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We have also only applied to DS’s current school’s sixth form. They have no minimum grade requirement and he has no desire to go anywhere else but I do get moments of worry that we should have at least considered another option.

DS is finally on the home strait with the DT NEA, thank God. He also has his MFL speaking assessment - the real
thing, not a mock - next week. So those two subjects are the main focus at the moment. I doubt much other revision will happen before the Easter holidays now.

I’ve been helping my son with his history. The content is phenomenal - it just keeps coming! I thought English literature content was bad enough but I’m now starting to think history even harder, especially how they have to pull it all together to answer the exam questions in the right way. We’ve spent bloody ages on the Cold War and that’s only 1/4 of the gcse

@AnonymousemousesI’m so sorry that’s just tragic. Hopefully she will be well supported in school.

DD doesn’t think she wants to stay on at her school, so we applied elsewhere too to keep options open.

@Anonymousemouses what an awful tragedy. I imagine your DD will feel upset and fragile, even if she didn't know them very well.

Last week of mocks here. DS says he's doing about an hour of revision a day but school have got them revising hard in lessons between mocks. No news about Easter classes yet. I'm getting a bit nervous. I don't want to book expensive private lessons if his school is doing them, but don't want to miss the boat either.

DD definitely wants to stay at her school. She had a meeting with the head of sixth form last week, he said she had the required grades from her mocks and LAGs.

She did get a 5 (nearly a 6), in her Maths mocks, and she originally wanted to take Maths A Level, because her dad wanted her to.

We had a parent's evening the other week. I spoke to her Maths teacher about how she did, and she said she was surprised as she usually gets 100% in her tests and did really well in the Y10 mocks. Her teacher was confident that she would be OK and said that she should do Maths, as she is capable, she said her mocks were the right working out, but she then doubted herself.

She has decided to drop Maths, as although her teacher feels she is capable (and she gets 100% here at home too), she never really liked it. She wanted to do Sociology, but her dad said it was useless.

She's also keen to do English Language, which I'm unsure of. She got an 8 in her Literature mock and 7 in Language, but she likes Language more and doesn't want to read Literature anymore, despite her teacher trying to persuade her.

I'm really stressed out about the second Drama performance coming up. We didn't realise that they needed props, or costume, so had to find those urgently. She now needs character shoes, but I'm improvising.

The Engineering NEA is in for checks, I believe it has to be handed in for real next week (so I guess they get it back if it needs improving?)

Spanish listening is next month I believe?

I'm planning on doing past papers, under exam conditions, from the start of the Easter Holidays. A lot of the teachers thought that the girls suffered from exam stress (I couldn't help but notice that most girls performed less well than expected in the mocks - I saw when the teachers were using rulers on the results - I didn't see the names though), which was a bit of relief! DD said a lot got 3s in subjects, this is not common for actual GCSEs at her school, which always gets great results, so I hope they all improve, though it feels so close now,

We didn't bother applying for other sixth forms in the end. Things would have to go very wrong to not get the minimum grades she needs..

@Anonymousemouses Both 6th Forms we visited required a 7 in Maths in order to do A level maths. They explains that a 6 is basically 50% and that it's simply not secure enough to do the A level. With a 7, you are predicted a C at A level. They were really trying to scare the children off and that worries me a lot.
I'm scrambling for Drama costume too, DD's is on tuesday! Funny you mention character shoes, I was trying to convince her to wear hers for the play just yesterday lol. DD also has Spanish speaking very soon and her dance performance in 2 weeks.

@Caddycat I hope your DD does really well. It's so stressful isn't it? DS did his GCSEs in 2008, it was very different then and I don't remember it being as stressful.

DD is off today! She was up late crying and was crying hysterically this morning. She keeps replaying how her friend was OK on Friday, when they had their last conversation, then died the next day.

A few of her teachers have already said they won't be in and have set silent revision with a cover.

I was determined to send her in later, but DH said no, that she could do some work and distract herself today. She wanted to go to pastoral care yesterday, but they were at full capacity, with students and teachers.

I'm particularly worried about Spanish tomorrow, as they were a small, close group, and the absence will be obvious. The Spanish teacher has cancelled all one to one listening classes this week.

It's just a horrible time. As parents we know how important this time is, but we also know how shocked and upset the girls are and the empathy towards the parents outweighs the pressure, I cannot imagine how awful it is for them.

@Anonymousemouses
it’s incredibly sad and shocking and has come at a very stressful time for everyone. Really sorry your school is going through this.

@Anonymousemouses it is the right decision for your DD, especially if the teachers need the support too, that leaves few adults to properly support the children.

So sorry @Anonymousemouses your poor DD, and the poor family of the girl who died, it must be so awful for everyone. Keeping DD off sounds sensible for now. This kind of thing just puts everything in perspective doesn’t it.

@Anonymousemouses your poor Dd, very shocking for them to have to deal with the death of a friend. I think you're definitely right to keep her off. She'll be able to catch up.

if you can afford it, there's normally character shoes on e-bay for around £15-20.

I think sociology is a good A level. I'd encourage her to do what she's interested in rather than what your DH wants.

We panicked and applied for 6 six forms as managed to miss out on the open days. But I think DD is quite likely to stay where she is . She does need six 7s but should be ok. Haven't heard from any yet but I think it's normally end of April here.

