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😉

One more sleep!

DH is taking DS shopping today for his sixth form suit. hoping that’s not premature!

luckily I have a ridiculously busy day at work today so won’t be able to think about tomorrow but I am predicting some very nervous dreams tonight

How are your teens getting on with any bridging work? Are they doing it reluctantly, with real interest and enthusiasm, or not at all so far?
my son has done most of his maths (reluctantly) and not starting other two subjects until he knows his results. But he’s moaning about it which worries me. I hoped this summer he would transform into a self motivated young adult…

Not to add unnecessary stress but we once tried the front row for a quick getaway strategy and it backfired. We had to put all our bags overhead as no seats in front. But also overhead was unavailable as the first bin is used by cabin crew so our bags ended up somewhere in the middle of the plane and we couldn't get them until most other people had got off.

If this happens to you I would explain to the people sat under your bags and the cabin crew why you need to get off quick and they should be able to help you retrieve your bag and make a speedy exit. Good luck!

@NotDarkGothicMamaooof stressful!! Ditch the toiletries, they weigh a lot! Is there a decent window of time at school for results collection incase you’re delayed? Or is there someone else as a plan B who could go with your son? Obvs sending speedy airport vibes!!

DD didn’t have the same type of bridging work for her art course, though she had a sketchbook to fill which is mostly done.

However, I don’t think reluctance to do it is necessarily a bad sign for the coming year - it’s holiday time and they haven’t started yet, so I think it’s hard to motivate yourself, especially when you’re 16.

I work in schools and even I’m less productive in school holidays and feel less motivated to get the things done that I need to do, and I’m 50!

Not at all so far. She claims she’s waiting for results to check she’s actually allowed to do the subjects as ‘what’s the point in doing work for a subject I might not take’.

i suspect she’ll be reluctant to do more than watch a few videos - unless the results magically kick start her motivation. Summer appears to be lazing in bed, video games and drinking cider in parks with friends

ha! Thats the exact line my son says…‘pointless doing work for a subject I might not take’. I’ve tried to counter that view with - ‘reading through the bridging work may help make a decision on a subject’, to no avail.
downside is, we go on holiday Monday for a week, so not much time left for him now, but yes it is hard to find the motivation this summer. He’s certainly had a fab time ever since physics ended, but I just hoped he’d spend a few hours considering next steps and what lies ahead - but no!

Oh @NotDarkGothicMama sending you all positive vibes for an uneventful trip and a speedy exit! A 7kg limit for cabin baggage seems insane.

DS wasn’t set any bridging work at all. Or so he says. Could be in for a panicked last couple of weeks if he later discovers otherwise!

We’re now back from holiday so I have a mahoosive stack of washing to keep me busy today. DS is heading out with friends this afternoon so that’s good. He seems pretty chilled. And tbh I’ve been so distracted by ongoing stresses with older DS that I haven’t been that focused on tomorrow. I just really hope DS2 gets what he deserves and is hoping for.

This time tomorrow we’ll either know or be less than an hour away from knowing 🤞

Wishing everyone as easy a day as possible today.

Logistics for tomorrow- will you go with them and wait outside ? Are they going with friends ? What’s the drill for ppl that have done it before ? DS can go from 8.30 and I won’t be able to wait much later than that

DD is going with her best friend for when it opens. Us mums will follow 10 minutes behind or so.

It seems to vary so much. Ours is open 8-10 for collection. Dd wants to be there bang on 8 and parents go too. They have to go inside alone to sign out their envelope and then out into the courtyard with parents to open them (or of course in the car/home/wherever)

Thank you both - gosh I’m so nervous now

Our school only gives out the envelopes from 9am, which seems super late compared with other schools

I'm going to drive her and will wait outside.. She's planning on getting the envelope and bringing it out to open with me in the car. Her bestie says she'll do the same with her Dad. Her school doesn't open till 9.30 though. I'm worried about getting parked near by but it's a 20 minute drive or 50 mins on public transport so want to be able to make a clean getaway if things don't go to plan. Then she'll go back in and enrol in what she's finally decided.

No bridging work done so far here but have told her she should at least try Maths today to help her decide whether she wants to take it or not.

At her grammar it's the most popular subject with about 170/250 taking it. English and History both have only about 25 by comparison. Very different to my school growing up where over a third of people did English - also very academic but all girls which may have made a difference back then.

