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

[QueenMabby]

Continuation of the year 11 support thread. Go!

@Sisublondie
Thank you 😊
Her mocks English grades were good, so who knows? 🤞Maths not so much but we had agreed she would sit the H paper and re-evaluate, so she's sitting F maths paper -
She's certainly capable of a 5
It won't be the end of the world of she has to resit but it will be better for her if she gets the 5s now

Ah, thank you so much. It’s so incredibly hard for them, isn’t it. I love what you said about your former manager……” We are where we are”… thank you- I love that!! It’s pretty bloody to the point, too, isn’t it?! I saw something the other day, I think it was on twitter (x😹!), just very brief clip of an American woman speaking about “ hindsight” and how it’s an utter waste of time, as you made the choices you made back then, based on the information to hand, and, without knowledge of the consequences of the decisions you were making… Erm, but, she said it much more succinctly and she was funny too (😸!) and it did resonate in all areas of life … so, yes, it made me laugh!

It’s good your DS was ok with it…. loving the shirt signing story! Yes, that is a very good point regarding resits.. as in, hopefully would only have one to concentrate on. My DS only got two 4’s in Spring Mocks, Maths and Eng Lit..,so I’m praying Maths goes ok…. I didn’t realise you could result in November, and I had never heard of functional skills until you guys told me! I need to investigate her further, do thanks for the heads up!

I hope you and DS are having a nice chilled Bank Holiday! 🤗

Ahhh, gotcha! Well, that’s really good on her mock English grades! So, absolutely, 🤞🤞🤞!!.. Yes, the maths thing… with my DS, very very similar, he was moved up to H paper ( in the mocks, parts he said he’d never even been taught??).. he got a 4, and he has been seeing a tutor for Maths and English, and much debate about whether to take H or F, he chose H in the end, so it’s all a wait and see!

Do you not what I really dislike about the “ new” grading system?? Well, if you got a D “ back then”, it didn’t seem so far off passing/getting a C, rather. But, number wise, a 3 sounds so so so far off a 9…! Am I making sense, as in if a 4 equates to a C.. two grades higher, to A, would be 5-B, then 6-A?? So, whats with the 7, 8 and 9?!! ( I sound like it’s a question on the 1% Club! 🤷‍♀️😹!). I know an A+ was tagged on at some point, but I’ve never quite been told the grading system! Or, rather it’s never really been explained to me in a way that made it make sense?!🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🙄

😸

Agree the numbers are really confusing.

The way I understand it. 4 is a C. 5 is a high C/low B (this is where it gets confusing!!). 6 is a solid B. 7 is an A. 8 an A star and 9 an A star star. Edited as the stars were going funny!

I know what exactly what you mean about the numbers, they sound a lot worse, no need for 3 x A grades. Explanation at link below.

www.bbc.com/news/education-48993830

Ah, Ok!! EXCELLENT!! Thank you! I’d forgotten about City& Guilds! I went to a good Sixth Form College to do A Levels, then to a not- so nice College to do 3 totally different A Levels in a year ( long story), then to Uni, and I’d forgotten about the City&Guilds, as they had them at the second college I attended. Well, the course content for the functional skills sounds absolutely bang-on, for the majority of the population.. ! I’ve been trying to catch up on the chat earlier about grading/ maths/english and how competence can be demonstrated if the current system was rehashed! Certainly, the US system was very interesting to learn about ( I did an American exchange when I was 14, and I hadn’t thought about the differences.. although, obvs, that has probably changed since then). DS would be much more comfortable with the criteria you set out. Good to note, tho, that he can’t just nail the Speaking, or one of the others!

Thank you for setting out the differing Plan B’s!! I was reading them with interest when I was stuck in M&S queue ( still busy with empty shelves and complaints after the hacking!). DS has been offered a place on a BTEC which the colleges website says is Level 3. Again, I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know there are different Levels? So, I shall contact them when they reopen to see what the plan B options would be, there.

Hants system seems really good! So, students have more of an input to their choices after GCSE with varying college options….

