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😉

@Caddycat DS nearly went there changed his mind week before term started never got any work.

Thanks everyone. Yes it’s been awful for the students. But they feel like they don’t have a right to those feelings as obviously the family will be hurting so badly and they come first.

The school have applied for special consideration for the whole year group (over 200 children) as the news broke within hours and minutes of one of the main exams. I don’t know if that special consideration applies to the following exams in days after. I suspect not (and don’t like to ask). To be honest though it felt to me that each day got worse with the drip-drip of how, when, why etc. you felt like you couldn’t be more shocked and then a new piece of shocking info would come out.
Still, I don’t think the special consideration is worth much at all. From my reading it seems to be worth only a mark or maybe two I think.

Im my lowly opinion, and since there were 3 papers for that main exam, I think all marks on that paper should be disregarded and an average of the other two worked out. Those children were not in a fit state to sit an exam and around 20 children were openly crying throughout it with others running out of the hall. No one could have concentrated during it and it must have been pretty traumatic for the victims friends in particular.

None of us know all the reasons why this student had reached the end of their tether but it feels obvious to me given the timing of it, that the impending exam must have contributed. So incredibly sad. I do think there’s immense pressure to do well and we need a better system.

Anyway-congratulations to all of your families who are already through it. And good luck for those with remaining exams.

How awful, @Just2MoreSeasons. Can’t even imagine what that family is going through. Definitely puts everything into perspective

DS still doesn’t know which college he is going to. He has lots of offers and is going to four taster days - the four top choices. Hopefully after that we can come up with an action plan for running around on results day to enrol! I imagine all four will set suggested holiday bridging work - I just hope it overlaps 😅

@Just2MoreSeasons my heart goes out to those 200 students and the child’s family. For different reasons both our high school and the neighbouring one have had suicides in last 7 years. I also have neighbours with high performing uni students do it. Another neighbour lost a daughter in same way over sexuality. My god sons mate did it on results day a few years ago too as he felt he’d failed in a high performing school. Two friends have lost male siblings that way albeit ongoing MH issues. A friends son lost his mate too age 21. No one saw it coming
its not talked about enough.

We aren’t doing any bridging study as won’t decide on final A levels until results are out. Would get tutor and do summer sessions if I knew 100% she’d get her 667 etc

I just mentioned bridging work to DS, and he thought I wanted him to get a job building a bridge 😄.

I don’t think there’s been any mention of bridging work from his school, and I think he just needs a break really. We’ve got a couple of ideas for projects and trips etc. though.

@FunkylightsThat you know and know of so many many youngsters who are ending their lives is horrendous. You’re right -it’s not talked about enough. And that’s it’s happening to both high and low achievers and those struggling with turning the corner from childhood to adulthood.
I feel like this would have been unthinkable in the 1980’s at my school. Sure there were accidents and cancer but suicide - absolutely not.
it’s so concerning and needs teasing apart to find the root causes. I’m hoping someone’s doing this collecting of data and that things will change in future. In the meantime we need to ensure we are talking to these children and supporting them - all
of us not just parents.
*Im not suggesting that no one supported the children that you know.

From first hand experience I know that many children are either kept from accessing mental health services at the point of need because of long waiting lists or discharged too quickly once they are in the system.

My son was under CAMHS at 8 and quickly discharged because he was too young for medication. We attempted to get him seen again at 11 and the GP said unless he was suicidal the wait list was 3 to 4 years, we were contacted at some point during this period to say he was removed from the waiting list, no explanation given.

Lo and behold at 15 he was suicidal and we finally accessed some help. Imagine if he had not disclosed his feelings and just acted on them!

Unthinkable is about right. Those poor kids and their families.

DS is on holiday with me for the next week, although he's been so laid back I'm not sure he needs decompressing! He was horrified that I was making him take the bus and offered to pay for airport parking out of his GCSE reward money... I offered him a bribe of £50 per 9 to try to get him to make an effort. Anyone else offer an immediate incentive for grades?

So sad to hear about all these poor children. Glad your DS was finally about to access help @Littletreefrog.

We've given DD a present now. I think rewarding effort rather than results is better. I would worry that one of my children would do better than the other even if they both worked equally hard. DM offered to give DD and my nephew money for each 9, but I've discouraged her as it wouldn't be very fair if one got much better grades than the other. So far Dd's predictions are quite a bit higher than his are.

