Year 11 - 2024-2025 Support Thread

[QueenMabby]

Hi
A continuation for those of us with DCs going into year 11 - GCSEs are looming!

Oh sorry my reply to you was a bit curt wasn’t if? So sorry!! Yh, it doesn’t matter what courses you want to do (bizarrely). BTecs or A levels. The college takes X number and they’ve gone over. So they’ve employed a distance criteria (looked after children in obviously first) and sadly we aren’t very close by despite it being our nearest one.

@ChannelLightVessel ive managed to find their admission criteria and it goes on postcodes, not distance. We actually live nearer than quite a few of the postcodes. The college did actually have a personal statement too. The applications to her other choices didn’t. I’m really concerned that the others will be out of reach as they ARE often oversubscribed unlike the local college.

I wonder how they can know they're full this early on in the process, bearing in mind most people make multiple applications.

She’s being kept on a waitlist so I guess as ppl fall away others on the waitlist will move up.

@NotDonna Have they given any indication where she is on the waiting list/what criteria they’re using to take applicants from the waiting list?

On no @NotDonna that's horribly stressful. For what it is worth I should imagine many people are slinging in more applications than usual this year because of the VAT and it may all shake down so she gets a place.

I have put in applications for DD2 for our two local sixth forms - but unless something very odd happens with the review of the Government's music and dance scheme DD2 has no intention of taking them up as she wants to stay where she is. I'm sure there must be others in the same or positions - will make it very hard for colleges to plan, but when push comes to shove everyone only needs one place.

Fingers crossed...

@Elizo I don't think state schools can use personal statements and interviews. They can only go on exams and distance generally...

Selective state schools can.

My son is applying for 4 sixth forms, so is a good example of this! 3 are selective, 1 is the school he is at.

DS2 is in year 11 so I'm here for that reason, but I'm posting about DS1's application for information/illustration.

DS1 applied for 5 sixth forms for 2023 (now in year 13), for Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Philosophy. He had offers from all of them which he met. Two are generally selective, but probably not as selective as the state grammar schools here in North London (not a grammar school area in the sense of Kent, Essex or Buckinghamshire, I think, so there are only a small number), but for 4 A levels including Further Maths and an essay subject, all 5 had similar entrance requirements - mostly 7s or above, 8 in Maths and 7 in at least one written/essay type subject. One of the most selective ones, an A level specialist sixth form college that is high in league tables and competes in the grammar school/top universities market, also wanted an average of 7.5 across the best 8 GCSEs. I think all of them, though, have students starting on 3 A levels (and probably not studying Maths) on slightly lower or very mixed GCSE results DS1 dithered between that one and the school sixth form he eventually chose. He is now applying for university and taking reputation and status even more seriously, but his views on this were already evident, looking back, in year 11.

Interesting. This is not a grammar. Some of the grammars use distance as their main criterion (once you have met threshold). Some of comps have higher grade requirements for A levels. I think the selective/ non selective distinction is blurry at sixth form because they are all selective

Some of the state 6th forms, not Grammars, my son is applying for have either a personal statement or interview (or both), and two have an entrance exam.

This is my understanding. But I know a range of comps who ask for them. Seems murky to me

It’s the Wild West out there 😂

One of DS1's best friends was also on a waitlist for a Music Tech course (alongside more common A level subjects) - he got in very soon after GCSE results came out, and I think the chances of admission from a waiting list are probably much higher than for year 7, because students can make multiple applications and aren't limited to a number or having to narrow down choices until their exam results come out. However, my perception might be skewed because DS1 and his friend would have applied with good predictions and also got slightly better grades than required.

DS got a 7 for Spanish. So chuffed for him. School MFL results v poor and I had a run in with them last year as they were talking about foundation and I knew he could do better.I pushed to get him to do higher and he got a 5 end of last year and now a 7. He has worked hard on it, self teaching a lot, am really proud of him

Well done to your DS @Elizo

Well done him! Out of interest, were there any books he used to practice grammar etc?

Yeah. Grammar is Ollie’s Spanish GCSE grammar workbook. You can buy it from TES. He hasn’t done loads of it but dipped in. Quizlet cut and paste the vocab in and made flashcards. Practice papers - again dipping. Also CGP book., Done bits of each

www.tes.com/teaching-resource/spanish-grammar-workbook-all-aqa-edexcel-and-wjec-grammar-points-12885044

Thank you!

@Elizo - congrats for your DS's 7 in Spanish. Well done!

7 in spanish is 'muy bien' Elizo! Well done to your DS. I think the languages are some of the hardest work at GCSE- both of mine have managed to get out of them spectacularly by just doing Latin instead. They do speak quite a lot of spanish (and understand more) but the GCSE is still hard as the breadth of vocab needed is huge.

Boost for DD2 today as she's been awarded an academic scholarship for sixth form (honorary as she already has a government-funded music one). Pressure on with the GCSEs now!

Unfortunately a boy in ds2's year (aged 15) committed suicide this week unexpectedly, such a terrible shame.

@Oblomov24 how sad, sorry to read that. Hope your DS2 is ok.