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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Y11 2025/26… come and join

985 replies

wonderstuff · 22/08/2025 19:31

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Ifonlyoneday · 04/11/2025 06:09

I also heard 2 more things on mocks I don’t know if they are true , (maybe the teachers on this thread can verify).

  1. that the schools have to keep these mock paper results as evidence in case they have to be used to do teacher assessed grades (like the Covid years) whereas before Covid I am not sure they kept them. I assume they can bin them all once the real exams go ahead.
  2. more schools introduced a 2nd set of mocks in Jan, Feb, March after Covid as they would have more evidence of current performance if the mocks were ever to be needed again to do teacher assessed grades. Also I am guessing that children have done some revision by the second set of mocks and should have been taught all content by then so the second set of mocks were a better set for predicting grades than the November ones.
eurotravel · 04/11/2025 06:44

Thanks @Ifonlyoneday we have multiple sets mocks and also I have now heard of DC having tutors on exam technique so that sounds right. Less about the subject and more about how to get marks - by exam board & subject.

36and3 · 07/11/2025 20:23

Mocks start on Monday here for two weeks. Dd is working really hard without any prompt from me thankfully. She’s having weekly maths and English tutors. Alevel options are confirmed. Reading festival ticket booked!

Littletreefrog · 07/11/2025 20:39

DS has just finished his first week of mocks and is shattered. They have had 2 or 3 exams a day and another week to go next week. He is having a night off tonight as he looks unwell. I hope its just tiredness. We have no money for tutors and he seems to fall between the two groups getting most attention at school. They seem to be focusing on those that need help to get at least a 4 in maths and English and those on track for all 9s. Those with pretty solid 5, 6, 7s are being left to get on with it themselves. I hope that doesn't backfire.

WhateverImcalled · 07/11/2025 20:44

Ifonlyoneday · 04/11/2025 06:09

I also heard 2 more things on mocks I don’t know if they are true , (maybe the teachers on this thread can verify).

  1. that the schools have to keep these mock paper results as evidence in case they have to be used to do teacher assessed grades (like the Covid years) whereas before Covid I am not sure they kept them. I assume they can bin them all once the real exams go ahead.
  2. more schools introduced a 2nd set of mocks in Jan, Feb, March after Covid as they would have more evidence of current performance if the mocks were ever to be needed again to do teacher assessed grades. Also I am guessing that children have done some revision by the second set of mocks and should have been taught all content by then so the second set of mocks were a better set for predicting grades than the November ones.

Answer is yes to your first comment we keep them but for a variety of reasons and until any appeals have gone through in September

At my most recent couple of schools we've always done two sets, so I can't answer about the second point

tourdefrance · 08/11/2025 12:08

Can I join?
DS2 is in year 11 and got grades between 3 (maths) and 6 (french) in the year 10 mocks. We had a weekly term time English tutor last year with some maths tutoring in the school holidays but have now got maths and English on alternate weeks.

eurotravel · 08/11/2025 16:31

@Littletreefrog sadly I think that ‘middle band left to themselves’ isn’t uncommon.
My Y11 should be in the top band but is slipping as just doesn’t seem to get the need to actually actively revise.

36and3 · 08/11/2025 18:59

Yes I get the middle band thing. My daughter is in top sets so she shouldn’t need tutoring but whilst she’s good on paper, she gets anxious and lacks self-belief so I’ve thrown money at it to give her a boost.

Shes excitedly announced today that in 7 months she’ll never have to do physics or maths again!! (Amongst others!)

whereonthestair · 08/11/2025 19:41

I think I’m going to be excited when my DS never has to do physics or chemistry again, having spent much of the afternoon trying to remember what I possibly never actually knew 30+ years ago. I much prefer “helping” with humanities, some of them are interesting!

NotDarkGothicMama · 08/11/2025 21:17

I miss "helping" DS with his school projects. I got a golden house point for my story jar one year 😁 (DS wasn't bothered and I had A Good Idea).

eurotravel · 08/11/2025 23:29

@whereonthestair at least yours allows you to ‘assist’. Mine insists I keep my beak out

SeaGlassDreamer · 09/11/2025 10:28

Our mocks start in the last week of November, they were announced very late and we’ve already booked a weekend away in the middle. Exactly the same happened in year 10 they were immediately after the Easter bank holiday and we had booked to go away for Easter. I checked the previous years timetables and they didn’t fall on these weeks before.

I’ve said to Ds that he needs a break anyway and it’s not like they are A levels where they would count for UCAS predictions. He can also revise whilst we are away (it’s a UK break).

It’s typical though and I’m not sure why they were announced so late.

Honeypye · 09/11/2025 10:59

I think these mocks are just to get used to taking exams, the process etc. Also they help give the kids a reminder (kind word!) that they’ll need to revise if they want to do well in the summer exams. They usually do another set in feb. Not too much importance put on the results this side of Xmas. It’s not like the mock A levels, which are important for uni entrance.

