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

Thank you KeepOnKeepingOn, what a nice thing to say.

I too, like EasilyDelighted have been incredibly supported by on the SN threads, by the amazing posters, on the MN SN boards, all those years ago. Those women were so supportive and knowledgeable, that they literally saved me. I mean that sincerely.

What I've found nice about this particular thread, is that the ethos is similar.

Completely agree about the MN SN boards. I've had numerous name changes but 10 or so years ago when DS1 was first diagnosed they were a lifeline - both logistically and emotionally.

@Oblomov20 and @User120673 I don't have any advice to add to the excellent posts already made, but sending positive thoughts and virtual gin to you both . I hope your lovely boys find 6th form options they are happy with. They are very lucky to have you as their advocates

I need to thank Monkey for posting that picture with ranking of subject popularity. Gave me a kick up backside seeing how popular Psychology is and emailed about a MSc I wanted to do for some time and they are happy to accept me and will give support I need afternmy rather long break from studying.

They are fairly confident they have spaces but I need to formally apply. By twist of fate my old tutor from original university has now retired but is a visiting lecturer having been supervised 2 of the lecturers at local uni for PhD, including head of department.
Think I will apply, just need a day or two to recover from last week before making any more big life changes!

Yeah, go Fools!

Heart wrenching and heart warming in equal measures to hear the long standing battles some of you face fighting your DCs’ corners, and the support network that kicks in from experienced MNetters

@icanbewhatiwant Sorry we don't have the bus issue but that sounds infuriating!

Really pleased Fools.
I'm currently drinking wine 🍷 in the bath. 🛀 I shall toast you.

Go @FoolsAssassin!

Thank you all I haven’t quite made a final decision as it’s been so intense the last few days that my brain is a bit fried. I think I am most likely to go for it and planning to crack on with rest of form tomorrow,

Well done @FoolsAssassin! Great news

Woo hoo @FoolsAssassin, hope it works out for you.

@User120673 I think you have already had the best advice ever but just wanted to let you know that you arent on your own. It is shit. But your DS at least has you to fight his corner.

I saw some children on GCSE day at DS school with no parents with them, distraught as they had lost their sixth form place with no backup. It was awful.

Thank you everyone for all your advice. I shall be making a list and following them. Lots of hugs to all the mumsnettters who have been trying to sort out issues for their children. We just want the best for our kids and it’s hard to see their pain when things go wrong. One good thing that has come out of this is my Ds determined to smash his A levels.

I've had a response from DS's school and they've basically said tough shit. They are never going to admit they made a mistake or that there's any bias in their school (there very much is!) so it's just suck it up.

I expected no less really but I am actually annoyed about the exceptionally patronising email they sent and how they couldn't even spell my DS's name right - it's not a tricky one either!.

Oh Popcorn that is poor.

I too have just sent my email to school. Expecting nothing. But feel better for sending it.

@Oblomov20 I am not expecting a good response either. Thinking that if it becomes known that they have admitted a mistake with one child's grade it will open the floodgates with too many others.

The name thing would infuriate me Popcorn. It really seems to say we couldn't care less. We have an easy surname with two common spellings (eg Green / Greene) and DS's reception teacher taught him to write his name using the wrong one 🤦‍♀️
(She was mortified tho!)

So sorry to read that JustHere. That is really shit for your DS esp as he got higher mock results than his peers. Why can't schools admit they may have made an error or is it a nightmare (on their part) having to show evidence etc and submit new data and they are being lazy?
Is he now axed from their 6th form? Can he do the subjects he wanted to do?
Great news Foolsassassin

@oblomov20 yes, sending the email was quite therapeutic and I'm glad I spoke up for my DS. He wants me to respond to this email but the teacher that wrote it may end up being one of his A level teachers and I don't want to make that bias any worse.

@singingstones it was the first thing I saw and it made me furious. Such a sloppy mistake and the carelessness of it sort of summed up their attitude. It was our surname and is a very straightforward one.

@AnneOfCleavage I suspect its as @NotAKaren says. Once they back down for one then other kids find out and the floodgates open.

Luckily he is in for sixth form and has got all his subjects for A level. Althogu I have to say I now feel so angry at them I don't want him to go! This is , of course, ridiculous as there is no chance he'd leave voluntarily and hopefully will prove himself in the A levels - assuming they get to sit those...

Good luck to the rest of you appealing, I do hope your schools are a little less patronising and more open to believeing that mistakes can and do happen.

Sorry to read this, @JustHereWithMyPopcorn - good luck to those submitting appeals. I hope schools take the time to listen to parents and deal with these appeals fairly. The whole thing feels like a bit of a lottery.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn Still radio silence from my DCs school. I am being patient as I do understand that they are probably inundated between this and the A level fiasco. Like you how they have been has made me think a bit less of them and lean more towards plan B.

Interesting perspective from a teacher on pressure of allocating grades

inews.co.uk/opinion/gcse-a-level-results-2020-downgrade-students-algorithm-quit-teaching-582789

Oblomov in your situation is email. Purely for the shear volume of issues. Each on an individual level would be annoying but one issue can be left. This is a catalogue of changes and absolutely no empathy towards the student who is on the other end of it. Who has already had school disrupted and could nothing about the results given as exams weren't sat.