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.

@whereonthestair that's nonsensical. I could understand if he was messing around and disturbed other students sitting their exam, but just not finishing a paper? Surely that's a common occurrence and hardly a behaviour issue.

the issue on the exam is that DS has 50% extra time and rest breaks due to a disability. So he was still legitimately doing his exam when they did the assembly. He keeps up in lessons, is very very well behaved but if none of your muscles work funnily enough even typing takes longer, and his brain needs rest to manage

Lucky you! You’ve got an adequate school management team. Our south London state school got a toxic management, they are self righteous, obsessed with control and frequently bully parents. We receive passive aggressive threatening emails on a regular basis. All pupils have to be in school - no study leaves! Can’t wait for my child to finish his GCSEs and leave this environment.

Any news from AQA PE children? Son having final assembly and then all year 11s must be off site at 12pm - no shirt signing on site allowed!!!

Hope everyone with exams has a good day. Think DD will largely have the weekend off, we're going to the theatre this afternoon, she has the usual Saturday activities and got a little treat event for Sunday morning too. Not back to exams until the 2nd so still lots of time to revise.

I’m so relieved, DD just called to say economics was a beautiful paper and everything she wanted came up and everything she was dreading didn’t! Phew!!

Hope all your kids with PE have had a good paper too x

English Language went well yesterday so we're heading into half term in a good frame of mind, though she has 4 tutoring sessions next week at home.

Got a message from school yesterday saying that they were aware of a rumour that Yr 11's were all just off to the beach today (we're in Cornwall) and that it would be classed as unauthorised absence if they did. ⛱️ 🏄‍♀️

What fun sponges!!

My DD has been on study leave since start of May but tbh, if she wasn’t I think I’d take the fine to let her have some R&R!

I bet every single teacher in that school that grew up locally, did exactly that when they were in Y11.

Devon and Cornwall police keep putting out messages asking parents not to let their dc go to the beach. Ridiculous!

Dd and friends all going- they are good kids who works so hard and want to play games on the beach with their friends to celebrate half term.

Apparently a fair paper!

Is anyone's DC revising today? I've told mine she needs to take a break, have a couple of days off - but she's so set on revising..

Greek literature today for DS and then that’s it till after half term. Hope all exams go well for DC today.

So sorry to hear about your poor DS @whereonthestair and it does sound as if some schools really are being overly draconian about attendance.

Reading through the thread the difference between some of our DDs and DSs really strikes me. Boys seeming unruffled and perhaps not revising quite enough but generally taking things in stride. Girls hugely diligent but often tearful and refusing to stop revising. I can’t imagine being relieved that DS is taking a break, his revision seems to be one long sequence of breaks!

It’s a massive generalisation I know (and obviously of course there will be some stressed out boys and laid back girls out there) but this divide does also seem to be the case for those I know in real life too. A friend of mine with a DD is off to buy her yet another pack of blank revision flashcards today (she’s bought packets and packets already). In contrast, I bought one pack of flashcards when DS1 was in Y11 six years ago, I think between him and DS2 they’ve maybe used 25 cards in total!

Mind you at least they’re not going completely to waste, DS3 used one this morning to write me a shopping list of the Pokemon cards he wanted 😂

Hope everyone has a lovely bank holiday weekend and can take a bit of a breather.

I think DS will mostly be having a break this weekend, then doing some revision next week.

He’s felt that his exams have gone okay so far, and he can be prone to anxiety, so we’re trying to hit the right balance of encouraging / supportive.

@FlyingPandas my DDs bedroom is awash with flashcards. Not sure how helpful it is to her revision when they are being used as a new carpet.😂

My DS has written no flash cards at all. He’s revised a lot but flash cards are not for him. He’s done about an hour of French today, planning on doing some physics this pm then go for a swim.

My DS has gradually moved his revision time back today .. started at 12 now apparently 3 … he lost momentum with only 2 exams this week and hadn’t revised anything but those 2 subjects . I’m really hoping he picks it back up again pdq . It’s hard when it’s so sunny outside .

Definitely a different IRL between my friends who have girls, they're all much more invested and conscientious. The boys not so much!

No revision happening here!

I’d love for DD to be out in the sunshine but she’s been laying on her bed all afternoon reading a crappy chic lit novel that she’s been waiting until now to get into!

Dd had yesterday afternoon off, she revised this morning and is now in the park with friends. She’s having three other half days off over the half term.

Dd school said they want them all in today as all the teachers have special revision for them for half term - they didnt
That this would be their last ever tutor group, nothing happened in it.
All a ploy to get them in!
She did a pysics paper in Art as it was normal timetable and that is it by the sounds of it!!

Really? What a waste of police time. Maybe they could solve some burglaries instead?

I'd be encouraging DD to go to the beach if we lived near a beach. Perfect weather and the rest of the kids won't be off yet so they can have some proper fun without it being mobbed. They've worked hard and deserve to have some fun after the past two weeks.

Ahhh… a welcome pause. Well done to all the lovely Y11s and their parents for getting this far. Hope they’re all having a bit of time off, a few lie-ins and some much needed fun.

How many hours a day revision are yours during this half term? Mine is doing about 5 / 6 hours and genuinely seems very focussed but not sure if in line with peers or
not

Mine had yesterday afternoon and evening off but said he won’t be taking any more this half term. He just has his eye on fact that he’s almost half way through!