Anyone want a thread for starting year 10 this autumn?

@woohoowoohoo , what do you think is triggering the emotional outbursts? Is the school increasing the workload or overall pressure? Not long til half term now.

Just found you! Have a bright dd in y10. I've been quite shocked by the number of emotional outbursts she's been having esp past fortnight, she's always been so calm and confident before, and she's only just started 😬

DD is getting on pretty well, but is a procrastinator and we have regular mini-crises when homework builds up and ends up dominating the weekend. This is nothing new in our house! MFL is her only area of passion among the school subjects, but she’s developed an interest in doing film & TV production after school. I suspect A level choices will be chosen with that in mind.

We have minimum HW. And like you OP, my dc is not most motivated one. He admitted he isn't really paying attention to some of the subject.
I was going to let him get on all by himself, but I think I need to keep an eye for a while.

Same here with DD ... it's taken up to now for her to find a solid circle of friends after spending most of school drifting from one naff friendship to the next so she seems to be making up for lost time now and spends every moment she can texting etc

Has no idea what to do post 16/job wise or any subjects as a particular favourite. She's almost in this little bubble of friends and school and it isn't clicking that soon things will change and people will move on. Doesn't help she's always been a huge daydreamer too.

So I'm also looking for ways to get her a bit more future focused!

The opposite here! At least 2 hours of homework every evening. School work dominates every weekend. It's exhausting.

But less time to focus on friendship angst, which is a silver lining.

How are all the year 10s? Things fairly quiet here, DS is quite busy with extra-curricular, seems to be getting more involved in the wider school activities, and has just started silver DoE, but homework is still very light so not noticed a step up in expectations or demands. But he’s much happier studying the subjects he’s chosen.

Yes, dependent on the exam board - we needed a separate book for each history unit. Agree, there might be people who had children in year 11 last year getting rid of stuff.

@EmmatheStageRat yes CGP for Maths and Science. Not sure on History because they're ordered through the school.

Wiggle** you may find there are second hand ones milling around now summer is done ... maybe check your local SM pages and possibly even post asking if anyone had any they don't want? May even get them free! Friend of ours passed a few to us as their DD did exams this year.

Just need to check what exam board you need

@StColumbofNavron @WhatsitWiggle , is it the CGP revision guides that you have?

I’d caveat that with the fact that everyone is different and revises differently. It’s about critically reflecting on whether you fully understood what was taught in the lesson at this point I think. The revision guides are so useful, but they make far more sense once you have a handle on much more material. There is nothing wrong with using them from now, but this is a marathon not a sprint.

@WhatsitWiggle i think we bought them for DS1 at the beginning of year 11 or end of year 10. It will cost a small fortune whenever you buy them though. Personally, (I love revision) I think at this stage just consistently reminding yourself of what you have learnt is sufficient. E.g. first week of school look over that, second week of school you look over week 1 and week 2 and as time goes on you know week 1 and 2 really well and can just identify any development points from that week and supplement with websites/YouTube/writing it out from memory/mind mapping or whatever.

Ooh I will join. Sorry just seen this.

Three weeks in, DD is enjoying History and Music. She doesn't really understand Classics but they seem to be jumping around a bit so I think when they settle down to a topic she'll be ok.

Spanish is good even though she's sat next to the boy who harassed her and her friends last year - I've told her to tell me if he puts a hair out of place, I'm not letting him upset her again.

She's even enjoying Maths, says the new teacher is amazing. This is praise indeed!

Sticking point remains Science. She says she just isn't understanding it when everyone else does. They've an assessment in 3 weeks, I've told her to revise properly and give it her best shot, but I'll support her dropping down to combined science whatever the outcome. I'd rather she's in a class where she's confident and achieves 2 grade 6 or 7, than spends two years hating the subject and ends up with 3 gcse but at a lower level.

I appear to be spending a small fortune on revision guides though. Is this normal in year 10? Back in my day, you bought the guides when you started revising, not at the start of the course. But I can see how it would be handy to have now, to make notes in, and to check your understanding. Just wondering if I should get for all subjects not just where the school has recommended.

