Going into Y11 support thread

I'd like to join too!

DD is currently doing work experience and is not looking forward to going back to school. She hasn't done any work all summer bar trying to get her art that she should have finished last term done. I think it is going to be a long, hard term never mind year!

And I agree about CA's - she did so many last year, it seemed to be just about one a week. So in a constant state of trying to prepare-worry-paralysed and so doing nothing

DS's school do 2 GCSEs 'early' in the summer of Y10, (i.e. the end of the year, alongside the Y11s doing all of their GCSEs;) statistics for the top maths set and Business and Communication Systems, whole year group.

Tansie: do you mean these are the results of the GCSE they took early in yr10? You mention above Business and Communication GCSE.

These are, effectively, the results. Presumably they say 'provisional' if a few are going for a second re-mark etc.

Argh. The school have just published their provisional grades for the summer's GCSEs. 80% of DC passed. DS1 didn't (D). I do not see DS1 as being 'in the bottom 20%' academically (he's in the 2nd maths set in a school where several 14 year olds have Maths A levels; he's in the fast-track triple science set; he does only one art/craft, electronics (as required)).

I am at a loss as to how to help him more. He's just had a successful Work Experience fortnight working at a civil engineering company; he starts into Y11 on Monday. As I detailed earlier, we've subscribed to MyGCSEScience and he's doing a topic a day but often grudgingly and doesn't write up any of his own notes on the print out (which becomes his revision file), despite discovering that his method of 'learning' evidently doesn't work.

I have a A4 sheet to write my response to his report but I don't know where to begin!

Can I join?

I've been through this once before with DD1 but DD2 is a completely different kettle of fish.

Her Geography CA is stressing her out and her teacher isn't helping her stress levels much.

Forecast grades look good - Graphics and Art are both looking excellent as is English. I can't complain about working over the summer - all her coursework is up to date and she went to a design summer school. She wants to switch schools for 6th form to one that offers design courses so that's going to add a bit of pressure.

Having seen her big sister off to Uni she is also keeping her eye on stuff that will look good on her personal statement. It's a shame that teenage years are hard enough without having to make these sort of choices now.

Would like to join please

Ds1 is a bright child who will do well if he works at it

He seems to understand the importance of doing the best he can at GCSEs so it will open the next door for him...but he might just be saying that to shut me up

He did no work in the holidays and has not started any yet but we'd did look at his desk space and what he felt he needed, revision guides etc

Worried that he needs to start now

I do know a few teenagers who were convinced that the schools predicted grades were gospel and were quite crushed when they didn't get them in the exams

Re CAs mostly it depends how much the teachers are prepared to cheat. the exam board guidelines are very strict and allow for very little teacher help. In English, for example, they are explicitly not allowed to provide suggested essay plans or structure... That's not to say of course that it doesn't happen up and down the country. That's why it's not a level playing field.

I would be happier if coursework were scrapped completely in all academic subjects at all levels.

I agree about varying degrees of direction re: CAs ... english has been so explanatory they basically provided an essay structure that the kids just had to fill in: start with this sentence, fill in the paragraph, start the next with this sentence, fill in the paragraphy ... etc etc.

But geography is proving much more of a challenge ... far less guidance, much more verbal instruction via teacher during the lesson and god-forbid the kids are not fully engaged ...

Got history and classics coming up next half term - don't know what they're going to present ...

Can I have a moan about some subjects and their approach to controlled assessments? It seems to vary so much.

With some CAs the teacher has been very clear up front on the criteria - marking scheme, how much are they expected to write etc. This has enabled us to ensure DD fully understands what she needs to do. When she understands she can be quite competent.

With other CAs they seem to get sod all information, or information only parted with if DD goes in with a list of questions.

DD doesn't pick up on 'inference' well - she needs things to be stated explicitly, which all the teachers are aware of. Surely she can't be the only one who needs to have things made really clear?

Joining up too - my problem is that DS1 is more interested in his girlfriend than getting down to studying. At 15, he has been with her for over a year and you know what that means don't you ... God - how are you supposed to get a horny 15 year old boy to focus on anything else but the next opportunity to see his gf! Note: he's had the talk, he's been warned not to, he's been lectured adinfinitum (sp?) about how he's GOT to focus on school.

