Y10- 2025/2026

You could ask for him to get the material or any powerpoints in advance (so a couple of days before or the day before). He may not look at them all but it can help, he could also get permission to use a laptop in class and then he can access the slides teachers send in advance on it - that way he can be looking through other slides or have longer to read them in lessons and not be relying on the board. When I was in 6th form, my friend got those accommodations (she also had them in Y11 but I was at a different school), it really helped her as she also had a processing disorder. She gets similar ones at university along with being able to record lectures etc. Obviously people with the same needs can need different strategies to each other but still I thought these are things you could consider with the SENCO or his Head of Year.

My youngest is starting year 10, she got the options she wanted (only 3 choices at her school as more compulsory subjects). We don’t have any timetables or teachers yet.

DD2 has a processing disorder making reading difficult, especially from the board, so a new set of teachers to learn he needs.

Hoping I can also join! Dd also dropped most of the classes she won't do for GCSE in Y9. No timetable or tutor group allocated yet so unsure which sets etc, which can make a huge difference in how school goes (she finds the lower sets have more bullying, but that may be a school specific thing).

Anyone else worried their DC haven't done anything vaguely academic at all over the holidays? We seem to have been mostly sleeping, eating and growing (she's currently 5ft 9!).

Thats sort of the point... exams aren't real life and her dyslexia means she can't perform i the way examiners want her too, whereas in real life she can read things through until she understands them, check her spelling and grammar, reference back to a quote etc...

But its a hoop she has to jump through so we will do everything we can so she can manage to jump through that hoop.

It's slightly unfair to equate classwork to exams. This is because they have friends/peers next to them to help, a teacher guiding them on instructions and the task. They also will likely be doing things from that week's lesson and also will have just seen and be discussing the content in that lesson and earlier ones. They also won't have time to do 'whole papers' or questions - so they will often cut the questions short and instead of a 30 marker, do a fake 10 marker which they teacher has made. This will obviously require less writing and focus, and will only be on 1 topic - exams will have many and they don't know what will come up. They'll also like have writing scaffolds as well to look at and their books to look back in.

In an exam they're tested on everything, even from months ago (which they haven't been currently discussing) and will have to revise it all, and do spaced repetion (please make sure they do this in their revision, it's so important) to retain it all. They will also need to be sure the revision strategies they use contain active recall which is where they try and test themselves and to produce the information with no hints - e.g not reading or highlighting notes (which is pretty much useless) but past papers, exam questions even just 1, flashcards etc. So all in all I wouldn't see them as similar and would focus more on the results in a proper exam as that's a controlled environment and the same one in which she'll do her GCSEs. She clearly is capable with guidance so she needs to slowly use less of that guidance she'll have in lessons and test herself more as well as developing the skills she needs. I'd recommend to all your DC's to read the examiner reports - they talk about a paper that people sat - it talks about what people did well, what they want you to do, what they don't want you to do etc. Also look at the mark schemes and AOs (assesment objectives) to see what they need to do for each question. Also look at the scales for each AO:
So AO1 for English Literature Paper 1 AQA - the 30 marker question is broken up into - 1. AO1 - 12 marks, AO2 - 12 marks, AO3 - 6 marks.

There's lots of good videos online and YouTube of people who got 8s and 9s both more generally for revision and also for subject speidifc info. I recommend Mr Salles for bothe English Lit and Lang not Mr Bruff unless aiming for a 4/5 - the same with CGP books. I'd be looking online at people like Jack Edwards old videos and newer ones. I've attached a link to a playlist on this - your DC's should watch a few and mix and Maths anything that works for them. It's important to do trial and error but use in-class tests and a few mocks for this before Y11 so you know by then what works the best. I'd also day definitely 100% prepare revision resources (flashcards, quizlet/Anki are good, I wouldn't do paper ones as it's too time consuming), mind maps, practice questions and exam papers in timed conditions as much as possible.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzumpIyxU-hV-XQtwF_JrAH7ZpHqPeRXN&si=dl7sebGTIGiEZ3jD

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRHYrMBKgHSswmAQ-8qUnYik01fjwq8s1&si=Yydqo9ipGcL22cz6

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky
Thanks, the school actually got in touch on the first day of the holidays to say they wanted to support her more, regardless of outcome so I'm hoping that's a positive! She only needs little adjustments, e.g moving groups in PE so she knows she has someone to partner, seat placements and how teacher's give her feedback so it isn't that hard but will make a big difference to her.

I think year 10 just feels like the start of the important years so we all just want our DC to have a smoothish ride!

@AchillesAndPatroclus mine loves a “Mind map” so I think will be ok if she can stick to making those but she has never done flash cards

she has French homework to make verb practice book over the summer for next year so has done that…

I just hope she stays positive and motivated and doesn’t burn out..

@Lisamummy22girls Sounds familiar! Have you found school supportive so far?

Mine is completely averse to writing out notes and refining information on revision cards etc.
School work completely on laptops and she “revises” by scrolling through the teacher notes/lesson pages, sometimes making quizlet for the bits she didn’t already know.

Shes doing ok, so that seems to work for her but seems alien to me as I had written notes, post it’s and all sorts coming out of my ears during GCSEs and I’m worried she’s missing something crucial.

DH also only has to read things once and the information is just locked in - very annoying as I needed all the help I can get retaining this kind of stuff!

@AchillesAndPatroclus your DD sounds very like mine, mine is ASD and very very able.. predicted 8/9s but is so unmotivated.. she masks a lot at school so usually comes home shattered and homework is the last thing she wants to do

she also struggles with revision as she wants someone to tell her the right way and that isn’t really how it works

she is excited to get started in sept so that’s a positive, I just hope the school can guide her with revision strategies as she is going to need them

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky Same situation, although not yet applied for the ASD. I’m waiting to see how the first half of the year goes before thinking about medication as DD has some other medical issues that might make it a less straight forward solution. I’d be interested to hear how you get on.

