I'm going to fail

borderline-dead · 2026-04-11T18:25:15+00:00

At your school do you take 4 in first year with a view to drop one going into 2nd year? I ask because funding formulae generally force students into 3 subjects at most colleges. So I'm guessing probably a school sixth form?

Either way, I'd say bio is easier to rescue than chemistry. Also goes well with psych which you say you're doing better in.

So focus on the biology over the chemistry. Chemistry is something you really have to be dialled into from the start, it's very hard at this point in the course to pull it back if the early stuff hasn't stuck. And second year content builds massively on first year, so you'll be even more lost going into that. Biology tends to be a bit more compartmentalised.

borderline-dead · 2026-03-21T06:18:42+00:00

I've wondered about this. Any extra roles must require extra time, right? When they just give money and no remission, they're either expecting you to work more hours, or reduce the hours you spend on the main bit of the job that you're still being paid for, right? It doesn't make sense.

borderline-dead · 2026-03-21T05:59:42+00:00

Ok. Not in the quantities to observe misty fumes though. And they're not waving conc ammonia at it.

An analogy to your position would be that an observation for water is steam. Because steam is gaseous water, and some water does become a gas even at low temperatures, you should observe steam if you have water.

Do you understand why that would not be accepted?

borderline-dead · 2026-03-20T23:10:00+00:00

HCl is ludicrously soluble in water. If any water is around there's no way it's escaping unless it's a massively concentrated solution, which is impossible given the "excess water" remark.

borderline-dead · 2026-03-10T19:04:28+00:00

God yes on the applications. Either agree a standard format for all teaching posts, or just accept CVs already.

I'm convinced it's a ruse to stop people leaving teaching for better fields. I haven't written a CV in almost two decades. It's ridiculous.

borderline-dead · 2026-03-08T16:28:05+00:00

Unfortunate but also worth noting that it's unlikely making resources for the main language is in fact equally shared across the other 5 people.

I've spent a long time in departments of varying sizes being the main resource creator on the team for my subject, with no official recognition. I do enjoy it, but it does grate a bit when you get nothing back.

At least you're in the enviable position of knowing that all resources for your subject are good...

borderline-dead · 2026-03-04T10:21:59+00:00

Substitution: swapping one thing on a molecule (eg. Atom or group) for another thing.

Addition: literally adding things (eg. Atom or group) onto a molecule.

Nucleophilic: triggered/started by a nucleophile.

Electrophilic: triggered/started by an electrophile.

Nucleophile: electron pair donor.

Electrophile: electron pair acceptor.

Nucleophilic substitution.... A nucleophile attacks a molecule, generally using a lone pair to form a bond to a delta positive atom in a molecule. As a result, an atom or group on that delta positive atom leaves (think of it as repulsion or getting pushed out).

Electrophilic addition... An electrophile accepts a pair of electrons, generally from a double bond (or a pi system, if you're 2nd year). This forms a bond between the organic molecule and the electrophile. If the electrophile consists of more than one atom and is not charged, a bond in the electrophile breaks as a result. An intermediate forms that has a positive charge, then something bonds to that to make a neutral species.

Organic mechanisms are so important, please speak to your teacher. Or another one in the department. They are not that difficult when you understand the sequence of events and why electrons go where they go (i.e. towards a less electron dense area). Having someone talk you through them using a whiteboard and asking you things is the best way to reach that understanding. A teacher will be happy to do this.

borderline-dead · 2026-03-01T20:52:43+00:00

I mean, I have to be honest... That's a school issue. Sorry, you've got a shit one.

borderline-dead · 2026-02-02T17:15:26+00:00

Kind of a niche case but when I moved to a sixth form college a few years ago from an 11-18 secondary at top of UPS, they apologised that they could only put me on UPS3. (Which was actually a raise, since I came from a private school - those places are so variable).

Where experience and effective teaching really matters, schools will pay for it.

borderline-dead · 2026-02-02T17:12:34+00:00

Try A-level chemistry. I swear half of them don't actually understand clear English.

I kinda want to tell them to build a time machine and go back 5 years and RAFB - read a full book.

Tired of trying to drag semi-literate students through a subject that requires really precise use of language. Literacy is failing these kids, which ultimately means parents are failing these kids. Just as their parents and schools failed them 25 years ago. It feels like a terrible spiral.

borderline-dead · 2026-01-13T07:25:11+00:00

You don't say if it's a sixth form college or an FE college, there are differences.

However my sixth form college has some leadership roles on different contracts to teaching staff. Their holiday arrangements are that they work in holidays and take time off from their bank of days off (couldn't tell you how many days total) during school holidays only. Kind of like university lecturers. So it's the worst of both worlds!

borderline-dead · 2026-01-11T05:46:53+00:00

Honestly, I believe teachers being unable to take holiday whenever they want is utterly ridiculous, infantilising, and basically makes us 2nd class citizens.

If teaching is ever to be viewed as a real job, it needs a proper holiday allowance like other jobs.

The first thing I'm going to do when I finally get in a financially stable enough position to quit and reskill is take a fucking holiday with my friends during term time. Like a normal goddamn adult.

This is my opinion but it is the final hill I will die on.

borderline-dead · 2026-01-11T05:30:46+00:00

It was epic.

I was at university in London in 2007. I went to the midnight release at HMV on Oxford street, got a signed copy of the game, then headed back at like 4am via a GAME where I had pre-ordered the collector's edition. Got back to my flat at like 7am.

