Year 11 - 2024-2025 Support Thread

[QueenMabby]

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

We got mocks back this week for DTs. Overall good results for both of them - DS got a 6 in Eng Lang which is amazing for him (he has ASD and really struggles with inference, context etc). DD has always been stronger academically but her results were overall not quite as good as DS… joys of having twins, we're trying to balance encouragement, delight, “kick up the backside” moments as I suspect DD had her phone out for most of her revision… but honestly for both of them it was better than I thought it may be so that’s a relief.
The comment on examiners reports above was v helpful, DD’s lowest mark was in history so it will be good to review what went wrong there.

Excellent news! Well done

I am thinking about history as it is currently low for DS. It doesn’t make sense as he is good at writing (reflected Eng grades) and critical thinking. He hasn’t learnt the content thoroughly, which is obviously a big issue but I also don’t think he understands what is required. Has anyone found a good explainer of the three exams (this is Edexcel)? He has the CGP book but I found it confusing…

Hope everyone well.DS on countdown for next mocks - 7 weeks.

DS is also taking Edexcel History and we were recommended the revision books published by Pearson by his school. The workbooks/practice papers seem to have very good explanations of how the mark scheme is applied to worked examples.

Thanks - will look at that

@marshallmum - congrats on your DTs' results. Hopefully they can use the info to help inform revision going forward so they can target where they do the most work.

Dd still slogging through. 13 more exams to go - 8 this week and 5 the next. Saturday was a bit of a write off as ds went back to uni and dd always gets very emotional when he leaves. Lots of active parenting needed!

Spanish writing this afternoon then three days with two exams each day plus some music lessons shoe-horned in where she has some space.

@QueenMabby SO many exams! Hope she's bearing up ok. DD2 also still going - interspersed with symphony orchestra rehearsals for Haydn's Creation, massively long bassoon lessons, etc. To be fair, this is clearly exactly what the real GCSE period will be like for her, so probably just as well. Maths was apparently very hard, but they haven't actually finished the syllabus yet so perhaps that was unsurprising as some things hadn't been covered. She has higher hopes for paper 2. Well done @marshallmum for DTs - you are a hero getting two through at once - I have two on A-Levels - parents evening was mindboggling.

DD’s mocks start next week, along with (the actual) science practicals (we’re in Wales). No revision has been had, but lots of art have been done during the holidays, which is a change. She massively regrets choosing art, she thought they would be taught how to actually do art but (according to her) it wasn’t what she expected. She currently doesn’t care what grade she gets in it. I’m happy if she’s happy but I had some hope she’d be able to get into the Seren Network to help her find her path… hopefully one bad grade won’t make a difference 🤞🏾

I took DD1 to Santorini for 5 days post GCSEs. she’s a keen photographer so loved it. DD2 was Covid post GCSEs but post A levels she went to Spain with friends. Is there nothing in Spain, Portugal, Greece or France? I spent a lovely long weekend with DD3 in Paris a couple of years ago but she’s very into fashion and everything ‘Pari’. Not sure your DS would be quite so interested.
Also booked in for parents eve this week. We’ve 5 minute slots in person and have to run from main hall to library to classrooms etc. it’s awful. Wish they were still online.
Went to visit another school today for a potential sixth form. She liked it and has a very good chance of getting in 🤞🏼. It’s a 15 minute drive but there’s no public transport whatsoever linking our village to this school, which will mean a lot if driving for me until yr13 when she has her drivers licence. The school remains a contender nevertheless.

Glad you've found another possible option @NotDonna. We've co-ordinated our occasional family "big holiday" year to coincide with the DCs' gcse years so are off to Japan in July. Horrible time of year for it but we'll adapt accordingly.

Dd had a two hour chemistry mock paper yesterday that took her just under an hour to complete. All definitions and "what can you observe" type questions and not enough "proper" chemistry apparently! Latin language and physics 2 today.

I have completely fallen off the thread. I need to do some catching up. I said on here a while ago that I was thinking of taking ds3 out of school for a few days, as my older ds’s wanted us all to meet in Japan. I never go abroad, so this was a big thing for me. We did go in the end, ds3 missed 4 days at the start of term. It was a huge culture shock for me. I think my ds’s all enjoyed it and took it all in their stride.

Ds3 was desperate to get back to school for his mock results. He’d emailed some teachers while we were away, to get results. So he had some of them.

I think the next few months will fly by and exam season will be upon us soon enough.

Now I need to read back and catch up.

Welcome back @icanbewhatiwant - I'm glad Japan was a success.

We're still in the throes of mocks. Two more today. History 1: "a good job I'm not wanting to take it for A-level" and Biology 2: "surprisingly enjoyable"!

@QueenMabby I didn't see your post about going to japan before I wrote mine.
Good choice. Though I'm not sure I'd cope with the heat in the summer.

