My second bout of Covid-19
On the evening of Tuesday 14th June, I tested positive for Covid-19. It’s actually the second time I’ve had Covid, but as the first was in April 2020, when testing wasn’t a thing, I’ve never actually tested positive before. I started feeling under the weather on the Monday morning. My throat felt strangely dry and tight. It wasn’t sore exactly, but it felt like a struggle to get my words out. I also felt...
Applying for medicine at university
If you have a child in year 11 or 12 (or even younger) thinking of applying for medicine (a medical degree) at university, there is a lot to consider. My own son has recently been offered a place and will be starting his course in September. We learned a lot along the way with the application process and I thought it would be useful to share that. Applying for medicine isn’t like applying for other degrees. There are more...
Apprenticeships: A realistic alternative to university
If you’ve got a child in year 12, you’re probably both thinking about the next stage about now. Let’s be honest, having a child in education is always about the next stage – if your child is in year 5 or 6, it’s all about secondary school. Then from year 9 onwards it’s non-stop – options, GCSEs, A Levels and leaving school… Every choice is tinged with the big question of careers. Are...
Happy birthday, 17 year old son!
Happy 17th birthday to my beautiful boy. It’s been quite a year for you, as it has been for all of us. This time last year, we were looking forward to your GCSEs, your dream rugby tour and lots of athletics, following your recovery from a fractured pelvis. Well the GCSE exams got cancelled, as did the athletics competitions. And the dream rugby tour remained only a dream – initially postponed until 2021, but then cancelled...
Will GCSE and A Level results 2020 mean anything?
In just a few days, hundreds of thousands of students will get their A Level results. A week later, around 700,000 young people, including my own younger son, will get their GCSE results. But, unless you’ve been living under a rock since March, you will know that not a single one of those students actually sat an exam. Results will be based on teacher assessments, including mocks and overall performance during the year. They...
