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

I'm getting very nervous for tomorrow, our school sent a lovely supportive letter through yesterday, also advises parents are allowed on site tomorrow just not in when the students are collecting results, and the deputy head is going to be taking some photos which I thought was a nice touch.

I like the Grade game! i might get DS to play it on family whatsapp group!

As he’s going to his Dad’s later, we’re going to his favourite ice cream parlour for lunch today.

It is good to see them getting back into their sports. DS is rowing 3 times a week again & out on the water tomorrow afternoon!

@mummabear74

We're just back from a week away and I'm going to keep busy unpacking & doing the washing today. I feel very nervous for tomorrow and hope everyone gets the grades their child deserves and enough to continue to their next stage. Our DD had a guess at grades at the start of lockdown and I must find the envelope with them in. I quite like the guessing game suggested too. I hadn't planned anything for tomorrow and trying to think of something otherwise the day may be a bit flat for her. Her friendship group started to split before lockdown so she hasn't really got a group to celebrate with.

Ds and I had a guess too! Based on how he was doing and mocks. I hope he's not disappointed if Cags don't reflect what he thinks he would or could have done. But I think I've managed his expectations well!

Joining all of you feeling queasy this morning

fools my DS is like that too, thinks no girl will look at him. He is completely oblivious to the fact that he is actually gorgeous. He thinks because he's a little shorter than his friends (just 5ft9) he hasn't got anything to offer. But if we're matchmaking he would love to meet a girl who is a STEM geek like himself, who still likes playing Minecraft and does coding in her spare time, and is musical too (guitar and drums in DS' case.) Not in the least outdoorsy, the limit of his 'exercise' is playing Blade Sabre on his VR headset Any takers?

Just want today to be over with now. Last year I remember I got barely any sleep waiting for DDs A Levels results to come in and I fear this will be the same.

@Northumberlandlass

I like the Grade game! i might get DS to play it on family whatsapp group!

As he’s going to his Dad’s later, we’re going to his favourite ice cream parlour for lunch today.

It is good to see them getting back into their sports. DS is rowing 3 times a week again & out on the water tomorrow afternoon!

That's great! I do think it's helping to have something else other than just their results to focus on.

Ds is 16 today. He's going Segway experience with my dad.

Aw, happy birthday mini itsgettingweird! And lovely to hear he still has his goal in his sights, definitely has time. Good luck with getting him correctly category assessed.

Good morning, so we finally had an email from school last night with changed arrangements for tomorrow. Now the students will be getting their results by email at 8am. Previously they were going in time slots and DSs wasn’t until 9.30. They are still allowed to go in and get them but what’s the point if they’ve been emailed? We also have to confirm their A levels / attendance for 6th form by 4pm tomorrow.

In the MN dating pool, DS is single (boys school so doesn’t meet a lot of girls), he’s 6’ 1” and growing, skinny but athletic, not musical other than a massive interest in hip hop and rap (beyond just listening). He thinks he’s ugly, hates his smile and has some acne so is very self conscious. He’s mad about football. So other than tall, not sure there’s a lot for a girl to go for there.

I followed the instructions on how to view each subject result for GCSE for DD’s school last year but just got a blank spreadsheet

Could it be due to using a chrome book?

Can’t wait for tomorrow...today is going to be a long day. Have completely lost my sense of humour. Feel drained.

The grade game does help to underline how surreal this whole experience has been! And that even with CAGs, their grades are still just a representation of what other people think they would have done, rather than what they have proven about themselves.

Hopefully none of our DC will be too disappointed. I am expecting low level disappointment from DS so my job will be to remind him of all that and get him not to take it personally.

Thankfully I have a bit of work to do today and also need to make the Bakewell tart he requested as his treat. Then will watch Bayern Munich with him tonight ahead of hopefully a good night's sleep

22hrs 55

Happy birthday miniwierd. It’s Ds’s girlfriends birthday today too so we are going to try and forget GCSE’s for a little while.

Is anyone able to report the link to each school grade boundary? Apparently it's on Sunday by Heifer on last thread. I have iPad and when trying to scroll down it keeps refreshing back to last page!