So sorry you went through that @Littletreefrog. Must have been an awful time for all of you. Really hope he’s happier now

Ds1 had a flat rate payment on results day for his effort not connected to grades .I’d already worked out he was struggling and wasn’t likely to get his predicted grades so definitely wasn’t going to rub it in . DS2 less high achieving and less hardworking ( though he’s done more than I was expecting ) will get similar flat rate payment .

i would discourage rewarding 9s . Ds1 had the chance in a few subjects and didn’t get any . I feel that even more strongly having read this thread and how much a state some of these poor young people are getting in over it

I think money per 9 is fine if done with a sense of fun rather than a sense of pressure. Also depends on personality of child. My son getting x for 9, y for 8, z for 7 but it’s a bit game like as he’s probably not going to get many 9s. He’s said a 6 in french is the equivalent of a 9 and apparently I agreed this some weeks ago! He knows I’m actually rewarding his hard work behind the silly game of ‘how rich am I going to be on 20th august?’

Yes it’s very individual. DS1 getting a 4 in Spanish needed a lot of effort - I just couldn’t have failed to acknowledge that

Yes I’ve offered 90 for a 9, 80 for an 8 etc.

Spanish done - ALL done!!

I'd be thrilled if he got any 9s, but I'm not expecting it. It was more desperation to get him to 1) do any revision at all, and 2) write in the exam rather than daydream, sleep, disassemble his calculator or do keepy-uppies with his pen instead.

He knows I'm plenty proud of him as long as he's done his best. We're currently at the airport on our way to his reward holiday. I've just spent the best part of £200 on buying items he's forgotten to pack, like pants, socks, toothbrush, shorts... ADHD assessment incoming.

He's super academic but just will not try or even put pen to paper if he doesn't see the point. In mocks, he did all of the above because "they're not real exams". He's liable to do the same thing in real exams if he doesn't fancy giving it a go on the day. Loves having dosh though, so it just gives him an immediate incentive to try rather than good exam results benefitting him in some nebulous future. His sister is very different - less academic, far more hardworking - and will be incentivised in a way that's different but fair.

Wow those are demanding requirements! Is that average grade 8 across all their GCSEs? Or their 8 best results?

Done the same £50 per 9/8 as depends on the Qs that yr. Got mostly 9s on her mocks but didn't want to put down an 8 on the day. Her older brother got £50 for a 7 except for English which he struggled with so got £50 for a 5.

Did the child making her prom dress get it all finished ?
Loving having a less stressful DD.

Dd needs 8 x 8s for a scholarship. She’s already at the school - has been since reception - but it would be handy!

DS has three nines already from GCSEs he took early in years 9 and 10. I gave him £200 for the 9 he got in year 9 as I thought it was a massive achievement, particulary as he was only 13 when he took the exams. Last year, I said it was £50 for an 8 and £100 for a 9 and have said the same this year.

We are rewarding effort and the fact he got through the exam period! His best predictions are 6 s and a possible 7. He has autism and his current special interest are apple products. We said we’d buy him an iPhone 17 but he has rejected that as ‘the reviews are not great’ and he is after an iPhone 16. Considering the latter is circa half the price I am okay with it. He saved pocket money and Christmas money for 3 years to buy himself an iPhone 8 so I’m content to really treat him. He’s had an awful year… self harming was just a part of it. So we are not linking it to results, just his effort.

Definitely won’t be rewarding for high results here. Dd worked bloody hard, and I’m not putting value on the outcome.

@Just2MoreSeasons I live in a dense area outside a city so maybe I know lots just because I have lots of connections across the area; they are all totally unconnected. Different schools and ages. One in totally diff city. Different suspected / known reasons. Some totally out of the blue and some where struggles were there but the young people didn’t speak up so loudly before the event such that people realised it might happen.

I’m not putting cash on results. DD has adhd and could have got 9s if she’d studied all year but she just couldn’t and didn’t. We are going away and doing a theatre trip now instead. I think the pressure is enough as it is and I don’t want her to feel even more of a failure if she drops a grade here and there. Just needs 667 and 6 in maths for her A options