Y11 2025/26… come and join

[wonderstuff]

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We have had English tutor since last year for as DS is dyslexic and has no extra time. I think other kids in his school may have tutors too, but I have no idea how many. It is a massive comprehensive.

Have been reading all the comments ref tutoring. Not sure if this is allowed so please feel free to report and remove my message if need be.

My DD is currently studying English Lit at Exeter university and offers online tuition for English lit and Lang at a very competitive rate. PM me if you would like more information/contact details.

Just got an offer of a place a DS preferred 6th form. It was very unlikely he wasn’t going to get an offer, but he’s not at a catchment school so there was an outside chance his chosen courses would be over subscribed. He’s applied to 2 and we are in catchment for the other one, he can accept both and do both lots of taster days so that is the plan.

@splenda I am shocked to hear your Child does not get extra time if they have dyslexia did the school say why?

We are in a very mixed area with kids at the school from complete opposite ends. School appears to be really helping some kids with extra lessons and kids at the have money end have a couple of tutors.

Thanks for your concern. We also feel sad about it. The SENCO said he doesn’t meet the criteria as he’s borderline. I believe the cut-off is 84 and he scored 85.

I’m an exam access assessor, the criteria to get extra time has increased recently, a couple of years ago they made it so you needed 2 below average scores in two different areas, then this year they are insisting on evidence of using extra time in exams as well.
Problem is every year the Daily Mail et al publish articles on how far too many kids get extra time and JCQ feel they have to try to reduce the number by making criteria stricter.

Schools will also vary in their approach and ability to assess, my DD was not assessed by her secondary, despite me trying to advocate for her. College have assessed and she is getting extra time in A-levels.

@splenda Sory to hear he was so close to the cut off.
@wonderstuff my DS was ignored at school but college quickly got him assessed more sed the criteria for extra time but gets a word processor to use. Interesting to know different areas assess it differently. I know one parent at my son's school got an independent assessment.

Parents evening was actually really good. All teachers have said she’s on target for 8/9 - 7 in chemistry. They all gave her the serious chat about home straights etc which im glad about.

roll on end of June

We've had a busy week: two open evenings and parents evening last night. One sixth form is a definite no, one's a will apply but DS isn't keen. He wants to go to the sixth form college, whose results aren't stellar and will require a lot more effort on his part than I'm currently seeing for his GCSEs.

Parents evening was good. He has his lists of weaker areas in each subject so we can focus revision efforts. Every teacher said the same thing: he can get an 8/9 if he puts the effort in. If not, it's more like a 6. So not bad, but he needs to get an 8 in maths as he's set on doing further maths at A-level.

What alevels have all yours picked?
dd has chosen English lit, biology and psychology. (History is the obligatory fourth on paper which she’ll drop).

DS wants to do maths, further maths and economics, plus a fourth one yet to be determined. He was set on physics but got scared off, which is really annoying because he's always enjoyed it and it's one of his top subjects. He doesn't want to do any subjects that require essays (I'm keeping quiet on the economics front).

DS has chosen Fine Art, Graphic Communication and Media Studies, his reserve option is Drama, which I think he has talent for and is potentially more useful to him than fine art, but it’s obviously up to him. He currently gets on very well with his art teacher and did not get on with the school drama teacher, which was a real shame. The drama teacher gets very high grades consistently and I think she tried to put him off as he’s not academic enough to be getting 9s, he’s targeting 4-6 grades. Anyway he’ll do a taster lesson at 6th form, and his sister ended up ditching her first choice and her original insurance is her favourite subject at 6th form.

DS is hopefully going to do a T level in Health with a view to going to Uni to either do Paramedic Sciences or Nursing but Paramedic Sciences is the first choice.

What is the difference between maths and further Maths ? Thought DD was told she would be doing Further maths as bright. Wasn't mentioned to do both. She only picked further maths on her applications.

I think if you want to do further maths, you have to do maths AND further maths. You can’t take further maths by itself. Perhaps by ticking further maths, she signed up for both A levels?

Mine has applied for 6 different subjects depending on the 6th form. I think her top two are Maths and German, but not everywhere offers German so she's also applied for Economics, English, Psychology and History. And is now second guessing herself and wondering if she wants to actually do Maths, Chemistry & Biology with Art as a 4th. I think because she finds science easier to revise.

Not sure how easy it will be to change it or how she'll finally decide!

Mine is looking at PS too

They're two separate A-levels, but you have to do maths if you want to do further maths. You can't do FM by itself, but you can just do maths. It's worth checking what your DD's signed up for with the sixth form.

Are they planning on A levels as a route in to PS at Uni? DS went with the T level as predicted 5s at GCSE and he liked the practical element but at his latest parents evening he is now predicted 7s and as we have never even considered A levels as an option I'm not sure if it's worth considering now.

DD wants to do sciences mainly. Difficulty choosing between physics and chemistry. She's enjoying physics more (because she doesn't like the chemistry teacher mainly) but I'm concerned doing both maths and physics when she doesn't love maths may be a mistake. But will start 4 and probably drop one so some wiggle room.

@Littletreefrog A levels at the mo. Hoping for 6s. But every possibility it’s lower so applying for all options. We are defo looking at more practical subject options. But tbh I think if serious about PS I’d get them doing StJohn cadet volunteering and stuff

@NotDarkGothicMama DD signed up to just further maths as teacher said I would expect you to do this one. Teacher made it sound like you signed up for one or the other, said 1st year do maths paper then second year do further maths. Will get DD to check.

She hasn't heard anything from either choices yet.

DD has picked English Lit, Maths and Computer Science. She’s applied to 3 and at 2 has also put Further Maths however at my school ,which is currently her first choice, FM doesn’t work with the option blocks.

Parents evening was last week and all good still on track.

She did her first Maths paper, Algebra 3, last week. Does anyone else do this? I hadn’t heard of it before, in her school all of Set 1 have to sit it and it’s a pass/fail paper but counts as another qualification.

Things are feeling fairly full on at the moment with Art coursework, a couple of subjects are doing exams after school to not eat into lesson time and trying to fit in appointments for final orthodontist and specialist physio she has for a back condition plus she fractured a bone in her foot just before Christmas!

Oh goodness @UncomfortableSilence that sounds like you have a lot on! I will be so relieved when the bloody DT NEA is finished but also v relieved DS didn't pick art which does seem to be a bit of a time thief.

@Tebheag DS had to tick either a 'maths only' or a 'further maths' box for A level choices. Ticking further maths meant you automatically took maths as well - I am not sure it's possible to do further maths as a standalone without maths. Interestingly, at his sixth form briefing (academic boys' indie) the head of maths seemed to be encouraging students to approach maths A level with caution. It felt almost as if they were trying to put people off doing it - especially further maths. I think at DS's school in particular (and possibly many schools in general) maths A level can be seen as a bit of a "badge of honour" by a lot of students (not to mention parents!), with some possibly pushed towards doing maths when their heart isn't truly in it. I think you have to (a) really really love maths and (b) be very very good at it to do well in the A level, and to do further maths you have to love it even more! It has a high drop out rate I think.

Having said all that, DS is opting for maths, further maths, physics and chemistry - but he's a total nerd, bless him (commented on Friday night that he's 'really quite enjoyed the mocks', goes to science clubs for fun etc) so I hope he'll be okay. Time will tell though.

Agree re maths alevel. At dd’s school (academic indie) they’ve upped the entry grade from a 7 to an 8 to do maths alevel and from an 8 to a 9 for FM.