Year 11 - 2024/2025: It’s all downhill from here!

[QueenMabby]

New thread to help us get through the next week or so!

Well done to those taking Latin and commiserations to the poorly. DD2 has gone back, so I've heard very little about how it's all going. I got a heart emoji on a what's app yesterday and a message today saying she's 'done some circle theorems'...Think she's finding it really hard to get back into it, especially with only one exam this week. She is nervous about tomorrow - but at least then the dreaded maths will be over.

Did someone mention they were making us all a fried egg sandwich? 😃

DS went in this morning for an hours Maths masterclass - he did loads of maths revision yesterday and has assured me that he is going to do so this afternoon.

He hasn't done much English language revision which makes me nervous - apparently the 2 sides of A4 cheat sheet I did for him was 'far too much' and he needs a smaller one....... As for History - I can't call it, I think he knows the content but is resistant to doing past paper questions. At this point I have to leave him to it to an extent.

I was also going to point out that in exactly two weeks time it is all over! DS is going to see if he can get a summer job at ASDA. I would rather he chilled for a while but actually getting him a summer job will keep his routine momentum going - we will see. The poor lad's 16th birthday is on Sunday 15th so it's Physics and Spanish revision - but he is planning a night out with his mates later that week.

Sending healing vibes to the poor DCs who are poorly - it is definitely a result of burn out. On that note - a PP mentioned their DD uses calpol as she can't swallow tablets - it's the same with DS - I have tried everything - the liquid adult stuff tastes vile, he doesn't like lemsip or effervescent paracetomol. So calpol it is for now.

No sadly they don't have a sixth form, so they all leave ..there is a sixth form which is v popular and is his second choice, but he has chosen and (well done him) got a place at a very high flying alternative. Without being mean he is going to have to massively pull his socks up to thrive there! I believe in him 💙

@HollyhedgeHe seems a bright lad, so I’m sure he will thrive there!

I loved going to a new sixth form… I sort of reinvented myself!

Fried egg sandwiches all round!
I would dread to think what mood RattyRevision would be in without a fried egg sandwich (with his favourite crumbled feta melted in it)

@PrincessOfPreschool I would so stressed (not showing) because our revision timetable (last minute crew) has no room for illness (sure we are not alone)

DS has done 1.5 hours(ish) of maths after wandering around aimlessly for an hour stating 'I always start at 10'. I think it is the only maths he has done since paper 1, but seems to think it is enough. I hope it's not overconfidence on his part. His teacher is leaving at the end of the year (which is a real shame as he'd love to have her again for A level maths/FM) and has said that she wants a full set of 9s from the class as her parting gift. I wouldn't want him to be the one to let her down!

He's now onto a bit of Biology before we tackle the beast that is History once more. I expect tantrums (could be from either one or both of us) and a need for lots of snacks (definitely both of us). There always comes a point late afternoon/early evening where he declares himself 'done for the day' so that will be my time to catch up on my own work🙄

I am in the VW dealership all day. A friend egg sandwich would go down a treat, thanks.

In a fit of common sense and organisation, the deputy head emailed parents and students yesterday to tell them what would be happening (maths revision) during their non-PE lesson today. DS went in happily today (no exams).

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest isn't there maths calculator paper 2 next week? Or this that just for higher tier? paper 1 tomorrow.

DS has done hardly anything today but the time I got home about an hour ago.
Has lost momentum today and finding it really hard to be motivated. Reluctantly sat down just now to do some maths and geography. Not sure how much will actually be achieved. Very little I imagine.
I've told him to go out and get some fresh air, but he's refusing to leave the house for a break. Insisting that break times needs to be something he "enjoys", gaming or watching TV.

What exam board? Aqa higher is paper 2 tomorrow and paper 3 next week.

We appeared to have lost a lot of motivation throughout the holidays too. Plan was to take a day or 2 off but there was a lot of time spent in bed he seemed to do a bit towards the end of the week but not nearly as much as he needed to.

He even asked me what exam he had on Friday! Great..

@DataColour this is IGCSE maths - paper 2, higher. Two hour paper but one of only two (both calculator).

DS has said several times that he wished he hadn't had a week off - just a bank holiday and then onwards would have been fine. This would have worked well for him as this week is pretty light, then it would all be over a week earlier, which is what we all want.
He didn't revise but didn't enjoy not revising either. He's back to it this week, and hopefully has enough in the tank to get to the end.
It's too many exams, too many papers for each subject, even PE, his coursework subject has two exams.

Ds2 also agrees that having the 1/2 term week off was nigh on a disaster, bad idea.

Whose idea was that? Gove yet again? 🙄

@Oblomov25
Dd really struggled last week...not good :(

DD2 got home full of cold - eveyone commenting on it which makes her more self conscious - she got every cold remedy going now.

She is in her room doing some revision - she's not done much for RS - half the papers were sat last year but it's a compulsary subject and so many subjects to cover and it's not been a priority.

She went in for lessons this morning for subjects she still has to sit and it was all game playing and chatting - so she may as well be at home with all her revision stuff.

We would vote for that too. He has revised but not sure how much has gone in. I also think for his English it wouldn't have made any difference as he has hardly revised for that.

Very nervous about him not getting English 🙆‍♀️

Yeah the half term slowed progress
I woke up yesterday convinced there must have been a mistake and it was maths because Wednesday seemed a long time away
this is me not even RattyRevision

I love your names. Make me 😂

Yep agree. It just dragged it all on. I felt they needed a break but so hard to pick it back up and find motivation. I’ve heard similar stories from friends.

We have spent most of the afternoon with me making him do all the questions from the pile of past paper maths 2 with calculator that he previously missed out (because he didn’t like them because they are the hard ones) hence the need to do them

think he wants me to disappear and we are no where near finished

hopefully he will understand tomorrow morning

until then I remain public enemy number one!

@frozendaisy similar here too. I've had to explicitly tell DS that he needs to find out any last minute gaps in maths and since then he's discovered that he is not so hot on the polygon rules and they are not included in the maths equation sheet, so he's made a flash card of that. A bit of progress there. He's currently trying the last questions on a higher tier paper and has declared them to be hard. I hope he pulls it out of the bag tomorrow as this paper is his strongest, and he's just tired and fed up at this point.

It’s good he is letting you. Apart from Spanish which I am permitted to do a brief 15 mins on I am not allowed any involvement now. Questions about what he is doing are met with disdain.

I did have a go at him when I came home at lunchtime and discovered next to nothing done and now feeling bad for him, but he did acknowledge that I was somewhat justified in my reaction as he mainly did gaming and watching Prison Break!

Yes sorry in my head it was calculator paper 1 rather than maths paper 2! It's AQA.