Y11 2025-26 Results Day and Next Steps

[UncomfortableSilence]

We can use this thread to continue our discussions for now.

Carrying on from our last thread. Hope everyone slept well last night! DD was shattered.

Shes been set a lot of bridging work so that will keep her busy over the coming week.

Thanks for the new thread. Dd was shattered too, so many emotions. I think she's a little over the disappointment, but also worried that she wasnt able to pick biology as a 4th choice (she's on the wait list). I'm feeling guilty I didnt push for her to sign up earlier in the day as the class was full before we got there. Hopefully some people will drop out today and she'll be able to get a spot.

Thanks for the new thread. I’d love to keep up with what everyone decides to do now and how they get on. My DD is not planning to do Alevels, but happy to stick with this thread.

I’m a little frustrated that we are still waiting to find out if she is into the college she wants, She more than met the offer, but apparently they have a system where nothing is guaranteed until you enrol (online) and then it’s first come first served of those with the grades (which is just 5 grades 4 and above including English and Maths). DD got 8 at 4 and above, 5 in Maths, 6 in English so she should be able to relax now but can’t.

We read the email from the college but not until Wednesday night, when it turned out that she could have enrolled as soon as it arrived, then updated with grades. Obviously we’ve done it now and it’s a small college and a fairly niche course (art and design) so hopefully it will be fine, but I hope they don’t keep us waiting too long. It seems like a bad system to me - if you’ve offered a place it should be guaranteed.

Hi all, I’m new here and would love to join in and connect with other parents. My DD has just received her results and will be starting A levels this September. It’s an exciting new chapter for her, but also a big change for us as parents.
I sometimes find it difficult to communicate with a teenager. They are becoming more independent, have their own opinions and emotions, and sometimes it can feel like we’re speaking completely different languages! 😅
I’m hoping to learn from other parents’ experiences, share the ups and downs, and hopefully pick up some tips on how to support our children while also giving them the space they need.
Looking forward to being part of the group and getting to know everyone! 😊

Hi, I've been following all threads but rarely posted, but love reading all! Especially the mun who raced from the airport!

My son is autistic and got 5's, 4's couple 3's and a Merit (BTEC) he was 2 points off a 5 in English Lang but not going for a remark as he has passed.

He is going to a specialist post 16 placement, just wondering if anyone is in the same position going to specialist or continuing in specialist for year 12? He is not doing A Levels though and will be doing 4 additional GCSE'S in year 13.

Thanks for the new thread @UncomfortableSilence I booked today off work as I was thinking I might need it for last minute panic and changing of college/course etc if results didn't go well. As it is everything went well and enrollment is completed and DS still in bed so I am at a loose end trying to stop myself buying a load of "back to college" stuff for DS as I love new stationery, bags etc but DS hates anything new and will probably use the same bag he had all the way through secondary and a chewed biro.

Morning all

Finally retrieved DD from a day of drinking in fields and then an early evening house party at 10.30 last night - they’d basically gone straight out from picking up results so a long day for her. Hopefully we can celebrate her as a family tonight.

Sixth form registration done - school have allowed the two Science A levels despite the 6s, potentially going for a remark on both Biology and Chemistry as she was so close to the 7s (she got a 7 in Physics which we thought was he4 weakest science), Also doing Maths which should be fine as she got a 9. Although she’s got it in her head that she is the ONLY person in the school doing Maths so she might drop it and do History… surely she can’t be the only one?

@JustOneMoreMargarita maths is the most popular A level so I doubt she will be the only one doing it. Is it a very small sixth form?

Thank you for the new thread @UncomfortableSilence

What a day yesterday! Welcome to new posters and hoping everyone is able to complete sixth form or college enrolment so DC can start looking forward to the next chapter.

Impressed with your DD’s stamina with the all day partying @JustOneMoreMargarita I am sure she won’t be the only one doing maths!

Quiet day planned here although eldest DS has uni friends coming over tonight and they certainly won’t be quiet 😂

Morning, I was a latecomer to the previous threds but found them very helpful.

No rest here today for DD. It is the last day of her musical theatre week and they are performing the show this afternoon. She will probably then sleep all weekend, it's been a very busy emotional time.

DD doesn't enrol until 3rd September. I'm hoping that doesn't mean there's a risk of missing out on her chosen subjects

Morning all - DS2 has a real sense of anticlimax today and I’m shattered - Garmin sleep score of 50/100 and my brain is hardly functioning - no idea why should be relaxed now

I don’t think it’s that small, not super academic but yeah, I’m sure other people will be taking it. I think it’s probably just that she was the first one to sign up - she did enrolment very early to enable the all day partying.

