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Secondary education

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

GCSE Supporting - first week nearly over

997 replies

overthehillswegoo · 18/05/2023 22:42

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CornishGem1975 · 26/05/2023 08:51

wizzler · 25/05/2023 23:03

Dd is mightily fed up with the OCR comp science paper. She's worked really hard and says it was all for nothing

Yeah my DS said he's "fucked" in his own words. Very disappointing for them.

Why do they have to go so hard. Aren't GCSEs about testing and demonstrating your learning over the past few years - not about tripping you up!

TeenDivided · 26/05/2023 08:56

CornishGem1975 · 26/05/2023 08:51

Yeah my DS said he's "fucked" in his own words. Very disappointing for them.

Why do they have to go so hard. Aren't GCSEs about testing and demonstrating your learning over the past few years - not about tripping you up!

If the OCR Computing paper was extra hard, it will impact everyone and grade boundaries will be adjusted accordingly.

The time to worry is mainly when your DC finds something awful and most others are OK about it.

naughty40me · 26/05/2023 09:42

DS gone in as no exams but school are big on attendance.

They have leavers assembly and shirt signing anyhow and then all going out and about god knows where.

I've given him some cash.

He's a good kid and hates the idea of alcohol so I'm not worried.

Apparently a big group are going tk some park somewhere.

Hopefully not drinking white lightening on a bench like I did haha 😆

jamimmi · 26/05/2023 09:49

Well que irrate message from DD this am, school have changed there mind about allowing them to go post English revision at 11 and now want them to stay in all day after they have arrived in. Unless we ring and say they can go home. I have done this but talk about a compleat breakdown of trust with year 11, most of whom are so exhausted they won't focus. I felt so sorry for her form tutor having to say this, dd said she appears equally un impressed

DontForgetToBreathe · 26/05/2023 09:59

jamimmi · 26/05/2023 09:49

Well que irrate message from DD this am, school have changed there mind about allowing them to go post English revision at 11 and now want them to stay in all day after they have arrived in. Unless we ring and say they can go home. I have done this but talk about a compleat breakdown of trust with year 11, most of whom are so exhausted they won't focus. I felt so sorry for her form tutor having to say this, dd said she appears equally un impressed

I wish our school was doing some revision sessions over the holiday. Though DS had thought that was a complete waste of time last time, it was more ‘grounding’ than studying at home with me just checking in on him and going through a checklist of stuff he’s supposed to know / cover - not just stuff he’s good at and likes.

DontForgetToBreathe · 26/05/2023 10:00

What are your revision tips?

jamimmi · 26/05/2023 10:08

@DontForgetToBreathe if it was just revison classrs I would agree but no they are still on full timetable, and in all day untill now. An RS class now when the exam is finished is irrelevant and she wants to do revision that needs it access they don't have in school, so would be better at home. TBH it'd the last minute plan change at 9 am from 2.45 yesterday which I find wrong

MargaretThursday · 26/05/2023 10:12

I was amused that the head of year sent an email out encouraging them to come in on Friday, and into it dropped the lovely line "although there are no important exams on Friday". As ds said "I bet if it was her subject's exam she wouldn't have said that."

He's got psychology in the afternoon, which is a longer exam than some. I hope he gets a decent lunch otherwise he'll have lost concentration by half way through.

MargaretThursday · 26/05/2023 10:14

jamimmi · 26/05/2023 10:08

@DontForgetToBreathe if it was just revison classrs I would agree but no they are still on full timetable, and in all day untill now. An RS class now when the exam is finished is irrelevant and she wants to do revision that needs it access they don't have in school, so would be better at home. TBH it'd the last minute plan change at 9 am from 2.45 yesterday which I find wrong

Agree there. If ds had been told they could go home and they changed their mind that is something that he really doesn't cope well with.
I might find I'd "booked" an important medical appointment for the afternoon.

GladysHeeler · 26/05/2023 10:15

I feel like my dd would be better off at home too. Some teachers are giving them past papers to do but there's no time to mark them or give them feedback. Yesterday afternoon most of year eleven were in a German booster and the ones who took french had nowhere to go for two hours. But they aren't allowed to go home.

Changes17 · 26/05/2023 10:34

DS wasn't going to go in today, but his English teacher enticed them all in with a promise of past English language papers to take home. I didn't mention he could probably download them from the website...

