Year 11 - 2024/2025: Half way, half baked, half term!

[QueenMabby]

Continuation of the year 11 support thread. Go!

Yes, I think with A-Levels it does depend on the context. If you had the best teachers in the world, loads of time in non-disruptive classes and tutoring and still didn't get the top grades you're more likely to struggle than someone who has had a rough road to GCSEs for whatever reason.

We had to fight for our foster daughter to be allowed to take A-Levels rather than Btechs with her GCSE results. She had a 5 in Eng Lang and Lit and wanted to take economics and they said 'no essay subjects'. BUT we pointed out she'd arrived from Ukraine in the last week of Year 10 and taken her GCSEs the next year - can you imagine trying to work out A Christmas Carol and Inspector Calls in Ukrainian? She did the whole English exam after just watching Muppets Christmas Carol.

Funnily enough, her A Level predictions, including for economics essays, are outstanding, as she's a bright, bright girl who works hard and has a gift for analysis and two more years in the UK living with an English family under her belt.

She corrects my dds' grammar!

That's an extreme example but others will have extenuating circumstances too, including simply Covid, but also 'no teacher', 'reams of supply teachers' etc, etc.

Meanwhile, in current GCSE land, for some obscure reason DD2's head of dept decided to call her in directly after her physics exam to 'chat about her future'. Sounded ominous, but apparently just to talk about whether she needs a music or academic tutor group next year in Sixth Form.

I had no idea they were different! She still doesn't know whether she wants to go to uni or some kind of music conservatoire, but could always just apply to both apparently. I reckon they think she's trying to have her cake and eat it too, but it seems a little early to decide to me. She's still 15.

Also emerged he had scheduled her (compulsory) woodwind assessment right in the middle of an actual GCSE exam after half term. These are important - no assessment, no government funding - so you think they'd have worked that out!

Also, may all your children 'cook' this morning, then eat and leave no crumbs..

I think.

This exam takes DD to just over half way. No study leave here and DD is going in to school next Tuesday and Wednesday for revision sessions run by the school for science and maths. I have told her she needs a day off next Friday to chill out as she is putting so much pressure on herself. She is also in the middle of rehearsals for her theatre school end-of-year show and is wound up pretty tight!!

Definitely.

This is why DD is on 'illegal' study leave...

Good luck to all DCs doing English today 🍀

Sadly, DD woke up at 4am again today and was actually afraid of going in this morning. A combination of tiredness, this exam (one of her best subjects) and the unknown of leavers' day after. So not looking good but keeping everything crossed for her!

We have only had one full day of study leave at home (began this week)
I got him up usual time, and found the session between 8.30am and lunchtime was great
He was focused and not distracted.
So he’s doing that over half term, complaining or not!

Dd oscillates between desperately wanting to leave her school (small, not diverse, friendship issues) and being anxious about going to a new school in a different town

@Araminta1003 we also have a Y6 going through High School transition - he is also being a bit extra demanding at the mo, when he did his SATS he complained that we were giving DS1 more attention than him. Well - unfortunately yes we were. I explained that we knew DS2 was confident (as we had actually asked him if there was any support he wanted us to offer - he had refused). He said himself that he wasnt bothered about the SATS - until he realised DS1 was getting loads of support!

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest your foster daughter sounds incredible - she will go far in life and i wish her well, she will have had the added trauma of being moved from a war zone to a new family.

@INeverSeeYou - yes DD happier at home now, studying on her own, but that has only happened in the last week or so. Before she could do ZILCH without a friend revising with her.
It is good because it means she is now going to be ready for the independent study required at A level, which as others have said, really does mean consistent revision throughout for almost 2 years, in an organised manner.
I think most schools probably do know their overall cohort well and when to release them into independent study. It must just be frustrating if you have a child that would have been better off at home and the school forbids it because of the needs of the rest of the cohort.

@Poisoningpigeons 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Mine were both up and working at 6 this morning ( desperate to do well in English language and least favourite A level paper today) Have offered lunch out but suspect they will both be knackered!

Mine! She's not even missing seeing her friends. She's been revising well at home – we know that because she's coming out of exams feeling positive and she'd be very quick to let us know otherwise! She gets to spend more time with our puppy, who is the ultimate de-stresser and very liberal with her cuddles. I also WFH so it's been nice having her around – yesterday was a full study day so we went out for brunch, which was just lovely.

My DD seems to have had a burst of energy but I am glad half term is coming up.

She will still have two full weeks that she needs to be in school once they go back but leavers isn’t officially until 20th June as they’ve added on a few extra days to cover any remaining exams. I think I will cry the day she leaves although the plan is sixth form you never know which path they will really take until the results are in.

