Y11 2025/26… come and join

[wonderstuff]

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Argh. I think some Y11s are really flagging now - a bit like the middle part of a marathon. I know my DD is (and also had a terribly untidy room until this morning when she finally conceded she can’t live with it any longer!). It’s hard to know how to remotivate them or how much to nag/push. It’s all about prepping for the Art exam in our house at the moment - am hoping DD gets back on the horse of other subjects pronto afterwards 😬

DS is definitely flagging and seems to have decided now is the time to try to self teach himself to play the guitar 🙈

My DS is having a quieter few days after 19 mocks! He is slowly getting marks back and so far they are slightly better than they were in November so we are keen he has a bit of downtime before ramping back up for the real thing. It looks like the strategy of working on weaker subjects may pay off as a stronger one he didn’t revise much came back at 100% which I think must be unusual, and Chemistry which he has spent time on has clicked and gone up 4 grades.

I helped DD with revision timetable up to the end of Easter holiday in the morning (ie did it for her). She was out today and then suggested watching something this evening, I pointed out she wouldn't have time to do her 1 session of revision so she agreed she should do that. I then got "how do I revise for English lit"? I suggested she does practice questions. Semi-successful day?!

@whereonthestair well done to your DS 100% and improving by 4 grades in another subject.

I really do not remember it being this relentless when I did it. I got a few As and several Bs and that was good. Now it feels like endless ‘you must aim for an 8/9’

@whereonthestair amazing improvement to go up by 4 grades. Well done to your DS

End of term here on Wednesday so dd’s revision timetable is being finalised ready to go gung-ho from Thursday.

Three marks back from last weeks round 2 mocks : 7,8,9 all one grade up from November mocks which is encouraging, hopefully the rest will be similar.

It does feel relentless doesn’t it? Though I think the grade 8-9 focus is far from universal. For my own DC, the big worry is getting a pass in Maths, and the rest will be a real ‘salad’ from 5s to potentially 8-9s in a couple. But then she doesn’t want to do competetive STEM subjects at college so I get that other kids face different pressures, and for some (including me when I was at school) the pressure comes from their own inner standards. One of my GCSE students was beating themselves up for ‘only’ getting a 7 in their mock (not a subject they need a 7 in for college), and I just wanted to give them a hug - tho, of course, didn’t 😆 - and say that these grades are important but just a tool to unlock the next stage of the future. Not a reflection of who a person is.

I think the 'you must get an 8/9' is overwhelmingly a private school and or Mumsnet thing. Of course we all want our children to do well and get what they need to take their next step but quite often that isn't 8/9s and that's ok. 3 years ago DS1 needed 4s in English and Maths to get his apprenticeship which he did and now earns more than both me and his Dad. This year DS2 needs 5 x 5s to get in his T level course with the view to then going to Uni. So good futures are achievable without those 8/9 grades.

Big push for 8/9 here too (private school) but dd has her own very set high expectations and gets really anxious at the thought of not achieving these.

DS seems quite chilled out about the whole thing at the moment despite being in a private school where the majority get 7s 8s and 9s. I do know of some DC in other schools who are really anxious about things though - I suspect partly because they're in friendship groups where everyone is super conscientious and they're working each other up into a frenzy.

On the one hand I'm pleased DS is not stressed and panicking but I would love him to have a little more structure and a little less procrastination. He must spend at least 50% of every revision session on the toilet!

@FlyingPandas my son disappears for leisurely poos too 🤣
He is also too chilled, I have to ‘remind’ him to revise and chivvy him along. I hope he’s going to develop some self efficacy soon. He did well in most mocks, but he’s forgotten a lot of content now as mocks were early December. He also did poorly in history and French, but has put more effort into these subjects, but, I still think not enough

DD’s had her alevel options accepted and confirmed (staying at school sixth form) which is great news - English literature, history, biology and psychology (new for her). They start with four with a view to dropping one.

What have your kids chosen?

DS seems to save his poos for a once-a-week effort that inevitably blocks the toilet. We have a plunger behind the sink specially.

He's chosen Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Physics. Although he's trying to drop Physics to do Business Studies instead. I've said it's too similar to Economics but he wants to do it as an "easy" option.

Definitely feels relentless DD got told by head (also her subject teacher) to avoid competing in athletics this year ! It's a mix of DD and school pushing for 8,9s she was disappointed to get a 7 in Feb mocks. I had to convince her she had great results.

DS1 also struggling. Part of me wants to be low key over Easter and give him some days off so he gets some stamina back for the final straight and the other part thinks he needs to do all the work I can get out of him. He had a bit of a melt down over Sociology over the weekend and I think he’s started to feel that it’s all a bit hopeless :(. To be fair, 1 8 mark question (set for homework- on the area they had just done in class) took him over an hour to do so I was feeling a bit hopeless too - I did not of course say this!

I am definitely going to give DS the bank holidays off at least as he is definitely flagging when he needs to be ramping up instead. A little break seems like it might help.

We got the leavers hoodie email today and pleasantly surprised they are only £25. I was expecting more than that.

I think a break over the Easter 4 days could be a good idea for any that have been working hard up to now.
They need time to rest recuperate and recharge ready for the slog of exams.

Leavers hoodies sound nice, I don’t think DS’s school do those. He had one in primary and spent most of yr7 in it so a bit of a shame but also it’s a bit weird given that a lot of them will be right back at school for sixth form.

I know you are right that he probably needs the bank holiday off but also I have booked opticians, dentists appointments and we sort prom outfit (I know, very late) all of which he will find very stressful and will also put him off revision and his birthday so the holidays suddenly doesn’t seem very long! But I’ve had a think and reckon we have 6/14 days we aren’t doing anything so might just insist on lots of revision on those days.

Ah see DSs school is only up to 16 so everyone is leaving. I imagine if schools have 6th forms they maybe do leavers hoodies after year 13 instead.

DDs school has a 6th form but intake is less than half the school year never seen yr13 where hoodies.
My DD said she would rather a school Yr book than a hoodie.

Flagging here too. Today is the last dance practical exams. DD is mostly stressed by the fact that it involves relying on others to do well as she had to pick other students to perform her choreography and the other part is a trio with girls who couldnt care less about it.

I also find the "must get an 8/9" silly. 9 is meant to be the top of A* and is typically achieved by 2 to 5% of pupils (i think even less in english lit). In my DDs eyes anything below a 7 is crap. She got a 5 in chemistry (1 mark off a 6 and a strange mark on one of the 8 markers, so likely to become a "just" 6) and she sobbed all evening. Mind she had worked hard and it didnt pay off, but it's also not a subject she needs for A level... The pressure is insane. She got 78865 in her mocks, still waiting on 2 results, i think it's absolutely amazing. I've managed to convince her to take 2 days off revision during easter but i think she feels better when shes working so we will be "locking in" (seems to be the new in expression in my house) the rest of the time.

We have both hoodies and year books. Our 6th form is "smart casual" so no hoodies can be worn but for y6 dd only wore the hoodie in the summer before y7 (and not a lot as it was pretty hot lol)

Dd has got 9,9,9,8,7,7,6 for mocks so far with two more results to come in. Tomorrow is the last day of term. She’s so upset about the 6/7s which I can’t fathom but seemingly there is a culture of a sense of “failure” by these kids.