Y11 2025/26… come and join

[wonderstuff]

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Totally agree with you all. It was completely uncalled for an unrealistic. DS is doing 1 hour a night and the school have replaced 2 tutor sessions a week with extra English and Maths which seems sensible.

Checking in. DS had detentions set today for English, maths and science due to lack of homework! Honesty don’t know what to do with him, he lies if he thinks is he can get away with it, but recent history went from a 1 to a 5 with just minimal revision, he’s just not got the ability to coast and get into 6th form. He’s not got to do mountains of work, and he has supervised prep 3 hours a week, so it’s not like he doesn’t have support.. So frustrating.

I haven't made DS start structured revision yet but he's doing some on his own, which is very encouraging. TBH his school are very good at setting revision activities as homework and have already started Saturday workshops, so I don't feel the need to be pushy.

@Tebheag they have completed the complete syllabus in Maths and Computing already, but that could make for a very boring year focussed on revision! I think they are now doing the Further /Add Maths syllabus now, although not all will take the additional papers.

@RememberDecember your school sounds a lot more organised than my DDs school they had 1 small section still to do in maths but have been doing revision since they got back DD got a behaviour point for talking in class as she actually stating the answers before seeing the questions as remembered the lesson from a few months ago she is so bored they onoy do two levels of maths higher and lower she is in the higher set.

@wonderstuff exactly this! so frustrating because older sibling was exactly the same. Fortunately, he is realising that the reason he is lonely at college and not with his mates at 6th form is because he didn't put the effort in - which he is doing now (to an extent).

We had options night last night and they have to be submitted by December. Dd has to choose 4 alevels to start with with the option to drop one by October half term of y12. All very real now. Mocks are in November so whilst she’s 90% sure what she wants to do we’re going to wait on the mock results before completing the form.

dd is capable of 8s and 9s but I feel because she’s pretty sure what she wants to do, she’s focusing on those subjects and letting the others fall by the wayside.

Hi,
anyone know what the last possible day is for GCSE exams next year. I think it’s those reserve days but don’t know the dates.

24th June is what our school told us.

24th June is contingency day. Extremely unlikely to be needed. Our school has scheduled the prom day on 18th.

Thanks both. This was all needed to work out which Take That concert to buy tickets for as an after exam treat.

November mock timetable issued here and the first of the sixth form open evenings has started.
How is everyone else getting along?

@Ifonlyoneday we also have our November rmocks timetable but seemingly neither DS or his teachers know if he is doing foundation or higher maths paper so I'm not sure how that is going to work.

We have been to one college open day so far, DS is torn between Extended Diploma or T level and the colleges seem very keen to push T levels but I don't know if that's because it's the best option or some sort of funding thing. It felt very much like a sales pitch rather than careers and advice.

Hello. We have a November mock timetable which looks better than the year 10 timetable. It’s not 2 exams every day this time, just some of them. DS is doing about 2 hours work a night/ each day over the weekend, mostly homework but a lot of homework is revision focused, past papers etc. it’s showing which bits of year 10 weren’t taught well (DS had a science teacher missing for a term, school said the cover was fine, it wasn’t). All out 6th form open days were July so nothing going there apart from submitting the choices. We know 2 but not the 3rd, but are being told you can always switch. No option to start 4 subjects here unless 4th is further maths.

DS's school has a Year 11 information evening next week so we'll get the mock exam dates, summer exam timetable and other dates then.

We've got his first VIth form open evening tonight so that'll be interesting. He's set on going to this one, involving an early start and a train journey (we're not in London). I'm not sure why as he isn't good at getting out of bed and we have a very good VIth form an easy bike ride away from our house. He also thinks they should change the rules so he doesn't have to wear a suit 🙄 when the local option doesn't have a uniform at all. Hopefully he'll see sense. They both offer the subjects he wants to take so I'm going to do some digging on results to show him a comparison.

Our mock exam timetable is more or less 2 exams a day for 2 weeks. Whilst heavy going I have said at least it will prep them with some exam writing stamina. Plus it means they can’t leave revision to the last minute.

some revision happening here but not loads think the issuing of the mock exam timetable means they are going to focus on revision a bit more 🤞

My twins both want to do A levels. 2 a levels they definitely want to do. The 3rd available there’s a few options being considered.

We did attend a talk on T levels they sound a good option for the subjects they’re available in, however we are fairly rural and there is only 2 colleges in the whole county that offer them and they’re not easy to get to from us. So glad the twins have chosen A levels as there are a few more locations to go them near us.

Hello joining in 👋

We received a list of dates which which may be useful to you 😊
16/11/25 - Flight path evening 1630-1830
17/11/25 - Mock exams week 1
19/11/25 - Mock interview evening
24/11/25 - Mock exams week 2
19/12/25 - Deadline for College Applications
7/1/26 - Mock results event / report
9/1/26 - College Application interviews 1
23/2/26 - Year 11 Mock Core exams
6/3/26 - College Application interviews 2
25/3/26 - Spring data results/ mock results event 2
4/5/26 - GCSE and BTEC exams begin
17/6/26 - Last GCSE / BTEC exam
24/6/26 - Contingency exam date
20/8/26 - GCSE results day

I’d like to know more on the differences between -

• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma
• T-Level

From what ive read, Work experience is compulsory for TLevels ?

Our open evening is on Monday night 😊

We’ve had options evening at her current indie. She really wants to stay and 90% sure she will. Though she does have a place at an outstanding state sixth form college and I’d quite like to save a truck load of money!!

Shes selected her alevel options now but we do have until February to edit if need be.

Mocks in November for us too but no timetable yet

Fuming. DfE have written to headteachers to say they are withdrawing the extra funding state schools get for delivering the IB (because it requires more teaching time) NEXT YEAR. DDs school only does IB so either they're going to have to work out how to do it with less money or switch to A levels. Not great timing when we're starting to look at sixth forms now. At least her school open day is a bit later than the others so the school will have some time to figure out a plan!

We had DS's Year 11 information evening today. It was very helpful: they gave us booklets with all the mock and real exam dates, revision strategies, revision materials and timetable templates. I feel a bit more confident with supporting him now.

I was unaware of this change. Sorry to hear you are affected https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/secondary/dfe-removes-funding-ib-diploma-study-state-schools

it doesn’t affect us as state schools/colleges round here don’t offer IB but skim reading this it looks like IB will only be possible in private education from now on.

doesnt look like the DfE gave schools much notice as they would all be doing open days and planning for next year. Hopefully ad you say your college/sixth form can pivot in time. 🤞

So far there's been a letter from the Head about making the case for IB to DfE but it doesn't say what they're going to do if the decision isn't reversed (highly unlikely it will be I imagine). I've heard a different school has already announced they will switch to A levels.

The problem is that the Labour government don’t want any thing in education to be out of their control. Hence trying to close down private schools, stopping the IB in schools, next they’ll attack the academies then the grammars (grammars being selective). They really do want to drag kids down instead of raising kids up. Not sure why they cancelled Latin. They saw it as too prestigious maybe??
There’s no chance the decision will be reversed within this government. :(

I wish they’d concentrate more on improving schools rather than trying to ruin them.