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Secondary education

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

Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread 2

986 replies

HSMMaCM · 24/03/2015 20:24

New thread ..... (DD not sure about the prom dress she has bought!!!!)

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TheWordFactory · 01/04/2015 08:39

Another day another dollar, amigos Grin.

DS called last night. The winds were bad but the sun shone. 20k and no blisters! Apparently maths genius only got them slightly lost.
Hope today is the same.

DD has asked for an 8.45 wake up call.

The timetable tells me she has planned Spanish (vocab), Chem (C1), Maths (checklist), French (speaking), English (Inspector Calls).

I have lots of food in the house. I have chewing gum. I have diet coke and fizzy water...come on!!!!

TeenAndTween · 01/04/2015 09:22

Word Glad trip is going OK, but you do know they aren't meant to phone or text or listen to electronic music while doing DofE don't you? If caught they can be disqualified.
I told DD that navigation should be the responsibility of all of them to keep checking - it's too important to leave to one person.

That's a good revision plan for your DD. After Easter I'll be helping my DD do something similar. Science and maths in the mornings, English and MFLs later in the day when more tired. How long each day is she planning? DD did 5hr days in Xmas before mocks which I hope she will manage again. That still leaves afternoons free for going out and about.

TheWordFactory · 01/04/2015 09:30

teen they were told they could all take a mobile for emergencies (for example, on DD's second day they walked miles off route and had to call in to the check point to let them know) and could call home each night.

A portable charger was on the kit list.

TheWordFactory · 01/04/2015 09:33

Sorry posted too soon. Hope they don't get into bother!!!!

DD is planning 5/6 hours per day during Easter. Essentially running along her school timetable, with changes as felt necessary. She wants her evenings to chill, she says.

She has made no plans for the next two weeks.

CoffeeBeanie · 01/04/2015 09:41

I knew I shouldn't have read this thread. I'm almost crying now. DD has done maybe 30 mins of revision since Friday and about one day revision in general.
My thread is somewhere in Chat.

I think I may give up on getting her to work, and ignore her. It's not doing me any good being angry all the time. I'll focus on my other children instead.

TeenAndTween · 01/04/2015 09:45

My DD is struggling to get through to tomorrow. Tonight she's got drama performance dress rehearsal which will go on until 10pm or so, and Thursday she has MFL CA. So then she's having 4/5 days off to relax (we're going away but not too far) before getting going. I need the break too Grin .

Amazed they can call home each night, we were led to believe that was definitely not allowed! (but yes had to take phone for emergencies).

TeenAndTween · 01/04/2015 09:46

Coffee Take heart that they will have been doing revision in class, and maybe she'll get into it after Easter.

thenextday · 01/04/2015 09:48

We have both GCSE and a level revision happening in my house. Shock
To be fair , they are both working hard and self motivated. Balancing revision with pinot grigio and Baileys milkshakes in dd's case, and lots of Nandos in ds's.

Husband and I divorced those month and am proud of how they're just getting on with things.

CoffeeBeanie · 01/04/2015 09:50

T&T they have mainly done past papers in class, expecting them to fill the identified gaps at home. Hasn't happened afaik.

TheWordFactory · 01/04/2015 10:09

coffee try not to worry.

DD maybe gung-ho in her attitude but actually has had little time to revise thus far.

End of term was a smorgasbord of matches/parties/choir concerts etc then she went straight of onto expedition.

Today is her first proper day. We'll see how she gets on Grin. She's eaten a chocloate chip brioche with caramel spread and a banana, so should be bursting with energy!

OddBoots · 01/04/2015 10:23

At the time it felt a slightly patronising waste of time but at a parents eve in Feb the head teacher ran a session for parents and students to do together, there was a talk to start with explaining when the school expected as a minimum from the students and a bit of research summary about (variously) sleep, electronic devices, distractions and study/revision methods.

Then there was a worksheet to go through, parents with the student about the ways a parent can help the student study and what kind of help the student wanted from their parent.

The student set their own targets for the timing and type of activities they would do then had to say how they wanted supporting in doing those things (eg snacks, quiet space, any materials they needed) and what they wanted their parent to do if the parent noticed they were not doing what they planned (answers were open ended but different students said 'nagging', 'take away my xbox', 'sit with me and help', 'just remind me then leave me alone'). It made a kind of contract.

In retrospect I think it was quite a useful activity as I know what ds is aiming to do and what he wants from me and I know I have the school's backing to limit what I can do to the things discussed then. The head is a very knowledgeable one with a research background who said that by this age any extra parental pressure will not help so we should save our energy.

doglover · 01/04/2015 10:26

My dd is away on an orchestra residential for the first week of the holiday. I've told her to take no school work and just have a fun-packed 7 days. She's a good solid student - not a high-flier - but I think she deserves a well-earned break before returning to the grindstone!

This is probably rather controversial!