We're in to week 3 now and all is ticking along ok although DD has her first science test of this year today and despite my nagging I don't think she's studied particularly effectively for it. She's put the time in for sure but just seems to be a process of reading her exercise book and making that info into revision cards then reading those. This technique has not served her well thus far but I think I may need to wait for a bad mark so she comes to that conclusion herself better it happens now I guess.

It's actually a skill itself learning how to revise I think.

Maths tutoring is going well but I guess the proof of the pudding will be parents evening/first test. She definitely seems happier and more confident and progress reports from tutor are very encouraging.

All in all not a bad first couple of weeks.

Hi @DistrictCommissioner - I know a little about it, as DS is likely to be offered Further Maths GCSE too. There’s a good discussion about it on the thread below. What’s confusing is that there is also something called Additional Maths, which is slightly above a GSCE level course. DS will do it because he wants to do A level maths, but I don’t think the content gives you a particular head start.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/4178816-GCSE-Further-Maths-Does-your-school-do-it

Hey everyone.

my DD has just started Y10 too. She’s done well at school up till now so hopefully that continues. Had lots of friendship problems over the past few years that I really hope are over now - she’s moved into a new group that seems to be working out I hope. Think she’s got a boyfriend now though which is a slight concern!

she’s trying to decide whether to do further Maths as an extra GCSE, will have to stay after school for one hour a week (doesn’t seem long enough to do a GCSE in?), anyone else know much about this?

@Mumski45 , oh no, I can only imagine how my DD would react to the loss of her headphones. And I most definitely would not be able to afford to replace them. Fingers crossed that they - and the bag - turn up soon.

First week was fine. DS 2 settled into new classes well and started to receive a few commendations. However week 2 has gone downhill. It started on Sat when he banged his head in the first game of the season so now can't play or even train for 3weeks. Then on Tuesday his school bag disappeared from outside the dining hall (they are not allowed to take them in). The bag had about half of his brand new work and text books, all his stationary and his headphones. We are hoping it was taken accidentally and will therefore turn up in school somewhere eventually as it will have been dumped when the culprit realised it wasn't theirs. However he has had to cope without it for the last 3 days and is gutted about the headphones.

I’m glad to see that this thread is still flourishing and it’s great to hear everyone’s updates. DD seems to have made a good start to Y10; in the eight days she’s been in school, she’s been awarded 25 achievement comments and not a single behaviour comment. The latter is a considerable achievement in itself for DD, who is blind and has ASC and ADHD, as the children are punished with negative comments home if they, for example, forget their reading book for the one day a week of form time they’re meant to use for quiet reading.

In my ongoing campaign for an EHCP (I’ve been pushing since Y7), my local authority finally agreed to a needs assessment (school has never supported as they think they are meeting her needs and the head of SEN has repeatedly told me that the LA won’t give her an EHCP so there’s no point in applying) and I’ve received the educational psychologist’s report back - which basically confirms absolutely everything I’ve been saying to school and other involved professionals for years; that DD is lonely as she has NO friends at school, she doesn’t know how to sustain friendships, that she is massively anxious but masks incredibly well. Fingers crossed for a full EHCP.

The upside of having no friends and social life is that DD does have plenty of time to do her homework! But what I wouldn’t give for a few detentions in exchange for a ‘normal’ teen girl who was too busy having fun with her friends to meet her deadlines.

Checking in after week 2.

DS2 seems motivated, verbally. But I am yet to see him actually sit down and not pick a PlayStation controller! Though he has been out to football a fair bit.

He has agreed to maths tutoring which will hopefully get him to a position of being able to sit the higher paper at least,

Going ok here.

DD seems to have realised it would help her if she had a wider group of friends, so seems to talking with others in her options classes.

She struggles with friendships and confidence. I've been guilty of stepping in to tell her how to solve problems, but I'm now getting her to tell me how she's going to tackle something.

Homework hasn't been too bad so far, although she had a lot over the summer. No doubt it will start increasing.

She's doing art and not yet figured out how to juggle the big art case and equipment, particularly on PE days.

We've not had a timetable for exams etc. im yearning to book a holiday for next Easter but guess I should hold off until we know more.