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

9 episodes.

Heifer, we’re all watching Schitt’s Creek together (including DS who is 14). It’s just cleaned up at the Emmys, and episodes are only 20 minutes long so perfect for a quick watch after homework is done.

Heifer Race across the world on iplayer. Agent Carter from Marvel has plenty of dry humour.

Sorry to hear about some of the aspie struggles. @TheySeeHerRowling my aspie DS has always developed stomach aches/sickness as a side effect of stress, has been a common factor each time he has started a new school setting, completely anxiety related but not always easy to identify exact daily triggers as you say. I like the idea of a graph too thank you @AndwhenyougetthereFoffsomemore might try that!

Covid cases at both DS's sixth form and at younger two DC's school...not entirely unexpected, think it's only a matter of time before there are cases in almost every school in the country tbh but so far none of mine are having to self isolate. I'm just thinking of every day in school as being a bonus at this point!

Assessments for DS1 this week. He was stressy about biology today (stomach ache!) and said he didn't finish the paper but we'll see how he gets on. Biology definitely the heaviest subject in terms of homework. On a happier note he got over 70% in the psychology assessment so was chuffed with that (so was I, frankly, considering I never quite know how much work is going on versus watching shite on Youtube ).

I do find it really hard parenting a DS who is so different to me in terms of his organisation and work style. I found it hard during GCSEs and suspect I'll find it even harder the further we get into sixth form. I was that super organised, make-a-plan-allocate-sensible-amounts-of-time-and-get-it-done-well-in-advance-of-deadline-with-everything-colour-coordinated kind of girl. DS....isn't

My DD doesn’t watch a lot of regular TV. She watches a lot of YouTube videos and make up tutorials. We also do movie nights once a week and watch something together as a family.

@FlyingPandas I wasn’t like that at all! I was a last minute, cram it in, sail through on adrenaline type! And then I get frustrated with year 10 ds when he tries the same approach (with a major dose of indifference!). But dd is super organised but really slow...... and that also really frustrates me!

Thanks for all the tv suggestions. Keep them coming if you have more though :-)

Dd had a good day today - her tutor took her down to the 6th form office and introduced her to a member of staff there with some therapeutic qualifications - so she has a place of safety to go to if she feels overwhelmed She was pleased with this, so hopefully it will give her confidence that she doesn't have to let the anxiety build until it boils over

I've definitely had my struggles with dd's learning style FlyingPandas - she is a deep diver, who will spend ages on one aspect of a subject and then have no time for the rest She has got better though, since figuring out halfway through GCSEs that this really wasn't going to work for her

(We're both rubbish at keeping our desk space organised though!)

Oh, and both my dc like Ghosts on iPlayer for a TV recommendation - silly but fun

We've all enjoyed Ghosts as a family and Friday Night Dinner. All Creatures Great and Small and Land Girls DD and I have enjoyed too and she's watching The Good Place at mo and has rewatched Anne with an E as loved it so much. Oh and Derry Girls for a laugh but I wasn't as keen but love to watch stuff with DD as love family time so put up with it.

That’s really good to hear TheySeeHer, it’s things like that which can make all the difference l

Looking forward to getting DS home tonight. We spent most of yesterday evening online with him, he says he finds it hard at end of the week which isn’t surprising as he does have a very full on work load . Netflix Party and good microphone all been really helpful. His one is so clear it’s like he is in the room with us, so we are going to get the same.

Thanks for the viewing recommendations. They're currently seems to be nothing we all watch together as a family so might try some of these.

Currently DD and I are watching Heroes (iPlayer) which I watched when it was first out but have forgotten. DH and DS are watching Breaking Bad (which DH has seen about 3 times already but it desperate to share his enjoyment of it with someone else).

School has sent home a letter saying that the current lack of any cases in school is purely down to good fortune and it is only a matter of time. Which, tbh, is what we've all thought all along, but sounds more sobering to have it written down in an "official" letter.

We watch Agent Carter (DD), Agents of Shield (DD), Bear Grylls Worlds Toughest Race (DS), Rhod Gilberts work experience, Travelman, WILTY

Maths is a shocker. DS scored 78% in the recent assessment and got a C for that! He's going to ask the teacher next week what the grade boundaries were for A/A/B. Progress rteport was B's & C's. I guessing that they are not being terribly generous with the A's/A's.

DH and DS watch Home and Away, Question of Sport and Catchphrase

DS and I watch Bake Off.

Otherwise it's wall to wall football.

Turns out the second case at DS' school sits next to him in Spanish, but has been off for a week and a half. I do wonder now about that 'cold' he had...

He got a 'high 14' (?) out of 20 in a sociology test which is apparently a decent B. That'll do for now.

