Current Year 11 - 2 more weeks of exams!!

[Rollergirl11]

New shiny thread!!

Well done DS @legosunqueen and well done to your DD @Rollergirl11

Thanks Louis Hope your DD had a lovely time in Nice.

💐 Salsa

Glad your DD enjoyed the prom Rollergirl

Congrats to your DS Lego

DD has had her 6th form trial day which went well. We are now in Cornwall for a week with her friend and something unbelievable happened. We just came back from Minack theatre (pic below) which kids said was too boring to find they had not only made their own dinner but also washed up and cleaned and tidied the kitchen. Dds friend must be very well brought up. 😂

We stayed over at a lovely place with own pool other pic on way down and was so nice to swim in that just us. The kids and DH did St Michaels Mount yesterday, I felt rough then so stayed home but better today, its only a few days post chemo for me. Tomorrow we have a surf lesson booked, think I have overestimated my energy levels post chemo when booking but should be fun. Dds summer job advising people on how to punt starts soon, she does not know herself 🤣 but pays £10 an hour and will keep her fit too.

Hope everyone has lovely summers.

Wow, stunning @Silkierabbit we went to the Minack for the first time last year & it's incredible, so unique. Well done DD & friend. Hope you enjoy the rest of the week, St Ives is lovely to wander around with some gorgeous beaches if you get the chance to go there.

Sadly our weekend plans have fallen apart, my brother came over from Hong Kong for the week on Wednesday, not seen him for 3 years as he was unable to leave Shanghai then Hong Kong due to the pandemic & China's travel then quarantine policy but he's just tested positive for Covid so our weekend with him is cancelled. So disappointing, it really isn't over...

At least the sun is shining, even in Yorkshire. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

@Silkierabbit your holiday sounds a tonic. I hope you have the energy to enjoy some of the trips out. I guess it's a matter of pacing yourself. Love the idea of the domesticated friend of your DD!

DD has got COVID for the second time, less than a week before the trip to France :-(. She's been burning the candle at both ends since finishing her exams (not partying but just doing too much), and is clearly run down. I just hope she's feeling considerably better in a week.

Good for your DD with her prom @Rollergirl11 and congratulations to your DS @legosunqueen with getting the job. Sorry to hear the catch-up weekend with your brother has had to be cancelled.

Thanks Lego So sorry your brother has covid, hope its a quick recovery.

Thanks Louis Sorry your DD has covid, hope she can recover quickly too and enjoy rest of summer. Yes I guess I should really have a pace yourself category, I currently had sloth on chemo then active on holiday but I need an inbetween one. 😂Though as you do things it does improve.

Surfing lesson today in Sennen.

Thanks @Silkierabbit although we are hugely disappointed not to see him, the bigger worry is him getting back into Hong Kong & avoiding a state-run quarantine hotel stay for 3 weeks! He'll need to be very sure of testing negative before attempting to return, as the tests there are more sensitive. Hope the surf lesson went well!

Thanks @MrsPnut a trial in a kitchen on the hottest day of the year will be interesting - although the cafe may be less busy than usual

@LouisCatorze hope DD recovers quickly & gets to go on holiday. We're due to go away on Friday & are mindful of the risk of getting it in the next few days....

Hope he can avoid quarantine and you do not get it Lego. Really miss the pre covid world. We just found out ds only has 1 vaccine, argh and asd refuses to leave house and dhs family are French.

Surf lesson was good but needed lots of help as trouble balancing neuropathy after chemo. Is improving and hope is just temporary.

Your holiday looked idyllic @Silkierabbit and the weather superb! Hope you enjoyed learning to surf? Are you due to start your radiotherapy soon?

DD was quite poorly over the weekend but picked up massively on Monday and tested negative (did two LFTs to double-check) by Tuesday afternoon. Phew. And it looks as if we've managed to swerve getting it too.

The summer seems to be whizzing by (it seems an absolute age already since our young people sat their GCSEs, don't you think?).

Good luck to your DS with his cafe job @legosunqueen . How did his trial day go?

Just checking in very quickly. Following your Cornwall journey with interest @Silkierabbit - it’s high on my list for next year. We’ve never been.

Fab news about the job @legosnowqueen less so about your brother.

Nothing to report here really. DS1 clearing his books out so very slowly. End of term stuff for DS3 as he is leaving primary too. Sixth form day seems to have gone well, he is largely not doing very much. We’re off on holiday in two weeks for 3.5 weeks so apart from one day of paid admin work he has and making a start on his Sixth form summer assignments, I think we are just floating along.

I have had a terrible cold and cough for over a week, tested daily for about 8 days and all negative so I seem to have whatever else is going around, but I’m so bored of it and quite like going into the office rather than wfh so getting frustrated.