DD has drama in 2 weeks but it's all been about finishing art. Final exam day 2 today, so she'll be elated when that's done. She literally worked 12 hours on Sunday to finish her book prep and only got to bed at midnight. Then had to leave at 7.15 to be at school by 8.
But they have drama rehearsals every day after school next week and on Sunday so should be ok.

They're all going to be exhausted by the time Easter is here.

How is your DD today @Anonymousemouses ?

For those who followed DD's maths mock drama, the mark for her second paper has appeared on the maths portal and it's a 9, so hopefully, if all is well with paper 3 she should get an 8 overall. She's still too scared to check, so hopefully she will get them all back at the same tîme and she wont dwell too long on the 6 on paper 1... 🤞

Well don’t to @Caddycat Dd. The maths mock drama is resolved.

DTs recent mini mock exams are over but only 1 result so far. I’m happy that school lessons have returned to content again as almost all subjects have not finished the syllabus yet. I am concerned the teachers are now rushing through the content just to complete it all but haven’t paced it well so not going into as much depth.

are other DCs still learning content?

no news/info on study leave so working on the assumption they’ll be in school until the last exam. Although if the school lessons whilst exams are on are not productive, there maybe some unknown illness at our home and I’ll let DTs study from home. I’ve heard this mid May illnesses struck some of last years year 11 too!😉

Study leave is from wb 4th may here. That said they can access their teachers via teams in what would be their regular lessons

No study leave af dd school, going all the way through to the middle of June. Also think they have 8 sessions in the Easter Holidays too.

@Ifonlyoneday DD is still learning content in most classes, they are meant to be finished by end of this month!

They have 8 revision sessions 2nd week of Easter hols, though I was surprised to find out there is only room for between 100 to 120 depending on the subject there is about 240 kids in the year. Revision sessions are in the hall so not sure how that works !
Study leave starts May half term, we will allow DD to study at home if needed before then she mentioned several kids stayed home during mocks to revise !
Leaver hoody ordered though after all the fuss and giving students a colour chart with 100 options they have decided to do grey again. Last year they had a problem as not all jumpers where the same shade of grey some where a weird greeny grey !

My DS has finished his 18 extra mocks. One serious cock up with Maths, courtesy of the school getting the timing significantly wrong telling DS he had the wrong amount of time (far too short) so the school have agreed to discount that mock completely. Not helpful but I guess mistakes now minimise the chance of mistakes later. No idea when any results will come back. DS is still doing content in all humanities (history, geography and Religious Studies) but content in other subjects finished and in revision. Some revision classes over Easter, no idea what they cover, no study leave until after half term in May.

@ifonlyoneday DD has finished content in all subject bar chemistry and a couple of lessons in history. They have most definitely rushed through the last topic in history though, as when we had parents' evening in february they had not started on conflict and tension (25% of the content!). They rushed through because it was obviously in the mocks. The school said not to worry as the overlap with germany was massive but still...

No study leave at all at our school. They even run post exam revision sessions for the exam the next day. Ill see how dd is, the aim will be to try and keep her from worrying and crashing out. Shes still very stressed and anxious despite mocks being over. Revision in the hall doesnt sound great @tebheag 😕

@Caddycat I think they've only just started the last history topic - Elizabethan England - at DD's school. Feel like they'll be down to the wire as they do go on study leave in the first week of May. They've still got a bit of science content to complete too.

She's got an English lit mock on poetry and Inspector Calls today but has had very little time to revise as had art final exam this week too. We've just been memorising quotes before she left. But have told her not to worry too much as we know she didn't have much time for this one - it'll be different for the final.

DD is really feeling the pressure now as so far she had nearly all 9s in 2nd mocks just an 8 in RE 1 mark of a 9, just waiting on Science. She is dreading the real exams as had great mock results.
@Caddycat presuming it's in the hall for safe guarding or something as rest of the school is shut. All pre exam revision sessions are done in class either morning before exam or afternoon the day before.

Hope all is going well for any kids doing Art and NEAs.

We have just received the Easter revision timetable. Nothing for sciences or maths... A little underwhelming to be honest. Do the teachers volunteer for this you think? There is French, but not Spanish, photography and sociology but no drama... I would have thought they have enough maths teachers for one to turn up to a revision session?

The letter also confirms that there is no study leave. It says the lessons will run as normal until May half term (But the exams start before, so I'm not sure how this works) and revision sessions after the break organised per the exam timetable. It seems to mean that you may have an exam in the morning and have to go to class in the afternoon, then to a revision session after school... It all seems a little intense, but I guess they know what they are doing.

Generally teachers don't get paid to run revision sessions out of normal hours so it is up to them whether they choose to put on extra sessions.

It is quite 'standard' to do an exam then go to lessons for the rest of the day. Whether a school insists or turns a blind eye to non attendance is another matter.

(There is a slight irony in wanting additional Easter sessions, but then not wanting lessons once exams start!)

I do feel any Easter holiday sessions should be viewed as a bonus. The kids can revise at home, and then if needed turn up at the start of term with specific questions of anything they didn't understand.

Oh no, dont get me wrong, i was not complaining about having to attend, we understand the importance to attend rather than self study and she's keen for all the help she can get. When the school said no study leave I thought this meant school up to the first exam, I expected the exam period to be just exams and revision sessions. Im still disappointed there isnt science support during easter.