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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Current Year 11 - 2 more weeks of exams!!

949 replies

Rollergirl11 · 09/06/2022 20:09

New shiny thread!!

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Bellini12 · 17/06/2022 17:41

So glad the situation wasn’t worse @Rollergirl11 your stress levels must have been Sky-high!

DD has had a day off revision today which has been lovely and much needed after 4 exams this week.

I wondered if anyone else’s DC’s took Edexcel French writing yesterday? We feel like (yet again) the advance information was misleading. The theme was meant to be ‘work, aspirations and study’ with the topic being ‘ambitions’. We took that to mean going to Uni, work in the future, dream house etc and DD did a little practice piece on it beforehand. But it turned out to be on volunteering! She found this tricky so had to answer the culture question instead (which was ok but not her strongest). Did anyone else raise this or are we being too picky?

Silkierabbit · 17/06/2022 17:56

Sorry about the crash Rollergirl but glad you got a car sorted.

Dd now out with a friend, gone to cinema together.

No exams but school lost ds for third time in a week so dh was there half day.

Rollergirl11 · 17/06/2022 20:01

DD is talking about embroidering her shirt with her name for shirt signing on the last day on Thursday. Is this a thing now? 🤷‍♀️

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cheninblanc · 17/06/2022 21:36

Oh yes I paid to have my daughters name and year put in glitter on her shirt. Only £5 and made a very happy teen

aramox1 · 18/06/2022 07:26

Definitely winding down here though three more exams to go and the last two on strike days- still trying to work that one out. School has been totally unhelpful.

Womblesaremyfavouritefood · 18/06/2022 09:40

This is the first morning for about 4 months that I've actually woken up and thought that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Mad revision this weekend as 3 heavy subjects next week, but by this time next week it'll all be over. Everyone is completely shattered.

LouisCatorze · 18/06/2022 12:51

@aramox1, agree. DD's school gave good info for contingency plan for the rest of the school but sweet FA in the way of help for Years 11 and 13. No acknowledgement that it may prove a challenge for some to get in on time.

DD's school stupidly allowed shirt signing before the GCSEs started. Not sure which bright spark approved that one (clearly someone without children!). Fine and dandy but totally impractical given that some are down to their last wearable blouse now (DD, looking at you!).

Silkierabbit · 18/06/2022 13:29

5 more to go here, DD out all last night and all today with friends. Hoping transport won't affect us, at least it seems to be just Tues and Thurs and not chemo day on Monday.

PeekAtYou · 18/06/2022 14:12

We had shirt signing before GCSEs too which means washing shirts more often because he now hasn't got enough to last the week.

4 more exams left here.

MirandaWest · 18/06/2022 18:08

DD is doing Chemistry. She is bored I suspect (Chemistry not one of her favourites). She says she is "behind" on revision but I suspect that given the amount she has already done this is only by her own self imposed standards. She did at least have a lie in this morning.

DS doing maths at the kitchen table and said "Shhhhh" when I walked past, gently singing.

Silkierabbit · 19/06/2022 08:02

DD was out all day yesterday and all Friday evening and Floofing before that. We had a May Bumps garden party which was nice. So glad only a week to go of these.

NameInUseAlreadyAgain · 19/06/2022 08:47

DS had exam Wednesday and then two tomorrow and one Thursday

it’s been hard to get him to revise since Wednesday. The momentum has gone a bit. It’s his favourite subject tomorrow but even that isn’t pushing him to revise this weekend.

hard day ahead trying to get him to revise. I tested him yesterday and he didn’t know much. Argh

Rollergirl11 · 19/06/2022 08:59

Happy Fathers Day all! Shane the weather has turned to shit.

Back to a full day of revising today after having Friday afternoon and yesterday off. Harry Styles at Wembley was epic yesterday. DD not looking forward to Chemistry tomorrow but is hoping it is better than the last paper, which she cried after. Then she doesn’t have to go in again until Physics on Thursday and then it’s all over. Thank heavens!!!

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legosnowqueen · 19/06/2022 09:20

We're on the countdown, DS did a bit of Chemistry revision yesterday but then met friends in the afternoon to go to a local gala. Hoping for a steady day today to set him up well for tomorrow, at least the weather makes it less tempting to go out! So Chemistry & Physics this week then the final History paper on 27th...the end is well & truly in sight! Hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday...

cheninblanc · 19/06/2022 10:28

2 exams left! My eldest dd has finished her a levels last week so that's one teen down. The other 2, my dd and sd have just 2 this week. I'm really looking forward to it being done now

Silkierabbit · 19/06/2022 11:54

DD is just making a Father's Day breakfast for us all and playing with Floof and then most of day will be revising.

MirandaWest · 19/06/2022 13:08

DD is yet again revising. DH will be taking both her and DS to the optician this afternoon so they can get prescription sunglasses (they need him for paying mostly 😂) as we’re going to New York two weeks today and they’d both like some.