I'm not sure I'm going to cope either! Dd is desperate to go though. We'll just have to keep our itinerary simple and with plenty of inside and air conditioned activities!

Hi, I hope you don't mind me popping in - I've got a question about after school interventions.

As far as I can tell, DD's school has a policy of mandatory after-school interventions for everyone in Y11 from the Nov before GCSES.

So.

DD had two. Fine. Then they added a lunchtime one. Also fine. Then the lunchtime got switched to after school. Fine, three per week, annoying but workable.

Now she's found out she has another one, so four hour-long, after school sessions per week.
These are in History (where a few months ago the teacher said she could easily achieve a 6-7, higher if she believes in herself a bit more), Spanish (where she's recently been moved to the higher paper), RE and Science (which is her weakest subject) so aside from one, not even core subjects.

She usually has two homeworks per evening but sometimes she's had as many as 4-5 due for the same day which is stressing her out as there are only so many hours in the day but she's really good at making sure she gets the homeworks done in good time without prompting, she revises a few evenings per week too including at the weekend off her own back... is four after school interventions a week excessive does anyone think, or is my judgement being clouded by the inconvenience of it all?

I collect her from school due to distance so her younger brother and I have to wait an hour in the car for the intervention, doesn't seem like much I suppose but it's annoying and her brother has ADHD so struggles a fair bit waiting around.

That is definitely a lot but the key is does she feel they are worthwhile? If so best to crack on - only a few months to go. Just see it as revision.

That seems pretty onerous on you and DS, let alone DD. Would higher grades really make a difference to her eg what she does post-16, or is it just boasting rights really?

I mean, she'd like to do a levels but she's averaging 4-6 grades wise so I don't think she'll make it unfortunately. I think she's heading down the college route now.

I emailed the head of year and he's agreed there were a few too many interventions and said she just needs to let him know over the weekend which ones she wants to continue, which is a weight off her mind.

icanbe the Japan thing just sounds amazing. Dead jealous.

Went to parents evening mid week. All ok, he just needs to step it up.

Like Avacado he's now got 4 interventions, one pre school and 2 post school, and one x 1/2 an hour teams call of extensive full on revision. In RE, Geography, Spanish and PE.

Parents evening all kind of assured me he didn't need to do that much and that all is in hand, because they are all not that far off finishing the syllabus. And then they'll have 12 werks of full on revision in class. So it'll all be covered in class. They expect him to make an effort, revise, do past papers and hand them in for review and feedback.

They made it all sound so simple, I'm not convinced! Ds2 needs pushing, which I find hard work.

@icanbewhatiwant So pleased Japan went well for both you and your DS’s - I remember you being quite unsure. So delighted it was worthwhile!
@Amitheavocado sounds Luke you’ve had a result there already in her being able to cherry pick the ones that matter most. My DD1 & DD2 never had any ‘interventions’ or lunchtime it afterschool sessions so this is all new to me with DD3. None are compulsory - they are drop in ‘clinics’ where they go with a specific issue. In addition they’ve now started ‘clubs’ after school which are really revision lessons. She goes to maths club every week and history club. Doesn’t seem to be a chemistry club unfortunately!!

We also had parents eve which went ok. The shocker was her maths teacher saying she’s capable of A level (she’s bottom set albeit a selective school) - she wouldn’t get a top grade but what a confidence boost!! They’ve a new chemistry teacher who seems on it. Struct but in a good way. She’s also got a new English teacher this week (hers had a baby at Xmas prematurely). She also seems very good. Thank heavens!

Hello

does anyone’s DCs get to see their marked mock exam papers?

Are school mock exam papers under the official secrets act??????

seems a no brainer to me - if you don’t know where you went wrong how can you make any changes to help ensure doesn’t happen again?

🤔

DC in the midst of mocks now. Computing was a "car crash" and the physics paper was "don't ask" but I'm trying not to worry. My hope is that whatever the results, the experience will be a wake-up call that they need to work more seriously for the actual GCSEs.

Yes I think they have to sign an official secrets act! In previous years they’ve never been allowed them. This year, DD3 wasn’t allowed to take the actual papers home but has a copy of her answers (not the questions) on ‘showbie’. In class they go through them. I’m wondering if they re-use them for further practices. Maybe slightly reworded here & there. Makes sense not to be re-writing all the time.

Yes they get the papers. Some give them out and go through them but then take them back in (not sure why). DS can get any he wants if he asks. It’s a no brainer. They might want to look at what they got wrong….

We will go through them with students but we retain them for "resilience" purposes.

My classes will get a feedback sheet which tells them exactly what the need to do better next time.

@Elizo thank you for this, I have now asked DS and he said he has seen them. Just didn’t say or explain how he got on when I asked him previously 😣

Looks like it’s his usual problem of just doing the bare minimum for some areas and giving some answers that he described as “mediocre”.

😔