Year 11 - 2024/2025: Heading down the home straight towards that finish line!

[QueenMabby]

Next thread. 10 days of exams to go. Looks like we’re all heading into a busy week this week - good luck!

Further Maths stuff is a great shout, I'll suggest it to her, thanks! Her school only goes up to year 11 so she's off to the local college, who will provide some "flying start" stuff for her A Levels (Maths, Physics & Design) to do over the summer.

Ooh I've found you all again!

Maths went ok for dd today. Yesterday evening dd and I went for a walk in the park and when we got back she realised she was missing an AirPod. Cue lots of crying and searching in her room and when I went to check on her later she was laying in bed looking exhausted and sad. It had been a personalised Christmas present which she said was helping her a lot through revision. Massive overreaction she admitted today but I think she is just so fatigued with the exams by now ! (She also found the missing AirPod inside her mini tub of Vaseline , oh the drama !)

Anyone else's dc complaining of muscular pain? Dd claimed she had chest pains last week. I took her for a Thai oil massage which she said really helped sort it out . The things we have to do !!!

Also geog for dd tomorrow .

Maths edexcel higher last paper today went well. She'll call me and say a rose or a dandelion (good or bad), and she said a rose ... massive relief after last nights palaver over the missing AirPod ! Her best friend was on the phone when she found it and she was also saying how dd was 'crashing out' over the missing AirPod right before the maths exam ... don't think we could use it as a reason for special consideration though 😂

Geography for her tomorrow and then chemistry on Friday , which is also my birthday so we'll go out as a family Friday night . She's then got the weekend to revise for physics on Monday and then she's done ! Lord give me strength for the last few days , I honestly feel like I've been through it with her !

Is everyone else knackered?! I just knocked on DS door, he’s usually up and fully dressed by now! A lovely sleepy voice replied, he was still all wrapped up like his “bed burrito 🌯 “, so lovely to see how he usually looks before all this exam hell!

Yep, Geography today, Chem tomorrow ( leavers assembly, barbecue and shirt leavers potential hell 🙄), the Physics, Final on Monday!

GOOD 🍀, Geography peeps!!!!! 🤞🙏🤞

Thai oil massage- I’ll take that!! No complaint of muscular pain, just looking crap!

I do feel for your DD with her missing AirPod! I call it inappropriately losing their shit over things beyond their control, that isn’t really the object of their fury, anyway! Thank God the mini-Vaseline tub gave up its secret!! ( of COURSE it was in there! “Obvs”!!!)…

Good Luck 🍀with your matching last exams too, yes, Lord, indeed give us strength! 🙏. And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂 for tomorrow! 🤩

@claryI'm sorry to read you rarely got gifts as you've kindly given great and detailed insight to me over the years (under different usernames).

School did a thing where students were told to write a thank you note to any teacher and I made sure DC didn't just write it to the teacher "most down with the kids", but the one who really made a difference and might get overlooked.

Bless you for that and I’m glad anything I have said has helped anyone, even slightly.

Secondary teachers don’t tend to get gifts tbh; there’s not really a culture of it and tbh that’s fine. A friend’s DH teaches primary and every summer they are snowed under with mugs, chocolates, wine (they don’t really drink) and other stuff. He’s really grateful and touched but it is a lot.

I like the idea of a thank-you note to someone others might not think of though. That would be treasured I am sure.

Our school did this. DS did one for each teacher and said he had a personal story for each of them (although was too embarrassed to tell me!).

School finished yesterday, so he's just in for the morning exam today.

He didn't do any last minute revision last night, I'm getting a bit worried about these last ones as he's definitely just worn out now. But he doesn't need geography or science to do what he wants to, so at least he did his main subjects at the start.

Illegal study leave for DS today - no exams.
They actually start legal study leave from today.
DS has lost interest in revision now - he's not bothered about stats, chem and physics. I've encouraged him just to do an hour or so for both of tomorrow's exams but it's down to him. I try and keep in mind how hard he's worked for the subjects he wanted to do well in.

There are a couple of teachers I know have really inspired DS and I want to hug them! Instead I have sent a couple of emails over the last year or so letting them know how their teaching has made a difference.
I'll see if he wants to get Costa vouchers for those ones.

DD has found her second wind, somewhat belatedly! I wonder if it's because the end is in sight. Anyway, I'm not complaining! She's only got Chem and physics left. DS still has 4 to go, although Spanish writing is a v small exam.

@rosemarble I accept hugs from parents too!

