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

[OrangeCinnamon1]

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 .

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!

First Thread

previous thread

I thought they can have a provisional licence from 16? They can ride a moped at 16.

@Oblomov20 I meant that last comment for you. Then I looked it up. It is 15 years and 9 months.

No, her college is definitely NOT super selective. It is a city college under the umbrella of 'Activate Learning' and caters for A levels and 2 year, Level 3 'Career Pathways' in a variety of subjects such as engineering, hairdressing, media etc. It also does access to HE courses and Level 2 GCSE equivalent courses. So it's massive has a lot on offer.

Her first week commenced on 14th September and was online. Last week she was in college but had only 4 hrs f2f teaching for 2 subjects and only 3 hrs for Art because her teacher can't do the other hour on Thursday because she herself is doing a course!

This week is online and media teaching has consisted of a 46 slide powerpoint presentation of things she has never studied before. She now has to watch a 1979 film and write an essay on it, using 'media language' and this will help the teacher decide if she is OK to stay on the course.

Sociology - they have accepted too many onto the course so the students were told that they were considering asking those with the lowest GCSE grades to reconsider even doing it (dd is probably one of those). They all had to write their grades down and hand them in to the teacher. Then they changed their minds and will be deciding who they ask to leave, based on assessment/essays.

It is so, so different to her old school who were so supportive and well, just there to help! DD does not want to draw attention to herself in any way by asking for help as she doesn't want any focus to be on her and her GCSE grades. I suggested she email her media teacher her essay to at least see if she was on the right track. She won't.

Oh and still no further forward with maths retake.

She (and I) had such high hopes with this college. She hated school with a passion and was so looking forward to a new environment but this college is a shambles so far. Unfortunately, there is no alternative.

Sorry to go on an on about us. It's just really pissing me off

I recommend Ken Browne's book 'Introduction to Sociology' for anyone struggling. It is GCSE based but it is so user friendly. Hefty but worth it!

It all sounds a bit chaotic pasanda!

What's the film?

By the way, the 'if you don't do this, then this happens' approach is common in my schools in some notorious subjects. It rarely comes to pass because the school needs money and students have to have a certain amount of 'guided learning hours' to attract funding!

The invariable consequence is they drop the 'mean' subjects and end up in the 'nice ' ones!

The film was Alien.

I am hoping they need bums on seats Piggy

Just catching up!

Piggy so disappointing that Spanish a mess. Dropping seems sensible.

Christopher Its hard to get over a sense of injustice but you must be delighted with those marks. Good for confidence.

DD has two General Studies lessons. Study and life skills. The new Sixth Form head got them to fill in a form asking what they'd like to discuss. Proper sex ed was popular! We'll see what they do...

So far we've been okay on the Covid front. Several off with flu, colds but all negative tests so far. I know it won't last but I'm hoping DD gets a good chunk of teaching before the inevitable email.

Piggy and Pasanda sorry to hear your DC schools are not delivering. We all know that the UK education system has many inequalities but this year is just desperate - the Spanish teacher not being able to start and Pasanda DD having so much on line is an additional unfairness to stick in the pot! It is great to hear on this thread about the people who are being well taught and thriving, but also throws up disparities.

@pasanda sorry to read about all the issues. It sounds chaotic and I'm not surprised you're beside yourself. Fingers crossed it works out in the end and your DD can do the A levels she wants.

So they are doing one week in, one week out in a rota then? I guess trying to limit the number of kids in at any one time. Frustrating.

Our school has now shut the 6th form until after half term. All Yr12 & 13s been sent home to do online learning instead. Must log in at lesson time as usual. Works well for DD tbh as she has to self isolate anyway for 1 week, then 1 more week before a 2 week half term.
The school now has 8 cases (5 in 6th form, all but 1 Yr13).

@pasanda that sounds really tough for your DD (and you). I hope she manages to stick in there, and show them she is worth her place and can thrive with or without their help (ideally with)...

@Piggywaspushed - sorry to hear no Spanish.. Can he do it as an extra with a tutur (how about the teacher as she can't start in school for some time).

Fools - glad DS is settling in now.

No extra stuff here for DD (even before being sent home). They are purely just having their lessons at the moment, no form time even. Desperately trying to reduce risk of mixing.

We are on the Wirral where even more local measures just been announced. Maybe now people will take not.

Surprises me that even now, I've seen whataps convo where adults are trying to change their dinner bookings with friends to Friday night before the no mixing with different households in restaurants etc comes into force. I have been out with someone from a different household since my birthday in early March! DD has been out for dinner with friends but at least she had been with them at hockey or school anyway.

@Piggywaspushed and @pasanda, so sorry to hear your kids are getting a substandard offering. It’s so unfair. Piggy, could your ds do Spanish privately if that was key to his future plans? Pasanda, fingers crossed that they’re empty threats and/or other students voluntarily drop out so there’s no pressure on numbers.

I think he will just change his future plans , sadly. But that's OK.He'll find his way!

find

@pasanda I think the teachers are just trying to scare them into working hard so they get off on a good foot.

At my DDs school they are being told they have to sit an exam next week and if they don’t pass, they will lose the place on the course. However, after speaking to previous students, it seems they don’t actually kick people off the course unless someone has done no work at all.

Ours isn’t a selective school either.

DD seems to be getting a lot of hw though. She’s getting 2-3 hours a night! Is that normal for 3 A-Levels?

2 to 3 hours in the eve sounds about right unless they are using every single second of study periods/lunchtime. DD has been told ‘1 hour independent work for every taught hour’.

The study periods are supervised so they do use that time too.

DD has also been told about the one hour of independent work too but she says that includes homework. I am not sure since she’s getting a lot of homework so she wouldn’t have time to do anything else.

She mostly does Art at home as she can’t go into the art rooms during lunch anymore

Dd is roughly doing 2-3 hours a day, though she's only doing about an hour at home and does the rest in study periods

Yes ds says he is doing most of his in study periods. It concerns me that he doesnt seem to be going the extra mile though, I would say he has half the amount of homework he used to have at his old school.

@ChristopherTracy dd also has less work than last year. I think it’s because her last school drove them into the ground.. plus she’s now not doing the subjects she found harder and she’s able to work at school in her study periods.

DS has very few frees but does work in those. he does about 90 minutes work a day at the moment. The 3 hour lessons do mean they seem to be getting less homework.

Hmmm, not much evidence of homework here, not more than a couple of hours/week and spends frees socialising. Maths test today.

@Monkey2001 I think if the frees weren’t supervised then my DD would also be socialising. But they have to sit in silence in a classroom and do their work. They are allowed to use their phones though!

The supervision is something they put in place for covid. Normally they would be allowed to go to the common room or even go into town during a free.

DD is doing IB so has limited free periods. She's doing 2-3 hours a night as well, most nights nearer 3. It's a lot more work than last year but she seems OK with it.

The volume and frequency of work (6 subjects) means she has to be 100% on top of it. I think that discipline suits her.

She is still fitting in music, sport and socialising as well. For now socialising is allowed so I think she's making the most of it.

Mine is in free period now and keeps sending messages. He wants collecting 3.30. Bus comes at 4pm. Seems silly collecting him really. He's also sent the game ping pong to play because he's bored. So they aren't being watched otherwise he'd not be on his phone.