Y11 2025-26 Exams have started - chat, support & drink of choice if needed here.

[UncomfortableSilence]

New thread for all of us with lovely Y11s to support them and us through the coming weeks.

I would say, as a teacher, lots of the Y11s are finding it useful to have targeted revision lessons for the exams they are yet to take, and a safe, supported space to revise or, yes, sometimes chill, for the lessons where they’ve taken the exam. I had a nice relaxed lesson with my Lit class after the exam today, chatting, reassuring, giving them a breather, talking some of them down from post exam panic. Some of them went off to practice music for an end of school concert. Some of them revised for RS tmw. I didn’t see it as a wasted lesson but a supportive one.

Many kids don’t have emotional or academic support, or a space/resources to revise, at home. Depends on the school I guess (mine’s a lovely school in a deprived area) and the individual students. We’ve got quite a few on selective study leave tho, agreed with parents where it’s felt they’d be truly be better off at home - is that not an option at most schools?

We’ve had a bad day, DS computer died in his English Lit, which given extra time was already scheduled for over 3 hours So he had to dictate while it was being fixed which is not his normal way of working BUT was in the access arrangements agreed with JCQ. Special consideration paperwork being prepared!

So sorry to hear this. I hope she's ok now. As others have said, definitely raise with the school and get them to apply for special consideration.

Oh no, sorry to hear about the difficulties some of your dc have faced today! Hope the special consideration processes kick in for them

Agree @MayasJamas – when I taught in school, there were a lot of students for whom school was basically a safe place (not people on this thread I don’t imagine obvs) – a lot of them lived in relatively small houses with a lot of family members and probably nowhere quiet to sit and work, no books, no computer.

Obviously for some students it's better to be at home and work but for some it certainly is helpful to be in school. The best option is to be flexible IMHO – offer revision and "lessons" for those who need it or will benefit and then others can negotiate to be off.

Apparently not at ours based on the newsletter and when I picked her up the office staff were needlessly obstructive.

Most of the targeted revision sessions with subject teachers before exams DD has found useful but an awful lot of the 'lessons' are her just doing her own revision in a noisy, disruptive environment rather than a quiet one. She finds noise difficult so it's definitely not beneficial to her.

Some of the revision sessions she finds not particularly useful as they're past papers she's already done and they go much more slowly than she can.

I'm going to continue to pick her up if she asks and I've told her this. I do trust her judgement about what is best in terms of her exam prep, she did well in both sets of mocks, she's earned my trust.

Yes completely understand why schools need to offer this, what I don't understand is why they're telling those of us who can have our children at home and have hard-working, organised children why we can't bring them home if they and we think it's in their best interests to revise at home. Which is definitely what the newsletter says. I'm sure most parents who want to will ignore it though as it's bonkers - I'm not deliberately disadvantaging my child during her exams!

Yes absolutely. Tbf I think the best way is to say "your DC must be in (until half term anyway) and add a caveat – "speak to us if you want to do anything else" – otherwise some kids who ought to be in will stay at home; but if the school is happy to agree (for example, as you say, they know they will work, maybe they are ND and need quiet, maybe they go at their own pace as you say) then I do think discretion is helpful.

My DD has a June birthday and had a physics lesson on her birthday (her only remaining exam, which was the next day). I said she could miss it haha and we went out for lunch. I am sure she was not the only absentee that day. She got an A anyway (no idea how, not a scientist at all, but that last lesson made no difference).

English lit went well today. Like your DD @MayasJamas it was DD's "worst" poem, but she got to compare it to one she really loves so it worked out fine. She picked the theme question for AIC and was very happy with it. Even the unseen was deemed ok.

A strongly worded email was sent to all Y11 parents today as apparently a rumour has been sprayed that no one was going to the revision sessions. DD is grateful for them, as much as she revises well at home she is so tired by the morning exams that she thinks she would end up having a nap in the afternoon so she thinks ploughing on at school is better. She said a large group were pulled aside and told that revision sessions were compulsory or there would be no prom for those who don't turn up even to a single one...

Oh no 😧 I hope your daughter is ok!!

I have DS2 mostly home this week , only 2 exams . The urgency is not currently being felt and I think he would currently be doing more in school if he was in . Though study lessons in school are really just supervised own study . We’ve discussed it and he recognises the issue so hoping for improvement tomorrow .. I think the next chunk of exams after half term will be a bit of a shock if he doesn’t step up now . Just the other side of the coin

I’ve been lurking on this for a few days now and meaning to post in response to a conversation a couple of days ago about phrases for relatives etc if results don’t go as hoped and a different avenue has to be explored. For DC1, we have a plan A, a plan B and a plan C and I have already started telling relatives how fortunate she is to have all of these options and what the positives are of plan B and Plan C as well as the more immediately apparent positives of plan A. So plan B is reunited with her best friend from primary (who is choosing to go there as her plan A for a specific subject), more independence, get a greater choice of subjects, Uni remains a choice, beautiful building & grounds. Plan C is local, more practical courses, great links with local employers, if go down this route, unlikely to go to Uni, but then won’t get into debt etc.
Plus we’re emphasising how hard they’re working, how they’re doing their best, so many options and opportunities out there, really fortunate to live where we do and have so many options etc
I’ve also realised in the past few years how few people share their DC’s actual results. It’s generally “they got what they needed”, “really pleased”, “not quite what they’d hoped but we were expecting that as they said a couple of exams didn’t go as they’d hoped” etc.