Repost not report!

We are out at 11 and will be home at 3.30/4 ish.

Then he swim trains 8-9.

So hopefully that'll make him tried enough to get some sleep!

This morning dh and I woke up and said “just one more sleep to go”! how utterly ridiculous we are

In the MN dating pool my dd is almost 6ft and has spent the last 3 years slouching a bending in photos and self conscious about the fact that her female peers “look like my children”!
Dd is an all rounder, musical and sporty and is a fierce debater.
Dds most enduring quality is most definitely her personality, she makes me laugh so hard that at times I just can’t take it. She has a quick wit and a fierce sense of humor...loyal and kind she is truly a force of nature. Dd is very emotionally mature and is very switched on to others and I often seek her advice on situations - work & friendships.
However, dd’s never been on a date or had a boyfriend and I know she’s lonely 😞
if she knew I was writing this she’d kill me
I so desperately want her to get the grades she needs tomorrow so she can move on to the next stage of her life happily after so much disappointment over the last 5 months.

Good luck to everyone else’s dc
And thank you to this thread that’s helped support me so I don’t go on about it in the house so much and stress everyone out.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn your ds sounds really lovely 😊

Thanks for asking Singing.
He's ok.
I'm the one worried. Not letting on, but I am. He seems calm. Confident he'll pass his subjects.
We all went out for food last night.

I feel shut out from his whole experience.
He's going to school on his own tomorrow. I'm at work. I offered to take the day off. He says it wasn't necessary. Then he's going to a party with his close mates. I'm not really included.

I suggested buying him something nice, and going out for a meal, he doesn't seem that bothered.

He's still training for boxing 4 times a week. I bought him a Michael Jordan basketball top and a sweatband as a present yesterday!

Walking home last night I realised he too is 5'10 at least. (I'm tiny) He finds the girls in his year bitchy. Actually they do seem to be. The boys are very laid back. But he has loads of nice mates, and is forever at huge parties, 80 people.

That will be no longer. Which seems a shame.

It's great to hear everyone's plans. I'm going in with dd tomorrow. I'll wait outside and she wants to open the envelope with me. A new experience for me as her older brothers didn't want me anywhere near them during the process!!
We're going out for a meal whatever happens. I'm a bit worried as she's so hard on herself.

@itsgettingweird - Here you go :-)

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/download-data

Following these instructions and it should work - I'm not being patronising I've typed them clearly as I kept getting it wrong myself when other people said vaguely what to do :-)

Select academic year
Continue
All of England (MUST DO THIS FOR IT TO WORK, NOT LOCAL AUTHORITY)
Continue
click on Key Stage 4 qualification and subject data
Continue
Click on file - it's big
Open file
It's slow
Click on Institution Results TAB
Filter on School Name
All GCSE results are there - unless less than 5 then not shown..

Good luck

@Confusedbutheyho

I followed the instructions on how to view each subject result for GCSE for DD’s school last year but just got a blank spreadsheet

Could it be due to using a chrome book?

I could only get it to work on a laptop? It wouldn't open on my phone

I need to go and buy DD the 2020 pandora charm today. I’m nowhere near a pandora shop and I’m working all day. I wish I was more organised 🤦🏼‍♀️

I could only get it to work on a laptop? It wouldn't open on my phone

I think that's because it's a huge file once generated.

@EasilyDelighted

Morning all, We went out for a pre-results meal last night (last night of holiday, travelling home today). DS is planning to meet friends tomorrow during the day then his favourite takeaway in the evening. I'm not back at work till Friday so I'm on taxi duty.

DS feels very angry that throughout all of this there is no sign of the Prime Minister. He has shown how little he cares for the young people of this country by being completely absent throughout exam result time. I agree.

I agree! Where is Boris?! You'd think he'd want to address these young people as in the not too distant future they'll be voting!

@Madhairday Dipping my toe into the murky dating pool waters...DS2 here, 5ft 5, pimples, very musical, funny, not outdoorsy, thinks himself quite a catch . No idea what kind of girl he’d like to meet but ideally one that doesn’t have BO.