Y11 2025/26… come and join

[wonderstuff]

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Yes I’d be more comfortable if we were closer. I’ve also known DC having to be be collected when they were hating it. Mine would love it but still…

@eurotravel mine hates crowds 😂 - I’ve also approved a Christmas Holiday trip into London on the train recently - it’s all coming at once

I've bitten the bullet and bought an extortionate camoing ticket. There's a group of about 10 if them going along with a few other groups they know so hopefully safety in numbers.

Last year the tickets didn’t sell out and you could still buy online - so not sure there is a rush for any unsure .. though that may not have been camping tickets I guess

Dd18 went to Reading last year (never ever seen Reading as busy as midnight on festival weekend it was crazy), I picked her up one night and she stayed with friends in Reading the other. Post-GCSEs I said absolutely no to camping, but we are close enough to pick up, in the end she thought it too expensive that year.

The thing with Reading is they go in large, often single sex groups and they drink a lot, and because it’s mainly kids in their late teens they do stupid things, particularly in the campsite after the entertainment has finished.

DS not really got a group to go with this year, but I would say the same as to his older sister, fine but no camping.

God I wouldn’t give it a second thought if it was day only. I’d be totally fine with that. Only option for us is full weekend camping with us on stand by.

Maybe it’s crying out for a weekend away @eurotravel .. lots of places not too far that won’t be too cost impacted

I’ve bought DD a ticket. I’m considering going myself as a volunteer (I do this at other music festivals) so I can supervise from a distance. This was actually DD’s suggestion and the line up looks great so I’m tempted!

Oooh @MakeTeaNotWar now that’s a great idea. I could go and just camp on my own out of sight!!

No interest in music festivals here.

He wants to do medical science, health and social care and Design and Technology (along with Drama but that has always been his thing). At the moment his GCSE options are drama, history, geography and sociology. He probably could do with expanding his horizons a bit as doesn’t seem as interested in humanities as a couple of years ago but seems like a bit of a risky total change for a 2 year commitment? Don’t get me wrong, the medical science course especially sounded interesting but I would not have predicted this level of interest from DS1. I guess at this age it is his choice though.

DS would rather gouge his eyes out with a spoon than go to a music festival. Polar opposite to his brother but I guess you never get two the same.

He has offers for T levels in Health at 2 different colleges one needs higher results than the other and is his first choice but the other is a pretty good back up needing lower grades and also easier to get to. The very easy to get to local college has been totally ruled out which is a shame as DS is going to have to get over his public transport phobia (not a real phobia but will walk 6 miles home from school rather than get on the bus).

No mention of festivals here. I think DD would be keen if it was something being organised by friends, but her friends arent into that sort of thing yet (and their parents would absolutely say no!).

Gosh, the Reading talk brings back memories! I went after GCSEs and regret missing picking up my results in person. I dragged the family along to two festivals last year. DD and I had a great time, while DH and DS said on our picnic mat, eating pizza and playing on their phones So no danger of him asking to go, unless he gets a festival-loving gf I suppose.

Weirdly I think the festival is a week later this year which is a good thing - for us anyway DS2 may not get the 6 in maths needed for his a levels so I need him here

Reading is definitely a good week after results day!

Dd is now 100% staying at school, I’ve paid the deposit (Indy). Alevel choices are all submitted too.

Next stop is second lot of mocks in March and then I’ve booked her onto an intensive revision course over Easter.

Ahh that's much better. My parents picked up my results for me and sent a text while I was queuing to get into the camping area.

Which course are you sending him on @36and3? I told DS he's going on one if his mock results are disappointing. He was horrified so hopefully it spurred him to actually do some revision after all!

It’s run by a national tutoring agency. Happy to send you the information. DD’s mocks were fine but I know she’s capable of more and she actually wants to do it so I hit pay before she could change her mind!

Sorry just looked and it seems it’s not national but limited to London / Home Counties.

That would be great, yes please.

DS has got some mock results back, food tech which he was sure was a 6+ was in fact a 4, physics, which was the strongest of the sciences was a 3. Maths was 50%, which looking at last years grade boundaries is a 3. We discussed revision and how he hasn’t done much and how he didn’t actually do much work in year 10 and how he absolutely has the ability but just needs to you know do some work. Thought it was sinking in, then he came home yesterday and I asked what he did in prep - argued with the teacher about taking his coat off and then chatted with his friend. I honestly don’t know what to do with him!

sending you some sympathy @wonderstuff . DS2 had a 2 , a 3 a handful of 4s , a couple of 5s and a 6 . Not a great deal of revision done here - apparently he will start at Christmas for the Feb mocks and the real things - we shall see . He wants to stay on at his Indy for sixth form so he needs some 6s in Maths Business and Geography 🤞currently 4, 6 and 5 . We don’t have plan b - he didn’t like the BTEC we looked at so it’s on him to do the work

@wonderstuff we had a very similar situation with DS 2years ago. His GCSEs were a car crash but he squeaked into college. He hates it but is persevering in a way I never expected (voluntarily going to the library on his own) and knows that it’s on him that he is in this situation (I’m not saying I don’t feel parental guilt but ultimately it’s hard to force a teenager to value studying). He will come out (hopefully) with some Alevel /BTEC qualifications - and at least a good amount of resilience. This may not be reassuring but he admits he did no revision at all for GCSEs (and broke a leg in the run up - though not close enough to get mitigation) - so fingers crossed that if your DS at least recognises that some work is needed, it will go more smoothly.

Dragging a horse to water springs to mind. DS is being one of those proverbial horses at the moment but we're living in optimistic ignorance until he gets his mocks results on the 18th.

Good to know I’m not alone! Thankfully the 6th form he wants isn’t selective and he wants to do arts, so he only needs 5 at grade 4+, but even for that he does need to pull his finger out. Otherwise he’ll have to do a level 2 course at tech college, which wouldn’t be the end of the world, but definitely not ideal.

Hello, I was on an old thread but haven’t joined in for a while. Really interesting to read everyone’s experiences with mocks and sixth form open evenings etc as we’re in the midst of it too. Just had mocks results tonight and DS got all 8s (results capped at 8) so we’re totally delighted. We’re in London and his school doesn’t have a sixth form. Looking at some of the really academic ones - he’s applied already to Harris Westminster and Latimer and planning to apply to woodhouse, LAE Tottenham and a few others. It’s such a weird Wild West with all the different deadlines/application systems!