Corona Cohort’s Year 12 adventures

[FoolsAssassin]

We’ve made it into year 12 and rapidly approaching the end of the first half term .

Lots of challenges we could never imagined as we started the year but we’re all keeping on keeping on and this thread is for anyone who would like to jump on board to share the rather unusual journey this is turning out to be.

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DD’s school are setting official ‘exam conditions’ unit tests at the end of each module, which the girls have to retake if they get less than 70%.

This is a school that is never going to be without reliable data ever again.

I think you will find only this 90 minute mock from the exam board will count.

God know whether they have considered coursework!!

How is the spring mock (should it end up being the only exams) any better than sitting the actual exams in June?

I do agree though they have to make a firm and final decision now. I know several DCs that are sitting this year and they seem incredibly stressed.

I was all worried a few weeks back because ds's driving licence hadn't arrived. That was a waste of worrying as I'm assuming the driving lessons will now be cancelled. He will want me to take him out instead (birthday mid November) not sure that will be allowed either. He's so desperate to get driving. I thought this would probably happen though. DC's just want school to close again. I'm not sure whether that's a good idea or not.

I think because it is just one 90 minute exam, so fewer exams and streamlined content. this sort of things would really reduce stress amongst students and parents, many of whom are very anxious and projecting quite a lot of that onto children and teachers imho...but the government do see to think sating 'as you were. Nothing to see here. carry on everyone' is a preferred approach for managing anxieties

In other news, just spotted an ad at DS's school for a Spanish teacher , full tiem, for January. WTAF is going on...??

KingscoteStaff that sounds so stressful on the pupils! I presume it’s private? I know at my public school we had very few assessments - they would have faired very badly last year for GCSE data until it was all bodged anyway. I think there was a thread that mentioned Eton didn’t ‘do’ many assessments earlier in the year. This is interesting because I think the cabinet is thinking of their own schooldays for National policy.

DD had a maths assessment two weeks into the September and they were told they had to get 75% to pass and would have to keep resitting until they got it. There's a biology assessment coming up shortly and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a similar pass mark.

@mummaminnie was that for A level or GCSE?

DD had mini tests before half term and has more mini exam-type ones next week. Spent most of half term revising I think these are in advance of parents evening at the end of the month, and also the end of term is the first opportunity they have to drop the 4th A level.

We had the most hopeless parents evening early Oct - basically waving at the teachers and saying hi!

DD had a tonne of work over half term. Lousy half term with whole sixth form self isolating (although from Insta posts its clear many didn't). DD says more got Covid in the holidays so we'll see what happens. I expect more home learning.

I'm genuinely stunned that the school is insisting on the girls doing 4 A levels til Xmas. Its okay for DD who was allowed to drop as dyslexic but it seems a waste of time for those who are sure of the 3 they want to do.

Ds goes back tomorrow. Having mostly slept all week he wanted me to wake him at 7am as he had lots of work to do. Talk about leaving it until the last minute. I know he did a bit over half term.

He's not had any exams or tests yet. We had a mini report with predicted grades. Ds laughed as it says predicted grades based on GCSEs. As they didn't take any GCSEs it is all a big guess. We also have a parents eve this month via internet. I hate doing anything like that...I'd rather just speak on the phone.

DD had loads of work to do during half term (2 weeks). I think a lot of that was because they had been doing 2 weeks of online learning.

DD went back today and really enjoyed seeing her friends again.

School emailed to say they have decided that all seniors will have to wear face coverings all day long except when eating (unless medically exempt) although can take them off if outside and can SD.

Also reiterated that all 6th form should ( if possible) only come into school when they have lessons, and must social distance at all times when in school.

DD doesn't seem to mind wearing masks in the classroom, I thought she would. I think they are very aware of the high numbers here in the North West and see it makes sense. It will also protect the teachers which I am happy about.

She had a big Biology test today (everything they've learnt so far) which seems to have gone well but said she thinks she messed up a 2 point question and probably has only 1 pt - that is not my idea of messed up, that would be missing out a 10 pt question!

DD is really going to miss hockey now we have had definite word from England Hockey that nothing is allowed to take place until 2nd Dec. I am going to miss watching too!

Good luck all going back after half term. I hope it's a good one (or as good as it can be given the circumstances)..

