Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

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

Original poster

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!

First Thread

previous thread

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
ChristopherTracy · 07/09/2020 17:32

So today DS isnt doing his homework - back to normal then. He just cant self motivate himself. We had a little er discussion about it and now I feel upset and headachy.

Welcome to the new year, same as the old one!

crazycrofter · 07/09/2020 18:03

Oh dear @ChristopherTracy I’ve been feeling a bit like that with year 10 ds and he hasn’t even had any homework yet! Over lockdown ds has really focused on piano and fitness and made massive progress in both - he’s just not interested in GCSE subjects! I guess they have other priorities and once out of the academic treadmill they’ll be fine.

RedskyAtnight · 07/09/2020 18:09

DS made a new friend today - someone who's joined his sixth form from another school. Bear in mind that DS's school is a bog-standard comprehensive with a mixed demographic intake. His new friend used to go to "a boarding school near Windsor". I have resisted the urge to ask if it was Eton surely there must be other boarding schools near Windsor but that's quite a big change for him!!

Monkey2001 · 07/09/2020 18:09

And DS has 1 more day to finish the transition work which was to easy to get bothered about earlier Hmm

Comefromaway · 07/09/2020 18:13

Ds is buzzing. He’s had an amazing day. So different from school. My autistic, socially inept child has made friends already especially with the two lads he’s been put into an ensemble with.

itsgettingweird · 07/09/2020 18:37

Come came to post exactly the same thing. My autistic da is living the quietness and the having areas no one else can go into! He's made 2 friends (1 went to school with him) and has loved it!

Most enthusiasm I've seen in him for months!

He'll be in 2 days 9-4.30. 1 morning then they online learn until 4.30. 1 day will be placement but that doesn't start until after Xmas. 1 day morning online learning and afternoon online directed study.

All fits in perfectly with his swim training too!

AnneOfCleavage · 07/09/2020 18:55

crazycrofter I know, it's ridiculously small. It is mixed thank goodness but only a small handful of lads one of which is in her History class so it's just her and him. It's mainly students from her school with two new ones it seems and another couple to come later - think they are quarantining. I fear this will be too small a cohort to make a new circle of friends so hoping they are all nice and can all go out and meet their friends Smile

Seems like lots of your DC have had good starts and made new friendships which is awesome.

Shimy · 07/09/2020 19:11

Thanks @OrangeCinnamon1 for the new thread. I don’t know what I’m going to do when the next two yrs are up and we can’t post here anymore, I’m going to be bereft Sad.

In the meantime Wink Icanbewhatiwant I’m rooting for your DS to make the school team, DS is also a lil lad. When asked how his first 3 days back at school were, he said he was pleased to see all his friends except they’ve all grown up as well Sad, they’re all taller than him. He then asked if I thought he had stopped growing? I felt so sad for him but just tried to encourage him that he has so many fantastic qualities about him and height isn’t everything.

Classes have been good. One teacher is fantastic, one is mediocre and the last one, the subject seems just boring(Politics),I told him Politics can’t be boring and they must not have to the exciting bits yet Hmm.

Any takers of Politics here? Is it really boring?

Piggywaspushed · 07/09/2020 19:35

Ds1 did politics. It is very factual and dry. They don't really debate. Sociology is more about values and RS consists ethics. Politics teaches about parliament and governments.

Shimy · 07/09/2020 19:42

I thought parliaments and governments would be interesting debates, field trips etc We’ll just have to wait and see how DS gets on, it might be his one to drop.

Piggywaspushed · 07/09/2020 19:44

I was surprised when DS1 did it. It could be the way he was taught but it's a what not why subject iyswim.

Shimy · 07/09/2020 19:47

Hmm..yes I do get what you mean. I’m feeling bD now because I encouraged him to take it as his fourth subject. They all have to do 4 to begin with although there wasn’t really anything else suitable he could do. They don’t offer Sociology and he dropped RS because he wanted to do both History & Geography for GCSE.

Monkey2001 · 07/09/2020 19:51

@Shimy I don't think you have to have RE GCSE to do the A level.

Shimy · 07/09/2020 19:56

Thanks Monkey to be honest, I don’t think he’d want to do RS.I think he’ll probably just carry on with it until he can drop it. It’s up to him so I’ll just see how things pan out for this term.

crazycrofter · 07/09/2020 20:44

This thread could be quite helpful to those of us with younger children when it comes to advising them with A Level/BTEC choices! I’ll come back and ask for your children’s experiences in a year and a half! I suspect ds won’t be looking at traditional subjects.

Shimy · 07/09/2020 20:55

Hello Crazy Everyone’s really helpful and friendly here. You’re welcome.

BlueMarigold · 07/09/2020 21:07

Has anyone had to buy a load of new books for their DC? I just spent £120 on the reading list for two subjects and it worries me that’s half the books say Year 1. That means at some point we will have to buy Year 2!

Monkey2001 · 07/09/2020 21:12

@BlueMarigold

Has anyone had to buy a load of new books for their DC? I just spent £120 on the reading list for two subjects and it worries me that’s half the books say Year 1. That means at some point we will have to buy Year 2!
Is that at a private school? I think state schools generally provide the essential books, but people at private schools get stacked up with all the extras!
crazycrofter · 07/09/2020 21:14

I’ve heard of others at state schools having to buy books but dd has been given text books by school so far.

Piggywaspushed · 07/09/2020 21:15

No, not these days! They are so eye wateringly expensive schools can't afford them .

I think I have spent £100 on books for DS.

Some subjects are more textbooky than others so it's a little bit luck of the draw...

Monkey2001 · 07/09/2020 21:16

At our state school there have been recommended revision guides which are given to people on free school meals and other people are advised to buy them. Everything else was provided, although we do have to provide paper and exercise books in sixth form.

Monkey2001 · 07/09/2020 21:18

You are lucky if you are the first user though and some are a bit dog-eared!

sansou · 07/09/2020 21:42

DS is at his school sixth form and is basically there all day. Anyone else's DC taking a laptop to sixth form every day to use during free study periods between lessons? Any recommendations? DS has a high spec PC at home but a modest laptop would probably be useful for school.

Shimy · 07/09/2020 22:05

DS said everything is now online and done via laptop. Absolutely everything. He’s always used a laptop at school though (Indy). He has a dell laptop bought back in yr 9. I’ve still got the spec but there’s probably something more up to date on the market now.

Monkey2001 · 07/09/2020 22:13

@sansou I would get your DS to research what would be best for him, I think a budget of £350 should get something good enough, or spend more if you want to. It is a good exercise for him to do the research and explain why he is recommending whatever he recommends.

For university we splashed out on a surface pro for DS1 which is brilliant because you can annotate slides in tablet mode or attach the keyboard to use as a laptop, but it was expensive (even from Tecobuy, which was slow but excellent value)