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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Starting Year 11 GCSE 2021 Thread 2

481 replies

indy69 · 04/01/2021 15:19

Just continuing on from thread one. Let's support each other through these difficult times. Here is the earlier thread. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3653238-Starting-Year-11-GCSE2021-title-edited-by-MNHQ

OP posts:
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8
11plusNewbie · 17/04/2021 23:18

@Downriver

Mini exams until 28th May then 2 weeks of bridging to A level after half-term and a closure event. Basically off school from 18th June

Original poster
indy69 · 21/04/2021 18:48

No prom for us. Last day 2nd of June. After which the students can attend school until the end of term or choose not to go in. My DD says no way. She has an internship set up and an online course to complete before the end of July.

OP posts:
Hellohah · 21/04/2021 19:53

We've been given a provisional last day off the 28 May. They have said any pupils who require more evidence will attend until the 7th June. Virtual sessions with a view to support students in preparation for college.
will be happening until 25 June.
Really can't believe it's come round so quick and DS now only had a max. of 7 weeks left

saucermilk · 21/04/2021 22:24

I'm envious of those with end dates. Our school have not mentioned it once!

Titsywoo · 30/04/2021 11:37

How is everyone getting on? So weird how normally this thread would be a constant stream of chatter at this time of year for y11s but everything is so disjointed and noones DC is having the same experience atm. My DD just finished her first week and a half of assessments which is the 'easier' content and now has 10 days until the second set which is 2 weeks long. So her last full school day is next Friday and then they are on study leave with their last day of school being 28th May. The final week (24th to 28th) is assessments for practical subjects which has pissed me off as art was not supposed to have an exam and now it does so they have asked that the coursework be handed in on 24th before the assessment starts. That last week could have been spent on finishing everything but now they have to do that while revising. Some of the decisions the schools are making just seem to be trying to make this whole thing more stressful for students.

Neversaygoodbye · 30/04/2021 15:40

@Titsywoo hi I just updated on the other thread re.exams. DD hands in all Art next Wednesday and then 2 weeks of exams with one week for catch up afterwards. We believe they will also finish on 28th but school still haven't confirmed this. I can't wait for it to be over to be honest. Then I'm just hoping she won't spend the next 3 months in bed 😂

Titsywoo · 30/04/2021 16:38

[quote Neversaygoodbye]@Titsywoo hi I just updated on the other thread re.exams. DD hands in all Art next Wednesday and then 2 weeks of exams with one week for catch up afterwards. We believe they will also finish on 28th but school still haven't confirmed this. I can't wait for it to be over to be honest. Then I'm just hoping she won't spend the next 3 months in bed 😂 [/quote]
Yep I can't wait until June - for various other reasons May is just going to be a crap and stressful month in many ways. Has your DD finished her portfolio?

Neversaygoodbye · 30/04/2021 16:56

@Titsywoo not quite but hopefully by Wednesday 😬

Titsywoo · 30/04/2021 17:01

[quote Neversaygoodbye]@Titsywoo not quite but hopefully by Wednesday 😬 [/quote]
What a horrible stress when they should just be concentrating on the exam subjects. Hope she manages to get it done on time. DD still has a whole artist research to do as she only has 2!

ihearttc · 01/05/2021 21:16

It all feels really flat here. DS had their prom cancelled the first week back to school in September. Our next nearest High School where most of his friends go is still going ahead so FB is full of parents dress and suit hunting. I know it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things but it feels like another slap in the face.

Neversaygoodbye · 06/05/2021 19:33

So at 2:45 a teacher entered the classrooms @ DDs school with a note to say all yr11s were going home early. So that's it, two weeks of formal exams from Monday and then leavers assembly & prom in July. What a weird way to finish secondary school, not sure why they do it like that?

Titsywoo · 06/05/2021 22:35

@Neversaygoodbye

So at 2:45 a teacher entered the classrooms @ DDs school with a note to say all yr11s were going home early. So that's it, two weeks of formal exams from Monday and then leavers assembly & prom in July. What a weird way to finish secondary school, not sure why they do it like that?
How strange - so they hadn't given you a leaving date in advance? Everything just feels like a bit of a shambles doesn't it? Like the schools have no idea what they are doing and are just flying by the seat of their pants (can't think of a better phrase right now!).
Neversaygoodbye · 07/05/2021 07:08

@Titsywoo supposedly they do it like this every year. No leaving day is given and then they are just sent home on a random day and told study leave starts now. The impression I got was even the teachers didn't know - I guess it's a senior management decision?

MoiraQueen · 07/05/2021 07:35

@Titsywoo

DD had to hand in her portfolio a while ago, it was unfinished, there was no way she could finish it on top of everything else. Bizarrely they've been given them back to finish, yet they've wasted weeks and been sat in art lessons doing nothingAngry. I suspect parents have complained.
She doesn't have a leaving date, which is upsetting her, as she keeps saying what if I've done the last "whatever" and I haven't realised. They have a prom, but no yearbooks or leavers' jumpers etc. She's sad about that too.

MoiraQueen · 07/05/2021 07:47

DD had her Maths exam yesterday - she's on track for an 8/9, and is planning to take it at A Level. She said she could barely get started on some of the questions on yesterday's paper and expects to fail.

This happened in DD's mock too, she was also predicted top grades, she's cried in some of the "assessments". Some of the papers are cut and paste and she says they've picked such hard questions or things they haven't covered. She's pretty unmotivated now, which is worrying me, she's normally ridiculously motivated. Her school seem to be making things far worse for them, than it needs to be.