Is anyone straight into worrying about A levels now. 🤣
A nice story from yesterday, my son got a low 4 in year 11 mocks for his French. Yesterday he got a high 8!!
His French teacher worked really hard to pull him up. We nearly put him on the foundation paper

He’s chosen maths and history for A level. Good 8s in both yesterday and history he suffered with the time management in the exam so knows he can sort that.
ges struggling to chose between chemistry (9 yesterday) biology (8 yesterday) or economics

That's amazing! big well done to him from a MFL-er :) he must have worked so hard as well, which will stand him in good stead for A levels. His choices sound great. Chem or bio would support a med degree if that was of interest (some unis accept just one and some the other tho a lot want both).

Yes he did 3 hours of French a week January to exams. He can’t believe it. I hope he uses it to enjoy a ski season in France one day.

Well done to everyone. I didn't come here yesterday, it was just too stressful and although adrenaline and optimism carried me through yesterday, today I am terrified and extremely emotional.

DD got 50 points, comfortably above the 44 required to stay at her grammar school.

We had a problem though. She got a high 6 in her Biology mock - needed for psychology at her school - when the weird second paper happened in the actual GCSE (the one about fish-farming and landmass of New Zealand), I worried - and alas, she got a 5. She got a high 6 in physics and was 3 marks off a 6 in chemistry, but didn't qualify for psychology.

She decided to do both English Language and English Literature instead. But the school told us that double English wasn't possible (taught separately), as they are in the same block. She could do maths, geography (she didn't like, didn't prioritise it for revision and got a 6), physics or Spanish.

She amazingly went from a predicted 3/4 in Spanish at the start of Y11 - to a 9 yesterday - 9!!! So the choice was easy, DD was happy.

However, we then got told that Spanish clashed with both English Literature and sociology (she is keen to do that for some reason). The only options were economics, politics, RS or geography.

DD was distraught- properly crying her heart out. As doing Spanish woud mean doing TWO out of the options above, and she didn't want to even do ONE, she had to drop Spanish.

She couldn't decide between them (and time was running out as they were going to offer to external students after returning numbers were confirmed, we were thrown a lifeline- maths.

DD originally put maths as a choice last year, but got a 5 in her mocks, so panicked and dropped it. Her teacher said it was s 'blip' abd she was more than capable of doing math A Level - but DD's confidence was knocked.

She got a high 7 in her actual GCSE yesterday - same result as English literature.

But I am scared. I know she us capable, but I've read lots of scary stories about maths A level.

I was also under the impression that a 7 was the equivalent to the old style 'C' - which is what my son's GCSEs used.

DS also did maths A Level but dropped out as it was too hard - he is coming o see her tiday and I KNOW he will tell her it us too hard and she shouldn't have chosen it - when after the hysterics of yesterday, I just want a little peace.

How stressful, and disappointing that she can't do the combination of subjects she wants! Amazing to turn a 3 into a 9 though, huge congratulations to her.

I think a 7 is the equivalent to an A, but could be wrong.

Hmm.
Unless you're getting 8s or 9s I don't think maths is a good choice tbh

7 is an A in old money. Maths is hard, my eldest son got an 8 at GCSE and a C at A level but by his own admission he could’ve worked harder. The options blocks sound quite restrictive - it’s a shame for your daughter to miss out on Spanish with such a good grade. What’s her third A level?

Thanks for the new thread 🙂.

Thanks for the new thread @UncomfortableSilence 💐

DD still in bed, I poked my head around the door but apparently she is still exhausted from yesterday (ASD) and she needs today to recover. I expect she will need the whole weekend tbh, yesterday was pretty full on with results, lunch and dinner out - me and her dad are divorced so she has to do everything twice. Then lots of family messages - my poor ex MIL had 3 grandchildren getting their results yesterday.

She starts at school 6th form on 2nd September, just Yr 12 and Yr 7 on the first day, then the whole school back the next day. She's doing English lit, politics and history. School were brilliant and let her shadow Yr 12 straight after her GCSE's so she could get a feel for what the days would be like. She's been EBSA since Yr 8 so this is her first attempt at going back to school properly since she was 13.

Grades were 755554 as I could only afford for her private tuition for English lang/lit, maths and 3 sciences. She only decided to do her GCSE's last July so we've had an absolute whirlwind of a year. Anyway, she smashed it as far as I'm concerned. Couldn't be more proud.

Oh bless her @Anonymousemouses that sounds incredibly tough for both her and you. How frustrating too about the subject blocks.

A 7 is absolutely an A but the problem with the number system is that DC are encouraged to think of anything below a 9 as ‘lesser’ - which is ridiculous. Back in ye golden olden days when I sat my GCSEs the highest you could get was an A so we had none of this 987 angsty malarkey.

Would DD consider taking politics out of those options, rather than maths? That might fit quite nicely with her other choices of English and sociology. Or even economics as that at least has a good combination of maths and English. I would also caution against her doing maths tbh - apart from anything else her heart won’t be in it and I think if you’re going to succeed at and enjoy A level maths you really need to WANT to do it.

Hope she can find a way forward that you are both happy with.

@FatLarrysBanned another amazing inspirational story, huge well done to your DD and you.

Brilliant well done to your DS.. and.. ha ha - I did a ski season in France.. Speaking French wasn't a top priority ;)