Cornwall was lovely thanks and we were lucky to go pre school holidays, well just private school ones for half it and so had lovely weather but not too busy.

The Isles of Scilly are amazing there as well, did that last year, get helicopter from Penzance or small plane from Lands End or boat but that gets booked up very early. Last 2 activities hiring a classic car, Morgan 4 and kayaking to St Michaels Mount.

Having nightmare with DSs school, they won't let him in as he hides but no alternatives are in place and he is asd and mute and no friends and so attached to me and distressed about my cancer and now very distressed with this and no prospect of a resolution for y11 so could end up with no GCSEs. Really bright boy too, such a waste.

Love the idea of cruising around in a Morgan! Hope you had a great time @Silkierabbit.

Yes, exams seem quite far away already. We're having a relaxing European trip and Ds quite happy he's away whilst school is still on. Really hot here but hear it's the same in the uk.

Wow what a buy holiday @Silkierabbit . Loving the idea of motoring around in a Morgan!

DD has just received some 'holiday work' for sixth form. I've just had a look (she's currently away). There's loads of it! And she won't 100% know she's going there until GCSE results day (maths grade dependent). Some of it looks quite interesting but it's way too much after the year they've just had. Surely they deserve to have a care-free summer just this once? AIBU?

@Lightsabre glad to hear you're having a relaxing holiday despite the heat. Sure it was this hot in France when I was pregnant with my first.

Sorry that should have read busy holiday

Glad you had a good time away @Silkierabbit Sorry to hear they about your struggles for DS, hope you can find a good solution.

My DS has been set summer work and as he still hasn't decided which sixth form he will go to I have suggested he does both sets! He is rather reluctant but has made a start. I would like him to get the majority of it done before DD finishes school but we shall see. There is quite a lot of it for four subjects x2! Not looking forward to the heat next week, at least it is only for a few days.

We're the same with the amount of holiday work set. It seems so unfair, but I've said absolutely no work to be done until after Results Day. DC has desperately needed a break (as they all do).

I've just had a look at the psychology pack which looks very interesting and includes some maths (well statistics really) and stuff around research methods/peer reviewing. I would say though that there's at least good couple of days' solid work there, across the three subjects.

@IThinkIMadeItWorse having to do the work twice over is really a very tall ask!

Cannot remember DC1 having to do anything like that before going into sixth form.

Maybe the sixth forms think the DC are still needing to play 'catch up' academically? Certainly the way to hit the ground running in September. I guess it also forms a bit of a baseline assessment, particularly if the DC have moved to a new school for sixth form?

I know I did feel a bit mean. One of the sixth forms has set 4-5 hours per subject (they estimate) but they claim that is their usual weekly homework load (5 hours per subject!) The other hasn't set so much. He has so far found the Maths very straightforward so that hasn't taken him too long. He has found some of the Chemistry a bit dull (recapping GCSE stuff, I guess they want to ensure everyone has the GCSE content secure - some may only have done double science.)

We had a long chat yesterday about the pros and cons of his two options but he still hasn't decided. The main thing putting him off the more academic one is having to do an EPQ which is a lot of work on top of four A levels. I think he will struggle to do an EPQ as he is dyslexic and finds writing difficult. Not sure if I should ask the SENCO if they might make an exception and not force him to do it (they already made an "unprecedented decision" to offer him a place to do four A levels as he wasn't predicted to achieve their usual (very high) entry requirements).

We have also been sent work to complete over the summer for Biology and maths (and similarly getting into those subjects are grade dependent). The Biology pack stressed that it was focussed on the parts of the biology course they would need for Sixth form that was not included in the AQA advanced information - so I guess I can really see the point. But DD is still away with her youth group, and I am not even going to mention it until she gets back, and was going to suggest she only does it after results day. Surely there should be enough time in that week?

@IThinkIMadeItWorse the EPQ doesn’t have to take the form of an essay. I think it can be an end product - E.g. a documentary, model, artwork, probably with some reflective written work I guess. I do agree though it is a lot of (quite unecessary) work on top of 4 A levels. DS1’s sixth form are expecting the 4th to be dropped and have encouraged an EPQ in that area, but if he doesn’t drop it then I don’t think we will be pushing him. However, he is planning for history so EPQ gives him a great opportunity to pursue and carry out some research.

@StColumbofNavron The spec for the EPQ they do (OCR) says there must been at least one piece of extended written work (1000 words) even if they do an artifact or performance. He really struggled with his drama coursework portfolio and it ended up dragging his predicted grade down even with a lot of support. Also he just won't really do things he doesn't want to do, he's been looking forward to sixth form being just his chosen subjects so to have to do an extra 120 hours on an EPQ is a big ask for him.

