Current Year 11 2021/2022 support thread pt II

[StColumbofNavron]

Thread for those with Y10s finishing July 2021 ready for Y11 in Sept 2021.

All welcome.

@MrsPnut and @Silkierabbit - I hope all goes well with the next steps of your cancer journeys - sending and necessary .

Half term for us is next week and ds is revising but not in a very organised way so I need to sit down with him and help him plan a bit.

We had a fab parents' evening after DS's mocks grades. He got 9s in Bio Chem and Physics, 8s in maths ICT history geog and eng Lang a 7 in eng lit and a 6 in Spanish. His Spanish teacher said he was close to a 7 and he's had an invite to a lunchtime clinic after half term to help push him over!

His last day in school is only a week before the exam session starts but his ICT is a different board so he'll be done with that by the time it starts. He does have two 2 1/2 hour practical exams in the Easter holidays though!

He wants to stay at his current school and is secure on grades for a place so we've not applied anywhere else. He has induction days in June the week after exams finish.

Hope those who are off are having a lovely half term.

Thanks everyone. NHS are paying for test as an exemption and the oncologist also said I am extremely unlikely to be in the 6% who benefit from chemo over 10 years. I asked for test as normally they recommend chemo at 6% and those 6% die without chemo within 10 years though evidence I have seen mostly backs it up and they said 3% risks involved. Get those on 28th and if no chemo then onto radiotherapy then 10 years hormone tablets and ovaries taken out or monthly injections. If chemo have 12 or 18 weeks of it first. Got an 88% chance of surviving 5 years and 71% 10 years atm with surgery already done and I think hormone tablets add another 7% over 10 years and about 2% over 5 years. So odds have improved but a bit weird to see the odds. Off for a few days in Scotland terrible forecast but nice to get away and at least I have been OK'd for swimming. Just hope the pools at hotels are not too rammed though with hail etc forecast and half term they might be.

Congrats on those amazing grades your DS got QueenMabby and hope everyone has a good half term.

@QueenMabby cake gratefully received. Awesome grades there for your son.

@Rollergirl11 I hope your DD enjoys her work experience today.

DD has done her usual trick of getting ill as soon as we get to the holidays. She started with a headache on Tuesday when they all went to Meadowhall and she has been snotty and achey ever since. Not covid but just run down so doing a lot of sleeping.

@QueenMabby wow, well done on your DS for an awesome set of mock grades! Other than the ICT he is doing exactly the same subjects as DD. DD is also staying on at her school sixth form and didn’t apply for anywhere else.

@Silkierabbit hope you are enjoying Scotland and the weather isn’t too bad. Are you escaping Storm Eunice?

@IThinkIMadeItWorse good that your DS has got the a-level subjects he wants at the other college!

@MrsPnut sorry to hear your DD is unwell. My DS has a tendency to get ill during the holidays too. I sometimes wonder if it’s just the change in pace and relaxing and slowing down and their bodies releasing all the pent up stresses of term time.

DD really enjoyed her work experience day. She was absolutely beside herself because she also got to say hello to Andrew Garfield who was in the building. She was absolutely scattered when she got home though. Up at 6am was a total shock to the system!

Very very windy here in Surrey. Not sure we will be venturing out of the house today.

Glad your DD enjoyed her work experience Rollergirl.

Its lovely being away in Scotland, no storm Eunice here but have had storm Dudley. About 40 to 45 mph winds here a couple of days and other days 15mphs so been fine, well DH did crash into a fallen tree but only biscuits hurt which he ate and car fine. Been swimming twice, first time after operation 3.5 weeks ago on arm and breast, harder than before but could do about 25 x 25 metres so am getting back to more normal slowly. Been to zoo, Forth Bridge and castle and will go to Beatrix potters house and lakes on way back.

Quite a variety of weather, snow, sleet, hail, wind and three hours of none of those but been fine as pools at hotel and snow very pretty.

Glad you're enjoying your break @Silkierabbit.