I am still marking. Will probably finish around when they finish (DS on Tuesday and DD on Thursday). Only 5 more exams in total for both of them 😀

folly115 · 19/06/2022 17:25

My DD has chemistry tomorrow but she really struggles in exams and found the other papers really hard and is so exhausted now she has basically given up. The thing is she needs science to get on her health and social course so she has to get a 4. However it is the revision which really stresses her out - she spends so much time revising but when she gets into the exam she forgets it all and writes very little. If she revises she ends up getting so stressed out that she will forget it all then she doesn't sleep and ends up feeling really sick so sometimes she does better or feels she has done better without the revision.

Does anyone know how it works if you don't get the GCSE's you need for your allocated course? GCSE result day is 25 August 2022 - she needs all 4's to get on her course so if she only gets 3's and doesn't get science she can't do her planned course so we literally have a week to find a level 1 or 2 course that will accept her. School are convinced she will get 4's but she thinks she has mucked them all up and will only get 2's. She won't discuss anything to do with September.

It is a sad situation because in year 9 before the pandemic she was on for ALL 7's and 8's but since the pandemic she has had exam anxiety and since entering the exam hall for a mock exam in year 10 and having a panic attack she hasn't been able to perform in exams. In teacher assessments and classwork she would be on for 8's - with all 3's there are very few options - child care or health and beauty. Because of her anxiety she doesn't want to go to college - we went for an open day and the freedom of it all freaked her out but not many sixth forms offer level 1 or 2 courses. Up until year 9 she would have gone to sixth form to do psychology, english A level with a criminology subsidary and onto uni to study law and she was so confident about her future!

lanthanum · 19/06/2022 17:59

I think the main thing is to find a course that will occupy her while she rebuilds her mental health. Later on, when she is ready, she can do an access course and get to university in her own good time.
Hunt around for options - one of our local schools opened a vocational sixth form which basically provides for the kids who would not cope with the size of an FE college. Do any of the local colleges offer a GCSE retake option? Can you talk to the local colleges about support for anxiety? If they have some sort of support base that she can retreat to that might be less scary.

Rollergirl11 · 19/06/2022 18:17

@folly115 gosh sorry to hear how much your DD has struggled with her anxiety and how much it has affected her. It’s a bit late now but couldn’t the school have assisted with allowing your DD to sit her exams in a quieter setting? Our school has a quiet room for students that struggle in the hall for whatever reason. One thing I would say is that she may well have done much better than she thinks and that her anxiety has effected how well she perceives herself to have done?

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folly115 · 19/06/2022 18:20

Our local FE college keep putting the focus on the fact that they treat you like an adult and you are free to come and go, there is no chasing if you are late with assignments and how different they are to school. We have been to 3 open days to try and convince her that it may be the only option but seeing men/older boys with beards walking around and people with all kinds of fashion styles etc has scared her so much - alot of her friends are going to college because they want to escape the claustrophobia of school and can't wait to be free and be treated like an adult but she says she still feels like a child (she is still 15, not 16 till 30th August). We have a couple of schools that offer BTEC's but only level 3's. So for low grades college is the only option. We may have to look in a different town but not sure how this looks for funding. Being realistic I really think she will get the 4's (school think she will) it is her lack of confidence due to her anxiety that is making her doubt I think. But likewise with literally a week to find somewhere if she doesn't get the results I need a plan B really because she will not discuss. School are adamant we won't need a plan B. Maybe I should just sit back relax and think positive!!

folly115 · 19/06/2022 18:44

Rollergirl11 · 19/06/2022 18:17

@folly115 gosh sorry to hear how much your DD has struggled with her anxiety and how much it has affected her. It’s a bit late now but couldn’t the school have assisted with allowing your DD to sit her exams in a quieter setting? Our school has a quiet room for students that struggle in the hall for whatever reason. One thing I would say is that she may well have done much better than she thinks and that her anxiety has effected how well she perceives herself to have done?

During the second set of mocks which weren't official but still under exam conditions school allowed her to try them in a smaller quieter room but it made it worse because she started panicking about how she could get out if she was going to be sick. She did the second lot in the hall right at the back and felt more comfortable as easier to get out if necessary. She has had counselling which was working until last week as the first few exams she felt went ok but she now she seems to have hit rock bottom again I think because she has 2 science exams this week she doesn't get a 3 (predicted a 4 or possible 5) she can't do her course.

NameInUseAlreadyAgain · 19/06/2022 18:49

We are in the same boat. If DS doesn’t get his 4 in English then he can’t do the level 3 course at college. I’ve taken results day off work to assist but hoping it’s not necessary !

no revision done today. Sigh.

TeenPlusCat · 19/06/2022 19:04

Broadly speaking, if they are going to college to do a BTEC and don't meet the Level 3 requirements, then they can do a Level 2 starter year instead. The courses we looked at for DD1 and then DD2 required a merit at Level 2 to progress on to Level 3. Of course if they don't offer the course at level 2 that makes it harder.

PaddingtonPaddington · 19/06/2022 19:35

DS has run out of steam a bit. Now revising chemistry for tomorrow so at least that’s something. 3 this week and 1 the next and he’s done. Good luck to all the DC for tomorrow