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

[QueenMabby]

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

I think that possibly they just get the lower mark in the band they would have got anyway - eg if it’s a top band response (brilliant analysis etc) they might get 14 instead of 16 marks. They’re certainly not massively penalised for it as far as I understand

It bloody lost my thread when I went to add a ps!

Thank you for saying that 🙏… you have hopefully made my DS situation a little bit more positive that I was thinking 😸.. As @VivaDixieand @rosemarble, I’m not going to ask him what he wrote, because I never would and he wouldn’t talk about it anyway!! What’s done is done…. I was curious as to what he actually wrote, purely out of interest in the sense of, on paper, it seems perfect content for him to be asked about ( I’m going on the fact he said something about outdoor schools?!)….. we live in the countryside… his last school was forest school one day a week, he has mental health problems, lives his life online gaming, so can write about pros, cons, whatever, as I said, I don’t know what the topic actually was! I was just wondering how it would be marked if he has written it as a speech…. But I won’t be mentioning any of this to him, in any event!!

I hope your day went as ok as could be expected. 🙏 again.

Obviously I can't give details, but it will be fine :)

My year 11 have now left. Sad day.

🙏 again, I will sleep a little easier..

I’m sorry to hear that… it must be a very sad loss. But, I can assure you, they will be a cohort of Year 11 who are now going forward into the big wide world, and who will have a breadth of knowledge, and hopefully love for language, which is solely attributable to you. You should feel very proud, it is an amazing achievement to install your own passion for language into others… it’s really beautifully priceless …. 💖

Your evening was a resounding success, then! DS is bang on with FIFA as “ PE Revision” and, the clearing up after the steak cooking is very impressive.. not least that the smoke alarms were not activated! And, actual washing up, with items that could be used afterwards?! Excellent! I’d take that any day, even if it was creeping!! (In fact, DS bought me a strawberry tart from the posh bakers after his geography… because “ I was paying for his haircut”…. 💇… which he knows I pay for anyway, so haven’t work out what he wants for that!).

I hope prom suit shopping is great! Sounds really fun…🤩.. and I hope your race went well, too! 🥇!!

Thank you, @CakeFace1234.. wow! You write beautifully. I’ve tried to put in words the very feeling you express… how you can have what appears to be a time of calm, where you almost think, or imagine all is well…. and you can be brought back to earth with a heavy jolt. And, then you can feel almost ridiculous for daring to believe that things WERE ok, albeit only for that brief period. I always think of the phrase I was told once .. “ you can only be as happy as your unhappiest child”…..

I can’t begin to imagine how very difficult it must be, with your DC having such untold difficulties. I do hope things are going as well as they can.

Thank you for your kind words to those of us with DC and the issues you mentioned. Oh, the times I so want to say things to those who bully my DS…. to be able to say just what you said…. “ WHY behave like an utter arse to someone who struggles to even get out of the house in the morning…. and is funny, kind, loving and a real laugh if you gave him a chance, rather than ridiculing him, demeaning him and throwing full bottles of water at his head”….. maybe one day 🙄..

Thank you for being kind. I’m hoping for a calm weekend for my DS, with revision when he can. I hope you and your DC do, too. 😸

Hey… very well said!! ( and, lovely, too!).. yes, sadly, very true. My DS has been bullied since he was in reception. You would think that children that are incapable of such cruelty, but, certainly the father of his first bully ( a girl) who verbally attacked me, prodding me in my chest for emphasis as he shrieked in my face, at a bonfire school event, ( after his DD had hit my DS) demonstrated where she learnt her skills. So, yes, like you, I sadly presume, we know that the phrase “ school days are the happiest of your life!!!” Is not always accurate. But, when there are lovely people like you …. “Queens”!! I 💖it!!!… and we all have the same goals…. for our DC to be as happy as they
can be……then the world is not so shabby a place 🙏😻!

Jeeze, people can be such dicks! And they’re just passing it onto new generations and the cycle continues. Sorry your DS has had to endure that, the poor lad 🙁 He sounds resilient though, all things considered 😊

DD was happy with English today (AQA), said the sources could have been better but thought what she wrote was good. She was also pleased with geography, found human geography in her mocks quite difficult but thought today’s was a lot better. She went for a Maccies between exams, I swear she’s going to turn into a chicken nugget 🤣

She’s out tonight, sleeping over at a friend’s house with the promise of getting a decent night’s sleep and coming home for lunch so she can have a full afternoon and all day Sunday revising. Biology, creative imedia, maths, geography and chemistry next week then physics the Monday after and then it’s game over!