Mine seems to be opting for illegal study leave - but with unofficial blessing from senior staff. She's got a reduced set of exams due to SEN and other very 'specific to her' factors so I have a feeling they would prefer her to be off-site rather than attracting 'why weren't you in that exam' questions.

Having been keen to revise in school, she is actually doing more at home than I had hoped for.

I've been playing air traffic controller with all her tutors and moving them round each week so that she has the right one the night before the right exam - they're all brilliant at keeping her calm and focused and means I can just switch off knowing that an hour of proper work has been done and if she faffs the rest of the time then that is not the end of the world.

Was also quite shocked that she spent yesterday seeing teachers to get more sets of past papers for half-term... we seem to lurch from switched on maturity to being horizontally laid back.

My DD took 3 alevels -sociology,business and criminology none of which she had done at GCSE and did well. I was pretty anxious as felt like a big risk but she said she didn’t like any of her gcse subjects so the only way was up!

Yes I think if you are the person doing the cooking that is a good thing.

if you are cooked that is a bad thing

mine Definitley is happier at home - I think she finds being around others and their stresses stressful and prefers just managing herself

This is what DS's school are doing, but I'm pushing back and giving him permission to leave. They want them in school, but the provision isn't great e.g. they have no idea what will be expected of them when they go to a timetabled lesson for a subject they have completed the exams for.

And expecting them to do actual learning for a subject on the same day they've got an exam in a different subject isn't great.

He'll wrack up a tonne of unauthorised absences (he's got 99% attendance at the moment), but I think that'll look bad on the school, rather than him.

They need to give the students some autonomy where that student has the maturity.

Last proper day for DD as study leave starts from today. (Finally!)

Which means its shirt signing day and she's decorated hers with her name in pink rhinestones.

Ds1 has Physics a-level today which will be a test of whether his revision methods have worked. I am dubious...

@BobBobBobbing haha aww there are lots of pink rhinestones on my dds shirt too! She's written her name on it in Arabic , looks amazing

I was going to ask what others are doing about illegal study leave as DD2 was asking last night.

Two years ago they were adament they'd be no study leave then it got to half term and they relented. This time they are doubling down on no study leave and they have to be in till last exam - just sent yet more messages along those lines. They also being arses about uniform not that that affected DD2.

She wanted to leave after exam today but there's a french lesson and she has exam right after break - so said no. She say it's all self revison in all the lessons now as the teachers apparently hadn't expect them to be in not sure I buy that.

However post half term - she has 4 exams first week - then one maths exam and next week last two - and they are the last exams most sit at her school.

After half term Friday is an entire day of nothing relevant. There two adults and an A-level student in the house - so she can't watch TV or skip out with friends and she been very self directed with revision. Maths lesson worth going in for as they'll switch to additional maths lessons - but beyond that really not sure what the point is.

Dd says they are getting a reduced timetable for after half term today🤷‍♀️
The school have been really terrible with communications about mocks and exams
I've sat on my hands and not complained as I know from a friend who is a teacher how crazy things are atm

Hope the English is going well this morning for everyone's DCs.

@whostheshithead My DS is hardly eating anything these days as he's nervous, especially in the mornings. Like me, he loses his appetite completely with the nerves and anxiety. He'll make up for it at half term I'm sure!

Worried about DS today with English. Hope he does enough to pass. He was losing confidence last night about it but managed to turn things around a bit and he went off this morning feeling Ok about it.

He got an invite for a college welcome day after his exams, so he's looking forward to that too.

I think DS likes being at home, but having a few study sessions at school would have been good for him. His school has been rubbish so far pastorally I feel, and no way is he giving any gifts to teachers. He doesn't even want the school hoodie.

If the school are happy to accept her without the GCSEs, then I wouldn't be worried. I assume they are things like sociology and business, rather than physics and French.
I am not an expert at all, but I would worry a bit about taking four new subjects (even if no one in class had studied them) - how does she know she will like them all?

I just informed the tutor my DS would be at home. He is staying after exams but on days with nothing he is home. That said others have said schools are using prom as a threat for non attendance, is that an issue? Good luck

DDs school has seen sense and done an about turn on the study leave. Originally, they were supposed to be in school full time until 13th June but they have just sent out a message to say there will be study leave after half term and a leavers assembly on the 13th followed by shirt signing and associated antics! I have asked that she leave school at lunch today as has German all afternoon so two wasted sessions but they have refused so I’ve told her to leave anyway if she wants to. Least she’s only had the two half days unauthorised and no more battles regarding that.

With regards to today’s English exam, she’s really hoping for photo of a forest and doesn’t want snow - not sure why she’s anti snow though 🤣

Regarding ‘illegal study leave’ - Mine is more than happy to be in school right until the end but she’s very much a social butterfly and goes to see her friends more than anything else.