11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi all,

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine. Just wandering how your dc is coping with GCSEs and self learning and being self-motivated?

DD’s school seem to be doing a mostly decent job of setting work. The very occasional online lesson and sending back marked work. However without distractions DD seems finished by noon, having started at 8.15. She sort of follows the same school time table as that works for her but other parents has fed back that their DCs wanted a more flexible approach which just isn’t work for DD so she is sticking to the schedule where possible.

DD seems to be getting on with it and through show my homework which they’ve adapted to set some regular work I can also see the teacher feedback, scores and notes. Engineering which is a Cambridge level 2 certificate/ gcse equivalent is however proving more challenging as it is mostly lab based and practical based. Not clear what is going to happen to that one.

DD had a bit of a meltdown at the stupid idea by an ex Ofsted head that they would all have to repeat the year. She picked herself up off the floor where she had crumpled into a sobbing heap and I reminded her it was just an idea and there were other ideas too and ultimately all of the Y10s were in the same boat and she actually was in a sturdy boat compared to some families so it wasn’t the end of the world. It doesn’t help her being an only child and missing her friends.

The corridors at her school are so narrow they are already one way but there are junctions that get very busy and it would take an age with social distancing to get around a school building now with 160 in a year group in a school built for 90 in a year group. Class sizes are already smaller than average due to tiny classrooms so DD has 27 in a class plus a row of lockers squeezed in a room designed for a smaller class. I think if they did social distancing in a classroom they’d fit about five plus the teacher. Just can’t see how they could make it work If social distancing was a requirement for going back.

Ds is coping ok. He's pretty much trying to do a normal day, he seems to do 8.30-5 ish and had plenty of time for PlayStation in the evening!
He and DD (year 12) are working at the dining table and it's actually quite helpful as he can ask her for help on the subjects he finds hardest (Maths, physics, biology) and she's pretty generous with her time with him.
The school seem to be setting a sensible amount (a normal week's worth) and he's getting feedback from the teachers, albeit sporadically.
What he's really missing is his sport. He normally does about 10 hours a week or more and it's torture for him to be only allowed a cycle ride or walk a day....

I’ve been impressed with DD’s self discipline and application. Initially, when school were setting a full day’s work, she stuck to her timetable and did a full day’s work. Post Easter, school have given up on the timetable and set a week’s work at the beginning of the week for the students to do according to their own timetable. It’s only about 3 hours of work a day but does give the students the room to learn independent study skills.

On the one hand it seems to be a sensible and realistic approach considering many students won’t have an ideal set up at home. On the other hand I’m well aware that DD has missed a year off school due to ill health and would really like to make up as much ground as possible.

The only time she has had a wobble was at the beginning of lockdown when she was afraid of being cutoff from friends.

Otherwise, I hope she’ll have the chance to do all the other year 10 things somehow in year 11: the musical, the choir, the school Latin trip to Naples and Pompeii, the D of E. She’s been quite philosophical until now but I think she’s still hoping for a miracle (or I am).

Engineering which is a Cambridge level 2 certificate/ gcse equivalent is however proving more challenging as it is mostly lab based and practical based

I'm not sure if these are the right level but maybe (when you've exhausted the possibilities of any lego/ k'nex hanging around) there could be some inspiration here, ...

https://interestingengineering.com/11-e ... hold-items" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the Engineering suggestions but it the lack of access to large industrial equipment to make the actual items under they’ve been asked to make. It is assessed on three ten hour supervised assessments plus one written exam.

Ah looks like they will have to wait until they get back in the labs then - although our local school has had a few people in using the 3d printers to make visors!

For anyone struggling with access to online teaching see here from Edexcel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgJs7 ... 5GGPlAMwqQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Has anyone been told their Year 10's can go back to school next week?
Our school (a grammar) has said it can't deliver online lessons and classroom lessons at the same time so has just invited back the pupils that are "struggling" with online learning and those with special needs.
Year 10 exams won't be until September at the earliest.
Also am slightly concerned that they will have to choose their A level subjects without any recent assessments to go on.
My Year 10 has been doing all the online and other learning with mixed success but he is finding it hard to keep up with the top set maths without actually being in the classroom. Add in teenage hormones, general laziness, stroppiness and lack of communication and it's not too much fun at the moment.
Also read something last week about Ofqual saying next years' exams may be cancelled as some secondary pupils may not to go back to school until January, so they will be assessed on this online learning.
Speaking to some other parents, his school has been providing more direct lessons and learning than some local comps so others must presumably been even more worried.

Ofqual are trying to prepare for all eventualities. Any teacher assessment (if exams are cancelled again) will be a combination of Online learning, previous assessments in school and, of course, assessments after they return to school (any time from now till January, depending on which paper you read!)