DS had exams middle of October with report coming end of next week and Parent’s evening the week after. He had a bit of work over half term but not much I don’t think.

Head had asked for them to be well rested over summer and I think that was as that first half term was full in. It was 8 weeks minus 2 days and the days are long with half an hour lunch breaks currently .

Pretty rubbish half term here too - dd had loads of work to do and couldn't see friends as we're tier 2, although she did have an outdoor meetup with two friends around a firepit which she enjoyed.

She had a bit of a meltdown about Psychology - the teacher races through the notes each lesson and they have to frantically try to keep up. Apparently she used to post all the powerpoints on teams so they could check they had everything down, but the head of Psychology told her to stop doing that as it meant the students could be lazy! So dd now says she dreads lessons and she's not sure if she can email the teacher after each one and ask for the powerpoint! Seem unnecessarily stressful.

She also has to wear face masks all day which means she's starting to get spots round her mouth. She had very bad acne when she was younger and took some quite extreme medication (roaccutane) to deal with it. It was quite an ordeal, she still gets a few spots and she lives in fear of it returning, so this does worry me a bit.

Yes, DS had a pretty rubbish half term and now seems to have completely changed his attitude since the beginning of term. He was set an English essay on Saturday evening for submission by midnight Sunday, but didn't see it until midday Sunday when he got up. He's been in a bit of a slump over half term and so this didn't go down well especially as he had football in the afternoon. He started it Sunday evening but didn't submit as he had a real mental block. Monday morning the teacher sends a message saying that he will be giving their report grade based on that essay and so they had to submit it yesterday. DS has botched together something that he knows is bad but can't get his mind in the right place to do it calmly and properly. Now he's talking about dropping English! I'm going to have to try and work with him a bit on this but having taken sciences and art at A level I'm not in the best place to help direct him. Arrggh!

Also no parents meetings planned as far as I'm aware.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn That sounds hard - I think that's a bit off to post something so important over the weekend and with such a short deadline!

I agree, I can’t understand (if DS is telling me the truth of course!) why they would do that. He’s really not in a happy place about it.

That sounds tough for you and your son Justhere. Wrestling with a feeling of unjustness re short timescale and frozen writer’s block is not conducive to loving your subject. No wonder he feels the way he does. I think the impending lock down, not seeing the end of it all and teaching changes under the internal pressures they have applied on them must all feel like it’s never ending.

I have never wished to see the end of term so much as this one. And I’m the so called adult! 😱

It sounds as though the posting/opening of the assignment was a bit of a cock up - particularly if it affects mid term grades.

Is your DS absolutely sure it wasn’t assigned earlier???

@ealingwestmum The new lockdown has definitely changed his mood, his Sunday football match was the first game with his new team and now its all stopped again which has also brought him down.

@KingscoteStaff it sounds like a cock up to me but without checking his teams (I don't know the password) I can't say for sure. He seemed genuinely distresses about it though so at the moment I am assuming it is true.

That's hideous and I'm not surprised he's feeling stressed and fed up about it. I can't believe it counts so much with so little prep time

DD did nothing over half term. Is now facing the consequences of being behind. Is struggling with week in week off learning as isn't great at working calmly through the online stuff. Is confusing herself and I think is starting to regret doing A levels. She was also sent a text this morning saying her maths gcse is from 4-8pm on Weds now (rather than 4-6pm online on a Monday) and she will be expected to go in on her weeks at home. And the week she is in, she only has one lesson first thing on a Wednesday so is pissed off at the thought of having to hang around (it's not a school so she doesn't have common rooms or whatever). So suddenly they're all strict about the maths whereas at the start of term, there was nothing.

I continue to be her emotional punchbag when she's stressed. She's not eating and has engaged in some fairly risky behaviour lately. I worry that if she drops out of A levels she will go down a very dodgy road.

Right now, I hate being a parent

Also - FOUR hours of maths!!

For someone who hates maths, that's a big shitty deal.

Jeez, they never made it an uphill struggle for her from day 1 Pasanda, so sorry to hear this, especially turning towards darker distractions. This age group is so tricky to deal with; parent wise...

So sorry to hear that @pasanda. I sympathise with being the emotional punchbag. Could you afford a tutor for Maths instead? Four hours in an evening sounds awful.

I hope your ds' assignment situation got sorted out @JustHereWithMyPopcorn. Maybe they will let him retake it?