GCSE supporting - to half term, and beyond!

Motivation has to come from within so we’ve never used money tbh, I know all kids are different but I do think it’s up to them and just having an alternative route if it doesn’t work out as planned. My younger DD may only get 4-5 GCSEs if she’s lucky as she doesn’t fit the mainstream model despite being “academically bright” she’s autistic so it’s been eye opening to me researching the alternative pathways and you just don’t need 10+ GCSEs to get a degree level education. I just wish school / the mainstream education system would help more to offer different options as I fear we will end up homeschooling our 12yr soon.

Oooh 😯 poor kid. Can the pharmacy prescribe anything?

Last minute motivation tips that does not include money would be great right? Any tips?
I just keep saying imagine how good you’ll feel knowing you gave it everything. I sound kinda nuts tbh now hahaha where’s Tony Robbins ?

Anyone else's child struggling with hay-fever. We started Alevia in April as he usually gets it bad and it's worked a treat until this weekend. Initially I thought a cold but his eyes are all puffy and itchy today, he's sniffy and was coughing last night :-(

We're having motivation issues - he's fed up and school and home been revision focused for a long time now.

DS doing maths and English language today. A bit down and recovering still from the tonsillitis boy flu 🤧 but I am quite proud. I’ve never pushed him so much in my life and I feel awful.

Yes motivation here is low the sunny weather isn’t helping the desire. This next 2.5weeks are going to be harder than first 2 I think. DD has exams every single day going forward, she’s only revising 1-2 subjects ahead now as can’t cope with anything else. School still have a timetable running in the afternoon after morning exams. But they have agreed she can “have a” prom ticket now. So it’s removed that “stress” geez the ridiculous strings/incentives that were put around that ticket were awful!
She’s also still training on average 10-12hrs a week in her sport it keeps her sane we’ve dropped the training sessions that finish late the night before a morning exam but it’s such a part of her life she needs that physical release for her mind and body.

Eng Lang and French writing tomorrow here.

DD struggling with motivation. Not as much revision happening as I'd have hoped, but if we push she'll collapse in a small damp heap.

Trying to work out the percentages / ratio of DS's reluctance to do English Lang work today: Cold v ADHD v general loathing of the subject v grumpy teen.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all over by next Monday ( English Lang paper 2) as the exams after that (Maths, Chem, Physics) will take care of themselves. I shall be celebrating alone then. This has been such a struggle.

Tomorrow afternoon is French paper 2 but, with Eng Lang in the morning (together with boy flu) he is not going to do very well, I fear. Luckily it's not a subject which particularly matters for the future. Tuesday free, Maths/Further Maths on Weds/Thurs. Next target is Biology on Friday.

@tourdefrance - I keeping saying IT'S NOT A HOLIDAY and pointing out all the weeks of holiday he will have when these are finished ... Not been any kind of a holiday for me either...

@kkneat my DS has been the other way round - couldn't get him to do any revision for love nor money until a week before the exams started when he turned into a revision monster! He's really knuckled down during the half term. But my fear is that it's too little, too late.

DS says he doesn’t feel like he’s had a proper holiday.
Well, yes unfortunately that was the idea! (He will have had 3 completely revision free days out of 9).
Trying to persuade DP to take a day off with him to do something fun after the exams are over.

Is anyone’s child struggling with doing revision? My DD worked hard for her mocks had a set in November & February & did well (not brilliant) & has totally lost motivation. She’s been in the garden most days on a lounger with a text book but any time I look out she has her eyes closed listening to music. I’m not a nagger at all & don’t get to involved in their school work other to help & test. She’s about half way through days she thinks they’ve all gone ok, thinking about offering some kind of incentive to get her motivation back

DS also did IGCSE English. Tomorrow, he has IGCSE EDT Paper 2 (1 hour) and GCSE Greek Paper 3 (1 hour). Then "just" the home straight of science and maths/further maths!

@filchards i hope it’s not covid both my kids had it like a heavy snotty cold but then I got it and it wiped me out for 2wks, then DH was out with it. I haven’t bothered to test for covid for well over a year but I started coughing pills weren’t touching it so I dug out an old test kit and within seconds I was positive. Luckily my DD got it the week leading up-to exams starting.

DD is OK about the English language test on Monday morning, they're not a fan of transactional writing but the creative writing with prompt is fine.
On Tuesday after school, they're going in for an hour and a half to have some intensive History catch up. No exams Tuesday though.

They're not looking forward to maths at all.

I also wish they'd spaced out history better, two in one day seems excessive and with dates and things quite difficult.

Oh same....my ds really struggles to concentrate anyway and with a cold he can barely function let alone do an exam. Fingers crossed it goes after a couple days for them!

Missing calculators have turned up! Obviously I have already bought a new one and it’s been out of its packet so too late to send back.
DS had an in-school English revision session on Thursday so has been concentrating on other subjects since then.

Good luck with the revision tomorrow everyone. Let’s hope it’s a productive day.

DS also has a classical language exam on Monday, but it's all Greek to me.

Glad there’s another “Greek parent” joining in!

I agree with the number.
Dd1 got 16 GCSEs done over 3 years, which was ridiculous number. Another local school does 8-9 of course they're going to do better with half the number of exams.

Ds is "only" doing 12 over 3 years though.

We've given up with English Lang as well.

He's done Welsh and a lot of History today and a little RS - and found quotes for him to learn. Maths numeracy he says is fine and Geography we focused on last few days.

DH thinks it's not such much the context or exams that's the issue but number school has them sitting - DS will end up with 13 GCSEs- admittedly two are already done and one is 100% course work and they are spread out in Y10 as well but it's a lot. Especially when it was huge news when before this head they finally got 80% of pupils getting 5 GCSE above a C grade - didn't say it included English and maths as those 5 and I don't think they been any where close to that since.

I have given up on English now. Ds had to get a B but I can do no more. Totally unsure how any revision has gone, he has hated half term as he feels he has lost his way with it all. Roll on Monday so we can begin to see the end!!