How much work should year 11 be doing?

My DS is a boarder and they do sort of set a routine for them. Years 9 - 11, prep is 1 hour 45 mins during which boys are expected to do both homework and revision.

I'm a secondary HOD and it really depends on how much homework your son is getting/what the homework is. In my subject (an option subject only available from KS4 onwards), we tend to set revision homework tasks therefore if they're doing the homework we set properly and paying attention in class, they don't need to do any more revision. With my KS4 form, I suggested 10 minutes a day per subject (but no revision for a subject if they had homework for it) and they found that helpful. The key to revision is starting early, doing little and often, having regular breaks (not on a computer - go for a walk for example) and making sure the revision they do is purposeful. A lot of kids think re-writing their notes or reading the text-book is useful but it's a waste of time. They need to be active; answering Qs, making revision resources like flashcards etc.

My nearly year 11 had mocks before the broke up. He revised for 30 minutes after a school day for a month before the mocks. He got all 6 s and above. They need down time. Doing 3 hours a night will burn then out.

18 hours a day equals complete burnout. My nearly year 11 isn't even awake for 18 hours a day. When would the relax, eat, sleep, socialise?

I think the most useful help my DC had from me was "don't worry, you can do it, it will all be ok" when they came home overwhelmed by the pressure they were getting at school, feeling like it was all too much and they couldn't do it. I really really dread to think what would have happened if we had made them do 3.5-4 hrs work every night and 6 hrs per weekend day for the whole of Y11, instead of cheering them on, providing whatever practical help they needed and a respite from the stress.

Yes that's what I was thunking! Or will the OP jump eagerly on one person who says "oh yes this is a good idea"?

@SummerDuck I agree with @AnyOldThings that the culture of another country will not work, and in fact is not needed here. There is no need for a regime such as your DH is suggesting in order for a student to achieve their best potential in GCSEs. An able student who is on target for grades of 7-9 will manage that with a lot less, clearly focused revision and HW.

A less able student who is perhaps aiming for grades of 4-6 will also not actually benefit from a four-hour daily revision regime. They will just be overwhelmed and probably perform less well.

I'll ask again - what does your DS have to say? He is 15, so old enough to have a view. My DD and DS2 are both very academically able, and had the ability to understand what they wanted to focus on and work on that. DD got a 6 in maths - all she will ever need. She knew she could have done better, but chose to focus instead on subjects she was passionate about. Now she has a first-class degree in he favourite subject so I think that's a good outcome. But the point is I gave my DC credit for understanding what was needed. I provided revision guides, snacks, stationery (oh the staionery!), a listening ear and an open offer to help with any revision - which was sometimes taken up "can you test me on xxx? what's the French word for yyy?" But that was all.

The thing is, that isn't how getting opinions work.
If virtually everyone is saying your plan is not a good one, would it not suggest to you that your plan is not a good one?

Otherwise, why come and ask other parents / strangers in the internet?

I would suggest, that by your DH living in a different country and with your DS being raised in a very different culture and education system, your DH needs to accept that some things from his culture will not work here and some things are even detrimental.

By living in another culture, he should be able to see that things from his home culture are no longer appropriate.

The UK education system, syllabus and exams systems are not based on requiring 18 hour study days and your son will burn out and fail miserably.

Your DH’s plans will actually do harm in the UK system. At worst you will irrevocably damage your sons mental health. Please be careful.

There is a huge difference between setting a revision routine and your child actually revising effectively.

With DS's support and agreement we set up a revision plan (which was much less than you are expecting). He either didn't follow it or didn't use the time effectively. The only thing it caused was stress on both sides.

If you have a child that's amenable to a revision routine, they are likely not to need you to set one up (unless it's just the mechanics of organisation and setting up study habits, they need help with).

What will you do going forward in Year 12 (if they have exams then) and Year 13? When will your child get the chance to show that they can manage for themselves?

We are currently leaning towards a compromise between mine and DH’s expectations.

So this is between 18.5 hrs and 32 hrs every week, with no days off, for the whole year? On top of full-time school? For GCSEs?

This is a very, very bad idea. How would you feel if you worked 50-60 hrs a week with no days off? What will you try but fail to make him do for A levels?

There is supporting your child, buying the resources sitting down with them and quizzing them which is useful in terms of revisions, but having them isolated in their room for X amount of hours isn't good for anyone.

Students need to work out what revision method works best for them and may need some guidance from you (if you know different techniques). Teach them the skills so they can go off and do it themselves otherwise you may get lucky and they'll bow down to a strict regime now but not going forward to A Level and University.

Which GCSEs does your DS actually need to move forward? Look at the College website and UCAS for entry requirements and focus revision on those subjects and then do less on the ones he doesn't need if he is a high achiever then even without a heavy revision regime he should pass them easily even if not at a 9. Most children aren't A** students, getting a 6 may seem middle of the road due to the numbering system but we would have all been chuffed with a B when we did our GCSEs.