DS (just finished year 13) did an artefact EPQ - I’m not sure how much he wrote but quite possibly a few thousand words. He said that a lot of people dropped out of doing the EPQ although I think he quite enjoyed it.

We've all been away in New York which was good fun although hot. Not as hot as here will be next week though and I’ll be back to work next week.

We got back to England yesterday morning, drove back here and were back around 1pm. DD had a bit of a sleep and then packed again as at 7:30 this morning she and 5 friends set off for a trip to Mull until Thursday. One of them has a family house there and so they’re using that. Journey involved 3 trains, a ferry and a bus. Am quite glad she’ll be there when it's so hot here as it is considerably less hot up there.

DD has pre 6th form work to do - am sure she will do it but am going to encourage her not to put too much into it.

Hey everyone 👋, hope you’re not all melting in this heat! I can’t believe it’s going to get close to 40 degrees Monday and Tuesday!! DS is actually supposed to be going on his Year 9 end of year trip paintballing on Monday. I can’t think of anything worse to do in extreme heat! I’m hoping it’s going to be called off.

DD has also been set quite a bit of work in her 4 chosen a level subjects. She has had a quick look to get a feel for how much but will leave it till much later on. In fact school actually suggested doing it after results day. Given that they don’t start back till 7th Sep I’m sure that’s ample time.

I’ve literally hardly seen DD in the past week. She’s been out most days, been to a handful of parties and yesterday and today she’s at Finsbury Park to see Sam Fender and Two Door Cinema club, amongst others. They missed the last train home last night and all had to get an Uber from Victoria. Hoping they fare better tonight! 😬🫣 My nerves are a bit shot but I suppose giving me practice for when she goes to her first festival next weekend and then Reading at the end of August. I’m just happy that she’s having fun and finally feeling more relaxed and carefree!

Thanks Light Glad you had a nice European break. We have managed to avoid any high heat so far as Cornwall was low to mid 20s, perfect for us but its due to hit 33C here tomorrow and 40C on Monday and Tuesday, yikes. Currently 26C and that's already hot to me at my age.

DD has started work and enjoying it, just from home first two days but she is nervous about first 2 days in 40C as I would be too. Nice fun job though and well paid for her age.

I have a CT for radio on Monday then a weeks radiotherapy starts about 2 weeks after. But feeling much better from chemo now got energy levels back just some neuropathy now in hands esp thumb and feet but mild and teeth and eyes feel weaker. No school for DS still, complete nightmare with that but at least the main bit of my treatment is nearly over and DD is doing really well.

Thanks Its and Louis Good luck with the A level work. Think DD will start the A level work after the results though she pretty much knows for certain which college she will go to.

Rollergirl Glad your DD is having lots of fun, good to see them come through this.

Miranda New York and Mull sounds an amazing summer.

Hello everyone. We made it to Mallorca...such a tonic being abroad again. Just me & DS, as we decided that DH (who was only going to come for a week) would stay at home to support out Ukrainian guests. However, they have actually gone away for a bit themselves, the lady is a pro footballer & her Ukrainian team are playing in the Champions League so they have gone to training camp in Poland, this all happened suddenly last week so too late for DH to change his plans. I suspect he is enjoying the peace & quiet, apart from managing the stressful dog & cat interactions at weekends (DDog will be weekly boarding with doggy daycare lady during the week).

DS & me are good travelling companions & we're staying in a lovely apartment with a roof terrace in Palma Old Town, it's bliss. Although ironic that it will be hotter in Yorkshire for the next few days.

Thanks @LouisCatorze the trial went well & DS starts work when we return from holiday, he's very pleased.

@Silkierabbit such a worry about your poor DS. Can the local authority or your MP help? It doesn't sound as if the school are being helpful, you'd hope that under the circumstances they'd be gentle & pragmatic.

Glad everyone is enjoying the holidays. DS too has pre sixth form holiday homework, I've encouraged him to make a start on it in early August, perhaps a day a week, although I suspect he'll leave it to the last week when he is recovering from Leeds fest

My last DS to finish GCSEs is very relaxed now. We’ve had a family holiday and he is going on a couple of youth camps in August. He is doing the NPLQ lifequarding qualification next week. That will take up the full week and I imagine there’s some prep to do in learning for the final test. Work is available in leisure centres or at summer crash courses in schools immediately. Not sure he will be able to get work over summer as he is away a lot and I’m not sure he’s got an entire week free, but he will look to start some after school work in September.

Summer work hasn’t come through. Assuming it won’t at this point - hope it doesn’t appear last minute. A big clear out of revision notes and GCSE ex books has happened. There’s a bit of meeting friends but not loads. The best thing is not having to rush upstairs to do revision all the time - so unburdening. He says he’s forgotten his French already.