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

[QueenMabby]

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

❤️ prison break. We are on series 4. Second time for DS

Little brother is back now claiming maths is elegant apparently
Little is now doing 4 markers under Big’s supervision
They are so much nicer to each other
Shame little has to go to school

DS thought the Latin paper went ok today. Apparently the final question was a bit odd but he felt he answered it well (something about whether it’s better to be poor and free or the slave of a rich person).

Sorry to hear of all the poorly DC. It’s such a long haul when they’re so tired. DS was allowed to come home after the Latin exam and a maths intervention class which he said was a complete waste of time. He’s made reasonable use of his time at home, as he’s got his music practice done in the early afternoon as a study break and is now tackling History ready for Thursday (he’s fine with maths for tomorrow).

I’m finding that the ongoing gcse stress is leaving me permanently on edge: I was wide awake at 5am today ordering next year’s school uniform!

I agree that the Bank Holiday would have been more than enough.

DD is basically horizontal in terms of laid back attitude. Allegedly is revising maths... but so far has come down to discuss nail polish colour for prom and why I won't let her order more novels until the 17th June.

Am thinking nails may however have good bribery potential.

DS was obsessed. He even learnt how to make little origami swans 🙄😂.

DS only started watching Prison Break yesterday but is now hooked and on episode 8 already. Explains the lack of revision done then! Although it is nice he has something to chill out with and look forward to watching during the next two weeks.
The exam stress is really getting to me too and I'm waking earlier than I need to with thoughts of potential exam disasters. In addition my perimenopausal anxiety is not helping matters!

@OhCrumbsWhereNow does your DD get distracted reading hence then ban on novels? Kind of similar here as DS likes reading before sleep but if it's a gripping book he will stay up late reading and being really tired the next day, so trying to avoid that at the moment.

DD's dyslexia is pretty severe and so reading is a massive struggle. She's also ADHD which means distractions are an issue and her hyperfocus is a double-edged sword .

I have only known DD read perhaps 4 novels in her entire life bar set texts at school so I am over the moon that she is so keen, and I will happily buy her the entire series... on the 17th June.

But if she has them now she will stay up all night and be shattered the next day and while she might be able to write amazing essays on the districts of Panem, I fear she will know nothing about development in Mumbai, or quadratic equations or extended harmony which are all a bit vital right now!

Same. I dismissed it but then drifted in and got totally hooked - there is no going back. Now it is a rare series tv and DS and I can enjoy together

@OhCrumbsWhereNow
I regret getting the latest one for dd...I should have waited until after the exams!

I refused to buy DD her latest book - so she bought it herself! She likes these epic fantasy series which are about 35 books long and each book is 792 pages. She's been managing to read whilst ill. I guess I should be grateful it may help English Lang.

Afternoon all! Well, the Non Study leave was looking promising, DS has all am compulsory in school but can escape in the pm. He had chosen to stay in however, he texted before lunch to ask to come home ……..”would explain”….. I picked him up, he was upset as his current main bully had thrown items at his head in class, teacher didn’t see, he was upset at thought of making the situation worse with bully and his nasty bully mates so class finished and he left for safety of home. School are aware of it and yet it continues. I am furious but we had good chat in car on way home, he masks, so hard to ascertain how he is. Obviously, the ONLY thing we want is for Maths tomorrow, ( and the English Lang… Geog….etc..etc. ) not to be affected, if at all possible by this nasty piece of work who pranced past DS in his sad little bully group as I pulled up to pick him up and called him a really random, “meant to be offensive”, I guess, term? All I can do at this point is send another email to school, and take a deep breath and hope karma takes her course ….. so……

..he went to his tutoring ( English, unfortunately, and Maths is Thursday- they couldn’t swap), and he has said he’ll do “ one good sesh of Maths” tonight. 🤞🤞🤞.

How are your guys DC revising? He prefers SME questions- Where they get marked? I have AQA revision book ( passed down! , 😸to prior posts about what to do about books when finished!!…. I’d already ordered AQA ones while back when DS18 handily says he’d kept his….. so I tried to return the duplicates on Amazon… they refunded….. but not to return them! 🤷‍♀️🙄!)..anyway, but I don’t think he’s used the book once!

I really hope all the poorly DC are perking up…🙏🤞🙏… and I’m playing reading catch up! … so back shortly!

I'm really sorry to hear about the bullying your ds is enduring.
I was a chair of Governors for many years and this is exactly the kind of issue I wanted parents to contact me about

@Whoooowhat exactly could a Governor do about this?

Usually appoint an investigating officer who will look at the complaint and either uphold it or not
Usually if the Board gets involved the bullies get less "brave"

@Sisublondie I would just pick him up after each exam and explain to the school if they can't stop the poison from bullies that you are keeping him out of the school for the time during the rest of the exams he isn't actually in an exam.

I would copy in the Head and possibly the School Governors.

I would compromise with son that he has to come home and do some YouTube tuition if nothing else but he will most likely learn more by just not having to deal with that nonsense for the next two weeks.

Oh so sorry about the bullying @Sisublondie - how upsetting and the last thing you need at the moment. I hope your DS is ok and the school do something.

@Sisublondie as for revision I print out past papers and the mark scheme, he talks through the answers, I effectively mark it, I note any repeated mistakes, or things he doesn't present clearly, and effectively hone his exam technique.

Except for maths today, that's a little bit different.

He was getting thrown all the past papers he has had to practise from school and there was a pattern on the questions he hadn't even tried, so I made him do those (and found the mark schemes).

And for English, there is a lot of conversation. But it's effectively a spoken essay or opinions. So he reads the text, I read the text and we compare notes.

It takes all my time. It's exhausting for us both. But he claims to know everything if I don't "test" him. And to be fair he knows a fair chunk it's exam technique.

Thank you for saying that about my DS. He has been subjected for it for so long, he says he just lets it wash over him. Put it one way, the last time he was attacked on the premises ( slammed against wall, etc), school didn’t even make contact- we found out due to blood on his shirt, contacted school and they gave no excuse for not contacting us and confirmed DS “ version of events.

Ah, so you were Chair of Governors? Very impressive! That must have been hard work. My friend was just a governor and resigned in the end as it became too much. I had no idea Governors had a role like that. If I’m honest, I’ve never really understood what Governors did- and assumed it was solely related to staff hiring. Thank you for informing me of that, it certainly seems that I shall be penning a further email to the Chair, in relation to today- thank you!!!

Thank you @frozendaisy, that is an excellent idea! Yes, I think also copying in the Head and Chair of Governors should also cover it, in terms of “ unauthorised absence “. He is not attending the Prom in any event- no prizes for guessing why 🤷‍♀️😡.

Thank you, also, @Delatronand @INeverSeeYoufor your kind thoughts and also Governor suggestions.

🙏🙏🙏you all for your thoughts to DS.

@Sisublondie
You're welcome.
Ask for a copy of the school behaviour policy wrt bullying and also how they are going to keep your ds safe for his remaining time in school - it is their statutory duty.
Best wishes x

@SisublondieI’m so sorry your DS is being bullied.

So sorry to read this. I agree that an email tonight to HoY,Head and Board of Governors is best, at least it's documented and there's a paper trail.

Not to derail this post but (having also been a chair of governors for many years) it should only go to governors as part of an investigation into bullying and after the school has done its own investigation. You need to follow the process in your school's policy. Governors shouldn't be looking into individiual issues brought to them directly until the procedure has been followed to the point governors get involved. Otherwise they would be inundated.

I'm so sorry too. Such a shame if he doesn't want to attend prom because they will be there. 🙁