Ds has another set of subject tests next week. He's been very demotivated and getting fed up of it all now. He keeps talking about having a holiday so have booked some time away in the early part of the Easter holidays and we're planning g a European trip for early July.

He's had a lot of pressure to decide on final A levels. Chemistry and Physics were formed up but then it was a choice of maths and Biology. He's not massively enthused by maths and has grown fonder of Biology. His interview teacher basically said the same as me though in that maths, chemistry and physics would be more facilitating and keep his degree options open. He'll do Biology as an AS level and swap with maths at the end of Yr 12 if he's really not enjoying the maths or not keeping up. He was ok with that.

What the teacher did say was to start looking at uni courses! What fresh he'll is this! It's all happening too quickly - we haven't even got through GCSE's yet.

@Silkierabbit - looks gorgeous. Glad you're having a good time and that you had success on the swimming. Not sure I could do 25x25 metres on a good day!

Just had the email reminder from school about the options deadline for A level choices. DS has four slots to fill. Three have to be a levels and then the fourth slot is where further maths sits for those taking it or the EPQ or they offer other informal courses. They're only allowed to take 4 a levels in exceptional circumstances (FM aside).

DS virtually certain on maths physics and chemistry and probably the EPQ.

DD (year 8) so has some (non gcse) options to take. She has four things to choose and last night said she'd narrowed it down to 8. Think it's going to be a hard slog - she just wants to do everything!

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Sorry for all of the typo's - fat fingers on my phone!

Gosh that looks lovely @Silkieschickens.

Hope that you and @MrsPnut are making recoveries and enjoying the holidays/holidays to come.

Well done on results @QueenMabby.

Hello everyone!

Nothing to report here, not an awful lot of revision this week, which means he will spend next week cramming. DS2 seemed to turn a corner asking for language assessment prep and then proceeded to do nothing. DS3 also supposed to write a speech which he hasn’t and now we have a busy weekend for 16th birthday celebrations. I’ve reminded them and I’ve been available all week. Pretty peed off, particularly if they rock up at 6pm tomorrow and want help - which I envisage.

@Lightsabre we got the same advice about light touch looking. We have looked already a bit, but that’s partly my over-excitedness as I went to uni as an adult and only had one feasible option and didn’t go through this process.

I suppose it does make sense @StColumbofNavron as for some courses and Oxbridge, applications need to be in early in Yr 13. We had an informal look around Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling universities whilst we were on holiday last year but that was literally just a look at the campuses.
I work full time and I can't see Ds doing anything towards this off his own back unfortunately. His school have suggested Unifrog as a start.

At interview she said 'this time next year we will be starting UCAS process' so seems like they start discussing early, then I suppose open days are late year 12 aren't they.

Happy Birthday weekend to your DS @StColumbofNavron hope you all have a great time.

Pleased you have had a nice trip @Silkierabbit and your DD enjoyed the work experience @Rollergirl11 - think I would be quite excited if I got to say hello to Andrew Garfield! Also another well done to your DS @QueenMabby for his brilliant mock results. Hope your DD is feeling better @MrsPnut

We've had an ok half term, done a couple of nice things and DS has done some work. Our Friday plans had to be cancelled because of the storm but never mind, I am sure we're not the only ones who had to cancel plans! I freaked out a little bit on Thursday when I realised it was only 3 months until his first actual exam (AQA Biology 1 17th May). Eeek at the thought of looking around universities but given how fast this year has flown past I guess it is sensible to try to do some thinking ahead. DS has not yet decided what he wants to study so it's tricky as the course content is so important for making the decision.

Hope those who have half term next week have a nice break.

Just starting half term here. DS got good mock results so that’s given him a boost. Lunchtime revision clubs started last week and DS said attendance was pretty poor but the teachers expect they will get busier towards the exams. Revision plodding on, first exam 16th May so not that far away. Sixth form interview after half term - more of an informal chat as staying at the same school.

Having just been through the ucas process with DD (year 13) I would definitely recommend researching unis in year 12 (DD did lots of online open days). DS hasn’t really a firm idea of what to study seems to be moving from computer science to physics at the moment. I think once he starts A levels he’ll have a better idea.

