Y11 2023-24 continued

[Techno56]

New thread for when the other one fills up, I need somewhere to panic away from my son 😁

Have they had lots of supply teachers? Is that the reason for the pace? DD finished content just before Easter in most subjects, just did the last bits of geography and biology this week.

We have just had an adjusted timetable from the start of the exams.

They have to be in school up to half-term.
They have either exam prep or study sessions that seem to be guided rather than self-study.

Then they can choose to go in for self-study with teacher support after HT or stay at home when they aren't in exams.

I think DS will actually be much better in school as he needs help to focus, but I probably will let him choose what to do in the second half-term.

I have buckled and emailed the school about when DS is expected to be in school. Apparently some year 11's on are study leave already. DS has heard nothing at school as to whether they are expected at school as normal throughout the exam period.

DS and I have a "date" to do his revision timetable for the next 7 weeks this afternoon, and it's impossible to plan if we don't know what is going on. Infuriating.

Hi! Thanks for new thread. Dts is on a first date with a girl today, here’s hoping she doesn’t prove too distracting..
Dtd is stuck into Chem revision.

No word on study leave for dd yet but it’s a rural school with lots of buses so I imagine they’ll keep them on timetable for as long as possible, logistically difficult to do anything else. At my school we have a couple we are placing on early study leave after next week, I think it’s the earliest they can go, the kids who are massively disengaged and truanting most lessons we feel are better at home..

No hoodies for us that I know of, heard nothing about year book either which is a shame.

DD looking forward to the end now, but very nervous about transition to college. She’s not doing as much revision as she planned, I’m encouraging her to strategically focus on English and science, everything else she’s either doing really well in or has written off (RE has not gone well).

DBIL funeral on Friday, be good to get it over, been such a long time. Dd and dn have Spanish oral on Monday. They should be fine, both did really well in mocks.

SENCO has definitively said no to extra time, invited me to complain to the head if I’d like, which will serve no positive effect. She said that it should have been picked up in 5 years, I’d agree, but with 2 years of covid and massive staff turnover (we think she had 7 English teachers in KS3) I can see how it wasn’t. I will look into private dyslexia diagnosis over the summer I think, there’s a family history and I think it will just help her sense of self and may be helpful for college or university.

She did a driving lesson today, one of those ones for under 17s on private land, I think we’ll try to get her a few more over the next few months, nice distraction from school and she’s keen to pass asap when she turns 17. She’s given up all the extra curricular stuff she used to do, spends far too long in her room these days.

Three weeks of school left here and then exams and study leave. I'd rather they were in school than at home but hopefully they'll still manage to revise around exams.

Checking in

At my DD's school they have to be in until May half term and they were advised to bring at least one revision resource in every day. I think it's good that they go to school - even if they do only revision there, it's a different type of revision than they do at home. The social aspect is also important... the kids going through this stressful period together. I will encourage her to see friends often once exam leave starts, as we agreed on no revision after 6pm, and to continue to attend all her sports training sessions.

My DD is a bit fed up with revising content and since last week she's been doing mostly paper 1s and and answering harder topic-based questions. She's also creating the Art exam planning pages which is very time consuming as it's not straightforward (need to wait for paint to dry up etc.).

Her first exams are next week: the 10-hr Art exam over 2 days and the German 2 (speaking) exam.

After that, there is a bit of a break until the main exam period which she starts with a double (or shall I say triple) exam day on the 10th of May: morning Biology 1 and afternoon German 1 (listening) and German 3 (reading).

I've had no reply to my email of Saturday but DS has been told that they will all be in school as normal. Apparently they are going to just have revision classes with teachers from each subject available and the students go where they fancy (i.e. not following timetable), except for certain lessons where they still have to attend. The school is quite new and last year was it's first set of GCSE exams, so I understand that they are on a learning curve, but the lack of information is frustrating.

On a different topic, I was reading a news article on paying students based on their grades (exam bribery!) Is anyone doing this? I have said (jokingly) to DS in the past that I'll give him money in increasing amounts based on grade but, having read the article, I'm toying with the idea of formalising the offer!

We will pay for effort after the fact, not grades, and as a gift not as a carrot to get him to do more. I would reconsider my methods if he wasn't doing any work 😅

I have no plans to pay him.
It's his 16th end of July, we are going on holiday in early July and he's got a day ticket to Leeds festival.
Quite enough imo! We'll take him out for brunch or dinner on the day I imagine

Hello all. It's getting close, isn't it? 😬

I had a massive wobble this week. I was talking to DS about something exam-related and asked about his personal revision timetable.