One of the admittedly very few (actually none) advantages of having a very small family mostly made up of people who either don't give a shit or have dementia is I don't have to worry what anyone else thinks and as long as DS is happy we are happy.

I think you have to watch some relatives though . We had suitable phrases to hand for the grand parents and aunt for DS1 last year . Grand dad still cornered the poor kid on a family walk and asked for full grades .. I don’t think DS1 told him the truth though as there was a remark still outstanding .Slightly mad competitive aunt/ cousin situation. Sadly my own parents have been gone some years as my Dad would have been so proud of him and would have made him feel good about his results - they are very alike

yy they got what they needed and we are very happy.

No need at all to share grades.

Tho a former colleague whose DD is very smart, on me messaging to ask how she did, said they were saying to everyone "she got what she needed and we are really pleased" but confided to me (he knew I would want to know) that she got all 9s. One of the few hahaha

TBH it had not occurred to me that in this scenario we have no family really and thus no external pressures! . My parents are abroad and were educted under a different system so don't even realise what GCSEs means. ILs are deceased and my SIL is only wonderfully supportive no matter what, but in a 'as long as they are safe and happy way' which is perfect for us.

I DO recall though how competitive my mother was when I and my sister went through our exams at the end of our schooling. There was a definite sense that we had to not show her up to her ghastly siblings, and we simply had to do better than our cousins** and alot of pressure coming from there. I'd forgotten that.

**I've also just remembered that I was the first cousin to graduate from University. I got a Bachelor of Arts. My Aunt sniffed and said 'Never knew you were artisitic'. She knew what it was- she just wanted to be dismissive, and her life's goal seemed to be taking my mother 'down a peg'.

Gotta love toxic family dynamics!

Oh does the school not allow to drop options? I guess it's the only benefit of our independent school is that they are very flexible with allowing kids to drop subjects

My mum was awful with bragging to the neighbours. I remember my brother failed an a level and her response was “what am I going to tell people??”. For that reason I tell her very little about DC achievements

Same as you @3GoldenLamps my family is abroad and doesn't understand the grading. They are proud of her but also compare GCSEs to the much easier exam DN is taking this year, especially my sister who thinks it's exactly the same and I'm just fussing about how hard it is for DD.
I don't think there is any need to share widely the actual grades they get. I keep telling DD that I'm so proud of her, the result won't change that either way.

I have been surprised at some of the things that people have said happen in private schools on here that definitely aren't happening or aren't allowed to happen in state schools. Such as just being able to tell the school that DC not going to take exams in particular subjects and taking iGCSEs that often still allow coursework in lots of subjects that state schools have to have as 100% exam. I'm very jealous of that last one as struggling with time keeping in exams is a massive limiting factor in how my DD will do. Having coursework would make such a big difference. It's really not a level playing field is it?

That would have most definitely been my mother's reaction if DSIs or I had failed something.

She was also very braggy. I recall going to some bbq as a teen and the hostess looked at DSis and I and said 'Oh, finally we meet the perfect children'. She was brutally hard on us in private for our shortcomings and paraded and exaggerated us to others in public.

I won't derail the thread, sorry! Yesterday I said to DS 'Please understand, no matter what happens, we are proud of you and if you don't go as well as you hope you have not let us down'. He looked at me in utter bafflement and said 'I never gave any thought that it might let you down if I go badly'. The fear of letting my mother down was - and still is- a defining characteristic of my upbringing so hopefully I broke that cycle!

Definitely allowed to drop any non-core subject quite flexibly.

However, the only subject where iGCSEs contain coursework from the ones my daughter is doing is English Language. Everything else is 100% exam.

In fact, I am told that Maths iGCSEs are harder than ordinary GCSEs and that they're actually at a disadvantage doing Maths iGCSE.

English language is the one I would walk over hot coals to have a coursework element 😂

Not entirely sure whether I would want her to be able to drop subjects but I guess she has quietly quit one of them as only might just scrape a pass so it would at least mean she wouldn't have to go through the exams.

Just to add on the IGCSE coursework thing . DS2 did English language a year early . His coursework mark percentage was identical to his exam performance . So no variation of the playing field in that sense . He has 40% coursework for lit this year and part of his mark is a practical for ICT . Maths IGCSE is just exams though no non calculator . He does do some GCSEs too.

He also quit history in January/February . I did ask it wasn’t a demand . And it was to spend extra time on maths and science

Sorry to hear some have had difficult mornings. And that others had such tricky experiences with parental/grandparental expectations. The whole results day malarkey is enough of a minefield without managing extended family and friends as well.

DS says computer science went well this afternoon but like your DD @UncomfortableSilence said several of his friends found it tough. He's got a free day tomorrow and then the last English language paper on Thursday with Greek on Friday. He's also doing mainly iGCSE but there has been no coursework for anything other than DT.

I'm feeling completely drained tonight after the toughest session with Y11 I've had to date, I really hope most of them engaged with English Lit and felt positive about it, but there were many who seemed utterly disinterested and such a high volume of toilet break requests (very often from the disinterested ones) that we had to operate a waiting list. I am very glad to be with A level students tomorrow who will be in the exam because they want to be not because they have to be!