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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

GCSE Summer 2020 - Thread 11 Carry on Corona Cohort - Starting New Terms and Settings

993 replies

OrangeCinnamon1 · 04/09/2020 16:16

Welcome all to the 11th Thread for this year's GCSE cohort - The Corona Cohort!

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs regardless of the institute they attend 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 don't within this thread.

Similarly it should be recognised that the grades our children need/deserve/want will vary across the board. One same grade outcome can simultaneously cause Joy and Despair for different posters. Please be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

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 any new threads should have 'GCSE Summer 2020 Thread # : Carry on Corona Cohort' in title just to make it easier to find. Not fussy about who starts those !

From now on our DS/DD may go down various paths such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed, so we decided not to be exclusionary and stay right here in Secondary - at least until Mumsnet HQ chuck us out Grin .

At this precise moment in time we have had GCSE results . It has been decided that the higher of Centre Assesd Grades and Calculated Grades will be awarded - the algorithim seems to have been applied a schol level to the detriment of some students. Lots of our young people have already started on the next stage of their journey with some still to start.

We are all STILL trying to protect our young people's mental health, which the government claimed was their priority...when they talk about wanting students back in schools/college in September...now we have their physical health to consider too as the mingling at various settings starts up again. Hopefully a positive experience this term!

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KingscoteStaff · 12/09/2020 13:32

Well, due to various shenanigans with changing schools in Year 8, DD has ended up with a very complicated and 45 min + public transport journey to school, so getting her driving licence (and her Granny's old car) will make the school commute much easier for her.

icanbewhatiwant · 12/09/2020 13:39

@KingscoteStaff yes for ours it's the fact there's only the one school bus there and back. With 6th formers when they want to leave for free periods they can't. So ds1 was the only one left sometimes and a year on the bus cost £900

Comefromaway · 12/09/2020 13:46

Happy Birthday miniKings.

Monkey2001 · 12/09/2020 13:50

Happy birthday King Junior. Is she having a final permitted get together before Rule of 6 comes into force?

DS is at a birthday "party" today which is just his close friendship group of 4 going out for a Thai meal - potential opportunity to broaden the catering plan if he likes it with his friends!

Sarahbeans · 12/09/2020 14:27

Yes, 17 does sound so much older than 16! Hope Kingscote II has a lovely birthday!

My daughter is 17 in Nov and getting the obligatory driving lessons. We applied for her licence a month ago, still not got it back yet. She's been studying for her theory test, so needs it to book the test. Our NDN is a driving instructor and recommended she did the theory over the summer... which she has been studying for. She's ready to take the theory test when we've got her licence!

KingscoteStaff · 12/09/2020 14:55

@Monkey2001 9 lovely girls (all from the same school bubble) meeting in pub garden, then heading to restaurant for dinner.

4 of them have been in DD's room since lunchtime, trying on different outfits. Now heading out to TK Maxx as apparently one girl has realised that her shoes are irrelevant????????

Monkey2001 · 12/09/2020 15:02

Ooh, lucky timing then @KingscoteStaff!

Irrelevant shoes?!

stoneysongs · 12/09/2020 15:04

Haha that's great @KingscoteStaff
I do love teenagers, they're so funny

KingscoteStaff · 12/09/2020 15:08

That's what I heard - one desperate voice lamenting 'oh it's no use, my shoes are so irrelevant' and then a massive clumping of teenage feet down the stairs and off to TX Maxx!

I thought I'd misheard and she meant 'irreverent', but that makes even less sense!!

Oblomov20 · 12/09/2020 17:12

Glad Kings dd is off 'out out', like Mickey flannagan!

Like Singing, my lot drive me nutty re shopping list: 'I'm about to shop, want anything? Need anything? Any meal requests'. No response. Then nothing but moans afterwards!

sandybayley · 12/09/2020 17:18

Happy Birthday to mini @KingscoteStaff ! It's DD's on Wednesday and she's cross that she's on the wrong side of the 'rule of six'. She says she's going to have a gathering of 6 around the fire pit with pizza.

