GCSE Summer 2020 Thread 10: Carry on Corona Cohort ‘The Next Step''

[OrangeCinnamon1]

Welcome all to the 10th Thread for this year's GCSE cohort - the Corona Cohort!

This is a thread for supporting all young people ( and their parents) who were examined for GCSEs 2020 regardless of the institute they attended or the grades they needed. 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 needed/deserved/wanted 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 grin ) 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 it us 'results day ' most have GCSE results and some awaiting BTEC results .

We are all ALWAYS 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 popping this here.

previous thread

to offer French and geography instead of physics and maths

Eh? Bonkers!
That really does sound like they needed extra people in those subjects - ie a solution based on what's best for the school/college rather than the child.

Sorry, did not mean to quote the whole post!

@AWanderingMinstrel - all advice welcomed. DD is very good at maths (9 at GCSE, A at Ad Maths and competitions etc) so is up for HL Maths. We always thought she might go into Maths but she is dead set on medicine.

Her new school have advised us on choices for medicine and IB so she's doing Biology and Chemistry at HL as well as Maths. The real appeal of the IB is the ability to keep her French going as she's keen to work abroad in the future. The school sends plenty into medicine via both IB and A Level so we let her choose which path to take.

I will probably start a Medicine 2022 thread at some point but need to get DS1 off to university first (October 4th!) before I can get my head round it.

@ChristopherTracy Agreed. So much for supporting the ex Y11s and making sure that they are not disadvantaged. What is also difficult is lack of clarity from 6th form and colleges about whether grades. Leaving kids in limbo for days weeks and then a big rush to sort it all out with little time to consider the options. Such a fuss is made of going to open evenings and choosing when really it comes down to results a last minute rush for many which is really not good when making such huge decisions.

@sandybayley she may change her mind so its good to keep her options open. My point was not about getting into medical school, lots of IB students do of course, but just how difficult it might be the first year as she will not have covered the same depth and so she will need to up her game from the off. I know the dilemma well- languages really are so important and the IB is so good at keeping their options open.

I swear I replied to oblomov but can't see it!

I was going to say could DS resit and show them he is better in Lang. A resit in Lang is minimal workload really.

And it was meant to be to monkey!! Back to bed for me!

Bloody hell...No it wasn't...

😂😂 it's been a tough few days @Piggywaspushed!

Staying on at school has never been an option for ds. They offer AS level music an a 4th optional extra instead of a EPQ or work experience or D of E but no other suitable courses.

In case people are waiting for news of BTECs

Monkey :

"Those subjects look very odd for his interests. "

Hmmmmm. You could well be right. I'm fed up thinking about all this bollocks!

Piggy: He has no intention of doing any resits. Lazy? Realistically though I've said on earlier threads I wouldn't advise re-sits (not having been taught for 6 months, should just concentrate on the next step of A'level's) , unless it was totally essential.

Sandy re local college, don't get me wrong, I know it's an extremely good college. But he had his heart set on his school 6th form, which is a 10 minute walk. The college is 2 trains and an hour commute, or 10 miles driving.

@ShaunaTheSheep if she's already got a strong preference against modern history, I would choose based on the courses. I'm also not sure I would want to study 20th century German or Italian history, even though I do like modern history. I'm much more a British history person, even though that sounds a bit parochial! I did American History in my first year at uni and even that was a bit dull by comparison.

We seem to be back to the usual posters on this thread now! Newcomers are all very welcome of course, but it seemed like a new thread over the last few days, as I didn't recognise anyone!

@Oblomov20 - I hear you on travel to school. DD's new school is walking distance from us. With the later start of school (9am) she'll be rolling out of bed later then ever.

DD's new school have sent through full handbook of school ops for next term. It's very thorough and reassuring.

Yes @crazycrofter it all got a bit crazy. Lovely kind-hearted thread, credit to everyone that it stayed supportive throughout. Long may it last!

I'm stopping thinking about Ds1 now. My brain hurts.
I'm serving us all chilli, then Dh and I are going out to a pub for a drink!

@singingstones

In case people are waiting for news of BTECs

@singingstones thank you for posting this. I've been looking all day and not found anything! Have they given any indication of how they are regrading the external exams? Some suggestion they were going to use internal assessment grades but not sure how that will work? Do you have any thoughts?

😊 I’m still here
Scary to think in 2 years our DC will be leaving for Uni’s!

I’m trying to nudge DS to start thinking about what he needs to start 6th form!

He seems happier in himself today - he’s been sullen & snappy all week but adamant that it wasn’t the stress of results 🤔 But he’s not very aware of his emotions & I think internalises quite a lot.

I don't know I'm afraid @ThankyouPeter
It's all very opaque isn't it, absolutely rubbish from Pearson

I started here a million threads ago with a different username and then drifted away but the stress of the last week or so brought me back. I can honestly say everyone’s wise counsel on MN has been a saving grace following yesterday’s plot twist for DD.

Just been out and spent 70quid on ds sixth form clothes. Why are they always such an awkward shape?

Oblomov, I grew up down the river from the college you’re talking about - my brother went there many moons ago! #smallworld

DD’s school sent a brief email yesterday, which only gave a dedicated email address to use if students wanted to change their A level subject choices; no mention of appeals, resits or anything else.

On the other hand, her new school sent her a congratulations letter and invited her to an induction day before term starts; one of her biggest worries was starting term with the rest of the school and not knowing where to go or what to do.

She’s chosen English lit, drama, geography and psychology to start, with a view to dropping one for an EPQ.
Piggy, DD is a student who doesn’t read a huge amount (throwback from when she struggled with reading, and not as stimulating as visual stuff for her ADHD, I suspect), but she really enjoys the analysis side, so I’m hoping she’ll be ok.
I have my doubts about psychology, but she was adamant history was a no-go, after finding GCSE too dry and dense and having no interest in Russian history or the Tudors.

BTEC results not out till next Friday