It's always worth letting the head know about those teachers too. Praise of any kind is hard come by, and often the senior team don't really have a clue about what a difference classroom teachers are making on an individual level.

Good morning and good luck for Geography 3 this morning and FM 1 this afternoon!

dd is writing thank you cards to her teachers this weekend to drop into school next week. She’s had some amazing teachers for her GCSEs and hopefully they’ll all appreciate her handwritten notes - and some biscuits for the staff room!

Ha! I will make sure DS is not present if I start hugging teachers!

Thanks for saying I could let the head know, I will certainly do that.

Aww. DD1 was determined to take gifts for her teachers after A-Levels - we bought a stack of handwoven bags from the part of mexico we used to live in - stuck a fairly decent bottle of wine in each (they can give them away if they like) and DD wrote the cards. She's already spotting the bags in use round the school .. but if they don't like them it's not a massive waste!

We have more for DD2 - but then some of her teachers actually live with her. They deserve wine...and frankly, medals.

Good luck to all for geography and FM today. Only Chem, Music and Physics to do here, but also an audition recording, a flute lesson and a woodwind assessment. DD1 finishes her 2nd A-Level today - praying her favourite tudor rebellion comes up when she opens that paper in 20 mins.

That’s interesting, DD is doing A level Maths And Further Maths but her school don’t do GCSE Further Maths. I wonder if they give any summer work…

They do see a few drop out of FM A level, is this common across schools do you think? Or maybe to do with the workload being higher if GCSE FM isn’t done?

DS reckons he’s all set for FM this afternoon. Before I left for work I asked if this is the calc or no calc paper. Oh I dunno…he says.
I mean wouldn’t you need to know beforehand?? 😬

Dd was quite happy with edexcel maths higher yesterday - after being quite anxious thinking it was going to be bad as the other 2 were ok! She has also immediately gone on tiktok to add up all her marks and thinks she might have got a 7 (possibly just scraped an 8 but I think it's unlikely!) A 7 would be great, as she was one mark off in the mock so that's what she was aiming for.
Dd got presents for the 2 English teachers who have gone out of their way to help with her dyslexia. I was thinking of sending an official compliment email to head or to SLT so it's good to know that is a thing (and won't just appear weird!)
Geography today - dd seems to think geography paper 3 field work stuff is 'common sense' so hoping she is correct!
Good luck for everyone doing geography and further maths today. Feel like the end is in sight...

Here they often do FM as a 4th A level so some drop out after y12 if they find the work load too high. Its widely regarded as the hardest A level. What do they need to get in Maths GCSE to do FM as that varies between schools and may impact on the level of drop outs?

DS’s school didn’t offer FM GCSE, but top sets finished curriculum early and then did an advanced algebra qualification. We’ve been told to expect summer work for all subjects (maths/sciences). The drop-out for FM could be because it’s often taken as a 4th subject? But whether that’s more likely if they haven’t done FM gcse I'm not sure.

At DS’s school those that have chosen maths/FM do maths in year 12 and FM in year 13 - so he won’t know if he doesn’t like FM until he’s already done his maths A level. Although if they find the pace too quick in the maths/FM set then they can shift to the other group who are doing just maths.

Further Maths Level 2 is some of the Maths A level content, not the Further Maths A level content, so it’s the former they get a head start on.

@TeenToTwenties My DS is aiming to do A level maths but doing this and staying at his School for sixth form is wholly dependent on grades he gets.

just wondering why schools give out this work if don't know till results day if they will even be able to do A level maths? Do they go off predicted grades (9 for DS).

Don't get me wrong its definitely a good thing, its just school said we won't know if DS can do A level maths till results day as we recently changed his options.

@ThisPerkySloth2

Here they give out work for every subject, not just Maths, based on the subjects you have applied to do. If you've got a conditional offer to stay on for 6th form your predicted grades are in line with the grade needed for the subject such as a 7 for Maths.

Thank you @kary42 , @mojobrojo and @ChannelLightVessel

I think they need an 8 in Maths GCSE to study FM A Level. DD is projected a 9 and really enjoys it so that’s a positive.

She will also study A level maths in Year 12, then FM in Year 13. They sit both A-level exams together in Year 13, so if they aren’t coping with FM I guess they drop out around Christmas in year 13.

We did speak to DD’s maths teacher who thinks she’ll be ok. The only question is whether she enjoys the pace as it might be a bit faster than her usual learning style (she does need a couple of go rounds to understand and make some things stick).