Current Year 10 2020/2021 support thread

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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. 🙂

Perhaps our school is the same then as parents’ Evening is in March.

Well done to DS.

Our parents evening not til June! Madness.

Congrats to your DS Ithink No results back here though DD thinks DS (13) beat her so expecting lots of arguments here She got Gold kangaroo last year but she thinks she just got silver this year and 80 and thinks DS got 90 which is 1 mark below Kangaroo and gold.

She's doing really well in the GCSE subjects 8 x predicted 9 so far with english language and biology left to grade and the NQT in history grading her a 6 but last year she was graded a 9 and DD says her grading is all over the place and based on 1 4 mark question done at home. Though very glad just the one subject that's causing issues.

She also managed a whole week of being on time at school and got a reward point for that. She's always running and very absent minded with time.

DS had his last day of isolation, he has been so whiney about school work this week.

Last day of home learning for DS - whole year group on a 2 week isolation after 3 cases in the year group. He’s coped really well although is keen to get back next week. Monday is also parents’ evening and I’m really hoping for a steer on predicted grades. Nothing so far apart from half term’s attainment grades. They were “out of 9” and ds got all 6s and 7s but I’ve no clue how they were calculated. I’m presuming they weren’t predicted grades as his best subjects (maths, physics) were 6s and his absolute worst (Spanish) was a 7!

It could be those are current grades, predicted are about 1.5 higher normally at this time of year, its 1 grade per 12 months. We get a 'at' grade - or plus with our current grades so 7,7+, 8-, 8 type grading for current grade. A lot of the subjects the highest possible current is 8 not sure why, maybe as a year to go. But its often only one or two questions between the higher grade categories from what DD has said so 33/33 = 8, 31 or 32/33 = 7+, 30 is a 7.

We’ll see Silkie. I don’t think our school works like that! I’m not really expecting him to get more than a 6 generally in Spanish gcse but I know he’s expecting 8s/9s in maths and the sciences so.... 🤷🏻‍♀️

A 6 may well go to an 8 - a low 6 goes to a 7, a mid 6 goes to a low 8 and a high 6 goes to a mid 8 at this stage.

Hi all
Wow @SilkieRabbits and @Rollergirl11 my DH rolls his eyes as he watches me read DS books, learning his topics so I can assist him with his revision. Thought I was the only one. Glad to know I’m not alone. If either of you need to know about ionic bonding, covalent bonding, periodic table or anything chemistry related come to think of it, I’m here 🤗.

Struggling with Spanish however lol

Afraid I can't help with Spanish unless it was on dora the explorer DS loves the periodic table, that's within the 10% of his work he doesn't get me to do. I told him tonight that DD said she's recently been doing 4 hours study a night and up from about 5 mins a night last 2 years. He said what is the point in doing that? wasting her time. It's very much why do work if you can get someone else to do it for you. At least he's back at school now.

In lockdown I had to engage the cat's help as he would listen with the cat but now she's got so elderly she can't get here or stay awake. I'm wondering if I can train his indoor rabbit, don't think there's much hope of training his silkie chickens.

DS was very happy when I told him he had been given 3 reward points for his "Fantstaic engagement and conduct during the PSHE sessions" as he wasn't there - he was at home and just told me the whole day should be put in the bin and he wasn't listening to any of it. It was sex ed so I didn't argue that one.

I also read the books that DC are reading, engage with the humanities subjects and still appear to be able to help with Year 8 French and Spanish, year 10 Spanish I have my moments. I also love revising and exams (having got to these skills as a mature student). DS resists my help and tbf his Spanish is prob better than mine but I can definitely help with conversation as his accent can be appalling, but I’ve noticed that he can do it when he is on his own. He did eventually seek me out when they did Animal Farm to discuss.

Mercedes I try and do that too - ds has “Of Mice and Men” next term which I have read before but will need to brush up on!
Ds is back this week after his self isolation - he was really happy. We had virtual parents’ evening too which was wonderful. All his teachers said such lovely things about him and we’re looking at a healthier set of grades for GCSEs than even I was expecting. Was thrilled.

My DS (y9) is currently doing Of Mice and Men and loves it - think its as it has rabbits in and he has an indoor rabbit though he doesn't like the use of the 'n' word (racist) but generally most I've known him love a book.

Got SMC back and DS has 90 - 1 point off gold and kangaroo (second round) but really good at 13 and was tougher this year as some did it online unsupervised and also done over 4 days rather than normal 1. He did it day 1 on paper at school but boundaries are up a lot this year. I've got school to let him sit the kangaroo anyway 'just for fun' as he really wants to sit it. DD got gold and kangaroo in y9 and best in school but this year also has silver, her school was lower than last year's at 80 but its primarily an A level age competition so still very good, think its top 30% or so. Very glad they are still running it despite covid, amazing voluntary organisation behind it.

Well done to your two @SilkieCat really good scores for yr9 and yr10! I did notice the boundaries were slightly higher but not that much higher than 2014 and 2016 for example so not sure how much the sitting it over 4 days and online changed things. (The geek in me would be tempted to try and test to see if it is statistically significant if my stats was not so rusty!) Hope your DS enjoys the kangaroo, DH did a couple of practice papers with DS over the weekend so hopefully he will enjoy it this afternoon.