TeenAndTween · 01/04/2015 10:32

dog Sounds very sensible to me. Once they start they need to keep going until 2 or 3 weeks after next half term so many will need to recharge their batteries after the solid 2 terms of y11.

Fairenuff · 01/04/2015 11:02

Ds's plan to stick to his school timetable is working really well. He did make me laugh yesterday when I asked him what subjects he'd revised and he said Chemistry, Spanish, PE, History, English and RE. I said 'What on earth did you revise for PE?' and he looked at me funny and said 'You saw me Mum, I put on my shorts and t-shirt and went for a run' Grin

So he is taking his timetable quite literally, getting up at normal school time and taking his lunch at the usual break time. He likes this because he gets it all done by 3.30 and has loads of down time in the evenings.

They all like to do it different ways and whatever works for them is best to go with. This is the boy that liked to do the bare minimum before and never put in full effort on his homework. It's changed because he's taken control of it but it was touch and go for a while.

One thing that has worked in the past with reluctant homework/revision is giving them jobs to do instead. I've said to him in the past that he can either spend an hour revising or an hour cleaning and let him choose.

I've also taken away privileges, electronic devices and stopped doing favours (such as giving lifts) in the past to try and motivate my dcs to take some personal responsibility.

Another thing that helped was talking about breaking down homework/revision into manageable chunks. Sometimes it can just be too overwhelming to know where to start. All the sciences break down into 3 separate papers, RE has two papers, History has 3, etc. and it's a lot to organise. Revision guides can be helpful here, as the book can be split into sections.

Anyway, just some things that seem to have helped in our house with both A levels and gcse going on this year.

Well done to your dc's Word, it takes some courage and dedication to get through the DofE awards Smile

bigTillyMint · 01/04/2015 11:07

There seems to be a whole range of how much work they are doing! DD is going into school for revision sessions 10-2.30 AFAIK (am away, but on my way back!) and then some at home I think. Don't want her to burn out, so happy with that and no pressure to do more!

ErrolTheDragon · 01/04/2015 11:43

word - is your DS on the practice? They may be allowing them a bit more leeway than they would in the assessed re phones (esp given the weather!). They're quite strict on the assessed I think. Last year's bronze, the route took them right by one of her friend's house, they got grilled a bit whether they'd stopped there at all (nothing more than a pause to talk to friend's horse!).

It's changed because he's taken control of it

That really is what makes the difference - they really do have to take responsibility for it themselves. All we can do is support, and that sometimes means backing off. We had something like the thing oddboots described, it was useful - for one thing it meant that everyone was on the same page, they couldn't pull the 'everyone else just does x and stays up till y on FB' type line. If nothing else maybe this thread provides evidence that revision hours equivalent to normal school days during the holidays is about what schools expect (6 hours per day for 10 of the days is what DD's recommended as enough but not too much) and what other kids actually do manage.

TheWordFactory · 01/04/2015 11:48

errol yes it was the practice for both of them. Maybe that's why they can/could both call.

The real thing for DD is in a couple of weeks, DS is after the exams (far more sensible IMVHO).

HSMMaCM · 01/04/2015 15:09

Fairenuff - living the idea of going for a run during pe. DD had been in her room allegedly revising. We booked a weekend away in the middle of the hols, so she could have a break.

She started booking sleepovers and said she thought it was ok, because we did it Grin.

Anyway. I'm sure she's already done loads of revision Hmm.

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ErrolTheDragon · 01/04/2015 15:51

fairnuff - wondering if your DS is dutifully setting aside an hour to ponder his citizenship duties. Grin Agree that allocating PE time to a run is a really good idea though!

Just bumped into DD in the kitchen - looking wistfully outside at the wind and saying she's really looking forward to DofE and sailing/windsurfing, but that it'll seem a bit odd come the summer when she can do those things but not have to work all the time! (not that she's actually working all the time, of course)

SugarPlumTree · 01/04/2015 16:18

Very impressed with the DOE stuff and Fairnuff's DS' s revision ! Quiet day for DD today but she did a lot yesterday and is going into school tomorrow plus Maths tutor.

I'm a but flappy as my nephew to be born imminently on the other side of the world at 35 +4. So to divert myself I shall show you DD'S dress that arrived earlier.

Year 11 GCSE Exam Support Thread 2
ErrolTheDragon · 01/04/2015 16:46

Lovely dress, sugar!

SugarPlumTree · 01/04/2015 16:48

Ooo, I am an Aunt ! He seems ok thank goodness and so is his Mum.

bigTillyMint · 01/04/2015 16:56

Lovely dress and congratulations!

SugarPlumTree · 01/04/2015 16:59

Thank you Smile

dingit · 01/04/2015 19:35

Oh another short dress, is that her wearing it, she looks lovely sugarplum.
Dd had a melt down today, not sure if it's a coincidence she's been at school for 3 hours doing French Hmm