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

[orangecinnamon]

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They said on tv that only 3 hospital cases were those that have had both vaccines. So it makes me hope 2 vaccines makes us safer. I'm not due for my second for a few more weeks. We have family members in their 30's that won't have a vaccine. There will always be people that won't have it, doesn't help the rest of us though.

Not sure I want ds3 to have the vaccine....he's 12. Ds2 at 17 can make his own mind up. Ds1 is 20 he said he definitely wants to have it.

I'm similar with Ds2 ican he's only 13 and I have been feeling slightly cautious about him having it. The I think of the amount of vaccinations they have when little, including the flu vaccine in junior school and think 'is it any different'?

Is anybody doing Manchester open week (starts today, medicine subject talk on Saturday) or Newcastle. N is advertising Wednesday and Saturday, but I have not worked out if I can book any sessions.

No not doing either of those Monkey.

Have managed to book a test for DS at the end of November! New dates popped up at 7.45am.

Start of UCAS exams / end of years today. Biology this afternoon which he is very worried about.

Exams here today. Saw timetable until end of term,. Not much school now- very sobering!
Late start today as College have STEP running which also feels a bit sobering!

We've got Higher Ed week this week. No lessons, just talks on options after 6th form, how to find courses, advice for those doing medicine, law etc, Oxbridge sessions, starting UCAS applications and starting personal statements. All get a 1-1 with a member of the 6th form team and should have a first draft of their PS by the end of the week. Starting to get very real now.

Went to the Swansea open day on Saturday and DD seemed positive - even with the psychology talk, so may be that may be back on...

Predicted grades come out next week and then parents evening the following week.

Last 2 exams today. Apparently the smart money is on an extract question on Lear’s storm scene and an unseen on ‘some weird poem where whenever they refer to a woman it actually means a tree or the church or inner spirit or hope or something’.

UCAS predictions out next Monday, Parents’ Eve on Wed week.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn if all adults had the vaccine, apart from those with medical reasons not to, then the children wouldn't need it. But looks like they will need it to protect those who won't have a vaccine. Yes they do have lots of vaccinations as youngsters...ds3 had his second big lots of vaccines age 3 and they triggered epilepsy. It was no coincidence, seizures started the next day. He was having 100 or so a day. He seems to have grown out of it and no longer takes medication, but it does make me worry about vaccines. He has had the nasal one for flu each year as the school have been giving that to his year group. He's been fine with that.

Our exams today and tomorrow too - trying to avoid the dreaded August retake and other horrible consequences that I'[m not focussing on. DS is very laid back about it thinking he will do well even though he has done very little work.

We havent got a theory test booked for ages now - can you book a main test before you pass your theory?

Hi all: been catching up on everyone’s news. Exams week this week for ds. He seems to have been working steadily but time will tell! He has 4 exams on one day: and as he has extra time the morning abs afternoon slots will be pretty much back to back with just a lunch break. Not ideal but at least he gets most of them over in one day!

Exams start today for both my dcs - year 10 and year 12. Their school seems to be taking them very seriously (despite previously saying they were just to give students a practise run) - all exams are in the sports hall, and they have to stay in their all day, revising between exams. Pretty miserable, given the heat, but mainly after all they've been through this year; they haven't been given any kind of specific MH help since returning after Easter, and no real help about how to tackle actually learning all the curriculum they weren't fully taught during last year's lockdown.
Sorry to moan, but it very much feels like a worrying sign of things to come - I'm beginning to doubt very much whether next year's exam cohorts will have any allowances made at all, regarding the disruption they've faced.

I'm sorry to hear about your DS3 ican, that must have been awful for you and him. I can see why you are hesitant. I agree it would be much better if all the refusers would get on board.

@AndwhenyougetthereFoffsomemore 4 exams in one day?? DS's exams are 2.5 hours long, I'm assuming yours are a bit shorter otherwise that would be a nightmare!

@ChristopherTracy no, you have to have passed the theory before you can book a practical test.

