Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread 2

At the time it felt a slightly patronising waste of time but at a parents eve in Feb the head teacher ran a session for parents and students to do together, there was a talk to start with explaining when the school expected as a minimum from the students and a bit of research summary about (variously) sleep, electronic devices, distractions and study/revision methods.

Then there was a worksheet to go through, parents with the student about the ways a parent can help the student study and what kind of help the student wanted from their parent.

The student set their own targets for the timing and type of activities they would do then had to say how they wanted supporting in doing those things (eg snacks, quiet space, any materials they needed) and what they wanted their parent to do if the parent noticed they were not doing what they planned (answers were open ended but different students said 'nagging', 'take away my xbox', 'sit with me and help', 'just remind me then leave me alone'). It made a kind of contract.

In retrospect I think it was quite a useful activity as I know what ds is aiming to do and what he wants from me and I know I have the school's backing to limit what I can do to the things discussed then. The head is a very knowledgeable one with a research background who said that by this age any extra parental pressure will not help so we should save our energy.

coffee try not to worry.

DD maybe gung-ho in her attitude but actually has had little time to revise thus far.

End of term was a smorgasbord of matches/parties/choir concerts etc then she went straight of onto expedition.

Today is her first proper day. We'll see how she gets on . She's eaten a chocloate chip brioche with caramel spread and a banana, so should be bursting with energy!

T&T they have mainly done past papers in class, expecting them to fill the identified gaps at home. Hasn't happened afaik.

We have both GCSE and a level revision happening in my house.
To be fair , they are both working hard and self motivated. Balancing revision with pinot grigio and Baileys milkshakes in dd's case, and lots of Nandos in ds's.

Husband and I divorced those month and am proud of how they're just getting on with things.

Coffee Take heart that they will have been doing revision in class, and maybe she'll get into it after Easter.

My DD is struggling to get through to tomorrow. Tonight she's got drama performance dress rehearsal which will go on until 10pm or so, and Thursday she has MFL CA. So then she's having 4/5 days off to relax (we're going away but not too far) before getting going. I need the break too .

Amazed they can call home each night, we were led to believe that was definitely not allowed! (but yes had to take phone for emergencies).

I knew I shouldn't have read this thread. I'm almost crying now. DD has done maybe 30 mins of revision since Friday and about one day revision in general.
My thread is somewhere in Chat.

I think I may give up on getting her to work, and ignore her. It's not doing me any good being angry all the time. I'll focus on my other children instead.

Sorry posted too soon. Hope they don't get into bother!!!!

DD is planning 5/6 hours per day during Easter. Essentially running along her school timetable, with changes as felt necessary. She wants her evenings to chill, she says.

She has made no plans for the next two weeks.

teen they were told they could all take a mobile for emergencies (for example, on DD's second day they walked miles off route and had to call in to the check point to let them know) and could call home each night.

A portable charger was on the kit list.

Word Glad trip is going OK, but you do know they aren't meant to phone or text or listen to electronic music while doing DofE don't you? If caught they can be disqualified.
I told DD that navigation should be the responsibility of all of them to keep checking - it's too important to leave to one person.

That's a good revision plan for your DD. After Easter I'll be helping my DD do something similar. Science and maths in the mornings, English and MFLs later in the day when more tired. How long each day is she planning? DD did 5hr days in Xmas before mocks which I hope she will manage again. That still leaves afternoons free for going out and about.

Another day another dollar, amigos .

DS called last night. The winds were bad but the sun shone. 20k and no blisters! Apparently maths genius only got them slightly lost.
Hope today is the same.

DD has asked for an 8.45 wake up call.

The timetable tells me she has planned Spanish (vocab), Chem (C1), Maths (checklist), French (speaking), English (Inspector Calls).

I have lots of food in the house. I have chewing gum. I have diet coke and fizzy water...come on!!!!

We're not happy whatever are we? My DD is objecting to being expected to join us on two family days out in the holidays because she wants to revise. She's been getting up at 10am and revising all day. I'm letting her do pretty much what she wants to do basically because it seems to be working. I'll find out in August if that was right or not. It'll be different all over again when DD#2 has her turn though as there will need to be a lot of carrot dangling

She's on hot lemon and honey.

errol studying with a cold is horrible! Your poor DD.

We drink hot Ribena in Casa WF for colds.

DD is indeed driven and tough.

We did her timetable, then she watched a movie I'd bought for her. She did a couple of hours of Chemistry revision this afternoon and is knackered now!

I've suggested a nap, because she won't want to go to bed too early as she'll get her Dad to herself this evening when he gets home from work (a very rare occurrence).

As of tomorrow she's planning on six hours a day. That seems optimistic to me. Maybe even counter productive? She doesn't want to be burnt out for the exams, does she?

Trouble is she's got just over two weeks, then back on the second DofE expedition.

Gosh, word, that's a tough pair. The wind is even stronger where I am today than it was over the weekend. Best wishes for your DS, hope his navigator is good in practice not just theory.

DD's got a cold, was blowing nearly as loud as the wind throughout last night. Still, she's plugging on learning a geography case study at the moment. (dartmoor).

TWF, your DD is really driven, isn't she?!

And go Aunt's DS - poor thing still doing mocks

DD got back from her expedition last night .

It was tough. Very high winds. But her group were troopers, physically and mentally fit. Hilarious videos of them on her phone, sheltering in their emergency cover for lunch, huddled together eating cold spaghetti hoops and Pringles!

She went to bed at 9pm and made me promise to get her up at 9am so she can start to 'get organised'. I don't now how much energy she will have for revision, but she can tidy her desk/room and make a timetable etc.

DS has now gone off on his expedition. He was a bit when DD told him they walked two hours in the wrong direction on Day 2, so walked almost ten hours that day. He tells me the navigator is the resident maths genius (though I'm not convinced that will be actually that helpful).

Well dad has been up since 6 am re reading his maths course work, he's got maths and English 2nd mocks today. He seems happier about them than he was in December but we'll see , still no info from schoolabour easter revision. Hope holidays are going ok for everyone else.

..sorry, forgot I'd started that last sentence. Can be a bit awkward discussing all this stuff IRL.

Just back from our scheduled day off shopping - not prom dresses (I love Littleham's DD's one in particular) but successfully aquired a good Goretex coat and classic black Docs. Not a cheap trip but they should last for years.

Oh, and also got the clear pencil case and a couple of new rulers. Pleasant lunch in the veggie cafe underneath the Manchester Buddhist centre, so it was a nice day out.

Slight when we were passing one of the theatres and DH and I were discussing whether to book to see something in the summer hols and she said something about never having to see another play again. Or read another novel. Though later when DH wanted something in waterstones she seemed up for some book-buying after the exams are over so I think the aversion currently induced by eng lit will pass soon enough.

I did try to help her revise some German vocab when we got home but my pronunciation is so clueless that it didn't really help.

T&T - I do know a few other people with yr11s, but TBH

Dingit, I really really want to go to Cali! Can't complain though as we are going to NZ (where DH was brought up)

I have promised to take DD out for a pizza at a new 0lace when I get back, a pedi for both of us and a night out with friend and her DD who is my DDs friend. Maybe we can go to the cinema too...

I have planned some treats for afterwards. We will be doing a spa day and going to see Wicked. Then we are all off to California for a once in a lifetime trip