Y11 2025/26… come and join

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DD had her drama performances yesterday, she did two monologues and they seemed to go well. In previous years the external examiner has come in after the Easter holidays apparently, so I’m glad it’s out of the way for her and she can now focus fully on written exams!

Such a relief when these are done! All drama and dance "coursework" done for my dd too. I just dont understand why they cant do the practical elements in y10 like the other local schools offering dance...

@MabelsBeats DD has got hers today. 2 duologues. agree it'll be good to get it out of the way. She's also basically finished art as the exam was a couple of weeks ago, although it's meant she hasn't had much time for revising anything else. She seems quite confident though!

Good luck to your DDs @Caddycatand @Stowickthevast😊

Art exam for my DD tomorrow. It will be a relief to get it done as it’s her top subject, and she’s been focusing on art only for the last week or two.

Has anyone's school given any information about an app that is apparently being launched by the government this year that will show the GCSE results and be able to used as evidence of qualifications for applications etc? I read something about it somewhere but haven't heard a thing from the school as to how it's actually going to work. I assume they still go into school on results day?

@Littletreefrog i heard about that app. I think the app gets updated several hours after they get them in school from my memory.

my son got his PE results today. 75 out of 100 for his coursework / 3 practical sports assessments. He’s fairly pleased

Sixth form places... can you accept more than one? DD applied to 2, one as a back up. They have made a lower offer, so it is a "back up", but she wants to go to her first choice, which we have also accepted. As all offers are conditional, do you accept more than one?

It has to be downloaded, then the school has to verify it, via a QR code, for it to work and their records to be available, it doesn't work unless the school verifies it.

We've been told that DC wanting to do it have to download it by sometime in April, then they will be verified in form time. So until the school announces that they will be verifying it, it may be better to wait, or to maybe email the HOY to see if/when they're doing it (bearing in mind that time is running out).

Thank you for your comments, I've not been on here for a week, as so much was going on.

We've still not applied to any other schools, but DD has had her meeting with the head of sixth form and he said she has the necessary LAGs. Maybe it's a precarious situation, but she will need the necessary grades for what she wants to do anyway. She could apply to a more 'lenient' school, but I fear we have missed out (she goes to a grammar, I assumed the secondaries had the same grade boundaries, but they don't).

Reading about the leaver's hoodies, we have ordered ours, despite having a sixth form, and they don't have them for Y13s, but I only know about ours.

DD is really difficult. She's been doing the CGP 10 minute tests in Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I've been making her do two a night, as she had her final Drama performance last week (now it's just the exam), she also had to hand in her Engineering practical and then the NEA for Engineering. The next thing is Spanish speaking, so a lot of actual GCSE work has been going on, now we can crack on.

I know I sound utterly pathetic, but it's a long time since DS did his GCSEs (in 2008), so I feel totally lost. Everyone else's child seems to be doing tons of revision. DD does do a lot in her room, but because I can't see it, because I'm not 'controlling/overseeing' it, I feel I am failing her, but she is resistant to me trying to tell her what to do. I don't want to burden, but I can't help but compare with my friend's son, who goes to a secondary, but has been revising everyday since September, only having Christmas Day off.

She does really well on the CGP tests, getting 100%, except in one Maths test in the half-term holidays, where she didn't do as well. She explained that she hadn't been taught graphs yet, but I panicked (I do have MH problems, so panicking is something I'm trying to address). She has now done them and did two graph tests last night and got them all right.

My stepson is coming this weekend for a week (he is also 34, like my son), I am really worried that this will stop DD from revising.

Should they be doing past papers from every day at the end of this week onward? DD said that she found something called 'active recall' and thinks that is better, but I guess I hear about past papers and think they should be doing lots every day?

They should be doing whatever works for them so there is no hard and fast rules.

I have absolutely no idea what DS is doing as he was very resistant to any help or advice. We agreed that he could revise however he liked up to his November mocks and if he got good it could continue but if he didn't do well I would be stepping in and "controlling" his revision. Lucky for him he got good grades so we have let him continue with whatever he is doing as it's obviously working.

