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

Dd briefly considered English but she’s not much of a reader either. She’s very happy with her choices of History, Psychology and RS. She doesn’t want to do an EPQ. For a start she doesn’t have any good ideas. She’s also a slow ponderous worker so better to have less to do. She’s also just applied for a job at McDonalds!

@IHeartHarryStyles - I'm really pleased everything is sorted and you're both happy with the Btec route. It must have been so hard for your daughter yesterday (and for you to watch).

DD is rearing to go and is reading her Psychology book right now. I think she will really enjoy Biology, Psychology and PE and really get into them all.

I still feel shattered as the stress is slowly leaving my body.. Goodness know how this is going to feel in 2 years time! ;-)

I wish it was nice and sunny for the youngsters to really enjoy their last few weeks off before it starts all over again.

Struggling to keep up with the pace of these threads.

@IHeartHarryStyles glad you’ve found a way forward with BTecs for your DD.

DD has accepted sixth form place, confirmed choices and had some welcome info and told she will be emailed her timetable on 2nd September. She is due to do Music, Drama, psychology and photography A levels (with a view to dropping one).

@Alsoplayspiccolo I also have doubts about DD doing psychology but she was adamant she wanted to do it.

Sixth form clothes shopping tomorrow

@Northumberlandlass

I’m still here as well - hope you all don’t mind! This thread moves so quickly it’s hard to keep up! I’m glad you’re all sorted now @IHeartHarryStyles - that must be a relief after yesterday’s trials.

I hardly know what to do with myself now the dreaded results are over. Obviously I should be prepping for the new term with my new class, but I’m somehow lacking motivation

I also seem to be considerably poorer after forking out for sixth form uniform, sports kit and shoes - ouch!

It seems like Psychology is a very popular choice but also one that is very often dropped early on. Apparently it’s not what people expect it to be. I think dd may find it a bit dry and a lot of learning case studies etc. But she doesn’t really have an alternative court that’s available where she’s going so there’s no going back!

@IHeartHarryStyles glad your dd is sorted now. I’ll be interested to hear how the BTECs go and what she ends up doing in future.

EasilyDelighted, that’s awful!
When will this debacle end?!

I’ve lurked on this thread since year 10 but the stress of these exams results has made me realise the support and good advice we can share with each other- new (school) year resolution not to lurk but participate - if I can keep up😂😂😂

Which sport is your daughter doing @IHeartHarryStyles? My daughter is doing the BTEC Sports and exercise science. They don't do A level PE at her college, but she had the choice of two BTECs in Sports and she chose this one.

She's also doing A level psychology and biology. Same as lots of others.

Psychology seems a very popular choice with so many of them! Will be interesting to see how many swap it. Not sure if my daughter will stick at it.

I am in awe of some of you and your DC still having to negotiate courses (and where to study them) after the challenges of last few weeks. These next years are unchartered territory for me, so very much looking forward to help, especially from those that are here again (and again times x?)

DD is doing English, History (ancient) and Spanish A levels; Maths AS (over 2 years).

Got my fingers crossed for you Piggy that you find a solution to your son doing Spanish, or is that truly dead and buried now?

DD is doing Ancient History, Latin, Classical Greek and an EPQ
In addition, she could choose between an AS in Maths, Classical Civilisation or a suite of enrichment courses- her new school has an ethos of learn for the love of learning.
She’s chosen 3 courses: a language taster which includes Hebrew and Sanskrit, forensic psychology and Social and Political Science.

Thank you everyone.

@Sarahbeans this is the course that DD is going for. She’d hoped to do A-Level PE but this looks great and probably more of what she is interested in.

@Piggywaspushed

That's a toughie. I would ALWAYS say don't do Lit if reading is not your thing although I have had people do really well who don't read much but can analyse and write well. They don't necessarily enjoy it though.

Sociology is another subject if mine. It's great, wide ranging and challenging. It doesn't overlap with Law. Biased opinion ahead : sociology is debating, enquiring, pondering and challenging . Law is rote learning facts and cases. Very little evaluation. This is A Level to be clear. Students who do well are the assiduous learners. I just think it is so dryyyyy.

