Y11 2025-26 Final exams are here. Now we wait….

[UncomfortableSilence]

New thread for all things Y11, did they cook or are they cooked. We will find out in 10 weeks😉

Oh goodness 😞 Your poor dd that she feels she has to follow her dad. Does he want her to pursue a particular career or something? Surely he wants her to do what she enjoys and feels confident with. Everything I’ve read is that the step from gcse to alevel maths is the biggest of all the subjects. 13 days until results and then I really hope she can relax.

Regarding the ED: my dd hasn’t been officially diagnosed but the paediatrician is keeping a really close eye on her as she’s very very underweight and definitely not eating anywhere near enough. 5’5 and 7 stone, bmi is only 16. She appears relatively ok about results but I really hope it’s a subconscious anxiety and she’ll gain weight after the 20th.

Thank you, she picked maths herself as she is good at it but the transition homework, labelled as basic gcse stuff, was real hard and she is now doubting. I told her to wait til results day to make her choices. She has no idea what else to do though. Dh just got very excited about her doing it. I get shut down saying she's having doubt as he seems to think Im influencing her and says she will be fine as it's a different way of learning and how she will self study and practise relentlessly like he did... shes not passionate about any subject (although loves what shes read about psychology).
Sorry to hear your dd is struggling too. Mine has a bmi of 15.9. She's very small to begin with (1m51). She seems to have an intense fear of getting bloated when she eats. She worked real hard to get in a prestigious dance programme and now it is hanging in the balance. I feel so sad for her and so guilty i didnt notice earlier.

@Caddycat and @makemineadecaf. Hope your dds are ok. It's easy to beat yourself up about not noticing it, but people generally do try and hide them. One of my close friends at school suffered from EDs for years and it was very difficult to try and help her.

Mine is also not entirely sure about Maths. It's always has been one of her favourite subjects but she found the exam hard. We're going to b see what she gets and then make a final decision.

It’s so hard isn't it. You want to encourage your DC but they need to make their own choices.

I remember my dad berating me for picking Ancient Greek (!) instead of maths – he said I would regret it but I am not sure he was right. Greek was really tough (there is always one A level which involves more work than the others together; for DD it was French and for DS2 it was maths) but I think I would have found the maths a real challenge (we did O level early and then did what was then some AO maths – really hard).

Anyway I made my choice and even if maths A level would have been more useful, it was my choice and i do like the fact that I have read The Iliad in the original Greek. Well, some of it

So what I am saying @Caddycat is please support your DD – what might she take instead of maths? DS2 got an easy 8 at GCSE but a very hard-won B at A level. It does need to be your passion I think.

Really sorry about your summer and that your DD has been struggling @Caddycat and to all those whose kids have also been struggling due to the stress. Think I also had too high expectations for the long summer. I think DS1 is stressing a lot about not knowing the September plan but he won’t talk to
me about it 🙁. He’s definitely stressed about something.

On the plus side his younger brother has really come out of his shell this summer and has spent loads of time out of the house with a bunch of mates “chilling”. Something he was too nervous to do before. So nice to see (even if he hasn’t quite got to grips with letting me know if I need to cook for him!).

@Caddycat sorry to hear that too. No specific tension here over results and choices as I think we are all resigned to the fact that DD can’t decide really until results are in & we deal with what comes. Lots of tension over which college though as DD seems to want to follow the crowd but towards the option that would give her negligible SEN suppprt. She’s not accepting that As are a huge jump.
EDs are awful as people are very adept at hiding them. Lots of ND girls end up with an ED and others as a way of having control

Sorry to hear about the kids struggling.
DD has finally decided to stay on at current school for 6th form !!
Which is handy to get too, also seems more chilled about results day though that could change nearer the time !

Just checking in-we’re on holiday atm which is proving to be a good distraction in the run up to results day!

So sorry to read that some are struggling - really hope that results day brings them the results they hope for and deserve and that they can feel a sense of achievement and happiness once the wait is over.

Anyone know any DC getting A level results tomorrow? We have several family members and godchildren waiting on results and keeping fingers crossed for them all…

Hope everyone is ok. Hugs to those that are struggling.

