Year 11 22/23 support thread.

[PritiPatelsMaker]

Does anyone fancy a support thread for the just about to start Year 11's.

I'm not Mystic Meg but even I can see a rocky year ahead of me...

Anyone fancy joining me?

hope it's o.k. to crash in. DS2 is Yr11, DS1 has an EHCP and attended a specialist base, so although DS2 is also autistic, it's a very different situation. DS2's school is not the best in terms of pastoral support, DS2 is also not great at expressing when there is a problem, so it's going to be a tricky year.

They are doing booster lessons in place of a couple of morning mentor sessions, and he has 1 after school lesson. This is a catch-up lesson but his is in the one subject he will pass comfortably, whereas he will need to pull a rabbit out of the hat for English!

Just a quick message from a mum who went through this last year; in the end all our kids will get into a school, by the end of the first couple of weeks in their new school they'll be happy and settled and this current nightmare time will be in the past. You will all get through it!!

We are having a bad week. DD has EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) and POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and she's pushing herself so hard. By mid week, she was in a lot of pain and the Occupational Therapist said she's doing too much and she's tried to push through despite advice to ask for a reprieve. She's head girl so has been back in school two evenings this week doing open evenings and representing the school. Even at lunch time she's either at meetings (school council), production rehearsal or running a club for the younger years. She. Won't. Stop.

Today, she's in agony to the point she's vomited and passed out in the bathroom😟

Back to bed, I've read her a story (been a few years since I've done that) and she's still asleep now. Means her picnic/walk with her friends later today is cancelled and she is using her leisure time to recover.

I don't know the answer. She's a high achiever and will push herself academically but physically, she's falling apart.

She's applying for a scholarship to board for 6th form and I know it's hanging over her head. I don't want her to go but I can see why she's chasing it.

Feeling pretty glum about it all today.

My DS has no idea what he wants to do
for A levels, apart from Maths. I’m not sure how to approach the sixth form open days/evenings when he doesn’t know what he wants to do. Can he apply to more than one 6th form and then decide for sure nearer the time? Any ideas?

@ShowOfHands - that sounds very tough. I hope your DD has managed to have a good rest over the weekend.

@Hooveslikejagger - my DD is also only sure of one subject she would like to take for A-level. At the parents’ info evening last week, they said they recommend students applying for at least 4 sixth-forms. We will identify some we would like to go and see. Some definitely have a wider choice of subjects than others.

DD’s school have now started ‘intervention’ sessions at lunchtime or after school. She has been told she needs to go to Chemistry intervention once a week after school.

Last year we only applied for one 6th form - the school one. DD started there a few weeks ago. There is nowhere else she wanted to go!

@Circleoffifths

They have also told my DD she needs to be seeing 3-4 schools. Apart from the grammars her school has the best a level results in the area and the colleges generally don't do a levels. It's pointless going to see places she won't want to go to.

She wants to see the grammar (she failed to get in at 11) but doesn't want to go there. She has been identified as high potential student at current school and is getting targeted university support so tbh will get more attention there I think than being one of the middling of many at the grammar!

Yes, you can apply for as many VI Form places as you like (unless they are in some sort of group with internal rules about this). You can hold those offers until results are in and then decide what seems best/which are still available.

Having said that, we won't be looking at any others due to a) distance, b) current school perfectly good, c) bigger range of A levels offered at current school than anywhere vaguely near, d) bigger sixth form, most subjects with more than one class and so much more likely you can do the combination you want, rather than what fits in with the school.

We will go and look at a few when open days start. There’s a decent sixth form at DD’s school but they don’t offer the one subject she knows she wants to do so we will need to look around at options.

Actually availability of subject combinations is something worth asking about. Obviously if the student wants to do Maths, Chemistry and Biology everywhere will timetable to make that possible. But can they do Physics, French and Dance? Politics, Textiles and PE? (You'd need to have thought through why you would do these and where they would lead you because some Uni courses need more coherent combinations, but you take the point). If you want to go somewhere because they offer a particular subject will you be able to do your other chosen A levels or Btecs alongside?

