Y11 2025-26 - Trying not to melt and pushing through the final weeks

[Stowickthevast]

I finished the thread so started a new one. Welcome all Y11 parents, support and solidarity for the next big push here!

Good luck to all the kids who have been out of school . I didn’t realise how many there were … though thinking about it I do know of at least 4 irl . Hope they all achieve what they need for their chosen next steps

DS is in school a couple of mornings this week just on one subject - but has returned a bit more positive than how he left !

Ive got DH trying to organise a quote for aircon .. we had this conversation last year too - but I’ve been a bit more pushy this year . 29 degrees in the bedrooms at night is just too much and not conducive to good revision ..

We've just bought a mobile aircon unit delivered tomorrow. So it'll go for now in DD room as she revises in there, make it nicer for her. Then wherever needed! Then the garage in winter.

We have an AC unit but it's "too noisy" for DS. He's decided to go nocturnal instead, sleeping through the heat of day and waking up at night. I decided to allow the experiment until tomorrow, when he really needs to start getting his body clock back on track.

@EducaatingRita do let us know how you get on with it . We considered that but worried about the need to vent out through the window on everything we looked at . DS2 doesn’t like his window open at night as he seems to be the preferred target of any mosquito or bitey thing that comes in the house

Well done to your DD. DC2 hasn't been in school since the beginning of year 9 due to severe MH issues, but stayed on roll with section 19 provision, funded by the council. Sitting the same GCSE combo as your DD. It's terrible that you have had to fund it all yourself. Best of luck to your DD, and all the other DC who have had a bumpy path.

We have a mobile unit - we run it all evening (venting through the window) to get the bedroom nice and chilly, and then turn it off and shut the window when we are actually going to sleep. Makes a big difference.

ETA: we 'seal' the window around the venting pipe with a squashy pillow, so bugs don't get in!

Just checking in on the new thread. DD has done very little since her last exam on Thursday. She ended up missing one exam last week due to having a double ear infection and a chest infection so she definitely needed time to recover, which thankfully she has. Then we had a family wedding this weekend. She tells me she’s done some today but Im not sure when. It’s soooo hot though, and we are in a first floor flat so it’s unbearable in here!

9 to go and all except English Language are ones she doesn’t enjoy so think she’s going to be reluctant to get back to it. It’s hard to know how much to push as she does work hard usually.

well done to all those taking their exams after being out of school or other difficult circumstances.

Sweltering here too. No sign of the thunderstorm we had been warned about.
A bit of revision today, finishing off a a predicted paper 2 for maths, some chemistry and a bit of history.
And also a trip to the dentist (somewhat overdue) which I had deliberately scheduled to give us a reason to leave the house! DS not particularly impressed with my strategy as inside remained colder than outside for most of the day and it was a 20 min walk away!

Hi all, gosh another thread already!! Well done to everyone knuckling down.

It’s been 33 degrees here past few days. Sickening. Dd has been doing her best to work through it. It’s her birthday tomorrow (howwwww is she 16?!) so we’re off out for lunch and then she’s going to dinner with friends. Bless her though she said she’s still going to do some history in between.

I'm glad some of your DCs are having a healthy break from revision. I'm a bit worried about DD burning out (and not from the weather). She's always been a bit of a perfectionist, but really started to spiral after one bad exam last week. She now feels she has to know absolutely everything so that nothing can possibly go wrong in the rest of her exams. So she's working too hard, feeling tired and very reluctant to take proper breaks. We're doing our best to help her manage the anxiety and to drag her away from her books - but it's horrible to watch her being so panicky and hard on herself. I'm trying to share evidence with her about burnout/ overworking/ the importance of downtime etc (as obviously me saying it is not enough) - let me know if you have any good links

At this stage I’d make the half-term plan smaller than feels comfortable. For each remaining subject, pick the two papers or topics most likely to cost marks, do short timed sets, then write a correction log from the mark scheme. If they are flagging, one clean hour beats four resentful hours staring at notes.

Weekend mainly off here. Trying to get back to it now. Hard in the heat. History and geography so lots to do.

DS2s half term plan of revision is pretty much in shreds now . He’s in school again this morning and I’m hoping he buckles down on the other 5 subjects tomorrow . The break in the weather keeps moving further forward here though .

Good luck to all DC trying to revise today - it’s what my war years child Dad would have called character forming stuff

I’m not sure much revision is happening here but I don’t want to put too much pressure on. He’s conscientious usually so I’m hoping the work he’s put in before will help. It’s so hot (London).

Those with extra revision sessions at weekends and half term - are those private schools? Nothing like that at our son’s comprehensive school (it’s a good school, I’m not complaining about it).

DS isn’t at a private school or anything like that, but his school are offering extra revision sessions in some core subjects. He seems to prefer doing his own revision though.

Not private - my dd has had extra tutoring at school since the beginning of the year in English, Maths and science. Had a full day of science yesterday- 5 hours of it in the heat! The teachers bought in ice lollies.

My sisters kids go to private and don’t have anything like this!

Oh the poor thing. All that work and then to to be ill! I am glad she is feeling better.

Not much happening here either. I am now getting worried because DS worked so hard yet the wheels have fallen off and he's checked out. DH and I were discussing the possibility of crammers last night. He's gone to the library today though because he thinks it will help him study. DH said what if he just wanders around town, but actually, he won't. If he says he's gone to the library then that is what he has done.

Oh- we are at a private but definitely no extra revision lessons here over half term.

Dd is really struggling to focus on her own, the heat doesn’t help but she’s just generally deflated. I’ve booked the week off work so I can be around. She did geography yesterday & is planning a couple of days of physics now then back to maths. Seems never ending.

We went to a big starbucks this morning - nice and cool with the aircon. Bit of relief!

None here either!

DS has done 2.5 hours of maths today, and we’re going to go to a nature reserve this afternoon. He said he’ll do another short session later.

A little bit of relief from the heat here in London today, whacked all the windows open when I felt a cooler breeze earlier. Poor DD had to sit through over an hour of blow drying for her hair trial yesterday, absolutely brutal.

Shes done some RE and physics the last 2 days but it’s most definitely much more chilled than the lead up. She’s going to the park with her friends this afternoon and then no other plans for the rest of the week so I’m assuming more revision.

DD is in a good state comp and her school has had very minimal additional sessions, I’ve seen on Facebook some local schools have put on full programmes, also state, looks very impressive what has been available.

This is great advice thank you. Nothing going on with revision here and I'm at work. I left out some physics books this morning but I'd be amazed if he opens them.

Friday I am working from home and I'm going to take him to Starbucks for some revising and to make a weekend plan.