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

@Oblomov20 I know several with a year 7 and a year 12 too. It's a big age gap. I have a second year university student due to go back too.

DD had induction day yesterday. She came home happy, which is relief.
The SENCo made a beeline for her to say they'd get together very soon to draw up an IEP. She asked DD about her results and DD told her a couple were a bit of a pleasant surprise, to which the SENCo replied, " Not a surprise - deserved! We need to work on your self-esteem! " No SENCo has ever made the first move, let alone been so positive with DD, so I'm hopeful that this is a good sign of things to come.

The head of the 6th form told the students that she has campaigned for them to have as much freedom as possible - in other words, they are free to move in and out of school during lunch breaks and free periods, whereas the rest of the school are not. I'm guessing she's worried that year 13s, who have missed 6 months of independence in year 12, won't be ready for uni if they can't have the freedom they'd usually have.

Both DD and DS have started properly today, and first up is school photos - thank goodness DS got to the barber's last week!
Back in the same school together for the first time in 5 years.

Well DD went off this morning happy - phoned me 5 mins later to say she is coming home to change her shoes (new and didn't bother to walk around in first) she couldn't walk in them (loafers). She then went off stressed as possible would be late..

Seems to have got there on time, has sent me her timetable which she thinks is good :-)

Would be interested to know others experience
DD has a 2 weeks timetable, and over the 2 weeks has 31 hours of lessons and 19 frees. Is this normal? She has
Biology, Pyschology & Pe x 9 hourly lessons and Core maths 4 hourly lessons (all over 2 weeks).
She will love me as on Wednesday only has core maths (which she doesn't really want to do) and nothing else... They are allowed to come and go as they please (as long as they are working at the correct standard).

I feel rather behind as DS not back until next Wednesday (and DD going into year 10 not until Thursday).

School has sent nothing out recently so no idea about policies on anything really. There was a new head last September and his favourite thing seems to be changing as many things as possible (new uniform being introduced and other annoying changes) but not actually having much communication.

Interesting the massive Covid differences. DS not allowed out of school and they are collected by the next teacher and guided to the next classroom.

There is also a lot of mustering on the basketball courts.
And encouragement to go home early - no studying in the library or what not.

Plus I was surprised to see no sport or exercise timetabled at all - is that normal? I had to do lots of sport in sixth form back in the day.

We didn't have to do any sport or exercise in the 6th form when I was there....nearly 30 years ago now!

No sport or excercise timetables here at all either - they used to be able to join clubs if they wanted but they are not operating at the moment.

DD has gone in for her welcome day today - she is only in 3 hours. She said she will get her timetable and be put in a tutor group. Next week she has subject days, then college starts the week after 0 they are doing 1 week in college and one week at home.

She got to college 30 minutes early today, but at least she was not late" It did mean she had to get up at 6 for the 7.15 bus, which was a shock for her.

1 x whole afternoon per week here Christopher

Weirdly random then, no wonder we have such trouble with obesity in this country. I will have to pay for him to join my gym I think.

@ChristopherTracy My DD is doing A Level PE and still won't be doing any timetabled sport! usually they would be allowed to use the swimming pool and gym and lots of enrichment clubs but that's all on hold for the 1st term at least. Luckily we have a treadmill and DD plays hockey so she will be fine.

DD has just phoned to say she now has 3 hours off and is going back to her friends house who lives 5 mins away... She has said herself she will have fun this week and then work during free periods from next week.. (fingers crossed).

Re Covid - each year group has been given a certain part of the school and they are to stay in those parts all day long (including eating their lunch)(, as well as their own outdoor space. DD was a bit miffed as usually would share 6 form block with Yr 13s butYr 13s have it all whilst Yr 12 have music rooms, library, conference hall. Sounds pretty well thought out to me.

No info at all here. DS has an induction day on Friday (and the only info he's had for that is what time to arrive - not even a "where to arrive"). Hopefully he'll work it out/ be told more on Friday.

DS is annoyed that, due to Covid, sixth formers cannot now leave the site at lunch time. It's previously been a "perk" that they could go out and buy their lunch at Tesco.