‘In the hope of securing bright futures for their children, many parents throw them into an intensive education system, which takes precedence over socialisation and wellbeing. This obsession stems from the highly competitive job market, where good grades and a prestigious university degree are seen as necessary for obtaining stable and well-paid employment. The result is that the vast majority of children, some as young as two, are sent to cram schools on top of regular schooling.’

This is not something we should be emulating.

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/29/south-korea-suicide-crisis-k-pop-young-people

beneficial to whom?

That was a response to the OP, btw. @HollyGolightly4’s advice all good.

Well you can want them to do that but you can’t make them. Even if they are sitting looking at their books it’s not necessarily going in.

Ideally in year 11 DC will discover what works for them in terms of organising and revising their own work.

DS (just finished year 11) stayed on top of homework through year 11, did no revision for November mocks (not the plan!), found out what needed more work and started putting that effort in ahead of second mocks in the spring, and the exams themselves in the summer. Don’t have results yet but I think that was a reasonable strategy.

Going into A-levels he’ll need to step it up again and the subjects he’s chosen mean we can’t help so it really will need to come from him, not us.

I think for balance, some children would respond positively to an imposed and warm/strict routine - typically lazy boys who should be getting the top grades, but are content to gain passes!

Time and time again these children underachieve. I think setting a routine without phone would help. I was incredibly self-motivated at school, but my parents banned MSN messenger (showing my age!) until about 8.30/9pm and this really helped me avoid distractions. I'm convinced a bit more structure would be good for a lot of teenagers - including plenty of rest. It sets good habits and teenagers (most of us) are procrastinators who waste time scrolling on our phone for ages (guilty!)

I don't think the schedule should be every day- Friday night/one day at the weekend completely free, but scheduled time to do homework would really help. If the child doesn't have homework, make sure you know the exam boards so that revision guides/quiz sites/online resources can be found. Self-quizzing can be really effective.

Some of that time might be used to read - either texts being studied, or additional reading which will help overall.

You know your child- does he need to come in from school and chill for a bit, or does he need to crack on straight away so he can finish sooner?

There may well be revision classes which should help (and be included in the schedule)

Good luck - I really believe slow and steady wins the race!

Honestly OP, Y11 is tough, there's a lot of pressure. Do not add to it! Your job is to be in his corner, help him with anything he needs (eg revision guides, testing him etc). By all means try to make him understand the potential consequences of making poor decisions if you think they're poor decisions. But ultimately he has to want to do it, otherwise it won't get done. And making school work a battleground will trash your relationship and make academic success less likely, not more.

Is your DH from Korea? They also have the worlds highest teen suicide rate as the pressure parents put on their children is horrific.

No child should be forced to live like that. They are 15! These are GCSEs, surely you see that you shouldn’t be putting him under so much pressure at this age?

I helped DD with a revision plan, but it was led by her, what she thought she needed. And also not hours, tasks.

So she had a list of the topics she needed to revise in each subject and a plan for how she was going to revise them. Then we slotted those into a calendar, allowing roughly how long she thought each task would take, with days off, time for relaxation and socialising etc. And past papers at the end. Plus plenty of contingency in case she was ill or something else came up, like set homework or a school trip.

It was just to make sure she was starting early enough, help her stay on track and feel like she was preparing well. But again, only because she wanted this. It had to be very flexible - if too rigid then they feel bad every time they do less than they "should", and it's not about making them feel bad, it's about making them feel relaxed and confident because they know they are in control and working hard.

The main thing is - you can't make a 15-16 yr old work if they don't want to. Your best approach is to try to convince him to want to, instead of trying to force him. This is a sure way to turn him off studying completely and damage your relationship.

Honestly in Y11 he just needs to do the homework that's set, and if he is really keen, maybe a couple of hrs on a Sunday to go over what he's learnt that week, organise his notes, practise or study anything tricky etc. And then ramp it up a bit for mocks and a bit more for the exams themselves.

Have seen on an 11+ thread the OP has quite high expectations for y5/6 as well, so maybe her DS is used to it?

I haven't set any revision timetables for my child because they are their exams and not mine! They know how important their exams are, they know the grades they need for sixth form, I've let them get on with it!

They had 100% attendance, they completed all their homework, they had access to revision guides and they knew I would help test them/ go over stuff if they asked. Tutors were provided if asked for. This is enough input from you. The desire to do well has to come from them, not from you taking his phone and forcing him to do stuff.

The timetable you are suggesting is insane and your husband sounds controlling. If you are that bothered about his attitude, why is this only kicking in in Year 11? You should have addressed this way before now. Do you intend to do the same over A Levels? Your son has got to want to work otherwise he will become resentful and nothing will be studied.

This will not end well.

My child will be in Y11 soon, I think there is what kids should be doing and what each individual child should be doing

If we gave our child set rules and time they would sit there fiddling and not doing anything at all, I would rather they do what they can and be happy with that

I don't think it makes sense to force kids to study, sure it may make the parents feel better but is the study actually sinking in if they are forced to do it?