May I join? I have a dd just starting Yr11.
We've done it once before with ds, but they are very different kettles of fish.

To answer the question upthread, no, she hasn't done any homework over the holidays but they do seem to have hit the ground running this week.

Hi all. My PFB DD is just starting Y11 and she seems to have morphed into a grown up in the last week!

She is a relatively lovely being and not too 'teenagery'

Due to the way her school does things she already has 2 GCSEs under her belt so hoping that will give her some momentum and confidence.

She knows where she wants to go to sixth form but it is out of area so we need a contingency plan in case they are over subscribed. It's all very new and she is in fact the first one in either mine or DH's family to possibly go to Uni so we're trying to make sure we know as much as we can.

I just know this is going to be a stressful year, she does well but bloody hell she works hard for it, it does not come easily for her.

I readily admit that we have made heavily encouraged DS to do one section of MyScienceGCSE every available day, including answering a GCSE style question over the summer hols. By 'available', I mean the days he wasn't swanning by a villa pool in Andalucia (11), or at Scout Camp (7), or on just-started-work-experience reprieve!

I am waiting to see if 2 weeks of work experience, being that leetle bit older, and understanding of what's at stake might, just might help DS along the road to achieving something near his potential.

I have never been a 'You must get A*s!' parent. Never; but I make no apology for being a 'You must get the grade which you're capable of!' parent.

Hiya! Can I join? ds2 is just starting yr11. We've been through it all before with ds1 and came out successfully the other side.

ds1 was stressy, stressed, hormonal?, grumpy and belligerent in yr10 and was actually loads better, calmer and more settled in yr11. ds2 has been very pleasant all year in yr10, so I'm not sure what this year will bring!

www.apprenticeships.org.uk/employers/find-an-apprenticeship-training-organisation.aspx

Kez we are going to be focussing on those 3 subjects. The teachers are willing to mark and extra exam questions she does. Last term she had about 3hrs 1-1 time which helped a lot in history, so I think I will be talking with the school for some more (she qualifies for Pupli Premium Plus). She has also been referred to OT for ?dyspraxia so we'll see hwat comes of that too.

Odd Have you found a good site for listing types of apprenticeships? I'm having trouble researching the options as opposed to the concept.

Yeah, completely understand.

Hopefully, year 11 will help her essay writing. We have found year 11 pretty intense! Maybe she could try and get extra help in year 11 to nail that skill as it will be really useful for GCSEs and later. Especially if they are the subjects they get her buzzing.

Kez The trouble is my only-just-15 year old doesn't know what she wants to do in the future. That is making life hard.

The only BTEC that even half way interested her was Childcare, and tbh she doesn't seem particularly keen on that, it's more the least-bad option ifyswim? She has been volunteering at an ASC and quite likes it, but doesn't come home buzzing about it.

She would like to do English, Spanish and History A levels but struggles with essay writing. She shows much more interest in these than in young children.

A BTEC in Spanish would be just great if that were possible ....

I've posted the above for those concerned what options there are for students possible not suited to A levels.

There is an age old problem with BTEC. I did a BTEC in Business and Finance in the 1980's and suffered from exactly the same stigma, so it won't change very soon. However, it was absolutely the right course for me - I am now and FCA in practice as is the other girl I shared the top grade with.

My daughter did a BTEC and walked into a competitive art degree with an unconditional offer.

They are great courses but you do need to look at the units the colleges cover - because they can choose some of them and they do vary. Look forward at where the student wants to be in a few years time and work backwards is my tack on this. Look at Uni course entrance requirements for the sort of institutions the student aspires to or look at higher apprenticeships requirements. Only with that information can you see if there is a BTEC course which will fit.

My daughters comments are that BTECs are absolutely amazing but only if you love with a passion the route it is taking you. You are spending two years doing one subject - albeit in depth. So many of her friends fell out of the course because they just couldn't put up with any more but, for her, the course coverage was exactly what she needed with plenty of opportunity to hone her technical and contextual skills.

However, I think some BTECs are more wide ranging than others and some more highly rated than others - so that's why it is important to do the research. Starting early can help that process.