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

Problems with dd, whose Aspie anxiety is getting on top of her

She likes her subjects, classes, teachers, is doing well and studying hard, but keeps coming home early in a tizz

Yesterday she was sick at lunchtime, then went to tutor period for half an hour, THEN came home instead of going to English

Her tutor has offered to speak to her and maybe refer to college counsellor, but dd isn't exactly keen Somehow we need to get to the bottom of exactly what she is finding so stressful - she doesn't seem to know herself

Wishing everyone the best with Covid, by the way, and following your experiences closely

We've been ridiculously lucky down here so far with low incidence and no cases in schools but surely it's only a matter of time

Sorry to hear that @TheySeeHerRowling. Is it a social issue? Does she have friends at college? I hope you can get her to open up.

There’s a covid case in DD’s year but only close contacts are isolating, so she’s still in thankfully.

Thanks, crazycrofter, she does have a small group of friends but they're not super-close - I think people to hang out with at lunchtime rather than confidantes

She's always struggled socially and she hated & was overwhelmed by school - but she's said multiple times that 6th form is everything she hoped it would be She does get very stressed by apparently tiny and quite random things sometimes, so it's a case of finding the triggers, I guess

Fingers crossed the Covid stays away from your dd and her close contacts I've just read this morning of the first case in a local school, so it's getting nearer

Second case in DS's school but no isolations because the 'individual' has been off for a while.

Two cases in two days in DH's school.

@TheySeeHerRowling: I know my ds (also aspie) realised he was finings the sensory side of back to school quite overwhelming after a few months of quiet home space. He's making sure he has quite a bit of time in the quiet working room rather than the sixth form common room, and coming home once he's finished lessons too. Your dd might be quite different of course, but it seems to be helping him.

My DD is doing 2-3 hours study each night and more hours over the weekend- whilst also doing 1 or 2 shifts for her part time job at a local pub,
She is doing 3 A levels plus an EPQ which is to be completed in Yr12.
In addition she also is doing an enrichment course each term, which also generates homework and has a games afternoon each week.
She doesn’t have a lot of ‘frees’ or ‘study’ periods during her timetable.
As has been previously mentioned the amount of ‘independent study’ will vary across the chosen A level subjects.
DD is doing Latin and Classical Greek. Both A level subjects are weighted 50% on language and 50% on literature which is split into verse and prose.
DD has 3 teachers per A level subject which generates 3 lots of homework- vocab plus translation and as in English literature, also an analysis of the literature.
Her other A level, Ancient History, she didn’t take at GCSE so she is spending time ‘reading around’ the Roman and Greek elements of this A level on top of homework.
No grades given as yet for homework/ assessments / tests but we will be given grades at half term reports and at end of Autumn term report.
We’ve been told the grades are not to be confused with ‘predicted A level grades’ as this term is very much still the introductory work into A level and as such her work will be graded to reflect this.
Next term the A level will really ‘kick in’ and to expect a plateau of grades or grades dipping to reflect the increase of academic rigour.
Soz for essay 😂- it will be interesting to see what her grades are at half term.

DD has a case in her college and is freaking out. She reckons students get too close and regularly lick each other. I reckon she is being a tad dramatic. She has to be off campus for her free periods but luckily only 15 min walk away. After all the fuss about English Lit A level she has a C for first essay not bad at all and pleased with it .

Dd would never dream of setting foot in a common room AndwhenyougetthereFoffsomemore

But I'm thinking lunchtimes might be the trigger, as she has a thing about eating in front of other people and might be struggling to find a quiet corner to eat in peace - all the sixth form are corralled together in one small section of the site so it's probably hard for her to find space I'll question her tomorrow about lunch arrangements and see if my theory has legs

TheySeeHer Can she walk out to a nearby shop with just a friend at lunchtime for a quieter break?

Ds has done ALIS this week. "Lots of made up words." Bodes well.

@RedskyAtnight glad to hear that your DS has had an assessment. It’s so disheartening for DC to be told try harder etc when they are already doing their best.

First progress report due next week but parents eve not till January.

:-) @TheySeeHerRowling, I hear ya! The whole '6th form all together' thing isn't great: ds's school has an outdoor space which is 6th form only too, which ds (and his little gang of nerds ;-)) is making use of: is that an option?

Have you done stress-mapping with her? I did one with ds when he was really struggling: essentially a graph with time along the x axis, and stress level on the y axis. It helped us identify ds's stress points and talk about what would help in the high stress moments - BUT he's a tech/maths boy, so it was a tool that suited him (it was more effective than I'd expected it to be tbh!)

Apologies if this is all irrelevant: feel free to ignore at will!

Sorry to hear about the Covid cases.

OrangeCinnamon that’s a great start with the English, licking sounds a touch disturbing but it is 2020 so I guess anything goes!

Am laughing at Sprout’s DS and his made up words!!

Theyseeher so sorry to hear DD struggling. If it is lunchtime would there be somewhere quiet she could go to eat? DS stuck himself in the library for years after eating as seemed to need the quiet time to recharge before after lesson. He was struggling to put into words what he found hard about the boarding, so difficult to help when you are trying to read between the lines.

Andwhenyougetthere stress mapping is a really good idea, i could see DS responding well to the graph.

Proggy that sounds really full on for your DD. DS has 2 teachers per subject which sounds fairly common speaking to people, I haven’t heard of 3 before.

Paddington that will be good to have a progress report.

