Year 10 - 2023/2024 Support Thread

Hope the trip works out @QueenMabby sounds stressful.

We just had parents evening too (online) and year 10 students are definitely expected to attend. We only managed to see half her teachers which was a bit disappointing but they were all very positive. What they said didn't seem to match up to the slightly disappointing predicted grades she was given in her mid year report so I'm wondering if they have been told to be very cautious about predicted grades. It must be tricky to predict at this point in year 10 but it did seem very strange for the teachers to basically say they expect DD to do better than the predicted grade they had given - why did they bother giving them?

Ouch @QueenMabby hope flights are sorted.

We've just had parents evening too - thankfully remote given how far away we are - but first time we've really got a feel for anything from her teachers.

Really good to get a sense of how DD2 is doing - though teachers seemed really baffled that she'd joined Parents Evening from her boarding house- the only child who did. Is it not normal for a child to attend them in Year 10?

Ooh yes that does seem harsh - straight to lunchtime detention for forgetting homework. Chewing gum I get as that’s a deliberate choice rather than human error of forgetting. I also understand the repeatedly ‘forgetting’ can be deliberate and does need sanctions.

Isolation and exclusion for being forgetful seems counterproductive and wrong to me. And I do get frustrated with DS2 for the silly stuff and can understand why teachers would, but I'd be concerned about this as I'm not sure that it's actually an appropriate solution. My kids secondary gives "behaviour points" for not being "prepared for learning" but these don't seem to add up to a detention as often as the school handbook suggested they might at the beginning of year 7.

Oh crikey that is complicated! You’d hope they don’t forget books 7 times and be suspended!

@NotDonna my Ds school has some incredibly complicated system where they for any rule break or bad behaviour, or forgetting books/equipment, they are given a number on a scale. The number is preceded by the letter C, so it’s C1-C9 scale. C1 is basically a warning, but if you get a few they add up to a higher number on the scale, from C4 onwards are different types of detention (lunchtime, after school etc). I think a C5 is isolation, C7 is suspension, C8 permanent exclusion.

I can never get my head around it, and the teachers get confused too!

Very curious as to how your yr10’s are punished please. Not my DD but her friend has received a detention after receiving 4 detention marks as follows…

1. early September forgetting text book
2. late September homework day late
3. mid October forgetting chemistry folder
4. today forgetting revision folder for checking so it’s 4 minor incursions since year start. I thought it had to be per term but it seems they’re carried over for the whole year. Do you think this is reasonable or a bit over the top?

I always think that taking students to see productions of Macbeth increase their enthusiasm for the play, because it literally brings it alive. As you'll know as a parent, getting a teenager interested in a play is half the battle, as it increases motivation to study. In terms of helping students to learn / understand the nuts and bolts of the play, it helps with general shape of plot (but can also be confusing, if scenes are left out) and understanding of characterisation. However, for a guaranteed traditional performance of the play, which is faithful to the original's structure, I don't think you can beat the recordings of the RSC productions which are available to view online (subscription). They may not be 'trendy', but they are really helpful. Let me know if you'd like the link.

Can confirm the Fiennes was exceptional. Not sure they made the most of the vast space they had, but the acting was superb.... Not sure how much actual use it would be for studying GCSE but it was incredibly good.

@minisnowballs so envious of you getting to watch Fiennes in Macbeth. We wanted to go when it came to Liverpool (we are in Manc) but didn't have a free evening.

DS is studying "An inspector calls", "Jekyll and Hyde", Julius Caesar, and another one I can't remember. He seems to enjoy the texts and doing ok in English.

Regarding "modern adaptations", we took the DCs last year to see Jekyll and Hyde done by uni students locally. It was set mostly in a brothel, with all the related goings on! Luckily the DCs took it in their stride! Mortifying though. We are going to see Tempest at the same venue and this time I've read the blurb properly and it's NOT a modern interpretation thankfully!

DS has exams once a week or so for various subjects, doing well in Maths still, a mixed bag the others. His behaviour at school has been the issue this month, so he is currently on a Xbox ban for the foreseeable.

Dead jealous that you get to see Fiennes Mini. Let us know how good it is.

Thanks for the advice re other options. I will look into all these. Wish ds2 as doing Of Mice and Men because I enjoyed it.

Unlike icanbe's ds who seems to be flying (bless him) I can't seem to make ds2 do anything other than the bare minimum. That kid seems happy with a 6, aiming for a 7. I have talked to him about all this. But I just can't make him be something that he isn't. He's different from ds1 and I just have to accept that.

Oh no, @Oblomov24! I have so been there - booked tickets to the British Library harry potter exhibition on the same day as the school nativity play once.

Dd2 does actually seem to be doing the `Importance of Being Earnest - but i wasn't going to take her to see it. She has also done some coursework on the Crucible, seems to have read of Mice and Men. Don't know which Shakespeare - have parents evening next week so might find out.

Having been round this before, I would absolutely recommend the Deutsche Bank shakespeare plays done in winter at the globe - they're cheap, stick basically to the text and are designed for GCSE students. We saw their macbeth a few years back and they seem to be doing R & J again this year.