I think DH and I are going to hover outside the school gates and see what other parents are doing - if everyone is going in with parents we will go too, but otherwise we won’t cramp his style! They can collect from 9am. Grades permitting, I’ll then be whisking him off to his college of choice where enrolment for those who are either looked after/EHCP/local/feeder schools OR candidates with the highest grades can enrol from 10am. If he doesn’t get quite high enough for that (needs average of 8.25 in top 8 results) then it’s enrolment at 12. Or if he misses altogether then second choice college is online enrolment.

Then we go on holiday on Friday so he misses all the post result parties! Much grumping!

Oh and he’s been working his way through most of the bridging work from first choice college - he’d rather have left it until he’s sure where he’s going but no time as we will be on holiday from Friday until term starts

Ours are available on the school portal from 8am and then physical collection at the school between 9 and 11am. DD’s plan is to look at the portal first thing with me and DH and then she’ll go into school on her own to collect them physically and see all her friends and teachers IF she’s happy with her results.

No bridging work done as yet but she keeps reminding me that it does specifically say to do it at the end of the holidays so she plans on doing it all first half of next week before she goes to Reading.

Can collect from 9am here. We are parking nearby (outside school parking is horrendous) and DS will meet his friends and go in. DH and I will wait in the car for him to return (I will be beside myself by then).

Then it's quick dash to the station for him to get the train to college enrollment. They have said to attend his enrollment appointment no matter what the grades so I'm hoping that means they will work something out regarding a suitable course. Parents are not allowed to attend that even though DS is on their support register due to autism they were not wavering so I will be anxiously hoping DS makes good decisions. I would like to go on the train with him and just hang about nearby but he is not keen on that idea.

Gosh 8.25 is very high @Wincher. Is that LAET?
Fingers crossed for him.

Dd's decided not to go there as they don't do German which is her only locked in subject so far. I may try and get her to release the place today.

Her grammar just asks for six grade 7s and the other one she's going for has offered her 4s so at least she will should get what she needs.

DD said she’s calm, I’ve woken up with an absolute pit in my stomach. She’s going out with friends this afternoon so I’m going to blitz the house do some shopping and then pop into school this afternoon to do some work. I’m one of those people that has to be busy I can’t sit around.

Plan for tomorrow is leave here at 7.30, her school is near a tube station so lots of parking restrictions so we need to find somewhere to park. She wants to go in on her own and said she will text me if lots of parents are in there and I’ll go in otherwise I will be hovering outside. Then back to the car upload her results on to the admissions website and drive to the school she wants to go to to try to enrol.

I’ll be thinking of all your wonderful DC and all the work and struggles they have overcome to get to this point and I pray they all get the results they need/deserve. It’s been lovely following everyone’s stories for the last few years.

Jeez @Wincher that's high! So 99888888 is the lowest? (or more 9s and some 7s) Wow neither of my A level DC would have got through that.

ETA meant to add – thinking of you all and all your DC tomorrow. Hope it goes well and if they don't get what they need and deserve, there is always a way forward.

9.30am collection here. We’ll walk together and I’ll lurk at the perimeter of the school 😆 We’re both pretty nervous. Hoping so hard to see that 4 in Maths. It’s awful how the necessity to pass English and Maths can overshadow their other achievements/hopes. I wish govt would ditch that rule and introduce some other entry level marker they have to pass. Good luck everyone.

The window is 9-10.30 but I want DS to be able to go as soon as he's ready and not getting nervous because he has to wait for me. Saying that, there's a decent chance I'll be at school in my smelly travel clothes at 0850 and he won't rock up until 1029. I'm counting on DH prodding him out of bed if that happens!

Luckily (for this situation at least), I'm in the front row of the economy section but there are premium economy and business sections ahead of that so no chance of the locker being full of cabin crew stuff. I will explain, beg and/or cry to whoever I need to to ensure I get off that flight faster than Usain Bolt on speed.

No actual official bridging work has been done here but DS got me to order a bunch of Maths Olympiad books to work through instead. He's a nightmare but loves maths.

DD is going with friends tomorrow. They open at 8,30 - DD’s reaction was ‘why on earth would I get up that early’ so god only knows what time they’re planning to go. There’s some suggestion that they’re going to film each other opening their envelopes… let’s hope she’s not disappointed. There was also a suggesting of ‘pre-gaming’ results but thankfully they’ve decided buzz balls at 8.30 is a bad idea.

Parents don’t usually go at our school so I’ll be waiting for her to call and tell me. Hoping she doesn’t take as long as her big brother did - he did all his sixth form registration first.

A lot of parents go in to the school for results at DS2’s school but he wants to go in with friends. Neither he or I are nervous - might hit tomorrow morning, but the stakes feel low as he knows he’s staying where he is.