Y11 2025/26… come and join

[wonderstuff]

New thread

Really interesting to see the chat about moves from small privates to larger state provision . DS2 is also in a small private , moved in a panic out of state comp at the end of year 8 .

We looked at his brother’s school and the local college - neither feels right to him or us . I can’t risk putting him back into the large comp I pulled him out of , so he’s staying where he is . Not diagnosed with anything , and wouldn’t engage with any diagnosis anyway . Hoping he will get the 6s he needs to stay put - we are stuffed if not . We are stuffed anyway though due to the school fees which are scary compared to what they were when he started

Much the same here. My son went to small indy at end of year 8. He went to a taster day at a local comp with great reputation yesterday. I thought he'd love it. But the first thing he said was he didn't like the big class sizes. But at least it's helped him rule out Business a level. He'll stick to Maths, Chem and Physics, I think. The kids were messing about in Business and he noticed that wasn't happening in the other subjects.
He then asked if he could stay on at the indy he's at. Oof. He can, but... the fees!

Interesting to read the small indie v big state school comments. We did the opposite with eldest DC (ASD/ADHD) - took him out of a small indie during Y7 and put him into the local state comp, where he thrived. He found a small selective school and small class sizes far too intense and intimidating, and was so much happier with a bigger year group, wider ability spread and mix of behaviour. Just shows they are all different!

Current Y11 DS on the other hand has thrived at his indie for secondary - though admittedly it's far bigger than DS1's was, around 200 per year group I think. He finished his last couple of mocks yesterday, so now we wait for results. He seems pretty calm about it but this will dissolve quite quickly if he hasn't managed the grades he is hoping for.

@FlyingPandas - my DS2 isn’t in a selective Indy - so that might be the difference . It takes a lot of children with SEND and a lot of kids with reduced timetables due to Sports commitments .

Are our kids at the same school?!! Also not a selective school, many SEN, strong sports emphasis.

@TheGodWorm … obviously a formula that works !

I know the dates are available online but I really hope school give each child an exam individual timetable to save trawling through exam boards!

Last day of school for study leave is 1st May for us. That’s worryingly soon.

Ask the school about the exam timetable. My DS has had his individual exam timetable since going back in September.

I'm very relieved they don't do study leave at DSs school as standard, you can request it and if they think it's suitable for that particular student they grant it but most kids are in until the end of exams. My older DS at a different school was the same and I honestly think it's the only reason he got the grades he got.

There is absolutely the option to stay in. Dd is luckily very hard working so will work well at home but will happily access clinics at school if she wants them. I’m hoping school fees plus tutors and revision courses will mean she pulls it out the bag irrespective of study leave!

Has anyone found any online revision classes - eg for the Easter holidays?

Yep we’re booked onto a couple of Justin Craig courses. Each course is about £450 for two days. Online or in person.

Ouch £450 for an online course or am I way out of touch!

DD prom dress is in so of to try it on hoping size is OK as she was in between sizes.
Trying to decide if I need to speak to school as DD is bored too many classes repeating simple work and not finished the syllabus so making it harder to achieve 9s.
Wow 1st of May for study leave that will be here soon 🙈
DD study leave is after May half term. They also do revision classes 2nd week of Easter half term and before every exam.
Feel like I should be doing more to help achieve the 9s she could but at same time thinking anything over a 7 is good. More than happy for criticism on that comment.

As a teacher I’d say the school has no choice but to spend time completing the syllabus - that has to be the priority. To get grade 9s, students need to be extremely self motivated at this point in y11. For example in English, there are numerous podcasts that can deepen her knowledge of context to enable her to reach those higher grades (I can post some examples if you like, if you tell me the texts she is studying?), and many examples online of Grade 9 exemplar answers to use as models in past papers. It’s about practice and honing exam skills now, and that can absolutely be done independently by an able student, in this digital age especially. What teachers should and can be doing is making time to look at practise answers your dd has done in her own time, and giving feedback on those.

DDs mocks are back - mostly 7s, and therefore predicted 7s, with 9 in Biology (fave) and Food tech, and 8s in Maths and Physics. Supports her preference to do those at A level which I'm still nervous about but maybe shouldn't be!