Ahh I was looking for a thread like this - I’m hopping in!

Also hoping for a better, more settled Y10 after a rough ride, socially. Sorry to hear quite a few others had the same experience.

Our focus this year will need to be organisation and application. DD is very bright but a bit lazy, unorganised and so far unchallenged. She gets great results but has no idea how and doesn’t know how to apply herself/study as it’s not been needed yet. I’m terrified that she has all this potential but could very well crash out with the stress when it all gets harder this year.

Last year she felt a little bit of challenge in two subjects, so ditched those immediately when options came round saying that she “knows” she’s totally failing them. She got 100% in those end of term exams and predicted 9s! 🤦‍♀️ But she struggles to actually revise, and therefore has no proper understanding of where she’s at with the knowledge, meaning low confidence.

She was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of summer term. I’m glad she doesn’t feel the need to mask anymore and is understanding how her mind works, but it’s really hard getting her to set up systems in advance that will serve her. I’m just talking folders set up with dividers and the subject notes for the subjects already started, and a whiteboard etc. I just know everything will be fine in a panic on the very last day before going back!

Signing in.

DD is relaxed. I'm already getting worried about GCSE English. The 4 means everything. Its frustrating that she already gets 4/5 in classwork but a 2 in exams...
Shes worried she might move down a set and really doesn't want to be in Set 3 (of4). The teacher implied she will try to keep her in Set 2 as shes quiet and hardworking but ultimately it isn't her final decision.

Shes excited about her options. They all seem to get their first choices except the one course they didn't gave enough people to run. (Only 4 people wanted to do business management apparently!)

Your home enrichment sounds so lovely @RunningKatie. I would love to hear your thoughts so far!

Similar here. DS’s school is very strict, which means lessons are beautifully calm. But they’ve extended their high control to the curriculum and teaching. Every lesson is scripted, with gap-fill booklets. Very clinical and uniform.

I’m planning on doing everything I can to broaden his experience. Books, films, plays, museums, documentaries, visits, etc.

I am hoping for a better Y10 than Y9. My dd got her ADHD diagnosis first week of summer holidays and we have a CAMHS appointment for medication assessment at the start of November. Also got new support contacts in the school week before the end of term who seem to understand her and don’t just think it’s behaviour! ASD assessment has been turned down by CAMHS at the moment which isn’t so good.

@brackengirl hopefully the diagnosis makes a difference at school.

Hello all,
Please can I join? I am petrified about my DS1 sterling year 10, he on the other hand is completely laissez faire! We have picked lots of humanities subjects and DT although he is doing Spanish which is also his weakest subject @AnnieAverage.
I would also like some revision books for English lang and lit please! We are starting with a Christmas Carol.
Gosh it is all so nerve racking!!
Glad to have a new team to discuss with though.

@RunningKatie Ah my dd would have LOVED to drop her foreign language! I think a language is nice to learn if that’s your thing, but if you don’t want to do it, it can be torture.

Can I join in too please? DC1 is starting Y10 in 2 weeks, we've had an easy summer but heavens knows how the next 2 years will go. She's picked a lot of humanities subjects and to my sadness has dropped the language.
The school does a lot of crowd control in lessons so I need to find ways out of school to broaden her knowledge, we're talking about an English tutor to reawaken her love of the subject.

@HedgeWitchOfTheWest welcome - and noted on the science expertise front - thanks!

I don't have any advice regarding English support/revision materials (DD's school has so far only asked us to purchase a copy of each of the three texts they will be studying, ideally in an annotation-friendly format) but if you mention the exam board your DS will be using, someone may be able to offer specific advice. There are some English experts on MN, though they may not be reading this thread (tagging@MrsHamlet who is often so helpful!)

@AnnieAverage welcome!

I don't have any advice on timings for getting a tutor, but my DD similarly lacks confidence in the chemistry teacher she has been allocated. Her current plan is to manage it herself by comparing notes with friends that have different teachers, and also to use the CGP workbook / revision guides and any online resources to try to fill in any gaps herself.

No idea if this will be enough, but I'm pleased to see that she wants to manage her own learning rather than expecting to be spoon-fed everything at school. Whether she'll actually do what she says is another matter... we'll keep an eye on it in Y10.

@Lindy2 I’m in the opposite position as dd is taking triple science and Fine Art. The workload seems terrifying to me but she says that’s what she wants.

@RosieRivetingAgain speaking from perspective of someone who was bullied,
it’s still possible to ace your exams whilst dealing with those tough social situations. But for your dc sake I hope it does settle down and there’s some respite so dc doesn’t dread going into school every day.

Hello can I join? Dd looking forward to Y10 at a good comprehensive. Brain rot over the summer recently compounded by binge-watching a Netflix series she has fallen in love with (“over 700 hours mum - I’ll watch it all before I’m back to school!”).

So far only half her timetable has been released and she has a ropey teacher for maths but a great teacher for Spanish (her weakest subject). She was planning on maths A level so I hope this won’t drag her down. Most of her top set maths class already have a maths tutor and driven by academic ambitions of their parents so I doubt they will notice the impact of a bad teacher. I’ll be back here I’m sure to find out what is the best time to get a tutor on board - I’m happy to invest but I know dd will seethe if I imply she is not capable of doing it all by herself (why did I get one of the stubborn independent kids?!).

I know dd is capable of good grades, neither of us mind too much if she doesn’t hit those grades but it would be nice to give her a fighting chance!