DS did Jane Eyre last year and thought it was the most boring book ever! I made him watch the NT production of it when it was streamed in the Easter holidays which I think helped, he is doing drama GCSE as well so ended up watching a lot of productions online in lockdown. I've been brushing up my Much Ado about Nothing knowledge as well! Sadly I am completely unable to help him in his weakest subject (French) as I did German at school!

Good luck to your DS in the Kangaroo Its What would be interesting would be to see the scores differences for those sitting online at home unsupervised compared to those sitting in school with supervision.

Just saw on DD's GoForSchools we now have MTGs in - I looked it up and it says minimum target grade, before we just had current grade and were told it would raise by 1 to 2 from this time of year. Though not sure if its MTGs for year end or GCSE end - she seems to have 6 x9s, 3 x 8+s, 1 x 8 and 1 x 6 for MTGs. Though the 6 is for history and she was said to have a current grade of 9 last year in that but this year got a NQT who changed current grade to 4 and she did loads of history in lockdown. Delighted with that though especially English which has improved.

Both have orthodontist tomorrow - they just phoned and I thought no its cancelled and we've been waiting years but going ahead and just covid questions, phew.

Well done now the DC with their competition results and the predicted results.

My class at school read To Kill a Mockingbird and the other Of Mice and Men so I read both. DS’s school have decided against Great Expectations this year in case of lockdowns so are doing A Christmas Carol. They are also doing Romeo and Juliet which I did in Year 8 but have very fond memories of. I was excited for Macbeth but alas it is not to be.

I reread Jane Eyre in lockdown and large parts were far more draggy than I remember.

DD is doing Jekyll and Hyde, Lord of the Flies and Macbeth for English - cheery bunch . She has also informed me that they will get ATL scores this week, I'm hoping that there will be something in there to link to grades as well.......

Hi all, hope everyone is well. Congrats on all the high scores for Senior Maths challenge!

We are nearing the end of our enforced 2 week school closure/home-learning. It’s been relatively pain free but I must admit I’m looking forward to them going back to school next week.

English Lit wise DD has just finished reading An Inspector Calls and that’s what they did their assessment on. They’ve moved on to poetry now which DD absolutely hates. I’ve never been one for poetry either. I think they are then doing Hamlet. Still no sign of her grade collection that are meant to include predicted grades. I’m hoping they’ll be given out once they return to school.

My DD (y10) has also just done Inspector Calls. She done a Christmas Carol about 3 times now then its poetry then Shakespeare but not sure what. DS hated poetry in lockdown, I'm not a fan either only one I like is Wordsworth's Westminster Bridge poem. I had to enroll the cat to listen with him, thankfully the cat loves poetry sits on a stool, really upright and blinks whilst you read it and DS will watch her listening. Though she's very elderly and think she's past that now so may need to enroll rabbit but not sure he will be so cooperative, industrial quantities of carrots would need to be involved.

Both went to orthodontist today. We had another covid case last night but not their year, when I saw it thought no as would have meant cancelling orthodontist (been waiting 4 years) but was fine.

Rollergirl ds is on poetry too atm. Unseen. He also is not a fan.
First draft of his coursework on An Inspector Calls is in (he does iGCSE so 2 lots of coursework). 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Morning all. DD has been home since Tues as a positive case in her year. Which would be no problem at all, except that it’s one of her best friends, and she’s now saying that her own sense of smell has changed. Took her for a test last night, and that’s now us all stuck in the house, possibly for 2 weeks. DS (Year 7) won’t have online learning today, but from Monday, if she tests positive, that’s me back at the kitchen table trying to work and keep him chained to the laptop at the same time.

We haven’t had any grade predictions yet; parents’ eve not until March, but we’ll get a report at the end of this term. Seems so early for them to predict, but equally I’d like to know.

DD has had lots of assessments back, all good except for Geography, which is one of her A level choices, but she made a daft mistake on a big mark question. As she said herself, better now than in 2022. Biology should be today, but they’ve pushed it on to the last week of term now. Annoying for her, as she’s put lots of work in to prepare for it.

Love the attentive cat! Whole of Year 10 off at ds school as two cases in his class and two in another two classes. Back 7th Dec. Finding it hard to motivate him in English - he's doing an Inspector Calls which Ive never read. Will find a production to watch to start with I think.

At ds school they have 'challenge' grades and then the report tells you whether they're on target to achieve these, exceeding target, underperforming etc. So far his challenge grades are very high in all subjects but he struggles with German and English.

DD has her report which has target, predicted and current grades on. She’s been given 6 x 9’s and 4 x 8’s for predicted. Then for current grade she has 4x9, 3x8 and 3x7. Bit weird though that 2 of her current grade 8’s are for subjects where the predicted is also an 8 so am hoping she can boost her predicted/actual grades in these subjects. But overall very very happy with those.

We have an inset day on Monday so a nice long weekend ahead of us. Also my birthday today so being spoilt by hubby and kids today. 😂

Happy birthday Rollergirl. What a lovely birthday treat those set of grades are. Is your dd pleased?
Text from ds at break today:
“What’s the Disney+ login? I want to watch Mandalorean at lunchtime.”
Me:
Username: hahanochance
Password: reviseforgeography
🙄🤣

@QueenMabby yes I am over the moon! DD is pleased but she has been predicted 8’s for both the English’s and Maths and I think she was hoping for 9’s in these as they are her strongest subjects. I keep pointing out that she could surpass the predicted grades. It’s over a year away still!

Hah hah, your DS has got some swagger on him. Love it! 😂😂