Year 11 - 2024/2025 - In the thick of it!

[QueenMabby]

New thread. Sorry. Forgot to start it - I hope everyone finds this!

Funnily enough, DD’s private school is comparatively laid back compared with some on here, but I suspect being girls-only makes for a more fraught atmosphere. Some of the parents are very pushy as well.

Good question @Poisoningpigeons! DC2 is moving on to sixth form elsewhere and although they've got very definite ideas about suitable gifts for a couple of teachers, a couple of others are proving to be more tricky.

One is the exams officer who has been amazing at accommodating the ever-changing repercussions of a dominant hand injury - alcohol isn't appropriate because DC2 is fairly certain the EO is Muslim she really has been brilliant so I'd like to get something other than chocolates. The other one is the music teacher who has gone above and beyond for both DCs over the years. The ideal gift would be a voucher for somewhere that sells school orchestra music (the DC say there is no money for new sheet music) so a new piece could be chosen and purchased by the music teacher. I've not worked out where schools buy orchestra music.

Yeah I know the superselectives are intense. Good luck!

We're at a private selective co-ed. The school have been relatively focused but not to the point of putting huge amounts of pressure - some discussions about what they're capable of achieving and regular individualised check-ins. Where I've seen pressure it seems to be from parents - I've heard parents openly say that anything less than straight 9s is failure and others who've made it very clear that they expect an Oxbridge application so they can't afford to slip up at GCSE. There are some very stressed kids as a result. My DS thinks I'm quite chilled because as long as I can see he's done his best then the results will be what they will be and the next stage will emerge from there!

It saddens me somewhat the pressure you hear some parents put on their children. I encourage consistency and effort as much as possible and work on the basis that the results will be what they are after that! But yes - some parents at DD’s school are very pushy over results.

DD2 is at a non-selective indie (at least, it only selects its musicians and then only on musical ability). Most who have the same scholarship/status as DD2 will be targetting conservatoire, and they have two E offers at A-Level and don't look at GCSE. DD2 possibly isn't so she needs to do ok at GCSE!

As a result I think we have the reputation of being 'academically pushy but musically chilled' - ie we'd like her to pass her gcses and are happy for her to miss orchestra to do so - even if everyone else isn't!

Just had some feedback from the Eng Lit exam. Said it went well. Inspector Calls question was something he could give a decent answer to (no idea the theme) and he linked the poetry to Remains. Unsure about what the unseen poem was.

Hope your DC also feel things went well for them.

I'm mad - just seen DS2 has been issued with a 30 min detention for being late for 3rd period.
nb they are in school as normal - no study leave.
So exam from 9 - 11.15 and then 3rd period 20 mins later and straight into a science lesson. It stinks. You'd think they'd be a bit lenient right now.

That would really pee me of! Hopefully a rechnicak error not implemented.

anyone know questions for AIC and poetry (conflict) AQA? Thanks

DS has just messaged - he's thrilled to be rid of English Lit, he has always found it hard to know what to write. It sounds like he had a really good go - off to Computer science now, so I think I need to find a treat for this evening.

Not sure what the AIC question was, but the power and conflict poem was Exposure.

My friends DS is at a super academic private school. Yr 12. Apparently some barents said if their child didn’t get into Oxbridge they were not supporting uni. Bearing in mind Oxbridge is basically a dark art to get into there are going to be some interesting conversations there and possibly messed up kids.

Apologies if I have misunderstood but that really reads like you are trying to facilitate your DC cheating because they are taking this exam a bit later due to an exam scheduling conflict. I hope not! But in case it is, please no one share any actual info for at least 48 hrs.

I went to a super selective private girls school (on a bursary) and anything below a B was seen as a failure. I was very ill the last year of school and only attended part time for a few months. The schools attitude was that it wasn't worth entering me as I didn't stand a chance to get As or Bs. After a stand up row with my mother, they backed down and entered me- and I got all As. (I have Adhd and I work best under lots of pressure)

Its one of the reasons I didn't want to send my kids to a similar type of school. The pressure was immense and the results they achieve are skewed as they just didnt enter girls they thought would fail. Their headmaster (CofE academy) likes to say they have the same standards as a private school while I'm sitting there thinking "you really don't"- but it's a positive for me!

Don’r be ridiculous. People are sharing info on questions after exams, DS did it at 9am like everyone else and I thought other posters had said children were held somewhere in event of clashes. I wouldn’t know as DS has no clashes 🙄 He is in school without phone all day so am curious as he was nervous for this one

DS school (low attainment academy, 4.7 average) want this year to be the Best Ever 🙄. On Sunday they put on 4 hours of school, 3 on site. Must evenings they have a revision session online at 7pm. They are really going for it. DS, who didn't care till Jan this year, is now putting all sorts of pressure on himself. He says he only wants to drop 3 'marks' ie. All 9s and 3 x 8s. DD has buckled a bit under the pressure and found it overwhelming. Her grades have gradually reduced over this year since Y10 'mocks' in the summer. They really are so different. DS thriving under pressure and being kicked up the arse, and DD, who has always worked hard, struggling. It's not fair really because it's the ones who have been constantly plugging along who should do the best but they won't in this school.

You really don't want to go on TikTok and other social media if you're worried about exam info being shared – people are going through entire papers on there!

No point saying don't share on here, the questions are available all over social media, Student Room etc within minutes of the exam ending.

English Lit: DD sounded incredibly happy - said she loved the paper. J&H and Conflict. Sounds like a bit of an odd choice on the Conflict Poem but apparently it was good in her eyes.

Huge relief after maths and geography being the opposite last week.

We won't be talking 8s or 9s here, but at least she should be over the line for the 5.

Any exam conflict the child in question should be kept under exam conditions at all times no access to phone/internet until the conflict is over.

Plus there is no conflict with eng lit all the big exams are ring fenced by the exam board - conflicts would be this afternoon and I can’t see any

ejther way the exam boards are clear that an hour after the official exam start they expect it is public

His form tutor emailed back saying he will speak to the teacher of that lesson as well as HOY as he believes they are making allowances.

I'm praying DS didn't skip out of school down to the Londis for a bag of Monster Munch now......

AQA Eng Lit AIC questions choice of:
How is Gerald & Sheila’s relationship presented throughout the play.
or
Around How is Power presented in the play.
DD did the power one and seems happy she wrote a good answer!

On Sunday they put on 4 hours of school, 3 on site. Must evenings they have a revision session online at 7pm.

That is all.

My DS did the power question too. Although I'd personally have had a good go at the Gerald and Sheila question!

Glad that's all over as it is by far DS's weakest paper, having hardly done any poem revision at all due to bad planning and him not liking poetry. I think he said he had a good go at it but it wasn't as good as the 1st paper.
It was a stressful morning today as on the way he called me saying his pencil case is missing and then 20mins later asking what time the exam starts?! Luckily he was nearly at school and had 20mins in hand, but he is hard work in the mornings.

DS goes to a grammar, but his friendship group aren't that studious and he claims they hardly revise at all.
DD goes to the same school and the girls seem to be a bit more hard working. It's a boy heavy year for DD, she's one of only 8 girls in her class of 30. Usually the girls do best in class!

Going… going

Gone! See you on the new thread.