Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Year 12: Is everyone else's kids getting on fabulously?

70 replies

andagainandagain · 03/10/2014 14:29

A month in to Year 12 and AS levels. Dd is struggling to keep up, finding it hard to manage her time with workload, and generally not doing well. This is a big shock for her, she's never felt anything like out of her depth before. She got A* or A at GCSE in each of the subjects she's doing now.
She says all her friends are fine and nobody else is feeling like she is.
I wonder if this is true, or whether she has just lost her perspective on things.
Anyone facing a similar situation out there?

OP posts:
secretsquirrels · 03/10/2014 14:39

She most certainly won't be alone.
DS2 just started Year12. He has heard all about the jump from GCSE to AS from his brother and was prepared for it. Nevertheless he is shocked by how difficult some of his classmates are finding it. For example they had a test on the first 3 weeks of Chemistry. Many in the class got a U. These were students who got A* at GCSE.
Some tips from DS1 which DS2 has followed;
always do all the questions on the topic, even if the teacher doesn't ask for them.
Revise for every little test as it it were an exam
When a topic is complete, do some past papers on it.
A topic you did in September will be in the exam next June. Keep going back and revising it don't wait for the teacher to tell you.

Original poster
andagainandagain · 03/10/2014 16:15

Thanks for that, secret, and for the tips.
Dd has handed in an essay today that she knows is no good, that is a horrible feeling for her. she has asked the teacher for help, i keep reminding her that that is what the teacher is there for.
Dd's friends with a couple of kids who are in the High Acheivers stream, which isn't helping her in comparing herself to those around her.
one of her closest friends - who's also a lovely girl!! is in high acheivers, got 11 A*s at GCSE, is ahead with all her work and has now got a part time job too. She would make anyone feel inadequate!

OP posts:
BrendaBlackhead · 03/10/2014 17:57

ds is finding it rather difficult to adjust - and he has always done well. He hated one of his subjects and had to change to another, which was a bit of a drama. The mark for his first essay was awful - but then so was everyone else's. It's good in a way that they're being tough on them, but ds seems to have lost confidence and was in a state last night over how he was supposed to structure an essay.

I am trying to find some guidance for him on the web.

Fruityb · 03/10/2014 17:59

It's a HUGE leap and many find it a massive shock to the system. It takes a while but she's by no means alone. It's the hardest jump education wise. She'll be fine once she gets into the swing of things.

secretsquirrels · 03/10/2014 18:08

They are tough on them especially in the first 5 weeks. DS has 5 week tests in every subject next week and questions are asked if they don't do very well.

Roisin · 03/10/2014 18:49

It is a big leap up in many subjects and some students do fail to make the transition. But if they got decent grades at GCSE, they should be able to manage with the right support. Check that he form tutor knows she is struggling a bit and they will help her get on track.

productive use of study oeriods is important. ds1 (in yr13 now) transferred from another school after a bug family relocation, so he knew no-one. This meant the temptation wasn't there to just hang around in the common room and chat, so he got into an early good routine of making the most of his free periods and lunchtimes, so he then had less to do at home.

The pace is fast though: this term is the big one in terms of teaching time. Some subjects aim to teach 2/3 of the course by christmas, hence the regular tests and assessments as the first units may be complete already! All the more reason to make sure there's support in place to help her to cope.

At our school parents and students are positively encouraged to email subject teachers direct with any issues.

LIZS · 03/10/2014 18:51

It is the volume of work rather than the level demanded which is the difficulty, especially weekly vocab tests.

mumslife · 03/10/2014 19:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mumslife · 03/10/2014 19:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
andagainandagain · 03/10/2014 19:35

Good to hear those replies, thanks everyone. Dd has had a bad week. we are also going through a family bereavement at the moment so things are tough enough for her and it's easy to lose perspective. Your replies have made me feel like she will make it through Flowers

OP posts:
mumslife · 03/10/2014 19:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mumslife · 03/10/2014 20:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MsHerodotus · 03/10/2014 20:54

Please can I join in?
DS got all A* for GCSE, but is still finding the step up to AS hard to adjust to. He was/is normally a sunny boy, but at the moment seems tense. we are being low key, not interfering, hoping he will relax a bit when he gets to grip with the new way of working...