@rosemarbleloving the sound of the steak pan getting more than just a wave under the tap, post x box FIFA PE revision. 😀

Happy Weekend everyone! Next to last weekend of revision. Sounds like this next one is a busy one for pretty much all of us. It’s so good to see subjects being ticked off as we limp race towards fhe finish line.

I echo what others have said about the similarities question on English Lang. The skill being examined on that question is comparison and that is what the examiners will be looking out for.

@Sunnyafternooning Sounds like our dc did the same paper, although dd argued that public transport was essential for a lot of people during emergencies etc. Apparently she gave examples of how she felt better planning/organisation and more investment should go into contingencies for making that possible. She made up the scenario that she would have missed significant amounts of school if public transport hadn’t run through snow and storms locally, as we are too poor to own a car and that would have had a serious effect on her future prospects. (We have two cars and she walks to school!). I have no clue how these things are marked and am not sure the examiner will be convinced by her argument, from a cost vs benefit point of view. I’m fairly sure it will at least have been well written though, as English is usually her strongest subject.

DD2 is home. Almost entirely preoccupied with prom stress and who will get ready with who and which parties they'll all go to when the prom is over. I would be much more interested in her concentrating on Biology.

No expert but surely if a huge part of the cohort answered the wrong question then that would pull down the pass mark anyway ?

Good luck to everyone with a weekend of revision for a week that’s tough for most next week … am encouraging DS to spend a good chunk of time on Fridays Chemistry this weekend as he’s going to be shattered after 2 exams on Thursday especially as the afternoon one is further maths .

@INeverSeeYou @Sisublondie DS has been bullied a couple of times, he moved school in primary because the school wouldn't support us. But mainly school is just complete overwhelm. His sister is autistic and he definitely shows some traits. He is completely overwhelmed by the end of the day because of the busyness of how much is crammed into a day, "the dicks who never shut up" ie disruptive behaviour, lots of shouting etc. He is ready for school to be over and to move to the much more mature world of sixth form.

No prom for us, which I do find sad, but more sad that he's not enjoyed his journey and feels he has nothing to celebrate, than about missing the actual event.

So many of us with children who have struggled at secondary.

My very quiet and shy DC is leaving without one friend. Each day has been an ordeal. No outright bullying but lots of unpleasant and excluding behaviour.

It’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch and be able to do nothing at all.

Academics were always fine, and their passport to being able to leave and have a fresh start, which is why there is so much pressure i think and why they were so gutted to realise their mistake in P2 Lang. They really need an 8 for their next step.

Dd fixated on prom too. Shoes at the moment as we’ve not got them yet.

I could hear the thump thump of DD’s pointe shoes going in the kitchen at 7.30 this morning. She has a dance show next month and is missing a few rehearsals due to Prom and other commitments and I think that’s stressing her out a bit too.

I'm so sorry to read this. Secondary school can be so overwhelming and our cohort has had it harder than most because there was no proper transition due to Covid. If prom isn't doable, will you do something else to mark how well he's done in making it through?

I'm skipping over the English question debate! I know how my DD answered the question but it won't serve her – or me! – any good if I find out she got it wrong. There's nothing any of us can do now. She needs to focus now on biology for Monday and the rest of her exams. The end is in sight, thank god!

@SuperTrooper14 he's not one for "big things" at all, he's never even wanted a birthday party. I've gone for little treats as we've gone along "you've had a busy few days let's go to the milkshake farm" or just getting a packet of his favourite sweets in, just to show him I'm celebrating him. We've got a family holiday at the start of July, which I think will be a good break in it all.

I think there's something wrong when we as grown ups don't know if a question will be marked using common sense.

Milkshake farm sounds great! What is that? My DD would love that.

Family holiday sounds perfect. We've just booked ours for the first week in August – first one with our puppy! DD can't wait. She's more excited about packing the dog's travel bag that she bought with her own allowance than she is about prom!

Just a local dairy farm that branched out with a few machines - you help yourself to the milk, and add your own flavours. Then there’s a seating area where you can watch the animals with your creme egg (my favourite) milk. It’s our favourite escape.

A week abroad will definitely draw a line under it all I think. The end is in sight!

DD has just emerged. Dressed and ready. Locking in now as she wants to see BF this afternoon before we have friends around this evening.
3 sciences, 1 maths and 2 FM left to go. DS only has 2 maths alevels left. But spread apart. I’m worried he’ll lose him mojo. But he needs an A* for his uni so hopefully will keep him motivated.