Are there any other alternatives? Lang/Lit? Politics? History? Media maybe?

Thanks Piggy ...she is not sure that she'd enjoy the texts. She really enjoyed Tess though! She is worried about not heing fast enough to read. I've suggested Drama and Theatre or RS. RS is a 'known' and she didn't do Drama but thinks she'd enjoy it. DH is trying to bribe her to stick with what she has .
I forgot to mention panicking as we need to act quickly. She has her Music A level on a different site so poss timetabling issues.

ealing thanks : at the mo he has choices of Spanish, economics, history and sociology confirmed with a view to dropping one he may not like as much, or needing to ditch Spanish. We have been told a replacement was found fort he departing Spanish teacher. I enquired whether this was a qualified teacher of Spanish . No reply.

So we'll have to wait and see what the quality is!

At the moment, his stated aim is interpreter, although I am sure this will change but it seems so unfair that some kids might be prevented form pursuing languages because of woeful provision in lots of state schools. Fingers crossed.

Life would be easier if he had chosen French instead of music at GCSE!

I love Tess! Its the book that made me decide, at 15, that I wanted to do an English degree.

RS and sociology are a good mix, I think?

Pretty sure psychology is now the third most popular A Level, even possibly the second. It has surged in popularity.

At my school, the 'new' subjects are the most commonly dropped within a few weeks : last few years this has been business, Lang/Lit, psychology : I know because they nearly always get siphoned off to me!! Students have tended to stick at law, politics and other new things. I think part of that is teacher approach though as some are very determined to make their subject appear scary so that it isn't undervalued or underrated so do a lot of tests and homework at first.

I also think - despite being told! - a lot of students are in denial about psychology being a science.

@Piggywaspushed

I love Tess! Its the book that made me decide, at 15, that I wanted to do an English degree.

RS and sociology are a good mix, I think?

We watched the BBC version Tess recently with Gemma Aterton ....absolutely gorgeous. MIL's friend dropped of the Polanski version for DD to watch too I was

Orange is the music a level private or is it 2 different colleges she's enrolled on?

Oh yes, best not mention Polanski...

@itsgettingweird

Orange is the music a level private or is it 2 different colleges she's enrolled on?

Ahh yes so we are East of you (I think) at the college that has one site for BTECs /T levels and one for A Levels BUT A level Music is run at the BTEC site because it has great music facilities. They put on a little minibus for them. It might not even matter this year ...enrolment interview on Tues will find out then.

Now she is saying she probably does like reading ...just has gotten out of the habit. She does quite a lot of analysis with her Music and enjoys it and English Lit was her favourite lesson at school so perhaps just nerves.

[quote EasilyDelighted]**@itsgettingweird* and @OrangeCinnamon1* pretty sure I'm from your neck of the woods too [/quote]
Aren't we lucky

at @Janie74

Everyone is welcome! Thanks to @OrangeCinnamon1 for making this a lovely inclusive place.

I’m slightly aghast at DS science choices as I’m far more arty!

As my ‘name’ suggests I am quite far North!

Ahh yes so we are East of you (I think) at the college that has one site for BTECs /T levels and one for A Levels BUT A level Music is run at the BTEC site because it has great music facilities. They put on a little minibus for them. It might not even matter this year ...enrolment interview on Tues will find out then.

@OrangeCinnamon1and @itsgettingweird I went to one of these but now live closer to the third one in the group.

The more that stay Janie the better. I am enjoying seeing a diverse range of interests from our DC. It was quite a difficult to narrow down here, with DD having odd pangs of regret losing French and Mandarin. I think this is more sentimentality - languages came to such an abrupt end when they were just getting into pre-exam confidence flow.

Very confused now Orange ds college has 2 sites but don't do a levels. He's at one that does t levels and BTECs and has the new new specialist centre.

I bet google would tell me

@Northumberlandlass as does mine