GCSE Summer 2020 Thread 9 : Carry on Corona Cohort ‘Let’s Ofqual the whole thing off'

[OrangeCinnamon1]

Welcome all to the 9th Thread for this year's GCSE cohort - the Corona Cohort!

This is a thread for supporting all young people ( and their parents) taking GCSEs regardless of the institute they attend or the grades they need. It is respectfully requested that we are all supportive and helpful to each other.

If you want to start a debate e.g state vs private - please do not within this thread.

Similarly it should be recognised that the grades our children need/deserve/want will vary across the board- we wish to celebrate and comiserate with all. One same grade outcome can simultaneously cause joy and despair for different posters and their families. Please be sensitive when responding to threads about grade outcomes.

Some of us have been here since I started first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. It is hoped this will continue. Going forward we intend to stay on the Secondary Education Board (at least until Mumsnet HQ chuck us out ) as from now on our DS/DD may go down various paths such employment, apprenticeships, higher ed etc so we decided not to be exclusionary.

Any new threads should have 'GCSE Summer 2020 Thread # : Carry on Corona Cohort' in title just to make it easier to find. There is no preciousness about who starts new threads!

At this precise moment in time we are still awaiting GCSE results . At first these were to be that seem to have been produced by an algorithm that also takes very little account of Teacher Centre Assessed Grades. There is an appeal process but it was changed to include mock results and coursework, then taken down again for review. Now it has been decided that the higher of Centre Assessed Grades and Calculated Grades will be awarded in two parts??!?!

We are all STILL trying to protect our young people's mental health, which the government claims is their priority...when they talk about wanting students back in schools/college in September...

First Thread

Previous thread

Ah thank you @ealingwestmum! Yes things changed a lot since DS didn't do counties for second mocks @itsgettingweird. That's good hours @easilydelighted - our younger ones only getting 2.

Well as I am WFH I must put mumsnet down for a moment...!!!

Good to hear Easily! And lovely to hear she is also back into the pool after a long time out, we are some of the luckier ones (though maybe not on the early hours alongside the rowers)

I've never rewarded grades or passing either, we've always been very much the result is your reward (much to is disgust ) but I know a lot of is friends will be getting something and just wondered whether to or not.

@singingstones DS1 made a Bakewell tart on Monday to take to a birthday tea party but we had no raspberries or jam in the house so he used some leftover apple and blackberry crumble instead of jam which apparently worked. DS2 and I made some mini Bakewells with the leftover pastry and frangipani and made a bit of pineapple jam for it, which was surprisingly nice. Have you tried variations on the classic which you recommend?

Re games, DS2 always estimates his grades after music exams - they each have a magnetic whiteboard on the fridge for noting things to remember. He had been fairly consistently close but on the pessimistic side (he has done a lot of music exams, so plenty of experience!). He had done the same for GCSE results.

Re going to school, DS1 and his GF (DS1's GF) want to go as his "parents". The GF is planning lots of treats, last night said they would give him a "21 dab salute" when he comes out and then take him to the park for beers!

They all sound lovely, but isn't it sad how they think they are ugly. Back in Y6/7 DS2 always described himself as "a bit ugly". During lockdown both of them have worked really hard on their bodies and it has helped their confidence.

JCQ post means higher of CAGs and GAVs tomorrow but we will never know what the GAVs were unless they are higher. We probably won't care that much after tomorrow, they would only have been another source of outrage! It will be interesting to see how much additional grade inflation is caused by GAVs. The algorithm was only about 50% accurate, so could be significant!

Ds has a PC which he saved for and built himself.

Laptop was simple one for college with the idea it being portable when meets start again he can study wherever we are!

I brought him an expensive monitor he was drooling over back in July as a well done for all your work and joint birthday gist. (Our holiday was cancelled so was lucky to have those funds!)

He was over the moon

Mine's in lane 2, we have single lanes with three at each end, one on the wall, one at the 5m flags and one in between.

We have each end too. We are moving to phase 2 hopefully when new timetable comes out in September (when we've finished fighting for pool time!) and single lanes.

Makes things like deciding who swims each leg of a relay seem like child's play now

IheartJKR; it’ll be one lucky partner who wins over your DD; a quick sense of wit alongside all her other fab qualities is just the most formidable mix to have. I hope 6th form brings new friendships as loneliness is tough to deal with long term.

What was a massive added sadness for the kids was during all this their senior coach (early 40's) collapsed and died - they discovered multiple brain tumours.
So they've not been in the various schools together, quite a number of them have missed their exams, missed swimming and even returning is so different.

One things for sure. We are going to have a resilient generation of 16-18 yo going out to further ed ready to conquer the world.

That is very sad weird. Totally agree on the impact from this year.

Oh, that is very sad @itsgettingweird. Our biggest problem seems to be maintaining social distancing while getting them in and out of the building, changed etc (I'm a chaperone).

Definitely agree that our children have learnt to be robust.

Am jealous of all the children getting back to swimming, my daughter does platform diving, there is one pool with a diving board near us. They have not said when they will be opening. DD is worried she'll never get back to it.

And we're putting in money for a new laptop for our daughter. We had said we'd buy her one, but she wants a MacBook, so we're going halves and she's saved the other half from her part time job.

Thank you ladies .

DD suddenly said last night that she’d open her results on her own...

...Over my dead body!

On the subject of match making, DS is tall, slim, musical and seemingly attractive to females (but he’s just going into year 10 😅)

Just checking in this morning - amused by all the matchmaking! DD remains determinedly single and declares that she has no interest in romance as it is an unhelpful distraction from her studies

I’m waiting for her to be swept off her feet one day when she least expects it

We both slept much better last night, which is probably a good thing as I doubt if tonight will be so restful! DD is undecided on attire for tomorrow: she usually dresses in full vintage c.1965 so I expect it will be some sort of mod dress.

I am pretty sure that FS will maintain normal lockdown attire, joggers and a tee shirt.

He will be opening his results on his own, he has to log on and get them, we have no access. Then he can tell us when he's ready.

DS I mean.

Sarahbeans I know they are more expensive, but so good also. DD has had hers since Y7 and has recently acknowledged how fortunate she’s been, especially as it’ll be used for L6th after school iPad’s been returned.

@EasilyDelighted

Oh, that is very sad *@itsgettingweird*. Our biggest problem seems to be maintaining social distancing while getting them in and out of the building, changed etc (I'm a chaperone).

I'm covid liaison too!

We aren't using changing rooms.

SD isn't a problem in the pool area - they are actually really good at it.
And considering the the older swimmers all car pool there it's quite impressive

Can I join the matchmaking group? My DD is 5ft 11 and loves aviation. ( she wants to be cabin crew!)
We went up to Heathrow the other day to watch planes and she was in her element 😂

Whoamitojudge - good choice I spent ten years doing that. Happy Times

Just asked DD how she is going to read her email tomorrow. She wants to do it alone and then she will come and tell me and her Dad. I’d have preferred her to do it with us but it’s completely up to her how she does it. I’m definitely more anxious for her results than I was for my own!!

SD isn't a problem in the pool area - they are actually really good at it. And considering the the older swimmers all car pool there it's quite impressive

• they're fine once they're on poolside but having to change in the spectator area is tricky and we have quite long routes in and out of the building through several doors so they tend to cluster at times. On the whole they're very good though.

@whoamitojudge Loving your DD’s plane watching hobby. Is she into things like storm chasing at all? I used to work with a young girl who was into both.

@cheninblanc Which airline?
@Shimy No, just planes 😂