Titsywoo · 07/05/2021 09:43

[quote MoiraQueen]@Titsywoo

DD had to hand in her portfolio a while ago, it was unfinished, there was no way she could finish it on top of everything else. Bizarrely they've been given them back to finish, yet they've wasted weeks and been sat in art lessons doing nothingAngry. I suspect parents have complained.
She doesn't have a leaving date, which is upsetting her, as she keeps saying what if I've done the last "whatever" and I haven't realised. They have a prom, but no yearbooks or leavers' jumpers etc. She's sad about that too.[/quote]
God that's awful. Why is it all such a shit show? I don't understand. DD was doing really well in French and was going to take it for A-Level then her French teacher (who is lovely and who got DD to love French in the first place) disappeared in Nov and has not been seen since. At first they said she was ill and would be back soon but she hasn't been back and they have been left with a succession of not so great substitutes. There was no explanation. The thing that really pisses me off is that she is still teaching at the school. She is currently teaching my Y9 DS! DD says she just ignores her y11s if she sees them now.

It's DDs last day today before study leave and I am counting down the days of the next 3 weeks till they leave for good. If there was any chance of my DD going to their sixth form that is well and truly destroyed now. I haven't been happy with the school for a while anyway (ignoring covid). Only 2 and a bit years and DS will be out of there too.

PettsWoodParadise · 07/05/2021 13:39

DD started her 'exams which aren't exams but might as well be exams' on Tuesday. She sat a Physics paper yesterday and thinks she did 'ok' but was thrown by some of the way the questions were worded. It was a Welsh schools paper rather than AQA one which is the board she is sitting and most of her year group were of a similar 'whaaaat' about a couple of the questions. By setting papers with a different exam board and hearing from friends at other schools they are doing papers they've already sat as homework she is getting the impression (wrongly or rightly) that the school is setting them up to fail rather than the other way round. She also had History and Maths so three exams in one day and she has the same number of exams today. She is exhausted both physically and mentally.

MoiraQueen · 07/05/2021 14:01

her French teacher (who is lovely and who got DD to love French in the first place) disappeared in Nov and has not been seen since. At first they said she was ill and would be back soon but she hasn't been back

We've had this happen with two teachers, it turns out after months of speculation that both have had suprise pregnancies. Neither have returned.

MoiraQueen · 07/05/2021 14:05

By setting papers with a different exam board and hearing from friends at other schools they are doing papers they've already sat as homework she is getting the impression (wrongly or rightly) that the school is setting them up to fail rather than the other way round.

Yes, DD has had papers from different exam boards and the phrasing of questions has totally thrown her. They are also cutting and pasting, so the papers are really unbalanced. They seem to be doing so much to trip them up. I don't understand it. They have had work already assessed that is totally admissable under the rules, then they've been told it won't be used.

Neversaygoodbye · 07/05/2021 15:18

Re-reading the information our school sent out it appears DD's school are assessing on mocks sat in Dec (which DD didn't do well at due to isolating beforehand and missing out on vital revision in school), assessments sat first two weeks when schools opened up in March and the exams over the next two weeks. So no course work, just 3 sets of exams. WTF. May as well just sit one lot of exams in June then, no?

Titsywoo · 07/05/2021 18:05

@MoiraQueen

her French teacher (who is lovely and who got DD to love French in the first place) disappeared in Nov and has not been seen since. At first they said she was ill and would be back soon but she hasn't been back

We've had this happen with two teachers, it turns out after months of speculation that both have had suprise pregnancies. Neither have returned.

Definitely not the case with this lady as she is still working at the school just not teaching y11!
Dogatetheleftovers · 08/05/2021 21:33

My DC has exams which are called assessments but should be treated like exams! Then the school said there would be exam week next week but now they’re calling it assessment week instead! The students haven’t got a clue what’s happening, if they need to prepare or not. Whether previous work will be included or not. It’s so stressful and frustrating.

Titsywoo · 08/05/2021 22:35

@Dogatetheleftovers

My DC has exams which are called assessments but should be treated like exams! Then the school said there would be exam week next week but now they’re calling it assessment week instead! The students haven’t got a clue what’s happening, if they need to prepare or not. Whether previous work will be included or not. It’s so stressful and frustrating.
Yes the whole "GCSEs are cancelled" is bullshit really. Yes the exams aren't externally set or moderated but they are the same thing only a couple of weeks earlier - pretty unfair since the actual GCSEs were supposed to be later than normal! DD is just doing her best and what will be will be. I can't stress over it anymore and told DD not to. As long as she passes it doesn't really matter and she will pass them all I think. I just hope she doesn't get upset if she gets a 5 or 6 instead of a 7 as I think she has worked so hard and that is what matters. She did great in her mocks which shows she understands it all and the great college accepted her on those results. I'm glad she got to sit those mocks - I know lots of kids didn't.
MoiraQueen · 10/05/2021 13:43

You can rely in The Guardian to post crap like this. I hate that this is what the public and employers are going to think.
www.theguardian.com/education/2021/may/09/a-level-and-gcse-grade-inflation-inevitable-in-english-system?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1620568156

rachel38 · 11/05/2021 16:17

MoiraQueen, the same happened with my son. Came home from school really upset after not being able to answer all of the questions in his Maths exam today. Said he didn't understand half of them (& he's a bright lad, supposed to be taking A level Maths). Completely demoralised. The whole thing is a shit show with our kids the fodder. No concern for any of their mental wellbeing. I'm so angry.