Nice People Thread No. 15, a Cyber Summer

Generali

The sun is back! It is a bit chilly (the temperature struggled up to 19C today but has quickly dropped back to 10C and we're expecting 5C tonight. We bought electric heaters for the bedrooms today!

We went to the netball at lunchtime which was fun, NSW vs QLD. NSW started well before QLD took over before crashing and burning at the end. We had the record ever crowd for a regular season league game (like most Aussie sports we have a league and then the top teams in the league go into a knockout comp to decide the overall winner). It was a good win for NSW as QLD won the comp last year.

SingleSue

silvercar wrote: »

This is the crux of the problem, that BTEC was an easier way to get qualifications that were equivalent to the qualification that you wanted but weren't likely to get. It was a lose, lose. If you got it, then people would say you took the easy way. If you failed, it proved the point that you weren't up to the main qualification.

It has now come full circle. Friends daughter has a place to study pgce (post grad teaching qualification) at UCL after doing a degree at a [STRIKE]polytechnic [/STRIKE] university in education studies. Dept of Education now requires all trainee teachers to pass a competence test in maths and english that is broadly grade C gcse. Multiple choice, computer marked. She failed first attempt.

Luckily all mine passed the English GCSE (or two GCSEs) at the first attempt. Josh sailed through his maths and was then put onto a further maths course, so he has two maths GCSE qualifications, James passed straight through.

Joe was the only one who 'struggled' missing the C by two points but by that time he was so seriously stressed due to the school moving, lack of support etc it was hardly surprising. He got his C or above at the earliest opportunity within 8 weeks of starting at college (frustratingly, this also gave him the required amount of GCSEs to go onto level 3 at his college but unfortunately he still had to complete the retake year before going onto level 3, if he had stayed at the Academy, he would have been put straight onto level 3 and a retake of the maths at the same time - college had higher GCSE requirements).

It worked for Joe though, that year meant that he had time to become comfortable, to forget all the stress that went before plus also making him 'hungry' to succeed. He put his determined head on, became focused and here we are, a triple Distinction* student.

vivatifosi

zagubov wrote: »

I got out and mowed the lawn before it can turn to rain here. Weather looks lousy and dull.

We're currently waiting in for the new lawnmower to be delivered. I have no doubt whatsoever this will occur once it starts raining.

My old one is quite dangerous. You can't stop its blade spinning once it starts, so planning to dismantle before taking to the tip.

SingleSue

Lovely here, sun has been out most the morning....not sure how long it will last though!

chris_m

SingleSue wrote: »

Lovely here, sun has been out most the morning....not sure how long it will last though!

Same here in South Cumbria - rather nice really.

chris_m

Don't suppose you found a motor for a Lorenz cypher machine?
Having found a machine, the Bletchley Park people would love to find a motor to go with it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36401663

chris_m

PasturesNew wrote: »

NP Quiz: What did PN pay for an absolutely identical one of these today?
I'll answer later this evening, no specific time, to give anybody who is "really bored" a chance to respond.

Two pies and a pasty :rotfl:

silvercar

£20, so you walked away and they shouted after you that they would take £10.

michaels

£4...more than it's worth

hjd

You beat them down from £2.50 to £2.00.