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.

[MirandaWest]

@naem very glad French went better today

[zighead]

My DS is also doing Blood Brothers and went to see it with his class a few months back. Hope DD has a good time @MirandaWest
Glad the French oral went well @Naem

[Diditreallylookawful]

How are all you mums (and dads) doing? Is anyone else feeling stressed about the upcoming exams? Most of our DC seem to have already started with language exams, Art or other project based subjects, but are you, as parents, feel the pressure building?

[QueenMabby]

Glad the French oral went well for dd @Naem.

Second ICT practical for ds this morning then nothing else til his Spanish oral on 3/5 and final ICT exam in 10/5 before he starts in the "real" timetable on 17/5.

[Naem]

Hope the ICT practical also goes well @QueenMabby!

[StColumbofNavron]

Just catching up. @Naem I did an extra GCSE in my second language and in the oral I had to ask for a menu, except it is the sort of country where you would just ask the waiter what they had so I had never asked for or seen anyone ask for or even seen a menu before so I just put an inflection on my accent and said 'menu'. More thought should be put into it really - out of date concepts or cultural inaccuracies aren't helpful. I was vindicated as these days you can get a menu if you want.

DS1 has been and will be in school most days these holidays as they are running revision session - optional but he said he wanted to. He was sick the last week of school so missed a whole heap of mock/assessments so I don't know if there will be time for him to get revised predicted grades, but I think we will just have to roll with it now.

[MrsPnut]

DD has a rare day off today (even in the holidays) so has gone back to bed for a while post paper round. She does have to make a start on the 3 science papers brought home and to clean out her 3 geckos today before rugby training tonight.

I've posted before about their English teacher being long term absent from school, and the head of English teaching 2 classes together. It's been discovered that DD's class haven't done their speaking assessment so it's a rush to get them done the first week back at school. DD wrote her presentation last year - the title being How to prevent cats taking over the world but needs to actually deliver it.

[MirandaWest]

DDs year is off to Alton Towers today as an end of year 11 treat. I’m hoping the weather is a bit better than it is here. Also given that DD has never been on a roller coaster or shown any desire to in the past I’m not sure quite what she’ll get out of it, but being with friends will be good 😊

[CornishGem1975]

@MirandaWest

DDs year is off to Alton Towers today as an end of year 11 treat. I’m hoping the weather is a bit better than it is here. Also given that DD has never been on a roller coaster or shown any desire to in the past I’m not sure quite what she’ll get out of it, but being with friends will be good 😊

Ha I'm sure it will be fun. I took my teens a few months ago and they had a great time. My DD was nervous before going on the rides but got into the swing of it.

We break up tomorrow, DD needs the break but she's got some promising mock results this week which is definitely spurring her on to push harder with revision. Can't believe it's just over a month before it starts for real. She's really focusing on the ones now where she can maybe achieve a slightly higher grade than predicted and what she plans to take for A level. Art is over and done with, her BTEC is pretty much done and the practical element of Food is done so hoping she has more revision time in school too.

[MirandaWest]

DD enjoyed herself and has now been on roller coasters

They have broken up now although she is going to an RE revision session tomorrow morning which will have hot cross buns as snacks

[CornishGem1975]

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/pupils-with-high-temperature-should-not-sit-exams-new-guidance-states/

Covid guidance for exams. As helpful as ever.

[QueenMabby]

🙄

[Member786495]

Ok so on dd’s exam timetable it states she’s been entered for Foundation tier science. Her teacher told me she’d take Higher.
He sent a message out to the kids, not parents, (he doesn’t communicate with us) on the 4/04 to say if it’s wrong, ignore it as “the decision for H and F has not yet been passed on.”

If he gets it wrong (distinct possibility), how late can this be changed with the Board, does anyone know?

Thanks all.

[StColumbofNavron]

I’d just email and ask him when it will show or whatever. There is no room for speculation here I don’t think. DS1 has foundation Spanish on his first timetable - quick email to the teacher and fixed.

[IThinkIMadeItWorse]

Which board is it? I think it may vary slightly. For example AQA have this page on their website www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/entries which implies that very late entries or amendments may be possible up until the 21st April.

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Amazed that some people were in school last week but presuming those DC have the whole of the week off after the Easter BH weekend? It all events out, I guess.

We've had DS home from uni for a week so DD has not been doing as much revision as she'd planned to. Just hope she makes up for it once he goes back this weekend?

There have been revision lessons at school (last week) but DD didn't go, as they seemed to be with their own teachers (most of whom she doesn't rate). Apparently some got letters to ask them to attend. We are trying to work out if that means they are close to getting 9s or didn't do very well so have been earmarked for a boost.

I'm sure MFL orals can be a bit random. I recall the one I did was a forest picture. Not sure that we'd done loads of 'nature' vocab.

[Member786495]

@StColumbofNavron thanks I would have but a) he hates me because I send emails and ask questions and b) he’s on holiday anyway so wouldn’t respond. Just wondered if anyone on here knew.
I’m generally unpopular I think because I ask about resources for the students rather than leave it to my dd who wouldn’t. Also queried why Head thought it unnecessary to provide ANY revision sessions over the Easter break.
Not necessary apparently.

[Rollergirl11]

I don’t understand the Covid guidelines in that link. So they are saying that a student can be off school and miss some exams if they have a high temperature and/or unwell but there is no obligation to test. And schools do not require proof. They have ensured that the exams are a minimum of 10 days apart so they should be able to at least sit one of the exams and the grade will be awarded based on the one paper sat? What is to stop a student using that to their advantage? So saying they have Covid/high temperature when they don’t and therefore missing one of the papers with content that they haven’t revised for but still getting the grade for the paper they did revise for?

[Member786495]

@IThinkIMadeItWorse yes AQA, so that’s useful thanks, although that means if he has messed up and doesn’t answer emails until the end of the Easter break for us it’ll be too late.

[aramox1]

Another week of 'holidays' to go here, ds's school isn't doing any revision sessions and he's finding the lack of structure a challenge. English oral assessment is a discussion with mates, early next term- they will probably all just grunt. I've bought a lot of Easter eggs!

[aramox1]

@Member786495 that's tricky about the entries. I think I'd go straight to emailing head of learning or equivalent at this point, as well as the teacher (even if on holiday).

[QueenMabby]

@Member786495 Definitely email. Flag as urgent and copy in the relevant person on the SLT and the exams officer if known. This is too important to worry about being "that parent"! Hope you manage to get it sorted.

DS feeling a bit more settled now he's got his first two exams out of the way. We're going to take a break over the Easter weekend and go and see family and I've encouraged him to keep work to a minimum (an hour a day) for the four days we're away. Think he'll be ready for a break by then! No revision sessions in school over the Easter hols for us but there are a lot of resources on teams that provides structure which helps.

[Member786495]

@QueenMabby yes I think I will just email and copy in the head of year. If all is well then he’ll just hate me more but I can live with that - she’s leaving anyway.
So envious of you having a ds whose work you have to limit btw! Dd has now been off for four days and hasn’t opened a book… we have agreed to a minimum of 3 hours a day from Monday for 4 days, and then the same the following week, but she threw her toys out of the pram when I said I’d turn her phone off whilst she ‘works’ otherwise it’d be 3 (more) hours of TikTok

[TobyWhatsit]

I have a dc in y10 at the moment and wondered if any of your dc have used an app to organise their revision / school work / activities etc?

I remember being told about an app that you can input your relaxing time and activities and then use that to organise your work / revision time and it shuts down your phone for all other things.

Has anyone heard of something like this?

[aramox1]

I think ds would leave home if I suggested such a thing.