DS has tests approaching and I think they give progress report after that. I don’t think he has a clue how he is doing for a couple of subjects as they teach it very differently and the entrance nce exam focused on that so can’t judge himself by others as would have been able to do in the past.

Had a bit of a moment when the first UCAS deadline went up on the school Facebook page, brought it hom how quickly 6th form goes. I think after Christmas we will plan a few trips to places for the summer to get a taste of the cities. I think with everything that has been going on I would now prefer him to be within a couple of hours from home If possible . Depends on what and where he wants to think about. Definitely think he will be happier is somewhere smaller.

Is anyone elses's school informing them every time someone test positive and tells them in what yr group?

We've had about 12 positives in school so far (Wirral, local lockdown)
5 in 6th form the rest spread out over the yr groups and weeks.
School pointed out that "apart from the cases in the sixth form, all other confirmed positive cases have been due to community or family based transmission and not connected to school. This highlights the importance of all of us adhering to the new restrictions brought in this weekend for Merseyside, due to the alarming and increasing rates in the North West"

Thankfully their virtual learning seems spot on (especially as 6th form is live learning) which thankfully DD has now got used to and isn't stressing her out. A few funny things have happened which has helped. (Fire alarm in school going off just as teacher about to start)

It must be so hard for those with children starting new schools - It's so much harder to make friends or find quiet space right now.

Re grades, reports and parents evening - absolutely no idea. DD seems to be doing really well in tests (A in Pyscholoy essay) and about 80% in Biology and higher in PE - they have only been short 10 question tests so far though but it's a good start.
I think she has bigger tests next week.

Today she is free from self isolating - although apart from going to hockey training and matches she can't actually do anything different as no school or meeting up with friends due to local lockdown!

What are your local lockdown rules @heifer? We’re in Birmingham and outdoor/restaurant meet ups are still allowed (until next week??). Dd stayed on the train last night to go to a local town centre to meet a youth group friend who she doesn’t see much now youth group is cancelled. They did a bit of browsing and had a McDonalds! She’s going there again at the weekend to meet some old school friends. I’m a bit worried how she’ll cope if everything is closed next week.

In our local lock down it's advised not to meet anyone outside of your home outside (and illegal inside)

It's obviously a real problem here and as DD isn't at school it makes sense to try to stick to the advice if possible. Sshe can go to hockey training and play matches as that's excempt.

I can see that at some point she may have to go and meet a friend for a walk or something as she will get very lonely otherwsie.

It’s tricky isn’t it, when is she back at school? Dd seemed to cope with the initial lockdown pretty well, but I wonder if it was partly the relief of no GCSEs and the chance to sort her bedroom out! At least school provides a social outlet though, even if everything else is banned. Our dd has always been very sociable, ds doesn’t seem to mind so much!

She is due back at school after half term (2nd Nov as 2 weeks half term). It looks like half term is going to be rubbish for them.

DD also coped really well during inital lockdown - and another one who sorted out her bedroom. But this time is different. She is very social, likes to be out and about a lot. I am sure this is partyl down to being an only child and we are boring :-)

I will have to get the games back out and go back to playing tennis and hockey in the garden with her.

Also need to find some more series to watch together on netflix as she likes that. We are working our way through Ratched. Not an easy watch with your almost 17 yr old DD I can tell you and I may have had to forward fast past the odd part but she no longer seems embarassed so I'm trying not to be either. Although I have limits :-)

Any suggestions on series you watch together?

I'm so grateful to be in suffolk where covid cases are fairly low. I don't think anyone in the schools has had it. They haven't been closed this school year yet. Primary opened 1st June (Ds3 year 6 then, now year 7) ds2 went back sept. same 6th form as his secondary school. Ds3 is at UEA where so far only 43 cases fingers crossed it stays this way 🤞I don't think we will escape through this with continued low cases but I can hope.

We watched all series of Ozark as a family and DD and I watched Sex Education together. Admittedly first few minutes of Ep.1 Series 2 was an uncomfortable challenge. For both of us 🤮

We tend to watch the more ‘family friendly’ stuff with the kids! Favourites were Anne with an E and Stranger Things, plus comedies Brooklyn 99 and Parks and Recreation.

We have done Stranger Things, Buffy, Angel, The Good Place, Supernatural with DS. Orphan Black, Fringe and Alias on the list. DD and I loved Anne with an E.

@heifer, yes we get a heads up every time a child gets a positive test - they seem to send the whole year group home for a day while they work out the close contacts, then the majority come back in.

Headmistress sends a video message each week and was asking girls who were actually unwell not to log on to the streamed lessons - particularly not from bed!!!

Still Covid-dodging here, though every time I get a text I expect it to be The News

Thanks for everyone's suggestions for dd - I think she'd actually like that graph idea, Andwhenyougetthere, as she is mildly obsessed with numbers, although not doing A-level Maths

Questioned her about lunchtime arrangements and whether she was getting enough time to recharge between lesson sessions but she says it's all fine and can't really explain what's setting her off

She's gone into school quite happily this morning, so fingers crossed this will be a good day

Heifer, Dh and I are just finishing watching new series of 'Brave New World'. Like Westworld in the way it's done. Thought I might suggest watching it with Ds1 over October 1/2 Term.

This series has lots of gratituitous sex and orgys implied. But you never see any body parts.

Was talking to Ds about Huxley. Don't think they study it anymore do they?