@Alsoplayspiccolo we have had some very minor allowances made for English Lit in these exams. Apparently they've been given a choice of questions, which they don't normally do, to allow for the disruption. . I think some of the poetry content may have been removed for the real A level also? Who knows what will actually happen though, and like you say, they've had very little support.

Wohey! Tomorrow is last day of exams for DS. Good luck to all those just starting. Predictions out on the 25th. Exams have been gruelling, DS says there’s been silence over the whole school, only the crisp sound of moving exam sheets as the external invigilator announces in a grave voice, ‘You may now begin!’ .
This weekend gone, lots of talks about PS, DS not making his mind up about which books out of the ones he’s read should be mentioned and whether the book is meaningful enough for his subject area (even though they all are), EPQ ......aargh!

DS has exams this week but bit confused when I see others on here seem to be doing much more, he only has 1 paper per subject so don’t think these are proper exams but they have been told they will contribute toward predicted grades.

No mention of EPQ here or PS which I assume is personal statement?

Feeling for all the DC here sitting exams currently with resultant predicted grades. Very stressful weekend gone here in anticipation of today, which thankfully have given DD the predictions to allow her to progress to next stage/apply to unis on her list.

I completely empathise with the vaccine challenge. We all react differently to drugs, so I get why it needs weighing up, especially when some of you have already been on the receiving end of reactions, sorry to hear of your experience Ican.

DD and many local DC have had their first jabs last week. Lots of centres were mass vaccinating and clearly, whilst not advertised, 17 year olds are also not being turned away as quickly as they were a few weeks ago. She had a thumping headache for 2 days and a heavy arm but good from day 4 post vax.

It depends on the subject. DS has 2 papers per subject e.g Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Perhaps your ds’s school has decided to do formal exams in only one aspect of the subject. What are his subjects? PS does mean personal statement. I think they are all starting to do drafts if not yet, pretty soon it will be mentioned.

icanbe my greatest wish is that DD’s seizures will go away as they aren’t controlled by meds. I completely relate to the fear. As you know, hers were caused by an unidentified virus that affected her brain just before Covid was in the news. She has had both jabs at 16 and was fine. I was a little nervous but gave her paracetamol as a precaution. The encephalitis and epilepsy societies have both looked at all the research and said get it ASAP the risks of getting ill from covid are greater. Epilepsy was in group 6 so lots of 16-18 will have already had it. So hopefully that will give you some reassurance. Epilepsy society are good at responding.

I agree @Alsoplayspiccolo that there havent been allowances made to the disruption. They are sitting the normal AS past papers with all of the content in.

Exams start next Monday for DS, 2 papers each for Maths and Physics, 1 for PE. Self isolating for 7 days of school before the exams not helping. The others in his class do not seem to be isolating, the only 2 I know about were attending social events at the weekend. Think I am going to relent on seeing GF as her parents are fine with it, at least that is only 1 contact, I will insist on negative lateral flow tests.

Sorry to hear about the people with bad experiences leading to vaccine worries, it makes it easier to understand the hesitancy some people feel.

DD’s exams next week are substantially reduced in terms of content and they’ve been given a lot of guidance about what’s being tested. They’re also only doing one paper per subject.

Ds in year 10 (different school) has had his year 10 exams pushed back to Sept. So there’s clearly a lot of variation between schools as to what they’re doing.

That must make it very difficult about the vaccine with previous bad experiences 💐

DS has 4 x Maths, 2 x Comp sci and 2 x Physics, all are 2 hours apart from 1 comp sci which is a little longer. I know this because a kind parent took pity on the rest of us, not from DS himself obviously!

Fools yes to the value of the kind parent information network.

My DS only has one exam subject (History) his others are BTECs with different timings. He did two papers last week and one still to go on Thurs which has hung heavily over the last few days. DD (y10) had all hers last week - all taken in their form room so students doing different subjects at the same time, all free time spent in the same room revising in silence. It was a pretty heavy week.