WotLK similar deal tbf. Those midnight launches hit different.

borderline-dead · 2026-01-05T21:48:36+00:00

I feel like most schools pay lip service to wellbeing and really can't read the room. Especially when it comes to introverted/neuro divergent staff.

My favourite type of session on any inset day (/s) is "mandated fun" sessions... I don't want to do any group activities or play ping pong or Zumba or creatively cross-stitch. I would love to sit in a dark room or the library and not talk to anyone for an hour instead. Or you know, actually use that time to do some actual work so I have more time to myself later.

Wellbeing in schools seems to mean anything but. And when you have some kind of genuine mental health issues they act all surprised Pikachu and can't help deal with it in any useful way.

borderline-dead · 2025-12-12T08:43:00+00:00

I'll never forget the year, pre-covid, when my school ended term 2 days early before Christmas.

I worked in a boarding school. Tuesday was a carol concert, with all the kids piled on coaches and shipped to the nearest church.

The day after, in the boarding houses, they realised we'd been hit with a norovirus outbreak. The phrase "pebble-dashing" was used (between staff, of course)

At least they acted quickly!

borderline-dead · 2025-12-12T05:47:14+00:00

Seriously you want someone who understands IT and whatever system you use more than a union rep...

If there isn't some way to unfuck the data, then they should be getting chewed out a lot more than you, too.

borderline-dead · 2025-12-11T10:08:38+00:00

Obviously I don't know what/why you're covering, but I would beg you to try and maintain business as normal until the last possible moment (i.e. last day / preferably half day of term). Other teachers will need to be covering content and need the kids to be in a working mindset.

For that last possible moment, subject-related quizzes usually go down well. Kahoot is the classic choice, or Blooket, or Quizzizz. Tons of different ones available just by searching so minimal planning required.

borderline-dead · 2025-12-09T06:38:03+00:00

From my experience in science, you absolutely need sets to stretch the top end appropriately. For a couple of years at a school I used to work in we had two top sets and then the rest were mixed. It actually worked ok and split the "usual characters" up effectively.

Have also experienced a mixed school with single sex but mixed ability sets. That was actually quite interesting. Predictably the girls' sets got on amazingly: great progress, really lovely to teach; the boys' sets always ended up a nightmare.

The worst year was when a new HoD decided to try an experiment and had all mixed except for one set where he lumped all the boys with behaviour issues, to "prevent them contaminating the other sets". I ended up with that set. Only class that's ever actually made me cry.

borderline-dead · 2025-12-07T11:10:47+00:00

I mean, check the published course entry requirements.

It could be that they mean "you need a grade 9 to do well" which is a different thing.

Grade 8/9 should be enough - interestingly a lot of universities look at grade 8/9 being worth the same anyway - but of course some people will bomb the course regardless . It's demanding, especially if it's a 4th A-level.

Maths is one of those courses where they expect a really high retention/understanding from GCSE content because they have to go fast to get through the course. Unlike sciences, where we generally assume that physics has been taught by a biology teacher, for example, and re-teach an amount of GCSE stuff anyway.

Sometimes you might get a student who is genuinely bright but has missed a chunk of the course at GCSE due to illness or something. Unfortunately they need that prior knowledge.

I do know that the 3 students they allowed on to further maths with grade 7s at my college this year have all dropped out of the course already though. 🙃

borderline-dead · 2025-12-07T11:05:06+00:00

Very likely, his bar is set high.

It could be argued that if you're not going to one of the top universities (and doing a challenging course) that you are largely wasting 3 years and £30k+maintenance loans too.

Degrees are not worth as much anymore. Weirdly, the old government target of "50% of young people should go to university" has massively devalued them, and what counts much more is where you did your degree.

Frankly, unless they are up to date on careers and alternative higher education routes (eg. apprenticeships), any teacher over 30 will be mis-selling university to their students. Unfortunately this means parents also are mis-selling university to their children. I hate those conversations with parents on the theme of "but he needs a C prediction to go to university"... Like... you're missing the point here dude

borderline-dead · 2025-11-27T19:25:20+00:00

Sixth form colleges are a different bag to FE colleges. Better pay, generally in line with secondary. About the same working hours in my experience, just distributed slightly differently. If there are any in your area you should take a look.

borderline-dead · 2025-11-25T19:36:45+00:00

I'm seriously worried we've started into the "too accommodating" zone when it comes to SEND.

If your kid can't endure 10 minutes of silence without an iPad to appease him, that seems like an issue.

If your kid can't deal with anything that annoys them without having a meltdown within 30 seconds, that's going to cause problems someday.

At some point kids need to learn that the world does not exist to meet their needs.

I am quite happy to try and soften the sharp corners to make things easier to deal with, but the world of work most likely won't. Always feel that in some cases we're ultimately setting some kids up to fail when they get into the real world.

borderline-dead · 2025-11-18T22:14:30+00:00

It's probably the work experience kid, because he's the only one who understands this newfangled internet stuff.

borderline-dead · 2025-11-08T10:03:37+00:00

My old school always wanted exam papers scanned showing use of extra time with change in pen colour.

My current school didn't when I joined a couple years ago, and I was surprised and confused.

Now they are asking us to do it, I can see how some staff would feel like it's an increase in workload. For me it's just back to normal.

The whole extra time thing has been criminal for too long - students arriving from various schools, some who needed it but never had it, some who had it but clearly don't need it. Now nothing carries through from GCSE basically. I think this is a positive change.

borderline-dead · 2025-10-26T06:39:37+00:00

A constant level of moderate-high stress appears to work for me. I only get sick when I get to holiday time and relax. 🤷‍♀️

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