Current Year 11 2021/2022 support thread pt III

[StColumbofNavron]

Thread for the parents of DC sitting their GCSEs in about 4 weeks time - eek.

Ooops to DC thinking they had an extra week @Womblesaremyfavouritefood I'm also fed up of biology testing.

Can anyone link to the latest guidance if one of our DC get covid now and miss an exam/exams as my DH has annoyingly just tested positive this morning

DS has a French oral tomorrow and the other exams start Monday with RS. He is always very anxious about assessments to a point where he has physical symptoms and I am dreading the next month and a half as I know how stress like that affects him. The school hasn’t bothered to give us any information about the exams re:covid, illness, etc. so I can’t be helpful there. In fact, apart from one email telling us to look at the exam dates on the parents portal, the school hasn’t bothered to tell us anything else about how exam days will be organised, not even whether the children can go home after an exam or not, or if there is a morning and afternoon exam on the same day, whether the children have to stay in school between the two. I am really annoyed with the school.

Good luck to all children and parents! It will be over soon, then we can all breathe a deep sigh of relief and enjoy the summer.

School have (finally) sent out the amended timetable for the next two weeks. They are expected to be in school all day every day up to half term but there are some specific revision sessions and silent study sessions. They are also told what to do at the end of exams where they finish during a usual school lesson.

I found the afternoon ones quite funny - school ends at 3:20 and they are told for exams finishing at 3:15 that they can go home rather than go to presumably a couple of minutes of a lesson 😀

DD is SO moody this week, very unlike her! Don't know if it's hormones or stress or a combo of the two. I think it's the anticipation and she'll feel better once it actually starts and she can tick them off one by one!

It's so interesting to hear how different schools are organising the exam period.
My son is expected to be in school until the final two weeks of exams. And they've recently sent out a letter about breakfast hints and tips before all the morning exams. For this they want them to get to school half an hour early. And in the same letter they talk about ensuring the children get enough sleep 🤔

It's probably a mixture of both. My DD is the same at the moment, especially towards DS. They usually get on really well, but so far this week it has been a bit tense between them.
I'd better get used to it because DS will be sitting his this time next year.

Zighead my understanding of Covid rules is that if they catch it, they have to be off for 3 days. So any exams missed will ONLY be graded on the remaining paper/s that they do sit. The papers are spread out for this reason.
So basically if they are weaker in one paper and they happen to miss their strong paper then their overall grade will be based on the weaker paper. So no looking to mocks or previous assessments to justify a grade.
How unfair is that?! This year should at least be a mixture of exams and TAGs.

Ugh @BarnacleB My DS will be doing his next year too.

Thanks @Bellini12 I can never find the right information when I'm in a hurry and stressed. This is such bad timing! I really hope he doesn't get it.
Fingers crossed none of our DC have to miss any of their exams.

Dear All,
My DD starts her exams on Monday 16th with computing and finishes on 23rd June with physics. Her school are doing a mix of revision in regular lesson time, specific timetabled revision sessions and directed study (revision they can do at home or in the school library) for the 2 weeks before half term. After half term they only have to got in for the exams themselves. She also has in school revision sessions planned for half term and a weekend session.

She is working SO hard. She is organised, self motivated and listens to feedback. I am SO proud of her I could cry and I really hope she gets the grades her hard work deserves.

Good luck to your DC’s and good luck to you all surviving it! 🍷🍫or whatever it else that gets you through.

DD has her Spanish oral today. She is one of the rare breed who likes Spanish so hopefully it will go well.

DD has French oral today, she wanted to practice last night but was struck down with another bad headache and went to bed at 7:30.

She did say yesterday that there was a fight at school (in front of Ofsted) and a year 11 has been excluded. I think it’s such a pressure cooker at the moment for them all.

It's all so stressful isn't it. Good vibes to all those with exams this week.

Ds now finished school. A lovely service yesterday that parents were invited to. He only has to go in for exams now.

Past paper testing from here on in for ds. It's his preferred testing method but he's running out of relevant papers in some subjects!

DD getting more and more stroppy and seems to be doing less revision by the day (she fitted in a 'good hour' last night ). Certainly not any evidence of over-conscientious revision here at the moment.