17 is such a wonderful edge. Makes me think of 'The Edge of 17' and 'Dancing Queen' (who was also 17). So much to look forward to in the future.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 12/09/2020 17:41

@KingscoteStaff snap, it’s my DSs birthday today too just turned 13 - eek another teenager in the house! Happy birthday to your DD. 🎉

crazycrofter · 12/09/2020 17:43

I can’t believe all these 17 year olds, it does sound so old! Dd is a June birthday so a long time to wait until driving lessons. She will be useless, I’m sure of it! Hope dd has a good day @KingscoteStaff!

IheartHarryStyles · 12/09/2020 20:17

DD tackled roundabouts on her driving lesson today. She’s cooking on gas. She’s downloaded the My Theory Test by James May app which she says is really good (I heard him plugging it on Radio X the other morning so suggested it to her). Test isn’t until 2/11 but that’s the earliest we could get it.

IheartHarryStyles · 12/09/2020 20:18

Pressed post too soon, happy birthday to all of the other new 17 year olds!

Monkey2001 · 12/09/2020 20:33

Iheart she should definitely get the DVSA app too - it has all the actual questions from the test and DS1 had a hazard perception clip in the test which he had already seen on the app.

Top tip for hazard perception - you can't click continuously, but you can click several times. DS1 failed first time because he clicked too early. Second time, each time he saw a hazard he clicked and then did 2 more clicks, and that got him almost full marks.

icanbewhatiwant · 12/09/2020 20:34

@Monkey2001 yes ds1 said the hazard perception was the hardest part. He said it's so easy to press to early.

IheartHarryStyles · 12/09/2020 21:11

Ooh I’ll pass that on to her thank you.

Shimy · 12/09/2020 23:22

A very happy birthday to mini Kings*. Hope she had a fabulous day. 17 is definitely way more mature than 16yrsSmile.

KingscoteStaff · 12/09/2020 23:52

Thanks all - she has just got in, wearing all the items of clothing/jewellery her chums have given her (5 necklaces, 2 rings, 1 fluffy jumper, a beanie, 2 stripy t shirts) OVER her elegant party dress. Should I phone your friends' mums to check they've got home safely, I ask. Groans of hideous embarrassment.

AnneOfCleavage · 13/09/2020 10:43

Happy birthday to all those turning 17 🎂🥳

Monkey which app is the one to download? The DVSA app looks like it's £4.99 but there looks like there is a separate app for £2.99 that is the hazard perception test so does the £4.99 one also have the hazard test included too? Also there looks like there are other types of driving theory apps which seem free so are they not as good as the DVSA one? Sorry to bombard you specifically but you seem so knowledgeable on this subject Smile

Monkey2001 · 13/09/2020 11:16

We got both the £4.99 one and the £2.99 one, I think there are some hazard perception clips in the £4.99 one, but may be more in the other one. I would start with the £4.99 one. I don't know about the free apps, but the DVSA one has the actual questions which are used in the test, so I thought it was worth £5 - which is peanuts on the context of the cost of learning to drive!

AnneOfCleavage · 13/09/2020 11:21

Thanks Monkey think I'll get both. Definitely worth the money as like you say it's peanuts compared to lessons. DD has had a couple of under 17 driving lessons on private land set up as real roads etc and was meant to have more this summer but instructor was so busy catching up on proper driving lessons. May be able to resume in Oct half term / Xmas hols.

Monkey2001 · 13/09/2020 11:38

The £4.99 one will take a lot more time to master than the £2.99 one as it has all the content they need to learn (rules, road signs etc). The hazard perception one is more about learn using the technique to get the marks in the test. I think it is a good idea to dip in to the £4.99 one for a couple of 10 minute sessions every day and you gradually see your scores going up as the same questions come up.

A friend of DS1 did the theory and failed the first part, said he had not come across some of the knowledge, his mum then opened the app and did some questions, got one wrong and he said "oh, that was one of the ones I got wrong in the real thing", so he wished he had spent a little more time on the app.

icanbewhatiwant · 13/09/2020 16:02

I was just reading about the learner driver apps when ds came into the room. I said "I've just been reading on mumsnet, there's a good app..." at this point he starts shouting "no, no, no" I told him he hadn't let me finish and didn't know what I was going to say, he said "no way are you using a tracker app on me" I've never before mentioned a tracker app. 🤷‍♀️