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

That’s great news @User120673 I hope your DS flourishes at sixth form

Oh @User120673 that is the best news I’ve heard all day! Fantastic! So pleased for you and DS. You have done an amazing job advocating for him I hope enrolment goes well tomorrow and that he has a brilliant time.

@User120673 fantastic news, I’m so pleased for you both! What a weight off your minds.

That’s wonderful news @User120673! I am so pleased for you and DS - I hope he settles in quickly and really flourishes in his new school

@User120673 - Excellent news :-) Never have I felt so pleased for someone's son who I've never ever (nor likely to) :-)

Cheers to that head teacher too

Another cheer for @User120673. Your DS can leave that toxic school for a fresh start. Good luck to him!

@User120673 that’s great news! Does he know anyone else going there? How is the journey? I hope it goes well and he settles in quickly.

Brilliant news @User120673 👏🏻 So Happy for you both. Onwards and upwards!

Had a chat with a few other parents recently and it was a little sad to hear some of the grades being the same as the November mocks where people were ill or missed the March ones. Some were a couple of marks off the next grade up in November and I find it hard to believe they wouldn’t have pulled off the higher grade with all those extra months practice.

Sounds as if school did stick to the previous 3 years data which would have penalised them as this year they have significantly more DC who in other years would have gone to the Grammar plus a new Head who is making a difference, could see the improvement starting last summer where they got four times the number of 9s in Maths as the previous year for example. Feel a bit sad for them but time to forward.

Hi

Is there a thread that discusses the changes to GCSE / A-levels next year? There is an open consultation about which parts should be omitted. I am interested in your views.

ccea.org.uk/news/2020/august/ccea-launches-consultation-proposed-changes-gcse-and-gce-qualifications-summer

@User120673 Fantastic news so pleased for you and your DS

@ChristopherTracy

My school admitted that in fact what they had done was give ds grades that he would have got in an exam on his worst day i.e. his working grade with no bump for months of revision etc.

Whereas other schools believed in their kids and gave them the benefit of the doubt. Galling.

This is appalling and further testament to the fact that many students have been treated really unfairly in this whole sorry situation

• @User120673* that is great news, I'm so pleased, what an utter relief.

Brilliant news @User120673 I’m so pleased for you son I hope he achieves every happiness in his new school.

@ChristopherTracy I have an inkling that’s what DD school did, which is not what I expected at all. I can’t understand how she dropped grades from her mocks, dropped grades from her classroom performance and instead got grades that were far lower than she had ever been predicted to get in some subjects.

@ProggyMat Staying out of subject decision making is probably wise! DS's school doesn't offer ancient history - he would have loved to do that. I think at the moment he is leaning towards maths. He was supposed to do an intensive residential Greek course over the summer but it was sadly cancelled.

@User120673 yes. Great news for you.
Reading all this makes me realise how easy this has been for us. Ds2 is going to 6th form at his secondary school. They were all told they had their place before results came through. Obviously knowing whether each child was capable of the A level course. They have the option to re take GCSE English and maths if needed.

@User120673 that is such fantastic news, I am so happy for him. I wish him all good firtune going forward!

@User120673 I'm so pleased for you and DS There are still some Heads with our childrens best interests at heart!

That's great news @User120673 - now you can move on to the really important stuff like buying stationery!!!

Thank you all for your good wishes. @crazycrofter it is about 30mins away by car. Ds knows a couple of people who attend the school. It is a good school with a small Sixth Form and really good pastoral care. Have small Sixth Form classes so good for Ds.
Thank you again everyone and best wishes to all your Dc who are starting a new journey.

I have just spent a small fortune of stationery and laptop sleeve. School have advised that we need all our own Covid art stuff and also Ds has decided that he needs colour coded notebooks for all his subjects.

Tiny bit of positive news, EPQ is now shown on his timetable. Although they seem to be amending teachers, time tables and form teachers hourly for both DCs!

Phew that is great news User. I'm sure his brilliantly worded letter helped a lot as it proved he was better at English than his grade showed.

DD also is going to a small 6th form but it offers the EPQ and a huge range of enrichment too.

She has to wear business attire so she has a pink blazer and a plum one so she feels more like herself but has heard they only want black, white, navy and grey colours which scuppers her. I've said to wear it as it's smart and so her and hope that as she was told she is an asset to the school as a high achiever and all round lovely student they won't fuss too much. Her Arty friend also loves bright colours so she won't be the only one.

My daughter too has to wear smart business attire and has bought a pink blazer! 😊

So thrilled for your ds @User120673 - I was stressed for you so can't imagine how much more stressful it must have been living with it.

I've a question that I don't know is answerable. DS did well but because he goes to a pretty selective school and we hang out with people with clever kids, we know a lot of kids with a clean sweep of 9s. He got 9s in the relevant A level subjects and the top grade for his further maths qualification (PCAS points). 8s in the rest except for his crappy French. I don't know whether he wants to aim for Oxbridge etc but would the fact that he's got more 8s rather 9s (when we know so many 10x9s) mean that's out of the question? Do top universities distinguish between 9s and 8s? And would the 2020 cohort thing count against him (more people with top grades) or for him (a bit more scepticism/flexibility about GSCEs)?

I think if he'd done the exams he'd have got more 9s but probably more lower grades too so on balance it was fair. His crappy French was always crappy and school were keen for him to drop it as he was doing 11.

Apologies if this sounds precious and elitist when others are dealing with far more pressing issues.

Sorry that should be UCAS points... it was called UCCA back in my day.