Going into year 10 with a report mostly saying 'needs to make more effort'. Is there anything I can do or is it up to him now?

[pollycazalet]

Just that really. He's a lovely boy described as a pleasure to have in the class - sociable, polite etc but lazy and under performing in a lot if subjects.

Is there anything I can do? How do teachers deal with under performers and how can I support them? Or is it really up to DS to up his game?

[pollycazalet]

Would love to hear views of teachers

[Shouldwego]

I don't know but am watching with interest. Ds1 going into year 9 performs fairly well but I know he could do better.

[Hup]

Just a thought - if you want the views of teachers perhaps post in the evening?.
A school will be addressing under performance and looking at targets. Your son will be given opportunities to attend extra classes, get controlled assessments done etc. teachers will do all they can - however it really does come down to DS, I have seen many kids put in the minimum effort despite all the extra lessons offered, suddenly start to panic in March before their exams!
I am part time by the way which is why I can answer!!

[TeenAndTween]

DD1 just finishing y10 here. She wants to do well and normally works steadily, but will cut corners if allowed.

Things you could do if not doing already

• keep an eye on homework, and insist it is done to the best of his abilities
• when there are tests discuss what revision / learning is required and then check he is doing it and test him on it in advance
• If there are still controlled assessments for GCSEs starting in Sept, make sure he tells you about them when announced, and that he does good prep for them
• buy relevant revision guides

[pollycazalet]

Thanks Hup - good point. Will give it a bump later.

Teen I have huge problems monitoring homework. The online portal is not consistently used by teachers and so it can be hard to have a total picture of what's needed.

[pollycazalet]

Bumping for evening/ weekend crew

[woodlands01]

You can help by monitoring him more closely.
Teachers will monitor, but all teachers have many students who need to be encouraged to do better, nagged - however you wish to call it. Many parents believe it is the teachers responsibility to ensure students put in their best effort - ultimately this means the teachers puts in extra time with each under performing student, normally through some sort of detention. This becomes impossible to implement without a significant impact on workload.
If homework is difficult to monitor then ask your son's Head of Year to put him on homework report - this should ensure you have detailed visibility of what is expected. I write this as a frustrated teacher but also as a parent of school children who (while they do put in a lot of effort and do their homework etc) do need intervention in certain subjects at certain points in time. It is amazing what you can find online particularly through educational websites and exam boards.

[threepiecesuite]

I'd second requesting (via head of year usually) some sort of monitoring book, we call it an academic progress book in our school, for a few weeks where each teacher comments on effort and attitude and you can see where hwk has been set. Our pupils respond well to this.

[MalloryTowels]

Teacher here. Achievement report or similar. Give teachers your email or number and ask them to alert you with any concerns. Ask your ds to show you marked work and then get him to redo it responding to feedback. Get him into study as habit from now; revising/explaining a topic he's learnt or reading around a subject. Most of all when you engage in his learning he will get a sense of achievement. I've taught loads who admit they are glad their parents cared about what they do, although they pretend to hate the nagging

[IDK]

DS is in his first year at University. He has been proudly telling me all year what grades he got for assessments and exams. I asked him the other day about this because it was so unlike him at school where he was Mr Laidback Cool. He said it's because he only turns it on when it's important.

When he was doing GCSE he did enough for the next step; he got good enough grades to get into sixthform and study the subjects he wanted at A Level. He wasn't thinking one step beyond that - that although his predicted A Level grades were good enough for really top flight Universities, he had put himself out of the running for some of them because they also sift on GCSE grades.

[noblegiraffe]

What are his long term plans? Does he have an idea of what he wants to do in sixth form? What the entry criteria for those courses are? Is he on track to meet them?

What jobs does he have in mind? Salary? Does he know what he'll need? University?

And if he doesn't have a clue, does he understand that he needs to do the best he can in every subject to keep doors open? Dropped grade are courses he can't take, entry requirements he can't meet, jobs he can't apply for.

He needs to see the point of what he is doing, and that it's not just to get teachers off his back or please mum or for the sake of it.