I’ve just counted and there are now only 10 weeks left in school before the exams start! It’s all becoming very real now!

We have just been given a last day in school date of 13th May. DD has also been given that she can sit in a small room which is better. Think its 13 weeks ish before DDs start on last week of May. Presume they will be going ahead now and no more change of plans but was saying to DD I bet there will be protests when results come out and they will revise them again and she agreed. Though who knows.

DD seems to already be thinking about universities and courses but does change plans quite regularly. She is so much more mature than her brother with this.

Find out my next results and whether have to do chemo on 28th, really hope not as will be in it during DDs GCSEs. Otherwise if its borderline can just have 3 weeks radio then hormone tablets for 10 years and 2 more operations. Its just whether they add chemo to that. Though they seem to add more each time. Lovely to get away for a few days, DD stayed home but managed so well, meeting boyfriend, going to gym, orthodontist, out with friends, cooking, washing, feeding pets, dying her hair again. We did get washing up mountain but she was amazing. She now says she has proved she can live independently so we just need to buy her a flat in central London. Just need that spare million. Think mocks here start mid March.

@StColumbofNavron

Happy half term. We have no plans other than next weekend being chocka with DS1’s 16th birthday. Mostly just lots of meals with family and some bowling.

School have specified from now the expectation is 3-5 hours a day of revision. Apparently they have done timetables.

Is that 3-5 hours a day on top of a school day? or during the holidays?

I think it must be holidays, he cannot possibly do that much after a school day and I’m not sure it would be beneficial even if he did.

Our last official day in school is 11th May although there's 6th form days on 28/29th I think. Prom is 30th.

DS currently ticking over with 2 subjects a day over half term (an hour each). He usually does one hour per subject per week during school time (on top of any homework if possible) and 2 hours per subject per week during the holidays.

School have put on an extra Spanish workshop one lunchtime for those nearly at a 7 so will encourage ds to go to that as he was only 4% off!

Another 'Eeeek!' at the idea of looking at unis already. If anyone has suggestions for engineering in a city based uni please do share. Apparently campus universities don't hold the same allure (although I had a whale of a time at mine in the 80s!).

Mocks out of the way and now a countdown to first exam (computing we think) on 16 May. She's looking to stay at school for 6th form and fingers crossed... We haven't actually applied anywhere else.

Revision started Monday, 12 weeks before the first exam. Given that mocks were in January I hope she'll remember a lot of it.

We've been looking at unis but not seriously yet. I'm glad she has decided not to pursue vet med any more which opens up her choice of unis but she needs there to be a good roller derby team nearby so that provides limits.

Mocks again this week for DD, and I managed to test positive for covid. She missed the last set because she had covid so she has been frantically testing herself daily and keeping her fingers crossed.

DD is doing 3 x 40 min sessions every day after school. She is staying after school each day now and does either one or two sessions there and makes up the rest at home later in the evening. I think she’s planning on doing that from now until her exams. I personally think that’s quite intensive quite early on but then they do have more assessments the week after next.

We've just returned from a few days in London. Mocks on 14 March for 2 weeks, we pulled together a revision timetable this morning covering the next few weeks. DS will do a couple of hours after school most days, although he'll carry on with his kickboxing once a week & will see his girlfriend on Thursday evenings & on Sunday afternoons. I'm acutely aware of how soon May will be upon us.

DS has started thinking about universities, & has worked his A level choices back from the entry requirements/preferences to read Economics. He's currently interested in Warwick which has a great course including a year overseas, Bristol & York.

Hope everyone has had/is having a good half term.

I am very impressed by all the revision your children are all doing. DS is going to the extra revision sessions run by school but it's hard to get him motivated after school, he does most of his homework at the weekends. He has mocks starting 7th March but seems to be trying to ignore them! I have tried to attach a picture which really made me laugh this week (hope it works I haven't put a picture on here before!)

Hahah. I love that.