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Secondary education

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

Thread 16 - Corona Cohort Year 12, 2021 Zooming through Summer Term

999 replies

orangecinnamon · 09/05/2021 15:51

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OP posts:
EwwSprouts · 08/06/2021 19:15

DS did biology on Monday, followed by whatever biology challenge is called for this age group. Physics on Friday. Tennis last night, tonight & tomorrow... My raised eyebrow got a lecture on being a well-rounded person!

icanbewhatiwant · 08/06/2021 19:33

Ds had his history mock results today. Favourite subject, but lowest grade, he expected that though. But as he looked through the paper and at the marks he'd been given he noticed that whoever stuck the pages together (not him) had stuck them in order 1,2,3,4,6 then 5. Page 5 hadn't been marked. He handed it back in. To think that could happen on the actual exams. So he's hoping once page 5 is marked he will go up a grade as it was marked a C. I guess it depends how far off the B he was.

Piggywaspushed · 08/06/2021 19:35

My DS also in exams this week : sociology today.

AnneOfCleavage · 08/06/2021 21:02

I fear DD will be burned out by the time her mocks come round as it's the week before she breaks up for the summer. Had hoped they'd be all done by end of June at latest but it'll be mid July now.
She spent her half term seeing friends and relaxing though as her Easter break was full on revising for mock mocks straight after they got back so she so needed a good rest. Back to the grindstone now though.
Good luck to all taking mocks this week.

sandybayley · 08/06/2021 21:06

DD had History yesterday and Chemistry and English today. Biology tomorrow. And more after that (Maths and French) but finishes on Friday.

IB is monstrous!

EwwSprouts · 08/06/2021 21:32

Wow IB must be extra hard this year with so many subjects to try to keep up with.

sansou · 08/06/2021 21:44

Exam/study leave week for DS. 2 papers per subject so 8 in total. Formal exam conditions in Sports Hall.Yesterday was Physics 1, today was Maths 1 & DT 1. Tomorrow will be CS 1 & Physics 2. Says that it has gone OK so far but then, he always says that so we'll see... Roll on Friday.

Driving test booked for mid August which the driving instructor seemed to think was fine considering he's only had 18 hrs of driving - all within 9 double lessons so far.

icanbewhatiwant · 08/06/2021 21:56

@sansou that's good with the lessons. Ds has had 26 hours of lessons so far. Plus driving to school and back. His test is also mid august. I'm not sure he will be ready. We have 24 more hours booked too. But the average is apparently 40 hours. So I guess not that many than he should have. Our biggest problem is the 40 min drive to the nearest city. Plenty of country lane practice round here though.

sansou · 08/06/2021 22:59

I reckon he'll have another 18 hrs of driving lessons before his test in Aug. I think that I need to bite the bullet and purchase some specialist insurance to cover him on my car in the month leading up to it for some extra hours of practice. Fortunately, we actually have a local test centre nearby so the entire driving lesson is conducted on the roads where testing occurs anyway - conveniently around where we live.

Seeline · 09/06/2021 09:26

DD had psychology on Monday, a day off yesterday, Business today and biology tomorrow and hten another day off. PSych seemed to go OK...

She will have been dancing a lot this week amongst hte revision. Her dance school, which she has been attending since she was two, normally has a big show in a proper theatre every two years - this year should have been her last one but obviously not happening. However, they are trying to put together a virtual show for the seniors and the leavers are also allowed to do a solo performance, all to be filmed on Sunday. It's not the same, but a lovely idea, and one she really didn't want to miss. I think she'll continue her lessons next year, but obviously there won't be a show.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 09/06/2021 09:54

Piggy, the school gives excellent PSE classes; I think DD is talking it all up, to excuse her own behaviour. Of course, a few 17 year olds drink too much on a night out, and a few smoke weed, and a few are sexually active, but DD would have us believe that everyone’s at it, all of the time!

In our day, you’d sneak your way into the pub and hope to get a few rounds in before anyone asked your age. I definitely wasn’t taking vodka in Chilli bottles and drinking it in a local park Hmm

Crazy, that is exactly what DD does. She’ll decide she needs to exercise, go he’ll for leather for a couple of weeks, and then stop and eat biscuits and cake to excess. Or she’ll decide she needs to do more revision, so sets the alarm for 7am, does a couple of days of 6-8 hours a day and then stops altogether.
She has always been like that - when she was younger, she’d keep eating past the point we’d tell her to stop and then throw up. She lives in a state of extremes.

This morning’s drama was that she’d only managed 4 hours sleep and had nothing to wear for school. Cue tears and storming around, slamming doors and shouting.
When she gets home tonight, I might point out that perhaps the bucket of iced coffee she downed just before she went to bed wasn’t the best idea...

crazycrofter · 09/06/2021 10:32

Sympathies @Alsoplayspiccolo. I often say regarding ds, that he seems to need to learn from experience! There's almost no point giving advice. Young people with ADHD are often a bit behind in maturity too, which it sounds like your dd is, so they're dealing with things that are perhaps beyond their current maturity level. We will get there!! Actually ds has kept up his fitness and diet regime since about September, which is a record for him! But I do think he's going overboard.... 3 hours in the gym sounds too much to me.

