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

@Horace123 - excellent post! I have definitely learnt something new. As you say it makes sense to support the school in their requests. DD's school is extremely thorough and I'm confident that this particular request is as a result of a thorough risk assessment. I fact I know but is as they've published it!

Are any of your dc going to a new 6th form? My DD going to a new one and does not know anyone. She’s excited and nervous. Last night we had tears and she’s worried about not making new friends, not knowing where to go and struggling to keep up with the work.

She’s friendly, chatty but can be a little shy.
6th form have sent us loads of information about the first few weeks and where she needs to go. Also quarter of new admissions are external students. So I know she won’t be alone. She said she’d wished there had been a proper induction day (was cancelled in June).

Any advice or reassurance would be most welcomed xx thank you

My DD is. Our local secondary model is 11-16, and then most children go to one of two very big 6th form colleges or an FE college, but she found them overwhelming, so she is going to one of the very few school 6th forms. She doesn't know anyone (her friends are all going to 6th form college), and will rely on school provided transport as public transport would be ridiculously convoluted. She's made a good choice for her I think, but it's a bigger step than most, and she is nervous.

@TheFallenMadonna thank you, sounds like your DD has also made a brave and wise choice as has mine. I’m so proud of my DD making this step and we’ve said to her it’s normal to be nervous.

Living in a small village, I'm amazed at all the suits and uniforms others have to wear. We have 2 secondary schools in the area with 6th forms. Then a college about 20 miles away and a few more in the 2 nearest cities. All are just casual clothes. Ds has just ordered a few pairs of joggers and tops. The oldest just wore jeans but ds2 won't wear jeans. Goodness knows what he'd do if he had to wear a suit, we went to a wedding last year and he refused to wear a jacket, we have a wedding photo of my boys with their dad, bride and groom, all the others have a smart suit on, ds wore a shirt and trousers 🤣

I think it really shows resilience if they can cope with moving to a new 6th form & will stand them in good stead for future transitions. My Dd went to a different school for 6th form and loved it. In her case it was all boys in Y7-11 so all the girls were new to the school which helped I think. So perhaps encourage your dc to try to get to know other newbies initially rather than try to break into existing friendship groups.

It's absolutely standard around here (south east) for quite formal business dress for sixth form. Suits for boys, plain shirts and optional ties (mandatory for open days, assemblies etc.) All the comps, grammars and private schools have similar requirements for dress. The sixth form colleges have no specific rules. It has been expensive to make sure ds has what he needs despite getting his suit for a bargain at the M&S sale. I suppose if he had been to a prom, it would have been bought already however girls don't have the same advantage. I feel sorry for families struggling with money trying to kit their children out in line with a very strict dress code.

DS is starting somewhere near and will be boarding. I think this bit is the worse bit, the waiting. Once they get going they will be so busy they will just crack on with it all.

@Yr11mummy dd is going to a new sixth form. She’s also really nervous! She knows one girl from her old school so that will help but they’re not really friends. I think it’s harder for them as it’s been such a long time since March, to mull over things and feel anxious.

In DD’s case, all her old school friends have stayed put, so I do worry a bit that if she doesn’t settle she’ll regret moving. She can’t go back as it’s an independent school and she’s given up a large bursary. I haven’t asked but I assume this will have been re-allocated to a new year 7/12.

I’m sure they’ll all be fine. I just hope they get a decent amount of time in school
To settle before any disruption/lockdowns.

That’s my hope CrazyCrofter, need enough time to cement new friendships. DS doesn’t know anyone at the moment.

@crazycrofter & @FoolsAssassin, thanks for reassurance and yup I really hope they get a chance to settle and make friends before further lockdowns.

My daughter chose the sixth form college, in part because she thought that the school sixth form was too restrictive. That allowed smart jeans (nothing ripped), smart clothes, no logos, no trainers and no hoodies. Her college has no rules apart from basic decency.

The school I teach at makes the students wear business clothes. The boys are in suits, but the girls get away with much more informal clothes. I think it's unnecessary and quite unfair on the boys.

The sixth form suits are a nightmare - mine are boarding at 2 different schools - one has been sensible and suspended the uniform and said casual clothes that are easy to wash. The other is sticking rigidly to its prescriptive dress code - not easy for a plus size girl with an eating disorder..........

Primark is the place for boys shirts we have found - they are £5 easy iron and come in slim fit.

Finally got our BTEC results .

DD is moving to a new school for 6th form too.
None of her friends are, and actually, a couple of friends from primary are moving to her old school, so double-whammy.
She knows a couple of people at her new school, and DS is going into year 10 there, so I’m hoping she’ll be ok. It’s actually just across and along the road from her old school, so I’m hoping she’ll be able to see her friends at lunchtimes etc.

She has to wear formal wear - trousers or skirt suit.

@EasilyDelighted how did you get them?
I hope you are both happy with the results, I’m guessing the smiley face is for both receiving them and also the actual grades?

BTec for I:media, merit. Was hoping for distinction. Never mind.

My DD is going to a new 6th form - co-ed at a indy boys school, so girls very much in the minority!

Formal business wear required for all - suits and pale shirts with collar. The shirts have been almost impossible to find (for less than £30 any way....) We still only have 3 - maybe 4 at a push. Most shops still seem to be full of summer crop tops which isn't helpful!

New college for dd. Knows one other girl going who she’s known since primary - but not someone she usually hangs out with. She was keen to make the switch from school 6th form though as wanted to be treated more grown up with no ‘little ones’ around.

Been told one week in and one week on-line to begin with - so she’s upset that it might be difficult to make friends.

No uniform for her just common sense sensible wear nothing ott.

Closure. Just had 1/2 hour phone call with Assistant Head. Got nowhere. But I've had my say I guess.

I'm sorry to hear that Oblomov20, it's so frustrating.

DD staying on to school sixth form. Phoned council yesterday about her bus pass as it hadn’t arrived yet (I was assuming they were waiting for acceptance of sixth form place) and was told although I’d opted in before the due date of 31 May I had completed the year 7-11 form not the post 16 form so she won’t have a bus pass for next week grrrrr. I did say well why did the form accept my DDs date of birth and why did I get an email receipt with a reference number or why didn’t you tell me earlier and they were unable to answer my questions. So have reapplied now and eagerly awaiting a response. So annoying. I’m still hoping the bus driver will let her on as it’s the same bus she’s been getting since she was 4/5 but will need to be prepared to take her in till it gets sorted. Thankfully am still working from home till October.

On a positive note I had a day off yesterday and DD and I ventured into town and managed to get 5 pairs of jeans/trousers and 5 tops which after a try on at home all fit so that’s good.

Sorry you didn't get anywhere Oblomov but as you say better to have obtained closure than stewing over it.

Got the BTEC results via email to parent with a pdf attachment. DS got the grades he was expecting which support his 6th form subject choices, he is staying at the same school so we don't need to finalise enrolment.

My DC is torn between remaining at school sixth form college or moving to a different college. Can anyone help me with the pros and cons of each? I think remaining at school sixth form would be more supervised, supportive and more guided whereas I can also see the attraction to wanting to move on and be treated in a more grown up way. Friends at both and pretty confident so this is not an issue.