Year 11 - 2024/2025 - Support Thread - the final stretch

[QueenMabby]

A new thread to take is to exams and beyond! All welcome.

Yes - I think most schools don’t require attendance. This is all helping my case! My school at no point said they needed to be in apart from buried in a letter about exams last week. Seems very unusual.

DD2's school (which is the indie one) has said it requires attendance in the last week for everyone, but there are definitely people on the whatsapp saying they've already booked holidays. I think it's just for leavers services and proms and no-one seems troubled that they'll be missing it so I don't think it's a dealbreaker.

DD2 needs to be in school even after GCSEs have finished for music lessons and after that any specialists in the symphony orchestra must stay for the week before the concert so she's going to struggle to get home at all. But she has state funding, so she does what she's told. Also, she loves symphony orchestra so it's not a punishment...

I'm off down to stay nearby Sunday night. She'll have had three exams by then but not ones she is massively stressed about and I figure she might just need a parent nearby for a couple of days. Quite prepared for her to tell me to go away, but I reckon that she needs to know she's got the choice!

That sounds like a good plan @minisnowballs and good to hear that others are booking holidays! Hopefully missing the last few days and the leavers service won’t be an issue. Can’t work out when to broach it with the school..!

We were going to book 3 nights away with the dogs (we’ve never tried taking the dogs) we were going to go in between the contingency day and ds’s prom on 3rd July. I’d forgotten about 6th form tasters. We have been told dates to follow soon. I assumed they’d be in the summer hols. But of course they could be when I’d planned to go away.

Back to school for Ds today after a nice long weekend. First exam tomorrow (citizenship)

I'm taking DS away on holiday from the 29th June for a few days. Their prom date is the 27th June. We haven't had any communication from the school about post GCSE attendance. Haven't even been told about the contingency date, which I only know about because of this thread!
It's their last day today as far as DS is concerned.
It's good to know what other schools are doing, it's nice that some have given the option or going in or not during the exam period. Our school is a blanket no, not allowed to go in.

On the random revision tips - DD2's new favourite thing is timelapses - she loves recording herself revising and then speeding it up and playing it back (and sending it to me). Apparently it 'stops me going on my phone'. They are quite fun

It’s so interesting to see what others are doing. Thanks everyone for making me feel better!

I’m secretly pleased our school has no study leave at the moment. DS not very self motivated (ADHD) so the structure of school works well and at least I know he’s done some revision. DS2 will be doing his next year at a different school where there is study leave and that will suit him.

I feel less worried about the holiday on the 29th June now!

@Delatron I suspect my DS also has ADHD (going through the assessment process right now), hence me being less than impressed about the study leave.

Ah that’s tricky. They can mask it quite well. We didn’t find out with our DS until last year. Also he has the inattentive type so behaviour was always good on the whole! Just daydreamy! Good luck with the assessment process.

It’s hard as some children thrive with study leave and others need the structure and routine of school.

So this is the first I’ve heard of 25th June, school haven’t informed parents about study leave arrangements. Unofficially DS says he thinks he is expected in until May half term and then just for exams. You would think we would’ve been told about the contingency day though. So glad he doesn’t want to go there for sixth form, I am so done with the lack of communication.

Some schools are dreadful re: comms.
I'm still waiting for a response to an urgent email fron last week 🤷‍♀️

Our comms could be better although individual teachers are generally very quick

So DS says the Spanish speaking was ‘good’. He added he does not want to talk about how exams went when they are done and we will find out how he has done on results day. That’s that then!

Dd just said the the y11s are getting a new timetable...???
Might help if they let us know 🙄

We had an email this week about a personal timetable for every student. Basically once an exam has happened that subject is done and they replace it with one left to sit the exam for. I get it. But so much coordination!

I need to figure out prom, leavers things, as I plan on taking DC away for a few days in July before actual term ends. We were told their last day yesterday but I’ve lost it already 😂

@Xmasfairy86 wow! That indeed must take a lot of coordination! I would not like to be in charge of timetabling.

I think we will go to London to catch a show ot two...we are away in July for out family holiday anyway
First written exam today! Drama. Dd seems unconcerned....

I hear you on the bad communication @BobbyRobin .
I wrote to DD's school 6 weeks ago about study leave. They answered 2 weeks later to say they'd consult teachers and get back to us. Another whole month later they just got back (after me chasing up) to say no study leave for DD. This after two separate teachers, including the SENCo, suggested this to DD when it became clear during the mocks that being in school was detrimental to her grades (which they care about) and to her MH (which they don't).

In the meantime DD has been too anxious and frustrated to go into school most days, as she's wasting time she could use to revise at home. She finds it impossible to revise in class with the noise and disruption to the normal routine. She's exhausted beyond words when she gets home and has no energy to do actual revision then. The school's tardiness and lack of clarity haven't helped her. Or me!

I understand they used to give optional study after Easter until this year, when attendance at all costs has become their motto.

That's atrocious @stickygotstuck

@stickygotstuck that is really bad. I'm so sorry.

DD2 starts in earnest today with drama and english lang. The clear pencil case and stationery I ordered from Amazon for her has finally been located in a house four down from her school boarding house, and she has left the functioning scientific calculator at home but apparently it's fine as she doesn't need it til next week.

Apparently she's going to call me once the first one is over...

Thinking of you @minisnowballs- it must be so much tougher when they’re not at home. Hope it all goes well today. How come she has Eng Lang today? I thought the first English exam was on Monday and was Lit?

dd has German listening and reading this afternoon. She had a bad headache and was nearly sick last night but I think it was just nerves. She seems ok this morning. Was up doing her ring fit exercise on the Switch this morning and I made her pancakes for breakfast.

Thanks @QueenMabby .DD does CIE IGCSE - this is the reading exam. Can't quite work out what it's trying to assess and how, but hopefully it will be OK. I honestly think she'll be better once she's started as long as these aren't awful.

History tomorrow and then the weekend off. Apparently she dreamed she was late to her exam last night. Wouldn't be much excuse for that given she lives two minutes away!

Apparently she wants to call after every exam so I'm expecting endless dissecting.

Hope the German goes well! Poor loves, it's awful when the nerves hit.

Dd gets migraines so it's a worry.
School are pretty rubbish with chronic health stuff ime

I’d love a dissection. I’ve been informed there will be three categories of one work feedback: good/decent/ bad

No idea if dd will talk about it.
I did wish her good luck this morning

Thank you @destiel00 and @minisnowballs . I've drafted a reply to the HoY and am hovering over the Send button. Wavering between a passive aggressive 'thank you for nothing, at least you finally replied, good boy' or a more aggressive 'thank you for nothing, you're obviously clueless about the needs of your SEN students' . Or maybe just a curt 'Thanks. Good day to you'🤔

minisnowballs, great Idea to be on hand for your DD. She may rebuff you (she is a teen!) but I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture. Great if she doesn't actually need you after all.

Good luck to all the DC doing German today!