Good people of Britain...........PANIC

[Paul]

Wish this forum was around 40 years ago when I was miserably failing my physics O level.

People look at you so weird when you have to explain they were called GCE O levels and not GCSEs, yes there was a time before GCSE

 

[Dire Wolf]

Seems like some snow may be arriving. Nothing too dramatic though.

We had snow overnight, just a light dusting. Fucking freezing all day though.

 

[EpsomWolf]

People look at you so weird when you have to explain they were called GCE O levels and not GCSEs, yes there was a time before GCSE

Indeed. Two tiers, O levels and CSE’s.

The smart kids with did O levels, the less so CSE’s. The O level kids were expected to go on and do A’s at sixth form, then onto Uni and eventual white collar professions, the CSE kids apprenticeships and factory work.

I had a foot in both camps - some subjects O’s, some CSE’s. Found the CSE’s piss easy but normally bottom of the class in the O level groups. The difference between the two tiers was unbelievable. Not sure whether to feel pleased to have had the ability to qualify for some O level groups, or shame at the humiliation of what happened in them!

Still, all worked out ok in the end. Not sure quite how the whole GCSE thing compares despite having two kids that came through them fairly well, seems a lot less complicated now.

Oh, and it is bloody cold outside.

 

[sycophantia]

Indeed. Two tiers, O levels and CSE’s.

The smart kids with did O levels, the less so CSE’s. The O level kids were expected to go on and do A’s at sixth form, then onto Uni and eventual white collar professions, the CSE kids apprenticeships and factory work.

I had a foot in both camps - some subjects O’s, some CSE’s. Found the CSE’s piss easy but normally bottom of the class in the O level groups. The difference between the two tiers was unbelievable. Not sure whether to feel pleased to have had the ability to qualify for some O level groups, or shame at the humiliation of what happened in them!

Still, all worked out ok in the end. Not sure quite how the whole GCSE thing compares despite having two kids that came through them fairly well, seems a lot less complicated now.

Oh, and it is bloody cold outside.

I was the same, after finding Junior school a piece of piss, top of the class in most subjects, breezed through the 11+, found grammar school a nightmare, struggled through 5 years with a mixture of C.S.C. and 'O' levels, only really did well in subjects I liked and found easy like English and Chemistry.....completely wasted my education.
Oh and it was pissing down with snow while I was in the pub tonight, clear now and freezing, almost went arse over tit a number of times on the way home.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I had a very binary approach from about 13-14. If I'm good at it I'll try, if I'm not then I won't. This didn't go down well with my teachers or parents. Although I think that was actually quite a practical approach in retrospect.

Then the stuff I was good at it, I had secluded off on its own, and it turned out I didn't actually need to try to be good either. This went down even less well. I accept that was a shit attitude to have.

I was probably fucked whatever I did to be honest.

 

[sycophantia]

I had a very binary approach from about 13-14. If I'm good at it I'll try, if I'm not then I won't. This didn't go down well with my teachers or parents. Although I think that was actually quite a practical approach in retrospect.

Then the stuff I was good at it, I had secluded off on its own, and it turned out I didn't actually need to try to be good either. This went down even less well. I accept that was a shit attitude to have.

I was probably fucked whatever I did to be honest.

I think my main issues were I was very lazy and lacked quite a lot of self confidence... tbf I'm not much different 46 years later

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I've learned a lot of humility and changed a lot as a person over the last few years. I don't have any self-belief any more though. I don't think it's ever coming back either, which is quite the problem for a writer.

Oh well, something will work out. It always does.

 

[leedswolf]

The CSE was a throwback to the pre-comprehensive 2 tier system of secondary education. Those attending grammar schools would take GCE, but secondary schools didn't have any formal 'qualifications' for those leaving school. The Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) was introduced in both academic and vocational fields in 1967.

 

[sycophantia]

I've learned a lot of humility and changed a lot as a person over the last few years. I don't have any self-belief any more though. I don't think it's ever coming back either, which is quite the problem for a writer.

Oh well, something will work out. It always does.

It does, it helps if you have good people round you, I was an abject failure at grammar school, no real ambition at work, but managed to carve out a decent life for myself and my family by sheer bloody mindedness, a bit of luck, plus a great family and set of mates.

 

[Boozad]

Meanwhile there is the lightest of dustings of snow.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I did GCEs for the ones I did early and GCSE for the ones at sixteen. And it snowed a bit earlier. Here to help.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I think my main issues were I was very lazy and lacked quite a lot of self confidence... tbf I'm not much different 46 years later

So you're from Newport, went to grammar school so presumably Adams' Grammar and left school 46 years ago. I'm from Newport, went to Adams' Grammar and left school 46 years ago. We might know each other, but maybe not because back then I had a fairly tight knit group of friends and thought most peopleat Adams' were dicks! I hated my time there.