Nice for schools to be marking the end of an era with a formal ceremony or something similar. Are proms an as well or instead of?

On the subject of missing exams through illness, DD's school has said that a doctor's note has got to be submitted. That's going to be fun, given how difficult it is to actually get through to a doctor's surgery nowadays!

DD came home with reports of a fight breaking out too. DD is spending some lunch times in a teachers office as she’s anxious and still having major issues with her friendship group (or lack of currently!) She knows of others that are coming in for half days and doing the rest of their lessons via Teams. I think they are all feeling the pressure. I feel like there’s been such a huge build up to the exams. Maybe it’s always like this as this is the first time we’re doing it. But the tension is very real and palpable.

The stress levels here are almost unbearable. DD is relentlessly negative about every single thing in life at the moment - I'm getting quite worried by some of the things she's saying. Can't wait for this all to be over.

I think this year's Year 11 cohort have probably had the worst deal in years. Interrupted and variable teaching with the lockdowns over the past two years, some with lots of gaps (others none at all), and pressure all through this academic year (in case TAGs needed to be used) with tests and exams on repeat every few weeks. Certainly the case for DD. I think the second set of mocks (when was this ever previously a thing - certainly not when I was at school) were the killer, particularly for those who did them less than two months ago.

And so much time spent in school on revision for some subjects but not others (they only finished the triple sciences' content about a week ago...) that it's not surprising some of them feel they've done enough.

Sorry to hear your DD is suffering with anxiety and having issues with her friendship group @Rollergirl11. It doesn't help them when 'friends' are being mean.

How are the young people who've not been well in recent days doing? Hope they're on the mend?

@LouisCatorze - it's an as well although ours is parent-run in a local hotel and not organised by the school.

@LouisCatorze the amount of testing has been bonkers, luckily my DS finished his after Easter but I know some schools did another set just recently.
my DS has finished English language, he has his last history paper tomorrow and did his first physics today. He did Spanish speaking a few weeks ago. So feels like it is all going fast, he doesn’t seem to stressed but I’m worried he’s too laid back.

@sazzy5 good to hear that your DS is underway with his exams already.

DC1 made the mistake (from our point of view) of announcing to DD that GCSE results don't matter in the scheme of things. Honestly!

This time next week DD will have done another four (and then only 17 to go).

I'm quite shocked at how few afternoon exams there are scheduled. You can get a fair bit of revision done in a morning off! Think DD has only two (of which one is a full day of papers) across the five weeks.

Sorry to hear some of your dc are getting fed up, Ds is stroppy today too and is overwhelmed by English Lit as I thought he would be. I don't really know how to help as I haven't read An Inspector Calls and wouldn't pick up on anything if I did read it! It's his worst subject and despite me encouraging him to start this at Easter, he's left revising it properly until now. I think English Lit is in about 10 days so I hope he can make some strides then. He finished school yesterday and hasn't found the school revision sessions useful.

DS spent yesterday morning in isolation but it actually suited him quite well and his English teacher said the essay he wrote was really good - no distractions I guess! I spoke to his head of year who was quite helpful, it seems if the teacher had handled it a bit better it wouldn't have escalated so head of year is going to have a word with her and also put a note on his "support statement" (which all teachers are supposed to read), probably a bit too little too late as he's not there for much longer but at least they were understanding about it.

@Lightsabre For English DS has been watching lots of youtube videos, "Mr Bruff" is good and we have also recently discovered "Mr Salles Teaches English" (one of his videos helped DS write the good essay I think!)

DD tells me things have been dire at school including the police coming in for a drugs search, students setting off the fire alarm and all in front of ofsted. It’s almost like the year 11’s have decided to be as obnoxious as possible.

Can see on IG and FB that lots of schools are finishing today and doing the whole shirt-signing thing. None of that here, not until end of June!

There was an article in The Guardian (I think) which appeared online yesterday about the increase in anxiety and stress related reactions in this years GCSE and A level students. I can't link it I'm afraid but it was interesting if you can find it.

DC here plodding on. First paper Monday afternoon. This morning they actually want me to get them up at 8.30 am to revise....