[MotherBluestocking]

Is he at a school where the teachers remain contactable during the holidays or have they all signed off until September? (I have taught in both kinds!) I ask because it would be a good idea, while the report is fresh in all your minds, to get some momentum going over the holidays that will enable him to start Year 10 feeling a bit more positive. What you do will depend on the subjects he's opted for at GCSE, and some guidance from teachers will help here. For example: consolidating French grammar and vocabulary; practice of maths topics covered during Year 9; getting ahead by reading the texts he will study in English ... If teachers can't be contacted, you'll need to be a bit more creative.
Think too about 'enrichment' activities you can do over the holidays to make him more interested in the subjects he's chosen - will depend on where you live and how much time you can devote to it - but you should be able to find something in the way of trips, movies, etc which will tie in to his academic studies.
Absolutely agree with noblegiraffe that he needs to be helped to see the point of what he's doing and do it for himself, but, in my (long) experience as teacher, parent and step-parent, boys do not come readily to that realisation and it does require a considerable amount of parental intervention if they're to be kept up to the mark.
And finally - address this now, because the longer you leave it the harder it will become. Good luck!

[Maria33]

Secondary English teacher and parent of a year 10 child here!

You can do loads! Use the summer to recharge and have some conversations about the importance of the next four years. Discuss possible careers etc and what they might want to do post 18. If your child is not a reader, use the summer to get some good reading habits in place.

My dd "never had any homework" which was driving me mad, so I put together a study programme and said that she needed to do a minimum amount of study a week. We negotiated the time. We then timetabled the time around her extra curricular activities etc

I bought text books, revision guides etc and told her she could revise/ consolidate if she had no homework. Turns out she did have homework but wasn't putting much time into it

I also think kids need a lot of support with revision as my dd had no idea how to revise effectively. Even if I don't understand the subject matter, I can still help her structure her revision.

You can have a massive impact and ime students are really motivated by success. Once you get them in a positive cycle, it will take on a momentum if it's own..

Good luck!

[Maria33]

^^ motherbluestocking gives good advice.

[Maria33]

Its own - autocorrect

[pollycazalet]

Thanks all. Useful advice.

Giraffe he doesn't know what he wants to do although assumes it will involve university. I have repeatedly said that this stage is about keeping as many options open as possible and just doing your best.

IDK I really recognise that attitude! Am hoping that now he's able to drop some subjects he'll be more focused.

He did accept last night that he could put in more effort. He does have great feedback in some subjects - inevitably it's the ones he finds interesting.

[Au79]

Hi this thread describes us too except I have a DD.

I have already contacted the school earlier this year about her underachievement, but it's as if she doesn't cause disruption and gets ok grades, so there's nothing more to be done. They monitored her for a while but it meant being singled out and lumped with the really bad behaviour problem kids. Behaviour is not the problem here, it's minimal effort on schoolwork. she is more likely to react spitefully against this by doing worse, than to knuckle under I'm afraid.

And now I get for the second year running some really terrible comments on the only written report all year. No prior warning- Is this timing deliberate? There are only a few days left of school-what can I do?

She hides her books from me and hugely resents my "intrusion" into her work, seems to have very little homework-it is done at school, or online where I can't see it.

I can't hide my disappointment with her, but that just makes her more secretive.

[Au79]

How can I put together and monitor a study programme for GCSE? Is there some website or app I could get?

How can I get better feedback from school?

[Curioushorse]

This is VERY common year 10 boy behaviour. It always panics me.....but often they freak out at Easter and pull it all together in the end. However, sometimes they don't.
Communicate with the teachers. It is great when parents do that. Check in with them regularly and find out about homeworks. Helicopter him!

[GnomeDePlume]

DS (yr10) has found it a lot easier to concentrate since he has realised the end is in sight and that he now knows what he wants to do next.

I think that for many there can be a real 'why bother?' feel about year 9.

One of the problems is that there is a natural progress from one year to the next. Try hard or bum around you still move on to the next year. It is only towards year 11 that some students wake up and realise that after year 11 there are no guarantees. Nobody has to find them a course to do.