To be livid that year 11 DS thinks 4-5 hours/week homework/revision is enough for GCSEs?

[Hotdaisies22]

DS in year 11. Bright boy but has always been poor at doing homework at home despite being well set up for it at home (quiet desk space etc). Does his homework at homework club after school -Mon - Thurs max 5 hrs week (thats only time homework club room is available at his school). We're having conversations that he now needs to up his game these next few months before GCSEs and start studying /revising at home extra time. Getting massive push back and causing a lot of friction. He thinks what he does is enough and no intention of doing more "at the end of a tiring school day" (he only has a 20 min journey to school). What are other year 11s doing? (I'm trying to have conversation with his school on this but so far they've been rubbish - no reply!)

Agree with this

I couldn't care less in school, did no revision, didn't get great grades but went on to do a degree when I was ready to do one. Too much pressure will put him off.

DT’s did their homework at school - compulsory to do it at school. They did an hour a night Mon - Thurs and and extra half hour a night in the six weeks before their GCSE’s. They both had music lessons each week, sports and a social life. They both got all A’s.

My dd's in years 4 and 6 do might than that a daymake a revision timetable? Focused on creating that with his social/ hobby time as reward for knuckling down.

I'm kind of amazed at how much work is now expected of school kids... When I did my GCSE equivalents, I just did my homework with no extra study at all. And then I'd only start revising outwith school a week or so before each exam, because at the end of term we would get revision classes. I didn't even do four hours a day or whatever is being suggested for my advanced highers... I now have an engineering degree so it all worked out well. I feel if I had to study so hard at GCSE level I would have lost my interest in academia tbh.

3 hours a night having probably been out the house since 8am? When exactly is there time for other activities or exercise? Home around 4ish, right back to work at 4.30pm, maybe stop to eat for 30 min and carry on until 8pm? You really think this is healthy? I got really good grades, I didn't do this, ever. I was tired after school, I doubt I ever did longer than an hour at home. I revised for exams but I was never working all night afterschool, my parents never once told me to do more work. My siblings also got high grades too.

Context is also that we have made big sacrafices for his education (spend our family savings on 4 years private ed at smaller school as he was having problems at his large comp school during/after covid).

I must also say that, whilst I can totally understand your frustration, any sacrifices you make for him should never be with an assumption of a return. You did it FOR him, and it’s his life to succeed, cruise along in, or seek greatness. He doesn’t owe you anything as that’s not how it works. I know you didn’t say he owed you, I’m just pointing out that your sacrifices have no bearing on it unfortunately.

do more than that a day.

ffs I need an edit button. 🤦🏻‍♀️

That's about what my son did last year when he was in year 11. Possibly less some weeks. That's an hour a day 5 days a week. Don't forget that every single lesson in year 11 is geared towards studying towards the exams. He also did an hours study in afterschool clubs Monday to Thursday. Also Saturday morning school and breakfast clubs later on in the school year. They were also open for a couple of hours in the easter and half term holidays. With all that in mind 4 to 5 hours a week was absolutely more than enough. Also down time is very important too

I'd except more in the final term but four hours a week seems a lot for the rest of the year. They do work hard all day in school, too!

@LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet What does your DS hope to do next year OP? In 3 years time? In 10 years time? Arguably, he might be more motivated to study for his GCSEs if you let him get a NMW job stocking supermarket shelves for 10 hours a week?

FFS why would anyone even expect a decent answer on that from a child?!

And also if he got a shelf stacking job he’d probably think it was great because he’s earning money doing east work and having a really good laugh with new friends.

Pwoplw need to realise their standards and fears for their kids aren’t necessarily the same as what kids have for themselves.

....I'm not suggesting that OP's DS has same 'fears' as her. Or that he has some arch career plan. But there's going to be a difference in level he needs to apply himself to GCSEs between the answers being A levels/BTEC in childcare & work at the local nursery/apprenticeship and train as a plumber. Or do a degree/get a job at the gym/go into retail. Or become a lawyer/engineer/doctor/vet and run my own food/carpentry/construction business or work in retail.

And if a minimum wage job now fulfils

Mine did more than that certainly after Xmas in year 11 and got all A/A* and straight 9s respectively .

BUT they also had weeks where they didn’t do much . They played sport , were in drama productions , learnt an Instrument went on school trips and chilled with friends. One did his Dof E practice expedition and downloaded all his lit books and listened to them on shared headphones whilst walking. Their school is a huge believer in the busier you are then the more effective the work time is and it seemed to work . That said they did a lot of revision & practice questions at school and didn’t really need chasing or nagging. The most important time I think is the Easter break, those who get ahead then do well once the exams start.