 

[EpsomWolf]

The CSE was a throwback to the pre-comprehensive 2 tier system of secondary education. Those attending grammar schools would take GCE, but secondary schools didn't have any formal 'qualifications' for those leaving school. The Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) was introduced in both academic and vocational fields in 1967.

My school was a former grammar. The older teachers hated the change and made it quite clear they were above teaching the scum that weren’t worthy of the former school. Some of those fuckers took pleasure in humiliating anyone struggling.

The German O level teacher was an absolute bastard. Made me read out in class over and over as an example of what the school had sunk too. Even the smarter kids found it excruciating. I saw that fucker about 20 years ago in the street and felt like decking him. He was an old boy then shuffling about which was probably a good job.

Always been a great believer though that ultimately your own character and temperament takes you to your destiny - the best parts of those to your highs, but the worst parts to your lows too. I’m not sure if there’s any escape from that.

Oh, and, + 1.5 degrees at 6.00am. Lots of windscreen scraping. Flat driveway. Car facing South Westerly direction. Windscreen angle approximately 40 degrees.

 

[leedswolf]

My school was a former grammar. The older teachers hated the change and made it quite clear they were above teaching the scum that weren’t worthy of the former school. Some of those fuckers took pleasure in humiliating anyone struggling.

The German O level teacher was an absolute bastard. Made me read out in class over and over as an example of what the school had sunk too. Even the smarter kids found it excruciating. I saw that fucker about 20 years ago in the street and felt like decking him. He was an old boy then shuffling about which was probably a good job.

Always been a great believer though that ultimately your own character and temperament takes you to your destiny - the best parts of those to your highs, but the worst parts to your lows too. I’m not sure if there’s any escape from that.

Oh, and, + 1.5 degrees at 6.00am. Lots of windscreen scraping. Flat driveway. Car facing South Westerly direction. Windscreen angle approximately 40 degrees.

My school was originally a grammar and in 1969 it was merged with local secondary modern school. Consequently we had 2 headmasters, grammar school teachers who look down on the secondary schools staff an pupils and old schools rivalry thrown into the mix.

Current temperature 2 degrees (35.6 if you're a Brexiter).

 

[sycophantia]

So you're from Newport, went to grammar school so presumably Adams' Grammar and left school 46 years ago. I'm from Newport, went to Adams' Grammar and left school 46 years ago. We might know each other, but maybe not because back then I had a fairly tight knit group of friends and thought most peopleat Adams' were dicks! I hated my time there.

I live in Newport now ( for the last 35 years) but I'm a Dudley boy originally, went to the Sir Gilbert Claughton Grammar/Technical School. Could have gone to Dudley Boys Grammar but most of my mates went to the Claughton so went there....one of the worst decisions I ever made.
My eldest wanted to to Adams cos his 2 best mates were going but he didn't quite score enough points. He was gutted to started with but actually I think it did him a favour, all our kids did great at the Borough tbh.

Still cold and car scrapey here.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I live in Newport now ( for the last 35 years) but I'm a Dudley boy originally, went to the Sir Gilbert Claughton Grammar/Technical School. Could have gone to Dudley Boys Grammar but most of my mates went to the Claughton so went there....one of the worst decisions I ever made.
My eldest wanted to to Adams cos his 2 best mates were going but he didn't quite score enough points. He was gutted to started with but actually I think it did him a favour, all our kids did great at the Borough tbh.

Still cold and car scrapey here.

Ah, got you. My brother went to Burton Borough. He passed the 11 plus but chose not to go to Adams, I chose not to go to Borough because he didn't get on with a lot of the teachers. I realise now that was probably because he's a bolshy, argumentative sod, not because the school and teachers were crap!

 

[The Bear]

I had a similar school story. I found my GCSEs fine without too much revision and passed all of them. Though I still had no firm idea what I wanted to do (Computer Aided Design or something in science was my thoughts) so took A Levels in Maths, Physics and General Studies. I'd had enough of education at that points through and wanted to go out and earn some money. I ended up just floating through the 2 years and got crap grades because I really didn't want to put the work in. Even then I still had the opportunity to go to university and study Astrophysics, but as mentioned I'd lost interest by then and knew It'd just be a waste of 4 years and also likely just get myself into debt at the same time.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd have put a bit more work into my A Levels and gone to university.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Went to a minor Public School in the days when there were only O & A Levels (CSE hadn't been invented then).

Did OK on the first & my Dad 'dictated' that we would do A levels. Started with scince subjects and quickly realised that that wasn't the route so changed - failed at what I moved to as well so the last 2 years were wasted. Would have done better going out to work at 16 really.

Am not completely uninteligent as have Degree level proffesional qualifications during my working life - not till about 25 so clearly some mature later than others - I should get there at some point

Back to the thread - really cold down here, but no snow - then again we don't get much of that.

 

[leedswolf]

Daffodils blooming in Guernsey.

 

[lemonjelly]

noticed some daffs sprouting in the garden last week. Also noticed that another set of bulbs under cover are sprouting too.
our dianthus have been flowering throughout december!