He didn't have one.

I was reeling. I thought he did! We have deliberately been pretty hands-off up until now as he has a good work ethic, he says he'll go off and do two subjects after school and I believe he does. (three a day most days over Easter) But he apparently has no general PLAN, no way of keeping track of what he's covered (he would say indignantly he does, it's all in his head). And while he's very bright, predicted good grades and soaks up information like a sponge, I still think he could wreck it all by being cocky. I suspect his bedroom has tempted him into fiddling with his hobbies at times when I think he's working too... And I totally dropped the ball over Easter - we were going to sit down together and plan out a timetable from then until end of exams, but we were away over the weekend, and then rather unexpectedly adopted kittens. He did fill out a paper timetable he was given at school but I assumed this was the whole thing, and it was just for the holidays.

Now, I'm assured that they do nothing but revision, exam technique, practice questions, walking through exam papers etc at school. And his school will have them in over the entire exam period as far as I know, they follow their timetable around exams and use those slots for revision. (I'm hoping that's going to be helpful and not just people pissing about.) But. Dear god I was horrified he had no PLAN!

Yesterday I drew up lots of weekly timetables for after school and weekend sessions, leaving them blank for him to fill in and colour code if he wants. I then dashed out and bought a new desk lamp (his old one had died, he said he didn't really need it but he was working by overhead light which is a bit grim), a cork board to pin timetables to, yet more revision card notebooks, more pens, and some of those huge paper clips to clip cards together, and some of those upright filing boxes people put magazines in, to marshal his past papers into (these were all on the floor under his chair...)

I feel terrible. I feel like we've all sleepwalked into complacency. We trusted that he was being competent and focussed with his revision and I think he just feels it'll all be ok because of his predictions.... 😬I know there's such a thing as letting them get on with it and make their own mistakes, but this is a pretty major thing to screw up, and I suspect that those parents probably aren't on this board!

He is quite entitled about his 'free time', and says his tabletop gaming hobby, fan fiction writing and watching sci fi stuff keeps him sane and gives him an outlet. I get that totally, being cut from the same cloth, but he simply has to suck it up for a few weeks and accept that fucking Space Wolves take second place to getting the grades he's capable of!!

Anyway, I didn't want to knock his confidence (which is easy to do, despite the cockiness) and I hope have struck the right balance between gibbering fury and calm supportive mum/dad. He seemed grateful for the timetables and other stuff I did for him, but this is now the point at which I will be breathing down his neck!

It's not too late, is it??

Agreed! 😁 I guess it also depends how your child is motivated. My son seems to only be motivated by competition with his friends. I thought dangling financial reward might help motivate him at home.

Like @gingercat02 we're away on holiday in July and DS' birthday present was deferred as an IOU until the holiday as there's lots of basketball stuff he would like to buy while we're there (USA). But obviously we won't know the GCSE results by then.

I want to reward his hard work and effort; not sure how to do it yet.

@GlomOfNit - DS and I did a timetable last weekend from then until the end of the exams. I went into his room on the first evening, looked at the timetable and asked how X subject revision had gone and he hadn't done that subject - he'd done something else entirely. I have to leave him to his own devices now or it'll drive me mad. I have said I will chase him to study (if necessary) but he needs to manage what he is revising and make sure it's not just the stuff he enjoys. That's a long winded way of saying - you have my sympathies and I share your pain!

We're not offering a money incentive, she puts enough pressure on herself as it is. She's quite competitive, which is both a blessing and a curse. Hoping that DH will take both DD away as a treat for a few days after exams and during term time as a holiday would be cheaper then. Haven't told her that either in case we can't do it.
And yes, it is all getting horribly closer.

Same here. Will pay after exams but before results. He can control his effort, but results depend on other things too. Also, DS is my eldest and is fairly academic and should do fairly well. His younger brother will struggle, so paying by results in unfair for our family.

It's getting so close now. Some days I think she has it totally in hand and others days I'm a lot less sure. I've offered to help test her etc but she's v independent. I think sciences are in good shape. English lit is overwhelming. Maths was a worry but she's really quite enjoying maths genie thank goodness. Her options are getting a lot less attention (she rarely mentions them) but she doesn't seem too concerned. She's desperate to do A-levels. And we don't really have a plan B.

