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.

Popping back on to this thread - I have DD in Y11. She has a maths mock next week so we are catching up with what she missed being off with Covid the week before last. I say "we", she's doing it and I am trying to nag her to put her phone down in an encouraging way.
She has English speaking and French speaking NEAs as well next week and history NEA the week after. Then Maths real thing just after half term. So things are hotting up, with stress levels rising accordingly.

Hope your DD's maths goes well @singingstones and the stress levels are not too high.

Found out from DS that school have decided to drop the poetry for English Lit. I'm not surprised and slightly relieved he won't have to learn all 15 poems but it does mean that he will have to get his head around "Lord of the Flies".

School are really pushing the personal statement/sixth form stuff and have a deadline of 1st November for it to be done. DS is getting help from his TA in his support sessions to write his which is helpful as I don't really know what they are looking for! Then they have mocks in mid November and more exams in early March I think.

Hope all those who have been ill are now recovering.

DS had a careers 1:1 yesterday where the advisor basically didn’t really tell him much. Luckily (as much as it matters right now) he knows what he wants to do at uni and beyond. She did clarify that he will have to continue working very hard as his chosen field (law) is competitive so useful to have someone other than me say that.

Thanks IThink, English done and "not too bad" which I think has calmed the nerves a bit.

ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2021/09/30/exams-and-assessments-2022-fairness-and-clarity/

Don't know if this link works but school sent it today about next years arrangements.

There is similar info for those in Wales, except we don't have to wait until February to find out what's being examined, they have shared that info already.

Glad tests went well for your DD singing

DD said they are also doing 6th form statements at school, she had a maths mock which she got a 9+ in. Chemistry she got an 8. Stats a 9+ The proper mocks are after half term and most subjects have not entered her any grades as she moved schools. She is feeling stressed with it all. She keeps turning up late to school but at least not missing lessons.

She is completely better now so is DH after 4 weeks. I'm still not right but at about 3 weeks now so end must be in sight. Not much going on, covid vaccine cancelled for all then moved then they said DD wasn't eligible as she will be 16, not that 1 helps with travel. Doing a lot of socialising, 1 party and 2 meet ups this weekend just gone.

Think she may stay put for 6th form as she seems to like it there.

Hi all, hope you’re all keeping well. I will catch up with thread after this. DD seems to be coping a lot better at school after a few weeks of panicking that she isn’t doing enough revision. Her HOY kindly pointed out to her that isn’t really much revision to be doing right at this point. They have started doing a 7th period after school each day in all subjects so DD is going along to those every day and then doing a bit more work in the common room and then I am saying that she should relax when she returns home.

They are supposed to be getting their Covid tests between now and November. I’m not really sure where this leaves DD for travel abroad. They have their rearranged Year 10 ski trip the week before Xmas returning on Christmas Eve. Looking at guidance online it seems that people that are not double-vaxxed have to isolate for 10 days on their return. Don’t think it’s the same for children but I don’t know if the fact that DD will have had one jab throw a spanner in the works? This trip won’t be viable if all the students have to self-isolate over the Christmas period! Does anyone know what the rules are since the change on Monday?

Covid jabs not tests*

Oh and they have had confirmation that Frankenstein is being removed from the curriculum in English lit. Which is unfortunate for their school as they already covered that in Year 10!

The entry rules vary by country but nowhere AFAIK accepts the one vaccine children 12-17 are currently offered here so its the unvaccinated rules. France now has a covid pass for teenagers as well to do things like eat in a restaurant, go on a train and that requires testing every 48 hours or so, think other European countries may have similar. Return I think is now two covid PCR tests for kids on day 2 and day 8 and they isolate if positive on either for 10 days, otherwise not. France requires a lateral flow or pcr 24 hours before hand to go but as long as with a vaccinated adult not self isolation on arrival. Rules change every few weeks, they said before the tests afterwards would reduce from this but just a press rumour. Trouble is as well is you get covid before trip you can test positive on a pcr for up to 90 days, its unusual but can happen. The rules are still quite difficult for travel for that age group and now DD has had covid travel is out for us for 3 months and also DS is very anxious with tests, we want to see French MIL but no idea when it will be viable, maybe next summer if we get more vaccinations offered.

Noooo @Rollergirl11 not Frankenstein!

Covid jab done yesterday and apart from a slightly tender arm no problems here. @Silkieschickens If your DD is 16 you can take her to one of the drop in vaccination centres, they are doing everyone 16+, you probably have to wait until a certain time after infection though, not sure how long that is. It is frustrating about the travel, hopefully they will offer a second dose to those who want it next year or perhaps other countries will change their rules.

I've realised with the sixth form statement that if he has to finish his by 1st Nov he won't be able to talk about how he does in this years Senior Maths Challenge (which he is hoping to sit again in November.) Logic says they will let him update it if he does well again but I'm not convinced the school operates entirely logically! They have said final applications have to be in by mid December so they can be checked by the school (I think the actual deadline is early Jan.)

Parents eve last night. As predicted, has lost focus in English so needs to work hard on the texts from now on. Struggling with timings in History too. Letter arrived from consultant recommending extra time so I'm hoping the school will now have to put this in place ( but no doubt there'll be extra hoops to jump through).