The biggest help though is being in a friendship group where it’s normal to work hard, they just did the same as all their friends so didn’t feel bad about it or get especially stressed because it was normal. They also knew that as long as they did their best that was enough, they are just exams they don’t define you .

oops, fulfils all his social, monetary & aspirational goals, yes, maybe it is OP who needs to adjust her expectations rather than DS?!

Have you spoken with the school about what they'd be expecting at this stage, @Hotdaisies22 , and why they've given the predicted grades they have?

I'm not 100% sure what the current grade system translates into in 'old money', but if a genuinely academically bright kid is being predicted low grades (is a 4 still the equivalent of a low C?) then I'd be concerned - not necessarily just about exam results in a year's time, but about what's happening more broadly with their education, health, friendships. Without an idea of what underlying issues could be there, a one-size-fits-all approach of "study more!" could miss the issue altogether. If he has a form tutor or pastoral care teacher, maybe speak to them about your concerns?

My previous school strongly recommended against this. Suggested small bursts of revision in 30 min sessions, keeping up all hobbies, exercise and seeing friends, as balance is so important.

Bog standard academy in under privileged area but their results were through the roof, 2nd highest in area and way above national average. Even beat last years TAG grades which Gov said was highly unlikely to happen often.

25 hours per week would actually be detrimental to many children’s mental health, would cause them to shut down & overload them, and this in turn leads to them hating education and ultimately causing them to disengage at college or sixth form.

Balance is everything. Work smarter not harder. Focus revision on needed areas and exam method. Then switch off and have fun.

I could spot the burnt out over achievers a mile away in the exam room poor things.

My DC does lots of music and still some sport, about 3-4 hours revision every Sunday and about 1.5 hours of homework on a week night, Friday evening off. Saturdays is more of a day “off” (in reality loads of music/orchestras etc), max 1 hour work on a Saturday so I guess about 10 hours every week. DC says they revise vocab/formulas from revision cards in short bursts on trains etc To be honest, I think my DC is doing loads and I have no idea what they are actually doing! Always been ambitious though so I assume it will turn out just fine.

I did way more than that at his age but I enjoyed learning and really wanted to do well. If he doesn’t then by year 11 it’s probably up to him, it’s his grades. The secondary school near me finish at 3pm, which is 20 minutes earlier than my 4 year old. “Long, tiring day” my arse.

More than plenty at this stage and I got mostly A*s with a couple of As and it wasn’t that long ago (2015). I also had undiagnosed ADHD.

It’s better if he paces himself and he sounds sensible

four hours a week seems a lot for the rest of the year.

I have to say I really do find it extraordinary that some people think 4 hours of work a week is ‘ a lot’ in year 11.

It really is no wonder that so many DC do not reach their potential in this country. There is a culture of low expectations and low effort in too many schools.

The one proviso I would say to some posters is that the reformed GCSEs are really not comparable with the old ones. The content is massive and turgid and there’s no coursework and a ridiculous amount of exams at the end . Also very few resits . Ds took 10 and had 27 exams over 6 weeks , which in my option is a very sad inditement of our education system

My son is 11, not year 11, and has an hour and 20 minutes commute to school.

@AnyOldThings

Of course there shouldn’t be an assumption of a return on investment in private schoolX the very least the OP should have the right to expect is that her DS works hard.

You can’t expect him to revise in November for exams in June. Presumably he will have mocks around Christmas and they are always the wake up call. My son did very little, his mocks were mixed, he didn’t pass them all but he didn’t do that much work. He is not super clever but he is not stupid, he’s somewhere in the middle. He did work for the real exams, with ‘encouragement’ and passed all 10 with decent grades. I would say relax a bit, Easter is the time to nag. I think the mocks will do the work for you!

Is he completing whatever homework he's set? Does he understand the work? Maybe no need for remedial amounts of revision.

Ours did 4/5 hours for their GCSE's. There was also directed revision at school. They probably ly had an essay and bit of maths or language learning to do at weekends. Worked hard in the immediate run up.

Did more for IB/A'Levels.

Both took a first from Oxbridge; one has a PhD.

I think many may find that the hot housed child at GCSE reaches their potential at GCSE and doesn't learn the self directed independent study skills to take them all the way.

DS had one or two such friends who hit drugs once they had freedom at university. Just about sorted themselves out now in their late 20s.