36and3 · 09/11/2025 11:28

They’re pushed hard as being important at my dd’s school. She starts tomorrow and the importance has been laid on thick. I think it’s helpful as it makes it real. I think they only have to wait a week or two for results which is good. Countdown is on until our December holiday though!!

Honeypye · 09/11/2025 12:20

36and3 · 09/11/2025 11:28

They’re pushed hard as being important at my dd’s school. She starts tomorrow and the importance has been laid on thick. I think it’s helpful as it makes it real. I think they only have to wait a week or two for results which is good. Countdown is on until our December holiday though!!

Oh wow! I guess it doesn’t harm to push them now. Maybe our school does that too but I’m definitely not too bothered about these ones. As long as some revision is done. But the Xmas hols will have revision too 🙈.

whereonthestair · 09/11/2025 12:26

They are pushed very hard for us as the predicted grades are needed for sixth form and our “best” sixth form is super competitive even if it’s huge. It’s interesting to see the difference though as partly because the sixth form is super competitive the kids are all aiming for 7-9s if they can get them especially for their best subjects or if they want to study maths or science which needs 7s for science or an 8 or 9 for maths. It has swings and roundabouts as it will pull some kids up though as there isn’t a I’m too cool to revise thing, but the kids generally see a 6 is bad and a 4/5 as failing…

36and3 · 09/11/2025 13:23

whereonthestair · 09/11/2025 12:26

They are pushed very hard for us as the predicted grades are needed for sixth form and our “best” sixth form is super competitive even if it’s huge. It’s interesting to see the difference though as partly because the sixth form is super competitive the kids are all aiming for 7-9s if they can get them especially for their best subjects or if they want to study maths or science which needs 7s for science or an 8 or 9 for maths. It has swings and roundabouts as it will pull some kids up though as there isn’t a I’m too cool to revise thing, but the kids generally see a 6 is bad and a 4/5 as failing…

Agreed. At DD’s school it’s definitely uncool not to revise - thankfully!!

ECT22 · 09/11/2025 20:22

Joining in, as I’m finding Y11 with my daughter very intense. I’m also a secondary teacher, which is quite a tough balance, plus I feel a great responsibility to support her at least as much as I do my students.

DD is in the middle of mocks. She has good intentions but it’s a struggle to get her to settle to revision and then to stay focused. She needs a lot of input. I’m finding it all quite exhausting. And then I go to work and have more of the same!

NotDarkGothicMama · 09/11/2025 20:30

DS starts mocks tomorrow. He reckons he's on for 8s and 9s in everything except French, where he's aiming for a 7. I'm torn between hoping he'll do well and hoping he'll flunk the lot to scare him into revising. They've got a second lot in February too.

waitingquietly · 10/11/2025 17:52

DS2 starts mocks next Monday , his revision has been quite minimal and he’s worrying now . He has good intentions and works in the holidays but is terrible once back at school.

He is largely working at 4/5 with a couple of 7s and already has a 7 in English Language taken early . He needs a 6 in Maths for his A level choices , which at the moment looks like a huge leap and he’s worried he’s even goring to pass . If he passes everything I would be over the moon .

He feels pretty rubbish anyway as his siblings are high achievers in comparison regardless of anything I can say .

ECT22 · 10/11/2025 20:31

waitingquietly · 10/11/2025 17:52

DS2 starts mocks next Monday , his revision has been quite minimal and he’s worrying now . He has good intentions and works in the holidays but is terrible once back at school.

He is largely working at 4/5 with a couple of 7s and already has a 7 in English Language taken early . He needs a 6 in Maths for his A level choices , which at the moment looks like a huge leap and he’s worried he’s even goring to pass . If he passes everything I would be over the moon .

He feels pretty rubbish anyway as his siblings are high achievers in comparison regardless of anything I can say .

I feel exactly the same. It can be hard when all dd’s friends seem to be predicted top grades. But genuinely, all I want and care about is that she passes, and gets what she needs for college. And if she gets top in the subjects she adores (arts) then brilliant. But even in those subjects, it doesn’t matter. Getting decent passes would be a great achievement and I’ll be just as proud as if she got all 9s. I probably shouldn’t say this is a teacher, but there we are!

eurotravel · 11/11/2025 00:01

@ECT22 I’m with you. Deep down I think mine will pull it together after Xmas but right now enough for college options will do. Application in in Jan

waitingquietly · 11/11/2025 13:25

@ECT22 - I agree , the most important thing is getting what’s needed for next steps

NotDarkGothicMama · 11/11/2025 19:26

I took DS to the local standalone sixth form open evening today. It's got pretty decent results but it's got big classes and 4.5 hours teaching time per subject, per week. No idea whether that's normal. We have two more to see so we'll be able to compare after that.

tourdefrance · 11/11/2025 20:57

Our local is about 22 per class. 4.5 hours per week sounds about right, with the expectation that they do the same again in self study.

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