Yes we will get DD to have a vaccine at one of walk in clinics but not in a rush as we have just had covid and need two doses for travel and don't want massive gap between doses.

Doing 6th form statements here as well though DD is doing it by herself, worrying thing is she has no predicted grades yet as changing school so have just sent her a list of her maths achievements and getting into grammar school etc which she can add if she wants. She will be doing Senior Maths Challenge but only y11 to be doing it there, she said in maths lessons now they give her an A level maths book to work through as she has done all the GCSE. Mocks are after half term and her first set of grades there, just had the odd exam so far and their new parent system has taken all the grades off, she's done really well so far but just making sure things are recorded. I got her added to her statistics gcse at least which had been missed off but apparently early next year they get given a sheet of exam entries to check. She can decide later whether to take Economics or not, think its not too difficult, esp as my degree so she is used to economics being discussed, but it puts her up to 12.

Only just getting over covid here for DH and I, DD was about 2 weeks. We have new boiler, electrics etc being done next week so a bit manic trying to sort house, they are doing radiators so will be in every room including the kids. DD says she can do her room by Wednesday when they arrive. DS and rabbits room is a permanent DS and rabbit stye, we have got through one layer of ripped paper (rabbit) and orange peel (DS) etc but there is more.

DS is still not going to any science lessons in y10, he is doing 8 other subjects, one of which is an AS level so equivalent of 9 but he wants to do physics A level so . He is talking again at school though which was my main worry, not saying much at home, just please and thank you with food mainly. Mainly cuddling his rabbit on his ipad / TV and feeding his silkie chickens and rabbit.

Well we virtually attended a talk by the Head of one sixth form last week and DS doesn’t seem bothered with it and to be honest anything virtual I think he is ruling out. We have another on Saturday and the Y11 Information Evening on Monday next week. Spanish speaking assessment here this week. His form tutor said official predicted grades will be post mocks, but some sixth form applications are in December so not sure how that works. Hoping that the school gives some guidance soon.

@IThinkIMadeItWorse I took DS for his COVID vaccine yesterday too at a walk in. No wait and no side effects. His school are doing them this week but as he’s already 16 won’t be included.

Not heard of sixth form statements. DS just has an application form to be completed by end of January. Open evening next month.

Dd said their predicted grades will be ones get in next set of mocks after half term and those will go on 6th form applications. She is undecided between staying on there with small class sizes and moving to large very academic sixth form with bigger class sizes and less teaching which lots of friends are going to but so big she may well not be with them.

It’s been difficult to work out what DS actually wants but he has now said he main concern is the content of the history A level so we have systematically pulled all the units and put them in a spreadsheet for all the viable sixth forms. He went through and did a red, amber, green highlight of the units and we ruled out half because they didn’t have enough green. That leaves us with five, including the one he had ruled out. It’s very selective (exam and interview) and insists on 4 A levels so he is thinking about it a bit more. Feels like he is finally giving it proper thought.

Disclaimer though: he has asked for a lot of support to do this (read: I pulled the info) so he isn’t being all self sufficient or anything.

Our parents evening is not until early December but I suspect we will be told a similar story about English @Lightsabre Hopefully they will have the results of the November mocks to discuss, I think it is planned to be virtual again rather than face to face.

Glad your DS got his Covid jab @PaddingtonPaddington they had the flu (nasal spray) vaccine people in school yesterday but didn't have time to do year 11, apparently they are going to come back at a future date.

@StColumbofNavron sounds like your DS is being very sensible and considering the contents of the course he wants to do. I know DS was put off by some sixth forms offering Further Maths as an after school extra rather than during the regular school day. There is a new sixth form starting next September which has an open evening next week but as it is so new there I haven't found much information about what A level courses they will run. Not sure if I should try to persuade DS to go, he is pretty keen on the two (really big) sixth form college options so I suspect he really won't want to go. It is not too far from us but I think the bus takes a roundabout route so probably takes nearly as long as walking.

The sixth form application stuff really seems to vary depending on where you are in the country! Where I was at school I just stayed on for my school's sixth form and didn't really even think about it.

No schools in my borough growing up had sixth forms attached so we had to move. After just finishing looking at secondary school's for DS3 (and yes, he is just joining his brothers after all that), I really could not face the prospect of 10 sixth forms to look at. That said, we also definitely went to look at them with our mates in my day :-) We are zone 2 in London, hence, a million and one options.

@IThinkIMadeItWorse I do think it is fair enough to not want Further Maths to be after school. It is these little differences that will help with the decision making I think.

Very impressed by your spreadsheets of A level History units @StColumbofNavron. Wish I was that organised!
We've been to look at a Sixth form that has slightly lower entry requirements than ds school. I'm not sure it would be a good idea for him to start anew as he's so shy and unconfident but I am so tempted by the smaller A level classes (10-13 a class whereas around 20 at ds sixth form). Dh thinks the bigger classes are better for bouncing ideas but all I can see is less support and ds 'hiding' away as he does now. Difficult decisions.

They could prob get into the nitty gritty of discussion in a smaller class though and go much deeper.