Would also really recommend a trip to Stratford, to do Shakespeare's birthplace and the other properties - there is always just lots of spontaneous shakespeare there and my DDs got really into them. Also watching Upstart Crow is surprisingly illuminating.

We are seeing the Fiennes Macbeth tonight - without our Year 10 who is obviously away at school - with DD1 and our foster daughter who both dropped english but did it for GCSE - looking forward to it- now feel I should be ceding our tickets to a GCSE student though!

Apparently the school don't ever put 9's as a target grade in year 10. The head of science apologised to Ds that his target grade for the sciences is on 6/7 on my report. He said he'd email the teachers and tell them to change it to 8. I'd rather it was on the lower side, then Ds can be pleased when it's better.

Ds's English teacher read out his work to the class. He was annoyed. He said luckily half the class were on a trip otherwise it would have been worse. She said it was the best year 10 piece she'd seen for a while and deserved a grade 9. But apparently she's not allowed to give year 10's a 9. He was secretly pleased, though kept saying he didn't want it read out.

My broken brain has forgotten what Ds is studying for English. I know he's doing Macbeth but I can't remember what else. Our school has never taken any pupils to see any of the plays, or at least not to my knowledge. Not in the years my 3 dc's have been there anyway Sounds a great idea.

Ds seems to be doing no end of tests and mocks. It's never ending. He's now decided he wants to get 9 in everything. I told him not to set such high expectations of himself. Then he replies with why do you not want me to do well? I suggested setting a realistic goal and an aspirational goal. But that didn't go down well. He gets so annoyed with himself when he's not in the top 2 or 3 pupils after tests. Which he is most of the time. It's difficult knowing what to say to him as he takes it all the wrong way. Of course I'd be very happy for him if he gets high grades in everything, but I'm more worried about him not doing well for himself. I wouldn't mind if he only got low grades if that was to the best of his capabilities. GCSEs with Ds3 is going to be the most stressful.

@NotDonna
My friend said similar. That her dd had says that the new age woke modern Guildford one was poor. That's why I wanted to see the Fiennes London one. I hope this Wimbledon one isn't a new age breast feeding shit one. I'll let you know!

DD also doing An Inspector Calls too (and Macbeth). I think the novel is Of Mice and Men. Than the poetry. I’m not sure if there’s a second novel or not.

😩😩@Oblomov24 that’s so annoying. At least it was £77 and not the £260!!
I took DD to see the Macbeth in Guildford and you’ll be delighted you avoided that one as it was a ‘modern adaptation’ that began with Lady Macbeth pumping breast milk and some type of shrine to a baby in the corner. There was audience participation and ceiling disco balls. All very odd. I don’t think it’s helped DDs coursework one iota!

Hi All. Have to tell you about the utter bodge I've made. What a twat!

What texts /books are your dc studying for English?

Ds2 is doing 'Macbeth' and 'An Inspector calls'. I get an email from school that they have limited number of tickets for London Macbeth, starring Ralph Fiennes. Thinking he wouldn't get tickets I checked out prices, asked a couple of other mums, told ds2 to ask his closest friends. So angry with myself I left it so late, the tickets get sold out, not £30, not £85, some £108, some £260+.

I've got 6 tabs open. I'm looking at all places that have Macbeth. David Tennent is no longer doing it. My friend says her dd saw it in Guildford last week but that's now finished. Bugger. I'm looking at Fiennes Macbeth in London, Macbeth in Guildford expired, Brighton, Farnham and finally found one in Wimbledon so booked that for £22.50 each. Result.

I also had inspector calls 3 screens open, looking for that aswell. finally found one in London that I'll book tonight.

And I'm buzzing around, flitting between tabs, trying to do too many things .... accidentally had 'the importance of being earnest' open. And then accidentally booked it by accident, what I thought I was booking 'An inspector calls'. What a twat. Non refundable. So decide to go with 2 friends. Do you think they'll notice that I booked 2 tickets for 2 x under 16's, and 1 adult? Angry? Because I've spent £77 by accident!

I did study Inspector Calls myself at school and love it. "A handbag"? But I am so cross I accidentally booked them.

You can all laugh!

Anyone else done anything as stupid?

@QueenMabby Yes we're in the Year 13 thread together too, I also noticed that! Nice to have a comrade who's going through both years

@DataColour thanks DS made the musical and enjoyed it very much.

This talk of revision is interesting and making me think blimey, as DS hasn't been doing much. He's mentioned January exams but is vague about when they are, and although he's been revising, it's certainly not been every day if even four times a week.

However he received his head of year's award for achievement at the end of the Christmas term, as well as some individual subject awards for effort and achievement, and he's done very well in tests so far, which suggests he must be on track. I'm very proud of him for the awards as he as ADHD and struggled in Yr 7 & part of Year 8 with focus and behaviour.

Sounds like he's doing all the right things. What I would say is that Year 10 is the best time to start forming good revision habits. So, for example in English, he should start making quotation flash cards now, to get him ready for Year 11.