We kick off here on May 10th which really isn’t far away now.

ds set his alarm this morning and has planned a fairly full day of revision so that he can go out tonight and play rugby tomorrow. They’re revising and covering exam technique in every lesson now, and he’s staying after school 4 days a week
for extra revision sessions that are being offered so I’m not worried if he’s not doing loads at home now.

It’s important I think that he carries on getting to the gym, playing his musical instrument, seeing his friends etc to keep a healthy balance.

i must check that he’s got a see through pencil case and all the pens etc that he’ll need.

@TinfoilTangerine absolutely agree about payment and fairness for siblings. DD2 is more academic than DD1 and DD1 had her GCSEs blasted away by COVID. I also think that they need intrinsic motivation and may as well start to learn that at this point.

We can't afford to do high cash rewards so have decided to do small presents after each exam - just counted up and have realised she has 21 exams so will definitely have to be small presents!
Relieved to have study leave arrangements confirmed by school here at last - first one for us on 9th. Just want to be on the other side of them. Good luck to all DC!

Ours starts on May 9 here too. Last day for dd will be May 8. They don’t have study leave but I’ve agreed with her she can just leave (as the majority appear to be planning), if that fails I’ll just sign her off sick every day. School has been very chaotic here re exam plans I am not impressed - new head - thank god it doesn’t have a sixth form.

She asked about cash reward and I said an empathic no!

Not planning any grade-based incentives here - if anything I’m having to push back against perfectionism -including my own- as despite the rather intense vibe amongst DD’s friendship group she really does not need perfect grades. Aah. I mean I am pleased that she is shooting for the stars but do not want it to be at the expense of her mental health, which has been wobbly in the past. So on we go, so far so good, but with absolutely no mention of grades if at all possible!

We are having a special holiday this summer and hope it will feel like ample reward for DD’s Y11 efforts as well as DS’ really good Y7 efforts. They both have summer birthdays so it is a treat-filled time of year anyway.

DS1 is also in a rather competitive and very brainy peer group, and they often vie with one another in terms of grades after tests, etc. It's not fabulous for mental health 😕but DS1 is very hard on himself and will insist on comparing himself with others - eg if he got a 75% in a test but his friends got much higher, he's downcast. And he doesn't need all 8s and 9s, though I know it'll make him really happy - he ought to get onto his chosen A-levels at the 6th form of his current school and that's what matters (both his dad and I are academics or ex-academics and trying not to say - actually it's your A-Levels that will really matter in terms of grades and getting you where you want to be! that's a worry for another year).

He's currently moping because he's had a weekend day spent not painting his miniatures or reading what he wants to, but covering 4 subjects in roughly hour-long chunks. And doesn't feel like clearing his desk of work to get out his painting things because he has to clear it all off again... I really wish he had a sport or something outdoorsy to do but that's just not him. Once this bloody weather clears up I'll take him out on walks to clear his head a bit.

Mental health is half the battle these days, isn't it? yet I know that if he doesn't get the grades he's hoping for, that'll really upset him too.

Yes, mental health is more important than good grades. No point in high grades if you're unhappy.

We're taking DS away in July on a holiday he has chosen, so that has always been talked about as his "reward" for his effort over the past two years. He's an only child so no comparisons to be had there.

Good grades will boost his confidence going into sixth form so I won't feel bad about offering a bit of financial bribery (not decided whether to yet though). There's also a lot of evidence that the better the GCSE grade the better the A level grade will be: Progression from GCSE to A Level, 2018 – 2020. Statistics Report Series No. 129. (cambridgeassessment.org.uk) There was a thread on this forum a few months ago on this subject which was interesting. GCSE to A-level grade conversion | Mumsnet

Just come on for a grumble really ...

DD is still chipping away at maths and despite her best efforts and our support and tutor she's struggling to get her past paper marks to go above a 3. There are patterns in where she's going wrong however I'm not sure it's realistic for her to get her head around them and secure them at this stage.

So despite mock results not being too bad (and most importantly, excellent predicted grades from teachers at parents evening last week, on the subjects she's chosen for A level - including 8 in English lit and Lang!!) I'm bracing myself that she will not pass maths and therefore not be able to stay on for 6th form.

Even though school have given bugger all additional support (we have been crying out for this since day 1) and have a meaningless "No child left behind" kind of ethos.

I know they are within their rights to refuse to accept her. It still pisses me off tho!

Hey ho. She will survive and I'm sure thrive no matter what.