@Heifer DS did A levels a year ago and had 9 hours/2 weeks/subject + an extra subject hour/2 weeks/subject with a room but no teacher. School was always keen to stress that the other periods were not "free" but "study periods"!

I don't think sport is compulsory in any state school sixth form, DS1 said there were optional activities (he did not do any, but walked 2 miles each way to/from school every day, so was fit), at DS2's school Y12 and Y13 can join Y11 sports, but rarely do.

@Heifer My DD gets 1hr10 for each subject per week (she's doing 4 at the moment). She gets 4 x 35min lessons for study periods (frees!) each week and one afternoon of sport (definitely not optional, although she would prefer it that way).

@Seeline can you confirm how much time per A level? as I'm not sure I'm reading that right :-)

Thanks @Monkey2001 that sounds similar timings then - Yes school have sent out lots of information on how to best use the "Frees" (or study periods as you rightly say). Assuming they will need to use them wisely or the work will just pile up. DD knows the more she does at school the less she will have to do at weekends.

@RedskyAtnight I'm not suprised your DS is miffed with not being able to go out at lunch when 6th formers previously could. I know it's one of the things DD was looking forward to (am sure novilty will wear off)

@Heifer - that's because I haven't written it right She gets 4x 1hr10 per subject per week !

Dd not back til tomorrow but I read in the induction info that they have 10 hours per subject over the two weeks. They also have supervised study periods for half their frees. She’s ok with that as she’s conscientious but also doesn’t want to get overwhelmed with work at home. I think If there was no structure she might just waste her free lessons socialising!

DS not back until next Wednesday and we haven't had any info yet. School are meant to be publishing Covid guidelines today and he has short interview for sixth form tomorrow - he is staying at some school so just a tick box exercise I think.

No sports for sixth form at ds's school either - which I find very odd. He's been discussing doing squash out of school with a mate which would be good as otherwise he is NOT a sports orientated kid - defo prefers solitary activity rather than team stuff!

No sports for our 6th form either. Not even if they do gcse pe.

Ours are meant to stay in school all day. Though it says they can have a driving lesson in free periods. The majority of pupils get school, so obviously have to arrive and leave with the rest of the school. But when ds1 was there by the end of year 12 most were driving and leaving early if no lessons. Ds1 was May born so he had to continue on the bus for the whole of year 12. But ds2 will be 17 November. So he's hoping to be driving there early next year.

DS went back today. He gets 6 hours a week per A level. Sports compulsory one afternoon a week, one PSHE lesson, and a couple of supervised study lessons.

DD went in today, really loved it, met lots of new people. She can’t wait to go back. Such a relief, not in now until Monday.

Good to hear all the positive first day stories! Induction day for DS today too and all seems to have gone well. Really pleased that his sixth form is aiming to have both Y12 and Y13 in full time from Monday onwards - lots of staggered start and finish times, mask wearing in corridors etc but at least they are full time. Another of our local colleges is doing the alternate "one week in, one week online" thing so I feel grateful that DS's sixth form hasn't opted for that. He should get his timetable over the weekend.

No PE here either, I remember that being one of the joys of sixth form for me back in the day, I hated PE . DS'll be doing enough walking to keep him fit though, between walks to and from station and college I reckon he'll be notching up somewhere between 2 and 3 miles a day.

I’ve been having a nosey at DD’s A-level maths homework. I’m pleased that I can still do it, and can even see why they’re doing it and what it’s leading up to. I used to love maths when I was at school....

No compulsory PE at DDs school past Y11 but generally there are still plenty of teams & clibs that they can get involved with. So far we've been told nothing for the first term, we'll see what happens after that.

Ours do seem to be encouraged to be elsewhere when they don't have lessons. They have a very small allocated outdoor space and the common room. However they are not able to eat in there, and don't have an allocation in the dinner hall rota (must collect a sandwich at break if they are buying lunch from school). So, at a guess 250 students and last time I looked 3 picnic tables. Very socially distanced I'm sure .