@TeenToTwenties…oops. Pressed too soon!
Well, here there is not a huge choice for students close by. There is only one school, which has a Sixth Form, but nothing else in the same town, so the other college choices are not necessarily in the same county, but there are a couple or so within an hour or so away. I’m not confident of the advise DS was given about non- A level options. There were a couple of standard career fairs, which I attended with him, which had one college there, but they just seemed to be handing out key rings and freebie pens! So, I definitely think his school only puts emphasis on staying on their to do A Levels. DS18 did that and DS16 was planning to, until Christmas time, when he decided a resounding no to A Levels! It’s a shame colleges don’t market themselves more. Or, maybe it’s just the experience we have here 🤷‍♀️!

Thanks, Delatron! Now. Can I say it…….. WHY???!!?! 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️!! Just, WHY?! 🙄!! I got on board with the A ⭐ when I started seeing pretty screeching school girls jumping into the air on results day, clutching their 10 A ⭐ or whatever!, but, even then I was a bit eye rolly! It’s like the poor people who win the lottery, but 6 other people have on the same night! As in, if I got an “ A”, disguised as a 7, I’d want the grandparent generation to give me the correct earned kudos! 😈😹!

Seriously, tho, thank you so much for clearly explaining it to me. And, I firmly agree with PP, in that surely some recognition should be given to achievements of 2/3 in English. Looking at my DS mocks… in science he got mixed of those..3…2.. ( ANOTHER grading I don’t get.. Combined?!), and he tried SO hard. However, he doesn’t anticipate needing psychics again, whereas English Language, as we’ve obvs all been discussing, it’s a shame that currently no merit is given to a 3, for example.

It was interesting reading the discussion about different provision for students in different counties. Your DS seems very happy with his choice to stay on at his current school. I liked it when my DS18 did, he was comfortable and happy there, and the majority of his friends did. ( whereas DS has been bullied throughout, and I’m hoping he’ll thrive in a less “ school- like, strict environment”, with no uniform requirement!). Are your DS friends intending to stay on to do A levels at the same school? I think that can be very swaying at their age. As @TeenToTwentiesmentioned re Hants, re schools having no sixth form, I’m not in/from Hants, but my school back home had no sixth form provision and I think only 17, or so, of us went to the good Sixth Form in town, others either went to what used to be the “Tech”, or started work. But, I do remember it seemed to be very friendship group based, with different interests, as to choices made.

Hey, thank you. Well, DS is thankfully relaxing this weekend! How is your DS? It’s interesting he was diagnosed ASD/ADHD in December, was he waiting a long time, I hear diagnosis are taking forever at the moment. My DS has epilepsy and was formally diagnosed ASD/ADHD when he was 6, as he started exhibiting characteristics as a toddler and so investigations started early. Has his school been able to provide him with any extra assistance? Does he have additional assistance in his exams? Mine has “ stop clock” and extra time.. ( and laptop as his writing is not legible and takes so long, he forgets what he was writing before he has written it).

Your son’s mock results are fab, science and maths wise!, and Drama, a 9 in CW-wow! How does the marking scheme work for Drama, taking the essay into account?

I’m so sorry to hear your Ds has failed AQA English Lang twice. Did he take them early? I’m just trying to think about timelines, compared to his other GCSE’s. The FS exam in early August will hopefully be his key to attaining the Grade 4 equivalent 🤞… What are his plans?

Towards the end of y9 Dd's school had an event where all the local colleges, plus apprenticeship organisation, plus armed forces came along. You could chat to them, pick up prospectuses etc.
It 'forces' the start of the conversation and the aim of doing it at the end of y9 was to help focus minds on grade requirements prior to the start of GCSEs.
Then in end y10/y11 there should have been info offered again on all the college open events and admission deadlines. (Don't know what actually happened as that was pandemic year for her).
All y11s also have an interview with a member of the SLT to discuss onward plans and to guide any who are floundering.

The main downside of the Hants system is a less mature young person can struggle with the relative freedom of college. Also for more unusual profile students it can be hard to get good advice as school don't teach A levels, but the A level teachers don't know the student.