TalkinPeace · 03/10/2014 21:23

Its a HUGE leap
DD has moved from school to college and is tired beyond belief and has joined sets where she is middling rather than top

bumpybecky · 03/10/2014 21:35

dd1 got b's at gcse and it doing four essay subjects at as. She claims everything is fine and she's getting good marks on essays so far, but I've seen very little work going on at home. I know she's got study periods at school, but would be surprised if she was using them effectively!

I'm intending to sit down and go over her organisation, filing, note and folders with her this weekend. We had a meeting at school this week and they said organisation is v important....

mumslife · 03/10/2014 22:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BrendaBlackhead · 03/10/2014 22:25

good to hear these stories. It's funny how some dcs seem to be lapping up the change and others seem overwhelmed - and it's not dependent on academic prowess, either. Also ds has gone from a ten minute walk to school to an hour's bus ride to sixth form college, and a 3pm finish to a 5.30 one. He is absolutely shattered!

MorvahRising · 03/10/2014 23:57

What a relief to find this thread! DS is exhausted and utterly overwhelmed with work. He is just about keeping up but never seems to have any time when he isn't working! He got 9 A*s and 3 As for GCSE and so he was horrified to get a C for his last chemistry test, and he's feeling very unconfident about maths.

Glad to hear this is all normal!

secretsquirrels · 04/10/2014 09:11

Another one who is shattered here. He has to leave the house at 7.30 and gets home at 5.15 so his school day is 2 hours longer than it used to be. He came home exhausted yesterday. not that that stopped him from staying up until silly o'clock last night playing online It seems to be the early start that affects him most, I told him it was his teenage body clock Grin

DS is coping with the work, as I said upthread his older brother had prepared him to some extent. He's not naturally enthusiastic about study but seems to have got off on the right foot. He has designated each of his "free" periods to a subject and makes a start on homework. There is still work to do when he gets home though. It's a lot for them.

Phaedra11 · 04/10/2014 09:15

DS1 is finding the increased work load tough. He's moved from a school where homework was rarely set, to studying five essay based ASs (plus General Studies) at Sixth Form College.

He's been getting good grades and feedback on work completed so far and is enjoying the classes, with the exception of English Lit, which has been a disappointment to him. He doesn't seem to have gelled with the teacher, doesn't seem to get his teaching style and hasn't made any friends in the class. The teacher keeps moving the students to different tables which doesn't help! English Lit was his favourite subject last year, but the different teacher seems to have made all the difference. Apparently if a student comes up with an answer that the teacher doesn't agree with, he ignores them and waits for someone else to come up with the answer he's looking for. This is very different from his school teacher who would take everyone's responses seriously (and then maybe steer them in another direction in a subtle way).

Although he's finding the other subjects and teachers great, he seems generally quite down at the moment and says he doesn't know why.

mumslife · 04/10/2014 09:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

secretsquirrels · 04/10/2014 09:35

Phaedra11 Five AS plus GS seems a lot. DS1 did 5 science and maths subjects for AS and had no life in year 12 the workload was so high.
Does he have a mentor or tutor he could speak to about the English? The teacher makes so much difference. Is there any chance he could switch classes? If it's a very large 6th form they might just be able to accommodate him, I've heard it done before.

mumslife · 04/10/2014 09:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mumslife · 04/10/2014 09:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Roisin · 04/10/2014 10:00

5 essay-based subjects is a huge amount.
ds1 did 3 sciences, maths and further maths (plus GS) at AS, but there's a lot of overlap between the subjects and if you've a genuine flair for the subject sciences are not as time-consuming as essay-based subjects.

He dropped one subject at the end of yr12; there's really no need to do so many.

Swipe left for the next trending thread