Changes17 · 26/05/2023 10:35

The weather forecast is good for the whole of half-term though, so he's going to at least have the long weekend off before thinking about getting back to it. It's not like they won't be having months off before September..

Soundofshuna · 26/05/2023 10:42

It’s an inset day for all but the children with exams today, DD hoping there is lunch available as she has 2 exams! I’m feeling guilty I didn’t send her with a sandwich just in case.,

spiderlight · 26/05/2023 10:52

Leavers' day for my DS today - just an assembly and shirt signing after lunch, and then presumably an early finish. They're on study leave after half term apart from revision sessions for the exams they still have to sit. I'm hoping he'll go in for them because he's had so much time off sick that he's not had a maths or English lesson since February.

TripleDaisySummer · 26/05/2023 11:26

Everything threatens prom. Behaviour, attendance, revision. Wouldn't mind but it's 45 quid a ticket and out of town so they're not doing us any favours.

Pretty much how I feel for prom - he didn't want to go then decided he did - paid for the ticket but if the decide not to give it - which might happen - it just says us a whole lot of money and hassle and he gone back to not bothered at minute.

He's gone in today for normal timetable- fingers crossed he gets left along by management school level - he like the quieter lessons and gets on well with pretty much all the teachers.

What are your revision tips?

Frequently going over the material - with time gaps so can see what forgotten - and if possible in different ways so on-line sites/revision books help there- and testing.

Hopefully they've also been taught how to answer questions - DD1 said something yesterday - she's A-level- which makes me think she hasn't or had forgotten.

For DS workbooks for science, DIY maths site for maths - Seneca for over view of fair few subjects even if can't aways get right board- quizlet which is basically on-line flash cards is good for vocab/date/specif things - many of the revision books have short questions and exam questions to tackle.

Obviously having them pay attention also helps - which is harder to get DD1 with her phone to do though she has tried college library which helped her - and DS downstairs in kitchen away from distractions in his room.

Last night was one where they both took off from work - no revision at all it's been a while where they've had a night off.

pinkflop · 26/05/2023 11:57

DS messaged to say German writing was 'easy peasy'! Hoping he manages a good grade. He doesn't particularly enjoy the subject but seems to be good at it, and importantly he's had a consistent, enthusiastic teacher.

CallmeIT · 26/05/2023 12:16

Oh good news re German @pinkflop I’m still waiting to hear. Hope my DD feels the same! Glad to be getting a weeks “break” now. Enjoy the sun all

CornishCoast · 26/05/2023 12:18

Latin this afternoon. Will report back later, it will be either “bad, very bad or fine”. 😂

jamimmi · 26/05/2023 13:05

Dd home, think school needed to go back to plan 1 from what she said. Definitely the vast majority of yr 11 walking out after english. Apparently chemistry teachers caught them at the door to hand out practice papers for paper 2 but nothing else.

ReformedWaywardTeen · 26/05/2023 13:27

DD didn't get up until 11.45 this morning!

Fair to say they are chuffed their school is being good about today.

Their leavers day is 7th July, with Prom in the evening but DD isn't going to prom as she hates the idea. I'm gutted though!

BaconAndAvocado · 26/05/2023 14:04

Can’t believe it’s DS2’s last proper day at school today. Seems like he was only a toddler last Tuesday 😥
Shirt signing and then a group of them are going to a friend’s house.
Then over half term we’ll have to tackle the relaxing v revising battle.........

SheilaFentiman · 26/05/2023 14:36

ReformedWaywardTeen · 26/05/2023 13:27

DD didn't get up until 11.45 this morning!

Fair to say they are chuffed their school is being good about today.

Their leavers day is 7th July, with Prom in the evening but DD isn't going to prom as she hates the idea. I'm gutted though!

Ditto here -1153, I think it was 😊

spiderlight · 26/05/2023 14:45

My DS and his friend have just turned up after a fairly underwhelming last day/shirt signing, which appears to have mostly involved drawing knobs on each other 🙄

NCTDN · 26/05/2023 14:57

Dd is in today then for another two weeks after half term. Expected in every day even if no exams but they seem to be allowed to do revision regardless of the timetable lesson. He's also in over half term for revision sessions.
I can't believe that in 4 weeks he'll have left school!

mumonthehill · 26/05/2023 15:27

Ds just sent a lovely photo of all who went up to secondary school with him from primary school. They have been in different forms throughout so good to have a last photo! They had a very small year in primary, just 9 of them so quite special to see!