We have agreed some time ago not to mention GCSE in our house. Saying that the School rang today as cameras are in on the day. They would like to film a small number of short student spotlight videos to capture students' experiences of receiving their results and to celebrate their achievements. They have identified a small number of students who we feel would be excellent representatives of our school.

We have said no to this! Can't imagine anything worse.

@GucciGin and what if they say yes then have really not got what hoped!

Exactly! Added pressure is not needed.

@FlyingPandas by DS gets his results tomorrow. Thought two doing exams was bad till we got closer to results day !

Same and same re cameras.

DS1 is anxious about his exams. We have just spent 5 weeks in my home country which was meant to be a good holiday, seeing cousins and grandparents, and ended up being just more stress.

DS has autism and adhd and he stims by walking in circles and flapping his hands. It's his normal and I don't even notice anymore. My parents were horrified and even though my father was a head teacher in a special school in his day he couldn't cope with it at all. So my father decided the morning when we were leaving for the airport it was a good time to tell me that he thought DS was completely unsitable for school at all, and should really just stay at home and be supported by us. This, from a man, who got several severely disabled students through tertiary qualifications and created things like a fully working commercial kitchen and hospitality centre in his own high school. I said I'm not having that conversation and i am NOT going to limit DS. He is predicted to be able to enter A levels comfortably, and he wishes to go on to study something like cinematography.

A distressing trip that I hoped would be a marvellous finish to GCSEs and ended up being just - shite.

@3GoldenLamps just better to ignore the oldies - they are from a bygone era.
You know your son best. Forgive them and carry on with what you are all doing

Thanks @ShesRunningOutTheDoor

So sorry to hear that @3GoldenLamps

Completely agree that many in that generation just don’t get it. I remember explaining to a friend of my DM’s about the adjustments our eldest DS was entitled to (extra time, DSA at uni etc) and also mentioned some of the other adjustments made for DC I invigilate for. She shook her head rather sadly and said “I mean. It all just seems a bit excessive to me. In our day we just said they were thick!” And honestly she said this as if that was a good thing!

Your DS sounds lovely and I am sure he will go on to achieve everything he hopes for.

Thank you. And yes I know EXACTLY what you mean about 'they were just thick' comments like it's a good thing.

I'm deflated tbh. My father said 'He can't take his mummy to university with him'. It felt so diminishing, the work i am putting in to make him resilient, independent. My aim to is allow him to fully fledge.

My best friend rang me yesterday and asked how the trip had gone. i said 'Well, my dad's turned into a bit of an arsehole'.

DS is great. He's pottering along at his own pace. While we were away there was a Swedish film festival on and we went to 7 films. I love watching him love it.

@3GoldenLamps unfortunately some people do just turn into arseholes when try get older. We haven't even told my DPs that DS is autistic as they would just be dicks about it.

@3GoldenLamps so sorry to hear about your family making your holiday the opposite of the nice relaxing trip you were hoping for. Hopefully your DS didn’t notice care too much and knows you have his back - that’s the important thing.

Here both my DSs are away with grandparents for the week - think DS1 is still stressing despite my mother’s best efforts to distract him with activities as he is “homesick” for the first time (they go every year). Braced for when they come home on Monday- think it’s going to be a long 3 days at that point.

@Tebheag hope your DS got what he needed.
I'll have the double exam year in 2028 and am not looking forward to it.

Thank you. Ds decided against uni just been trying to get an apprentiship but not had much luck.

Did anyone get FSMQ results today? Thought maybe the school would send them but no sign yet. DC doesn’t seem to know how or when they get them.

FSMQ were released with DS1s main GCSEs last year not today - no idea if that’s the norm

Can I join? 1 week to go 😔

DD worked super hard but she has anxiety and found the months on the lead up and the actual exams a really tough time.

She has a week of summer drama next week so that will definitely help to keep her distracted but I mentioned the R word today and she immediately said she felt sick and not to mention it again.

I just really hope she is happy with her results because she really did work so hard both with her revision and with handling the pressure cooker of exams. And obviously that she has do e enough for her first choice for college.

Sending calming supportive thoughts to all

DS is off with his GPS this week so hopefully not stressing. He's ordered a couple of maths books so fingers very firmly crossed that he will get good enough results for his chosen A-levels.