The other things we have with ds are a total failure to plan ahead or even think ahead (like having no clothes to wear on a morning!) or anticipate the consequences of his actions. So your dd's morning sounds very familiar. On Monday one of his friends told ds that they have their GCSE performance test on Thursday. He had no idea and hasn't even finished learning his piece yet. But even with this knowledge, he has only spent about 20 mins practising since then....

Dd has exams 21st June which seems later than most. She got an A in her Psychology test taken before half term - the first A she's had in Psychology - so that's positive.

Hope all those taking exams this week get on okay! At least they'll be over with...

crazycrofter · 09/06/2021 10:33

PS @Alsoplayspiccolo we also get the 'everyone does x' from ds all the time!

Alsoplayspiccolo · 09/06/2021 11:17

Crazy, yes, definitely a maturity (or lack of) issue - she's 17, going on 13 about a lot of things. And double yes to not being able to anticipate consequences or forward-plan! Of course, she won't be told, but when it all goes pear -shaped, it's our fault and we need to sort it, not her.

I'm hoping this is the peak of things, exacerbated by the chaos of the last 16 months.

Exams start next week for both DCs...hand me the vodka in a Chilli bottle! GinSad

crazycrofter · 09/06/2021 12:08

I’m hoping ds’ peak is a bit earlier than 17.. I can’t wait til then, he’s not 15 yet! We had drama this morning too because his form teacher is so unreasonable making them wear blazers in registration and his blazer would barely fit in his bag... I suggested he just wear it to school to save space! No, he had to wear a hoody (even though it’s boiling today), which means he’s bound to get into trouble today - although he was adamant that he won’t! He always gets behaviour points for things that I’ve said will get him into trouble and he insists they won’t! Aagh!

Sorry to bore everyone with ADHD woes!!!

Monkey2001 · 09/06/2021 12:26

@crazycrofter my DS also obsessed with gym and nutrition. He plans his life round core day, push day, pull day, leg day etc and gym seems to consume at least 2 hours a day. He is not ADHD but has serial obsessions, which unfortunately are never the things I want him to focus on! With grade 8 piano tomorrow, he is not missing any gym, wanted to spend the whole evening with GF last night, has commitments this evening. I think he is going to be disappointed by his mark.

Exams start 21 June here too.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 09/06/2021 13:22

Monkey, DS doesn’t have ADHD (thankfully!) but has had serial obsessions since he was a toddler.
Over lockdown they included F1, vintage typewriters, protein shakes, the writings of Charles Bukowski, Debussy piano music, Chopin Nocturnes, buying vinyl, and now we’ve moved on to the film, Whiplash. 🤣
Sadly, his obsessions never include homework, revision or cello practice...

Alsoplayspiccolo · 09/06/2021 13:39

Forgot to say - good luck to your DS for grade 8 tomorrow! I hope it goes better than you think it might 🤞🏻

crazycrofter · 09/06/2021 13:41

Haha, this is all so familiar! I discovered when ds was diagnosed that often with ADHD they struggle to focus on things that don’t interest them but then they can hyper-focus on their own interests - but they don’t stick with them for that long . But clearly others (boys?!) can have the obsessions without ADHD!

Ds actually had a piano obsession during lockdown one. As soon as he started grade 5 once back at school, the obsession died and he didn’t practise at all!

I’m hoping he can turn the nutrition obsession into some sort of career (food science? Dietitian?) but it probably won’t last that long! All my conversations with him revolve around food...

ealingwestmum · 09/06/2021 13:45

Very best of luck Monkey to your son tomorrow, lots of pianist DCs in the house!

I know it’s hard to see they may not get the result commensurate with their ability, but with so much juggling, that final push is at times, too tiring for them in the current scheme of things. DD got 117 in Autumn for hers, her lowest mark ever and learnt an additional 4th piece for more pain (scales, aural and sight reading in hind-sight would have been so much easier than one recording play-through), but she plays with pleasure now, retaining by-weekly lessons.

And he can tick it off the list when done...

orangecinnamon · 09/06/2021 13:49

@Oblomov21

Orange I read your comment to Ds1 and he agreed. But he says the fact he does psychology made it so much easier now, however he found it initially hard.
I can imagine! She'll get her head round it...hopefully ! I think it is just a stark contrast to all the other bits she enjoys so much.
OP posts:
orangecinnamon · 09/06/2021 13:54

Good luck to your DS @Monkey2001! Fingers crossed 🤞

OP posts:
Shimy · 09/06/2021 16:48

Good luck to your DS @Monkey2001. Hope all goes well.

I know this is an odd place to ask but I'm so frustrated and this thread has such a good pool of people with heads screwed on:

I have been looking to build a charity website for years and have a budget of about £2,000. Please does anyone know a small company who can do a good job within this budget? ideally not just to build but also provide ongoing support & maintenance thereafter (I expect payment for the after service will be in addition to the initial build). Thanks.

ealingwestmum · 09/06/2021 16:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ealingwestmum · 09/06/2021 17:00

Oh dear, that was meant to be private for Shimy so I’ve asked it to be removed...sorry all Blush