End of year 7 advice..

In my experience it's non grammar schools who are more likely to choose options in year 8- it gives kids a longer run up to the exams. But I think it is becoming routine for most schools. I think it's bonkers, personally.

DS is at a ss grammar and has just chosen his GCSE options in year 8. It's not unusual at grammars to do that.

At the end of year 7 we got him to summarise all his subjects and then he used those summaries to study from before the exams. These exams are really about getting used to revising. He wasn't doing two hours a night. He did the summarising over s few weekends.

Oh crumbs...picking in yr 8 seems all rather soon. Yikes
Will take a look on DD school website.

DD1 didn't have to choose until the second term of year 9, but she did start her science and maths GCSE courses at the beginning of year 9. It comes round quick, especially in those schools that choose in year 8.

I think you might also want to find out what they actually mean by "first pick of their options". Is access to GCSE course actually based on attainment? Or do they just mean that they will advise against you taking a course that you are likely to do really badly in? If it's the former, it might be worth him putting in more effort on anything he would be genuinely gutted not to be able to study beyond year 8 (although I would sincerely hope that a school didn't massage their figures by only allowing the best students to do a course......!!!)

DD's school they start choosing in yr8, too.

Hang on...I thought GCSE's were year 10 and 11? Why would you have to choose in Yr 8? Surely it's end of Yr 9? Seems bonkers that exams in Yr 7 have an impact....

I only mention the number of options because you seem worried about him having the choice of his favourite subjects, but there may be more favourites than he has options, so not a worry about getting them all.

Also, is he near the bottom of the class in those subjects? Just how limited are the spaces? I just wonder if your son has a quite safe margin for being good enough to get the GCSE options he wants.

How many options do they get, Miffy? You listed at least 6 as possibilities, most schools don't offer so many.

I tell DS2 who has ASD and gets stressed easily not to bother revising for subjects he's dropping for GCSE. It's not a great work ethic, and DH disapproves, but I'd rather have him in a good frame of mind than stressed aged 13!

That's crazy. DC go to a very academic school and they did no revision at all at the end of Yr 7. They just had tests to see how they did. Bit of revision end of Yr 8 and now in Yr 9 then are maybe doing 20 mins -1 hour a night instead of not as well as homework. This is from a school that is seen as highly pressured. But clearly not in comparison with some.

And what do they mean "first pick of their choices"? Do they mean GCSE options?

If they expect 2 hours a night on top of homework in year 7, what will they expect in year 11.

Utterly, utterly ridiculous.

Which subjects are set in year 8? And which subjects is he likely to choose for GCSE? Those are the ones to focus the revision on, if the exams actually matter.

Given that I think the question is valid for DD's comp, why the [bleep] would children at a SS need all that time to become accustomed to national exams?

DD already had enough pratice in KS2. Yearly optional SATs. Real SATs etc. Yes not necessarily spaced out in a hall, but otherwise much the same.

I clearly remember having a tantrum over revision at that age because everyone was telling me to revise but I didn't really understand what to do. My lovely mum took me out to a castle to "revise history" for the rest of the day then we started afresh the next day with specific targets and tried all different revision strategies. I have actually loved revision and exams ever since and really enjoy doing revision lessons with my year 11 classes at school! It sounds to me like he just needs a bit of help.

Wow! Nothing like that here even in highly selective schools.

I don't know what happens if you send your kids to a "superselective grammar". Presumably you knew what you were signing up for when you did choose that, that it was meant to be a workhouse environment.

ROFL.

DS is at a SS. Just had a timetable for exams, and an email suggesting they do a bit of revision to get them into good habits for the coming years. Hardly workhouse! (He also gets a very meagre amount of homework the rest of the year, way way less than his friends at other schools) Don't believe everything you read on MN....

DD's exams are full year; so different from end of term assessments.

At the first yr 7 parents event they did say that getting into good habits for revising a years' worth of material in yr 7 paid off at GCSE's as it all seems less daunting if it's been done each year.

DS studied for 20 minutes each night before each "exam". That was plenty.
DS's "exams" were 45 minutes and really the same as all the other assessments he's had all yr, so only incremental material, not a full overview of all other material covered over the yr.

I don't know what happens if you send your kids to a "superselective grammar". Presumably you knew what you were signing up for when you did choose that, that it was meant to be a workhouse environment.

Should ds be doing intensive revision? Should probably ask him. He's at a pretty academic state school but as far as I know there's no specific revision meant to be happening. I realise he could be not telling me of course...

Two hours is GCSE level.

Y7 end of year exams for us was 90 mins, including homework. But only the week or two before the exams. Rest of Y7 DS usually did 2x30 mins additional formal study if no homework and only 1x30 mins additional work if homework was set. Always being flexible around after school activities. Outside of exam time extra work was never curriculum stuff.

IMO unless your child is going to go on doing them, Pe, Drama, Art, DT, Music, was never revised. Concentrate (if you know) on core subjects and ones that you will carry forward.