@Anonymousemouses honestly it sounds like she is doing great . My DS is doing much less . You can not do it for them and in reality they do have to learn to self motivate . Honestly doesn’t sound like it is an issue though

@Anonymousemouses your daughter sounds likes she’s doing more than fine!

I am very much do what works for each person. My DS does past papers for science and maths, some past paper questions for history, geography and religious studies and ocassionally French but never full papers as the physical act of writing is hard for my DS given his disability. So then he does a lot of what we call quizzing, on facts, quotes etc for history, geography, religious studies and English literature. English we have also done watching productions of his set texts as revision and listened to some general podcasts. In effect the method is a bit of break it up basically because writing mind maps and flash cards etc involved writing and so took too much effort for the potential reward. He works hard and does an hour ish most evenings, ramping up for mocks and then cutting back to get his strength up. He’ll do more over the holidays but having both weekends plus one day properly off - as he is competing in his sport which actually breaks things up. We are trying to decide whether he should enter the national championship the day before his last exam, but not made that decision yet. So far so good as percentages increased on all mocks from last year and sometime by enough to pull grades up.

Another one here who is having to accept that what DS does is very much within his control
not mine! I think part of me feels he should be revising as I would have revised-ie lots of written notes and flashcards - but this doesn’t work for DS.

i think to a certain extent you have to let them take the lead and just be in the background encouraging nagging and providing snacks.

Your DD sounds just fine @Anonymousemouses and I would really try not to compare her to the DC who’s been revising obsessively since September. In fact I’d be worried if I was that DC’s mum - I’d be concerned about total burnout. That level of work is neither sensible nor sustainable in my view.

In other news DS has managed to break a bit off his DT NEA product whilst travelling home on the bus 🙄 Cue lots of upset and planning around how he can fix It when he really should be focusing on other work! I just want the damned thing handed in now; I’m so sick of it. I wouldn’t mind so much but he’s not even doing DT for A level!

@Caddycat yes you can accept to places my DS did not make up his mind till the actual day.
DD got 9999998886 the 6 was biology highest mark was an 8 to a student who sat it over two days so DD ain't to disappointed.
Was impressed with progress report today as the actually had good feed back for some classes.
Can't wait fir half term to start DD definitely needs a break.

First day of the holidays here. We’ve been for the prom dress alterations appointment so tick… done! Now Dd has started her first day of official revision timetable

DS got his mock results today. He's refusing to show me them and is complaining about half the class cheating to make him look bad 🙄

Well, Easter holidays are here. My son already moaning and digging heels in about revision timetable.

Oh no, has he got his revision timetable done and doesn’t want to get going on the work, or does he not want to do a revision timetable at all? It’s so difficult when they are reluctant!

Still at school until next Tuesday here, but then not back until Monday 20th. It’s all getting rather close now.

Last day of term here too. DS has a party to go to tomorrow and then from Sunday we begin...ha, in theory.

There must be a reason why predictive text on the Iphone seems to autocorrect the word 'revising' to 'refusing'😂

He’s using save my exams and they’ve got a brilliant thing where they give you an interactive timetable with revision notes and questions built in. So he’s not lost with what to do. He also wants all As but seems to want the results without the effort. I’m hoping after his mood this morning I’ll go home to a studious 16 year old 🫣

We've had success with a prom dress from Vinted. New with tags and fits perfectly (well apart from the length that will need to be taken up). DD is chuffed with it.

Got her the study buddy digital version to track progress against each topic. I had got a hard copy revision workbook that you can plot it all out in but she complained that writing out the topics for 11 gcses was going to take ages which I thought was fair enough and the study buddy creates it for you.

What with the many apps and websites she's found/had recommended I'm hoping it's not TOO many different things.

I’ve signed up to a free trial on Save my Exams to help DS2 with his Literature Anthology - looks pretty good . Has anyone used it for the combined sciences ? that is DS2s nemesis

We use save my exams, we did the free trial also for poetry but then found it very useful for science!