(ps Level 3 courses are A level or equivalent eg T-Level, BTEC Extended Diplomas. Level 2 are GCSE equivalent, Level 1 are pre GCSE / GCSE grade 1-3).

@GreenbriarOh, I forgot to say! Your comments as to your DS and his dropping Eng Lit inadvertently tickled me…when you mentioned “cryptic bullet points…gibberish..”.. only because, my DS had literally come into the room not long before and said …” wants to know how you’ve screwed up Eng Lit!!”.. to which I asked “ what”?? He told me about the unseen poetry and how he’s read online that the poem about a table, was apparently, some were saying, about “ family memories” or something ( I can’t remember specifically!)”…. So, having not even been told about the table poem at all, I asked what HE had written about.. He looked in my eyes and said “ I’m autistic. It was about a table. What do you THINK I wrote about”…?

Anyway! “We are where we are”!! 🙄😸….

Yes - all his friends are staying. This is why I so want him to pass and be able to stay.

Agree about the new number grades. I wish they’d just kept the old system. It’s even more confusing for the grandparents as it was the opposite way around for O-Levels! You know where you are with an A,B,C etc. Thank goodness they haven’t changed A-levels.

Does anyone know why we in the Uk and Ireland seem to require our children to take such important exams at such a young age? It seems quite out of sync with the rest of the world…

Is there a sensible rationale I am missing or could a system like many European models be more effective?

DD and I had a marathon of Misson Impossible yesterday. The penultimate one, which we hadn't seen, followed by the new one at the cinema! It was so fun.

She hasn't revised at all since Thur night, which is fine, but it annoys me that she refuses to do any kind of revision plan. Not even a rough one of what subject what day. Aaaaaaarghhh. She's meeting her friend on Friday and I know that she'll be panicking she hasn't revised enough on Thur night and then she'll be angsty about going out the next day instead of planning and being able to really enjoy herself on Friday. It's so self destructive, I just don't get it.

Well, everything crossed that he gets what he needs to stay on and have another two years of fun- and studying!- with his friends!! 🍀 🍀 🍀

DH was one of the last cohort to do O Levels.. and, a sprinkle of CSE’s… now, he’s just said THEY were 1,2,3, too! In whatever order!! 😈. Yes, luckily A levels haven’t been messed with, yet…( but the pesky A ⭐ takes the shine off those who “only” get an A! …. shudder at memory of DS18 at his language A level result….🙄😹)..

CSE Grade 1 was equal to O level grade C.

Because they are what’s left over from the idea of testing children when they leave school at 15/16.

A levels were -are- to get into university.

Nothing about our education system is sensible! And I have no doubt following another model would be more effective.

No idea of the rationale behind it.

Dd has done a maths paper today
Has now gone out with dh

I agree - all the A star nonsense and 8s and 9s devalues an A. It also means some high achievers aren’t happy with a 7 when in reality it’s a really good grade.

Well, very well done to DD!! 🤩.. I hope it went well! I hope they have a lovely time out together…

TOTALLY!! Yes, that’s a good way of describing the madness!, it just serves to devalue the grade A! 😠

A friends daughter was distraught on results day with her 6s and 7s
All As and Bs and 1 A* and she felt a failure
The whole system needs overhauling imo
Forcing kids to choose options at 13/14 is just ridiculous
Mind you, a lot of kids have had enough of school by 15/16
Why is secondary school such a miserable experience for kids?

Not sure about the UK but DC will be 19 sitting the Leaving Cert in Ireland so not that young?

16 sitting the Junior Cycle exams (which are the first state exams) but they’re not important for most people really. They won’t be on CVs or anything, just the Leaving Cert results.

ETA They usually take 7 or 8 subjects at LC so that’s why JC results aren’t included on CVs. The Leaving Cert is quite different to A levels in that sense.

State secondary seems to be an endurance test for many of them that you just need to survive and get through. I’m also in an area like the Hampshire example where there are mainly no school 6th forms apart from in Academy and private schools so roll on the fresh start at college for my DD. She is deliberately choosing on the basis of it being not the one most from High School go to!