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!

I’m so sorry. I regretted minimising your sadness immediately. I might feel differently when my last child finishes school. 💐

😂It's ok I wasn't offended, you made me laugh. We're all different!!

As a teacher, I believe not having study leave is the most socially equitable approach. There are lots of factors which mean disadvantaged kids are even more disadvantaged in the scenario where study leave is given. I’m happy to go into these factors, but don’t want to be a bore! I think perhaps it should be a choice. But it’s not just done for school attendance data. It’s done in the belief that it will help a lot of kids and reduce the disadvantage gap.

On school runs DS1 passed his driving test recently - it has made me feel pretty strange as hopefully by September he will have some wheels and be driving himself to year 13 .. we are rural and I school run to 2 different towns in the opposite direction at the moment.. so good but strange feeling

We’ve been on study leave since 1st May! (Independent school) but they have the option to go in to do self-study or work with teachers. 4 more days of school uniform!

Study leave started last Friday here, which has pleased DS no end. He had geography today ("fine") and said Edexcel Maths Higher yesterday was also "fine - ~70-80%". Just chemistry tomorrow and physics on Monday and he's done!

I have mixed feelings on study leave. On the one hand, it's been a relief to send him off to school knowing that he's in focused revision classes. On the other, the moaning has been intense! The school has excellent results but is in a very deprived catchment. There are a lot of kids in temporary accommodation, overcrowded or poor quality housing. At school they have a quiet study space and get fed.

Yep those are among the reasons ‘against’ study leave I was referring to. Also: young carers (for siblings, parents, grandparents), kids with minimal parental presence at home etc. I work at a similar school and I’m so bloody proud of the students, and of what we provide for them right up until they leave.

Dd thought Geography today was the best paper shes done so she is happy. Chemistry is her weakest subject but shes not too worried at this stage
However she said her wrist and hand is really painful and keeps cramping up!!

OCR Food Tech was apparently "decent" today 🤷‍♀️

Happy with Edexcel geography A today. Tired. Revising chemistry now 😢

2 more to go for my son (chemistry and physics) and I am looking forward to no school runs for 10 ish weeks! He has SEN and moving to specialist for September. My school run journey will start again September but is over double the distance one way!

Please can we keep this thread going for results day 🙂 I like reading all and seeing what everyone will get 🙂

DD bumped into her maths teacher he asked about yesterday paper.
Told her if she didn't get a 9 he may as well quit teaching. 🙄
On another thread someone added a spreadsheet no idea how but could be good for putting results on.

Some teachers are just awful. DD’s head of maths keeps sending “motivational” emails telling them to keep up the hard revision, the work they do now could mean the difference between an 8 and a 9.

Like they don’t have enough pressure! 😡

Yes. We started study leave on Friday last week but some of them rely on school buses so they're in for full days when they're in.

That honestly sounds like a clumsily worded compliment to me

With so much going on with DS I hadn't even thought until now with him being my youngest that will be the end of school at 11am on Monday. I can't say no more school runs as I don't do them anyway but it will be odd not having a child at school. No uniform to iron, no dinner money to remember to top up, no homework to nag about or parents evenings to go to.

His study leave started on Monday, all his exams have been in the morning and revision sessions in the late afternoon but luckily he has a friend who lives in walking distance so we haven't had to drop off and pick up multiple times a day.

I only have DD so last weekend was my last ever ‘uniform laundry’ 🥲

we live very rurally and no busses etc so I am currently juggling school runs, exam finishing times, pick ups, Starbucks pick me ups etc around work 🫠

I am looking forward to zero school runs for 10 weeks!!!

AQA Geography and AQA Food prep and nutrition today, both "fine". Just chem and physics to go.

DH's pasta bolognaise apparently wasn't up to scratch for dinner, pasta too clumpy, which resulted in DD screaming at him about it. Not an over reaction at all. I imagine DH and DS were laughing though which would have wound her up more. She said she thinks the neighbours would have heard her but serves them right for walking on my plants. Future Mumsnet poster I think.

Oh and our prizegiving is only for kids getting a prize to attend. DD has had it once before for "effort" (1 kid gets it for overall achievement and 1 for effort in every class). Then for Y11 and sixth form the subjects choose a prize winner and she's getting the Y11 physics prize. Which she's not happy about because what if she doesn't get her predicted grade, the teacher will be disappointed and what if she decides not to do it for A level...

I’m glad my son has had study leave. I think it’s been beneficial for him. I think his younger brother will be in a different situation and I hope there’s the option for more structure for him.

And I can see how it can help to mitigate disadvantage.

We’ve got a skewed perspective here (me too) because, whatever kind of school our children go to, every parent on this thread is engaged and invested in their child’s education or we wouldn’t be on this thread. Just that interest, however it manifests, gives our children a massive advantage.

I’ve been amazed by those saying it’s common for kids to fall asleep in exams. Until a mate of mine said his wife has been invigilating and it happens every day and not just the odd child

I think that study leave should be a chance. My eldest preferred being in school but youngest has taken some unauthorised leave as too hard for them revising in school with no phones/tech allowed and disruptive kids

I totally agree with there being provision for those that want or need it. But it should be optional.

At DD’s indie they can go in if they want, there are various subject clinics, there are rooms set aside for independent study, and they can of course just pop in for lunch and a chat with a particular subject teacher if they want. Some kids have continued to go to school every day as the structure works for them and they want all the help they can get.

I think that state schools should be the same.

With two very different kids with a variety of types mates.. I think in May each child should have a hybrid approach agreed that works for them

With regatds to the Maths papers where every exam board has thrown in unusually hard papers, I do wonder how it will pan out. Dd normally gets a solid 7 and thinks, if going by the last few years, she is looking at a high 5/low 6. She needs a 6....