Our 6th form produces a pack and in it they show the combo you can do. They have 5 blocks and you pick 3 subjects from those 5 blocks (or 4 in some cases)

I can't believe I started on MN when DS was being weaned and now it's gcse time. He needs to stop playing Minecraft to have any hope of doing well.

Yes, this is quite common, at least it makes it clear what you can or can't do I suppose. Our school write the timetable around the choices made, maximising the number of students who can do their top 3.

I hope DD is feeling a bit better showofhands, DS2 was diagnosed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Yr7 and he's gone in the opposite direction to your DD.

I am concerned about DS2 meeting the entry requirements for A levels, for English. He's secure in maths, things would have to go drastically wrong if his sciences weren't great, History and Geography he should pass, though maybe not high. But English is his kryptonite. I'm going to try and make sure we attend the local 6th form open evenings, none of the colleges offer A Levels and he's so directionless BTECs just don't appeal to him.

Thanks for your responses.

I’m glad I asked that question on 6th form, as I had no idea you could apply to more than one, and the timetable thing hadn’t even crossed my mind, but I see exactly the issue now that you have pointed it out.

I have looked up the other local schools and have missed one open evening already! The rest are Oct/Nov with deadlines for applications or expression of interest by December.

DS now knows we are attending the open evenings and I’m hoping it might help him decide on other potential subjects. At this rate we could have plan A, B and C by the start of December, which would make us both feel a bit comfortable and not like we are drifting along.

I have a Minecraft obsessed DS too! He's autistic and uses Minecraft as a social kind of thing, they all chat on Discord whilst they play.

My issue is, he procrastinates and I find it so hard to assert myself and tell him to "start your homework now", for example.

He has 4 homeworks due for Monday and despite me saying several times that he needs to get them done in plenty of time, he's only just starting the first one now.

I bought a load of revision guides the other week too and he's barely looked at them.

I wish I was a more capable parent! Feeling so out of my depth. I never did gcses as we moved house (cross country) just before my exams and I decided to get a job rather than resit the entire yr11 which is what the new school wanted me to do.
So I have no idea what I'm doing and how much I should be pushing him....

My younger DD is autistic with PDA traits getting her to do anything is challenging due to procrastination so I feel your pain! No advice other than lots of clear boundaries, lots of ‘suggestions’ as telling doesn’t work with her but she hates consequences from others, so a detention is her worst nightmare.
Luckily my older DD doing GCSE this year is self motivated but I’m dreading when the other one gets there.

Hello everyone! Hope you don't mind some new arrivals to the thread. Someone from another 'support' thread (for slightly older DC) had started one for the same cohort but we've now been pointed in this direction.

My DS is aiming for something in engineering. Considering double maths, physics, design-technology at A-level. Nice to meet you all

Yes can I join this? I started the other thread as I didn't see this one.
DS doesn't do an hour a night, never mind 3!
We've visited (and probably ruled out) one sixth form. Got three more to go.

👋to all the new joiners 😊

@Circleoffifths Thank you!

I could add: I have an older DD too, who has just started art school. I haven't yet caught up with this thread, but if anyone's DC is thinking of going into art or design, please feel free to throw questions my way, as most MN threads are about traditional academic subjects!

My DS seems to do relatively little homework at home. But he gets to school early and normally stays late before his various other activities, and claims that he's on top of things. We'll see.

Joining from the other thread too. DS has decided on our local Sixth form college which has a great reputation. He did a taster day in July and is adamant he wants to go there. He wants to go to uni eventually to study Computer Science so A levels will be CS, Maths, maybe further Maths and/or another A level/Btec. Should I try and get him to view a few more colleges/schools do you think?

@OnthePiste personally I would. DS was adamant that he wanted to go to the quite local maths school (only 4 in country, great reputation and amazing results). He has been to a taster day and loved it. However, we went to the open evening last week and he realised it's probably not for him.
We've got 3 others to visit.

@OnthePiste - definitely no harm in going to have a look, even if it’s just to reinforce that the one he wants now is definitely the right choice for him.