GCSE tutor when below in all subjects

I would actually tutor in the subject he likes most / is best at. Obviously he’ll say he doesn’t like any 🤣 But if you have any idea what that is?

That way you have the most chance of him paying attention to the tutor and seeing how a bit of study can make a difference.

Quick win subject like maths - well, if not quick, I mean easily measurable, can usually objectively improvement more easily.

In Y9, I’d aim to increase engagement and general learning skills rather than plugging gaps in a hated /weak subject.

Has he looked at the apprenticeship pathway? Does he realise they’re popular so good grades will give him more choice? I’ve got a Y10 who wasn’t bothered about maths until she realised that a good grade in it would still increase her chances of getting into the arts pathway she wants.

It's ok to be non academic. They will find their own path. Education isn't for everyone

@Remmy123 maybe this might help?
biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/teaching-teens-growth-mindset

I fear my daughter is the same and worry constantly that she’ll do the bare minimum in everything when at Secondary next year.

Either way, whether it’s at school, at home or with a tutor, DS just needs to get back into the habit of actually doing some schoolwork/homework/exam preparation. Discussions about the future eg apprenticeships etc very relevant.
Ignore typical arguments from year 9 children such as ‘there’s no point in doing work for exams in yr 9’ or ‘ can’t be bothered now, I ‘ll switch myself on just before the gcse exams’ as these are nonsense excuses from youngsters who would rather play computer games than study.

No point having a tutor is he's not bothered. I'm a tutor and motivation is one of the most important things! Sometimes failure is a good thing as it makes them think twice the next time. Speak to school about discussing study/revision skills. Focus on next step and what he needs to progress onwards. Don't despair though - a lot of teenagers go through a bad patch!

@Remmy123 does your son care about any hobbies? Is there anything he really tries at?

Sometimes acting like you don’t care is a way of masking that you’re terrified of failing. If you don’t bother and get poor grades then you can justify it to yourself as you didn’t try. If you try hard but don’t do as well as you hoped, it can hit you hard and make you feel like you’ve failed even though you haven’t.

Just wonder if it’s more a need for him to develop a growth mindset rather than tutoring?

I had a student a few years ago who had a tutor, he couldn't give a toss in lessons. If I had been the parent and was paying for a tutor when my kid was doing sod all in class I would have been furious.
Your child has to be semi motivated.

We have got DD a tutor in maths English and chemistry. Maths and English because they felt key and chemistry because we knew a good tutor. The difference in her is amazing, things have all clicked into place and she has grown in confidence and motivation.

I think school didn't realise she was capable of better plus the lack of teaching in the pandemic really set her back.

I think even if you just focus on one subject it will help, as it helps them realise what they are capable of with good, targeted teaching.

(I was predicted a c in maths by by class teacher, few months with a tutor and I got an A*- admittedly I had always had the ability and just got unlucky with a terrible teacher for GCSE).

If you're at the "hoping he doesn't fail them all" level, then sitting and looking at what "the next thing" might be may be motivating. You say he'd like to do an apprenticeship. Have a look at some likely ones and what this means in practice- most will expect a minimum number of GCSEs and will expect maths and English at Grade 4 or above or require resits. They are also competitive, He's got more chance of getting one if he gets better results. This probably won't sink in at this stage, but at least you've had the conversation.

The problem with the 'y9 doesn't really matter attitude' is they aren't trying different revision methods.
Then when you get to y11 you get posts from parents saying 'my DC is overwhelmed, they don't know how to revise'.
By the time they hit y11 you want them to know what revision methods work for them. So they need to try things in y9 & y10.

This isn't particularly helpful, but when I was in teaching, I was often surprised by how much better students did when they had a brain-click and realised what they wanted to do eventually. Could you try getting him to talk to, or even shadow, some of your friends in their daily work? Or even find some careers advice?

Lots of Year 9 students (particularly boys) are like this. Some of them (not all of them) do pull it back for GCSEs. My DS told me that Year 9 results don't count for anything so what's the point in working. To some degree, he has a point.

What's your definition of "decent" grades? Are you talking about not passing GCSE at all/not getting good enough grades to go on and do whatever the next thing is/not getting all 8s and 9s? Because the way you tackle it might well depend on the answer to that.

I was going to suggest the same.

There isn’t only one way to approach this, several strategies could work, depending on what you/teachers/tutors etc can get your son to do in terms of studying. This might be a bit confusing. What do you think might work? He spends six hours a day at school so it makes sense to try and get a better result from that. Parents evening should help here. Ask directly what the teacher thinks if your son’s work effort in class and for homework. Ask directly what can be done to improve his results and can they help you/him.
Re tutor/mentor, Another influence outside school could also help simply because it’s a change from school and focus on a subject or technique which would help him make progress. But it’s expensive and above all don’t expect one hour tutor or mentor work a week to necessarily solve weak results in all subjects.
Above all don’t be fobbed off and hopefully you can get your son on a new direction

I would go for mentoring or academic coaching as that helps students across all subjects develop their study techniques and work on exam and revision skills. Tutoring just focuses on one subject.

one more post from me - does your school have a website or online portal? Often schools set homework online now so you can see what he is supposed to be doing. There might be information about resources to use for practice or revision? Also, in Maths the teachers usually have loads of resources whether online or not and it is very likely that your son could put in some independent study on this. You could check out with his teacher then what he has done and whether he is making any progress.

if your son enjoys a particular subject this can help to get him going. His teacher might help you in developing his revision/standard of work. But you should pick another subject too - English or Maths are essential for example. I just have a teeny suspicion that if your son finds history ‘ easier’ he might still get away with the minimum and this is what you are trying to turn around?
maybe you could have some rewards in mind for progress- doesn’t have to be really expensive

Also a good idea

He'll have more exams at the end of y9.
Maybe pick a couple of subjects say Science & History and say he will do revision as directed/tested by you for those so you can teach him how to revise?