Maths is a shocker. DS scored 78% in the recent assessment and got a C for that! Finding the same here. I'm guessing it's a result of only being allowed to do the A level with a 7-9 GCSE. Everyone's more than capable.

Assessment week next week so better idea at that point about grades. Isn’t Maths the one that is the biggest jump from GCSE? DS seems to be really enjoying it so far and it has overtaken physics in current degree favourite but early days yet.

Firs case at DS's school this week but not his year. We're in the SE in a fairly low incidence area but cases are growing here too. It has rattled him a bit.

Telly - there is virtually nothing we watch as a family, partly because of different tastes (DS16 and DD14), partly because they do so much sport in the evenings and DH and I do a couple of things each too. About the only things we might all watch together are Bake-off and Harry Potter movies.

DD is a proper telly fan, she has binge-watched Dr Who, Death in Paradise, Torchwood so far this year and is still hooked on Horrible Histories. Also a huge fan of all things Marvel and DC.

DS watches a lot of football, he's also partial to quiz shows, travel and cookery programmes but rarely watches drama of any description (I think he struggles to follow plots, he is quite severely dyspraxic and they move too fast for him, also he is an Aspie and finds people less interesting than facts). He really likes The Apprentice when it's on.

I've been downloading each episode of All Creatures Great and Small to my phone and watching it while chaperoning DD's swimming squad each week, it's been lovely.

We are enjoying All Creatures and GBBO. DS has also loved The Wire which we watched first time around and we just binged the box set with him. Liked The Haunting of Hill House and now watching the new one on Netflix. Loves Ghosts as he was a massive Horrible Histories fan - explains the history A level....

DD loves Ghosts too. Both my two rank history as one of their favourite subjects but DS has never got into Horrible Histories, he doesn't get all the double meanings and hates the singing. DD on the other hand knows every word.

We watch Question of Sport, Top Gear, Only Connect as a family.

Both DCs like watching 80s pop programmes with me (not DHs thing).

DD likes watching Agatha Christie mysteries with me. Sewing Bee when that's on.

We all do our own thing on Netflix.

DH and I have become strangely addicted to Midsomer Murders . I can't stand cringy /lad humour so Inbetweeners is out but I do love Derry Girls and Friday Night Dinner. Love Ghosts especially the latest little back stories and although I don't like Laddish stuff I found The Young Offenders very endearing . DD will watch episodes on a roll of school dramas e.g Ackley Bridge and Waterloo rd and is a total Eastenders addict.
Assessments and school work and friendships going really well so far. Really impressed with how she is getting down to it. Total difference from GCSE. Even started a couple of conversations about visiting Unis in July. Still has her heart set on Southampton for music , it worries me as it isn't far at all but must admit the course and ethos look so right for her. I hope she can look at other courses objectively. Then again Surrey is probably quicker by train and similar course content but she is talking about Cardiff and Birmingham above there so it can't just be the distance she is enamoured with.
New thread title ideas anyone?

DD came home on Friday and has been told she is predicted Bs for all 3 subjects. This is based on no assessments so far She is a bit confused as she got two 9s and a 7 at GCSE for the A level subjects she has chosen so no new subjects. I just said it's a prediction that's all. Smash it and show them what you're capable of.
I think lots of schools give low predictions so they can be smug when a DC gets a higher grade as it's good value added to their school. DD was told she would get all 6s at GCSE in year 9 (3 year GCSE course at her school) but in year 7 she was told all As as her CATs were high.

Looks like we're heading for a local mini lockdown based on news this morning as we're in a medium risk area. I wonder which areas are low risk or if medium is the lower category. I'm not surprised as her school have been doing practice tests for online learning "just in case" so DD had to log in to a new link to check it was working last week at home so school could see which students could / couldn't access it.
Guess our visit to London won't be happening in half term now. Was hoping to visit family we've not seen since last Christmas.

Do you think there are any low risk areas at all? When I first put nhs app on my phone it said 4 cases per 100,000 and a medium risk in our area. So how low would it need to be for low risk?

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to navigate risk areas given the variance of cases per 100k even from anecdotal posts here. Compounded by the knowledge that some regions are marketing heavily to come visit in half term (Cornwall, Lake District etc) vs Wales’ attack on a travel journalist. I worked in the travel sector for many years (pre 9/11 and post) and it’s really saddening to see my old colleagues who remained loyal and absolutely love their jobs all out of work or retraining at a mature age.

I’m sorry you’ve not managed to see family since xmas Anne.

We’re awaiting DD test results post high temperature over the weekend. She’s home with no fever today, but remains of a headache and bad back. My gut says flu, but who knows as they all present so differently!