She told me that they've finished the syllabus for maths so now it's all revision and practise tests so feeling quite relaxed about her getting the 8.

Also got 7s for English which is a relief, presumably the choice to do tutoring for that has paid off.

The only shocker was geography which is one of her A level choices, where she got a 5, they've still put her down for a predicted 7. She was ill on the day though, came home and vomited.

Sixth form open evening next week so will be able to grill the teachers.

I do genuinely think she'll come out with more 8s (possibly 9s) than she's predicted now. But maybe just proud mama / wishful thinking. I don't want to push her because I think 11 GCSEs is a lot to work on and don't want her to burnout.

@ECT22 thank you I will check with DD how much is still to be completed for each class. When do you think it should be completed by ?
English is actually her weakest subject normally a 7 but got 8 in her mocks. Did send her on a school trip for poetry which she enjoyed.

@SatsumaCat thats good they kept her grade the same for Geography I had to get DD on the pill after she was ill during end of yr10 exams physics she couldn't finish the paper. My DD is also planning ALevel Maths and Physics.

I can only speak for English - Language I would say should be completed now and it’s just practise practise practise (The Exam Whisperer is a good Insta account to follow for tips with that, also lots of examples answers online). Literature has a huge volume of content - we won’t be done with it until Feb half term at the earliest. But other schools might be different.

Some Lit podcasts that are great are The English Network (for most GCSE texts) and The Play’s The Thing (for the Shakespeare texts) - listening to them will give lots of contextual knowledge and ideas that can help students develop get to the ‘detailed and perceptive’ level they need to get top grades.

I will say, every decent school will be throwing everything they possibly can at Y11 now - revision sessions before and after school, interventions, hopefully stretch and challenge sessions. Possibly if the syllabus isn’t finished in a subject, it’s because they’re deliberately interleaving previous topics to aid knowledge retention, or layering it with exam practice.

I’m encouraging my dd to attend everything available, as the extra sessions really do help. If a student is working hard and taking up all opportunities, they will reach their potential, whether that’s being made up with a 5 for some students, or bagging an 8 or 9 for others. Trust the process 😊

Our state school has a timetable of extra sessions. God bless the teachers

Aw nice to hear a parent make a positive comment about teachers!
I work in the state sector too and the focus on Y11 is forensic and relentless 😆 I think parents would be amazed how much granular discussion of each and every child there is, and the lengths that are gone to to help them succeed. At some schools at least. Sorry have gone off topic!

@ECT22 thank you she has 2nd mocks in Feb for 2n papers so will wait and see how that goes.
Thank you for the info about English will pass it on.

DS's state school is putting on 5 hours of science lessons every weekend, with different classes for students doing triple/combined and struggling students. I think it's amazing. Imagine teachers doing that every year for every year 11! DS is less impressed, but I hope he'll be grateful looking back.

That’s amazing, what awesome teachers!

It is amazing and I’m very thankful. On the other hand it feels like they are very under pressure too and it’s sad that there is so much content and scrutiny. Assume is like unpaid overtime. Agree there’s a lot of help for us re exam practice too

Sounds like some amazing extra support from some DC's schools here but yes I agree @eurotravel - there will be a lot of pressure on teachers for Y11 to do as well as they possibly can. And it must be so frustrating if students don't make the most of the additional opportunities. I invigilate exams for a local school and I know how invested we get, even as invigilators - you just want them to do their absolute best.

DS is having a work-free weekend having finished mocks last week. He has had a few results back and really pleased so far, he should have the rest next week. In the meantime I have celebrated the retrieval of my dining room table (it's been piled with revision stuff for what feels like months!) with a big bunch of daffodils. So nice to come down the stairs, for the time being at least, and see a nice vase of flowers rather than books and papers all over the table!

DS2 school have been brilliant for us this last week or so - he’s been in a right state at home ( masking at school ) and they’ve organised a subject drop and some extra sessions in core subjects . Very grateful to the teachers who are looking out for him .