Year 10 - 2023/2024 Support Thread

@DataColour that’s brilliant- well done to him- he should be pleased with himself!

still no work going on here. Dd2 did a residential choir course and were now away for the week with friends. Music practice is still happening but not a lot else. She doesn’t have to take an Mfl or RE thank goodness- it does make her life a heck of a lot easier.

@QueenMabby it's piano and he already got his results, and he passed with a merit, just a couple of of marks off a distinction. He's happy with that and so are we!
GCSE RE is compulsory in our school which is a pain as neither of them like the subject and it is not a religious school either, so not sure why they have to do it.
Good luck to your DS @SB1971 I hear you about the nagging. DS is similar.

@Oblomov24 sounds like your DS is having a great holiday time! That would be my DS's dream!

@icanbewhatiwant @IThinkIMadeItWorse hope you're DCs are feeling better soon.

DD1’s first senior school used to do GCSE RS end of year 10 too. The headmistress’s reasoning was that no matter how much or how often you told them about studying etc. they don’t really listen and this served as a wake up call. Guess that’s fine providing they don’t need a high grade at the gcse to take at A level. At that particular school no-one left to go elsewhere for sixth form so it probably didn’t matter.
DD3 not back til next Tuesday. Feels a bit empty here as just the two of us as her sisters have returned to work & Uni and DH is overseas. 5 to 2 is so bizarre! The house is SO tidy!! She’s also not done any work other than bits of her maths booklet. She’s had a friend over today, then Thorpe Park tomorrow, then a sleepover and Wagas (again) at the weekend - so she’s keeping herself busy with fun stuff.

Another week off here, and isn't the weather pants? Ds has done no studying at all, played constant x box, in between playing football with mates, Thorpe park twice and Nando's a few times.

Mine doesn't go back until 15th either. He's poorly today too. He is rarely ill. Weird because he's spent most of the past 10 days in his bedroom. He went to friends last Monday. But other than he's done nothing. He has a headache, a bit of a temperature and feels sick. Though when I finally persuaded him to eat something he soon switched his Xbox on afterwards!

We had a letter last week inviting us and Ds to the awards ceremony. They give out one boy and one girl award for achievement in each subject. In years 7,8 and 9 it's a small event during school hours. But year 10 and 11 is a bigger event with musical performances and a few talks from past pupils. I went with ds1. Ds2 didn't get any awards, so we've not been to the bigger one for a few years. Ds is saying he's not going, but hopefully we will persuade him as I enjoyed it before.

It’s not a religious school@QueenMabby but everyone has to do the GCSE and they made the call a few years ago to take it at the end of year 10 and then post the exam all the lesson time goes to maths.
Maybe as it’s done early they focus more on it vs if was lumped in with all the others?
Its a fairly recent thing as my DD is 4 years older and did hers all at once.
Who knows but am already boring myself with the nagging…

Mine are not back until the 15th and a good thing too as today DD has come down with some sort of bug, her temp hit 39.5 around lunchtime and she has spent most of the day in bed feeling rough :( Fortunately we don't really have anything planned for this week, last week she was busy so I guess it's quite good timing from that point of view. Like @QueenMabby my older one is revising for A levels. I've realised that DD only has four terms left at her school and the summer term of year 11 is mainly exam leave so that is a sobering thought.

DS has his actual RS GCSE a month tomorrow. I am getting fed up of nagging him to do a mere 30mins of revision per day. I know I should just leave him to do it and then potentially fail due to lack of study which would give him a shock ahead of next year but I can’t bring myself to do it…
He just needs to get a 5 nothing mega to have one ticked off ahead of next year.
Grrr-after over 19 years of parenting overall am still not acing it!

Mine are back to school today....yay! Had a bit of homework to do at the weekend going back but other than that nothing....which is great I think. They need a break from school work. DS did do his grade 7 music practical though during the holidays, so there was that to work on to be fair. He did well and he's pleased, so that's good.
Went to Rome for a week in the latter half of the holidays and I think they enjoyed themselves, although it was quite exhausting and ruins etc aren't DS's thing really, but he survived! DD was more into it...the ancient ruins and the Italian make up shops are right up her street!
DS is going on his DofE expedition end of this term. He's volunteering at parkrun which he's enjoying as he has a few friends doing the same thing. Parents evening is in a couple of weeks time. Will be interested to hear his progress.

Must be something in the air @QueenMabby my eldest two are home and they’ve made a cheesecake and a crumble. What waist?

Yes! So important that they have some balance but knowing what that is is hard for both them and us!

Mmm it’s tricky isn’t it? As they do need down time as well. DD has done zero but we’ve been away until now so… Albeit she did say she’d do her maths on the flight & hasn’t - apparently tougher than she expected so needs to look things up. That’s her excuse anyway. I’m not pushing it as her work ethic has sky rocketed the last few months and I think she needs a break. It’s different if you’ve a kid who loves learning for learning sake - it’s hard to stop those! And then you’re worrying about burnout and perfectionism. They’re alL so different aren’t they?

@QueenMabby wow - she is keen. DD2 informs me she has 'some drama' and one test when she gets back but she's already revised for it and it's an easy topic. I'm still trying to get my head round how little work she's doing - she now gets grade cards every half term and yet again they're all As and A+s so she doesn't think she needs to do any more. So it's mainly just music practice here.

Three weeks holiday. She ought to do something!

The cinema version looks good! DD has finished her Macbeth now and I think starting on the poetry and ‘of mice and men’. Or maybe they’ll start that in September. She hasn’t got too much Easter homework by the looks of it - just a bit of maths.
That sounds like quite a few hours to fit in between now and May @QueenMabby when at school full time. Or do they get revision leave? Or is she boarding and has ‘prep’ time? She sounds very dedicated to her studies, good for her!
DD is at school 8am til 7pm Tues-Fri & Sat 11-5 (sports) so fitting homework in is hard enough never mind revision. She’s already said that she’ll drop one of her sports in Sept but that only frees up 2hrs. 🙄 The downside of doing GCSE PE is that she can’t drop anything else.

Macbeth the Fiennes stage version is showing in local cinemas in May if that helps anyone.

DD3 finished for Easter yesterday and DD2 home from uni for a couple of weeks. I’m also delighted that DD3 isn’t doing DofE so I’m taking her & DD2 overseas for a few days. I’ve a broken ankle (no cast just a boot) so that’ll be interesting.
Her report was good with a significant improvement across all subjects but she has been working her socks off so it’s well deserved. I’m hoping she can sustain this for another 15 months, as it’s been a LOT of testing. She used to really struggle with attendance but these last few months she seems to have turned a corner. No doubt the spiral of happier, working better, good result, happier…
In some ways the constant testing has been useful in giving her frequent revision and honing those skills. Luckily she’s not a perfectionist or prone to anxiety like many girls at her school, whose parents are getting quite concerned. It does feel a bit hot house. So a few days away will be fab!

Not done til thursday here - thankfully DD2 has sacked off D of E silver which would have meant spending her whole easter weekend on expedition as well. Can't wait to have her home for three weeks. Music parents evening Monday (just the instrumental teachers this time) and she's got a few tests left this week plus the Symphony concert.