Am I getting it wrong - 13 year old DC and revision

I don’t think 30 mins is an unreasonable expectation. Is there a type of revision which appeals to him? Maybe making note cards for a history topic one day, five maths questions another day, 30 mins on a language learning app another.. Have a checklist and tick off so he can see progress.

I don't think you are being unreasonsble as I don't think half an hour in an evening is long in the scheme of things, especially if you are flexible when it doesn't work out. I think if a routine was established of a set time (so its predictable) of e.g. 4.30-5pm, then its hardly a big deal as there is a lot of the evening left after this, especially given he has little homework. I think it set him up good and lastingvstudy habits that will lead to future success and he will have strategies under his belt for when the really important study years come around. I think it is a bit late to suddenly expect students to know how to employ good study habits by the time they are in Year 10/11 as this are habits that are best established and learned consistently in younger years. And the theory of spaced learning, interleaving and retrieval scientifically proves that little and often is more effective for long term learning than cramming.

I'd not worry too much. We revise in class and tell them to take their revision home before the exams and have scan through

There is another reason he is not doing well in tests

Try to keep home a nice place, not a battle ground over homework

He still has another 6 years at school I'm not sure that 30 mins per day is realistic or fair.

I wouldn’t be waking him up early to do a set amount.

However we have encouraged and supported a bit of revision for tests coming up right from y7 to help
establish good self study habits.

For example at dinner they will be telling me about something they have done in English and then I can say oh bbc bitesized have some good resources on that for when your test comes up. And then we find them and look at them together then I go away and they do a bit more independently.

So I would do the research about resources and then try and match them to what they are doing. Then we just build up a bank of things that the school suggests and what I suggest and they can do 20 mins of that a few times a week. They make flash cards and we play games/teat one another with them.

So yes we do do some revision right from the get go.

Secondary teacher and owner of two teens here. Very very different in their approach to school and work but other than giving them space and every resource they need / ask for I don't get involved unless directly asked. Time and again I've seen students, especially boys, do fuck all out of the classroom until after y11 mocks and then almost without exception they work their arses off for 6 months and do ok..usually bemoaning that they left it so late. But you can't make them. Even you you chain them to the table, if their brain isn't engaged it's not worth it.
I really really disagree with schools starting GCSE syllabi in Y9 unless it's in subjects that are naturally progressive like languages and maths. Summer borns who don't turn 13 until the summer hols are choosing their options at 12.
As to setting, I would hope there's some movement and flexibility at each point so your ds may decide for himself he wants to achieve more to get away from the idiots and the idiots may well improve as they grow.. again, they usually do.

@ChannelyourinnerElsa. Said everything I was going to say.

I think you’ve gone overboard.

every school year is valuable, but you’ve got him on a revision schedule for 3 years! And then if he does A levels? That’s quite the run of “important” years. I don’t think you’ll increase his desire by pushing so early, I think you risk burning through what enthusiasm and good will he does have.

Please don’t put pressure on him. If you are like this now, I worry how you will be when he is in year 11.
He’s only in year 8, back off him a bit. Let him get settled into his subjects first.