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Secondary education

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

Original poster

How much work outside of school hours for 6th form?

26 replies

ShellingPeasAgain · 12/09/2015 20:59

Went to DS's 6th form information evening this week. They were recommending 30 (yes 30!) hours of extra work (including homework) outside of school time to maximise the boys' changes of doing well at A level. Really? That's a 55 hour week when you include their 5 hours a day at school. Surely that's not necessary? It's an SS grammar so able students. DS is currently doing his WTF, no chance, face.

OP posts:
titchy · 12/09/2015 21:59

No that's silly. Dd is expected to do roughly 8 hours prep and 8 hours homework a week. 16 taught hours so 32 in total. She gets an hour free period each day so that takes care of some of it unless it's at the beginning of the day and she has a lie in

Leeds2 · 12/09/2015 23:36

My DD is in U6. I do not honestly know how much she did last year, or what the school recommended, but it certainly wasn't 30 hours of extra work. That seems to me to be insane!

MissMillament · 12/09/2015 23:41

We expect our sixth form students to do about 20 hours a week - some of it will be done in their free periods but we do expect some outside that. Does your DS have any frees in his day?

Original poster
ShellingPeasAgain · 13/09/2015 08:33

Not many free periods (2 a week) as DS is doing 5 A levels atm - that's another insanity. School regards maths and further maths as 1 1/2 A levels so they 'encourage' the boys to choose another 3 subjects for year 12. DS is coping so far but is probably only doing an hour or so after school and a bit at the weekend.

OP posts:
Helenluvsrob · 13/09/2015 08:42

Hmm I dunno but that doesn't fit with what my elder 2 did I dont think. Dd1 for instance spent evenings tues , thurs and half of sunday singing ( plus extras)and it was maybe twice we had to say homework not finished as say it was xmas and we'd had 2 school concerts as well as choir.

Dd2 hasn't had a full week back as they had a residential for 2 days this week. She's only got music this weekend apparently.

MaddyinaPaddy · 13/09/2015 09:01

Does that include private study periods? I doubt D's did more than 7 hour s a week and all As with average ums of 95%. He is doing maths and sciences though which I think are easier

cressetmama · 13/09/2015 09:16

DS's school suggest at least five hours per subject, between homework, revision and reading around, to be fitted in at home and in free periods. Twenty hours per week, but they are building them up to it gradually. Only maths teacher has set home work so far.

Abetes · 13/09/2015 10:34

Dd's school say 5 hours per subject per week - that includes homework do if no homework set they should be reading around subject, consolidating knowledge etc

Kez100 · 13/09/2015 12:02

I expect it's become a ridiculous number because of the lack of frees and the private study for 5, not 4.

FuzzyWizard · 13/09/2015 12:07

If he's doing 5 A Levels that's likely where the 30 hours is coming from. I'd say anywhere between 3-7 hours per subject per week out of class is normal depending on the time of year and whether it is AS or A2. If he's doing 5 subjects they won't have as much contact time per subject as in many schools. This will mean the amount of work they need to do outside of class will be higher. You are right that 30 hours is a lot in total though.

BackforGood · 13/09/2015 15:14

dd's school (and same for ds when he did his, but at a different school) said approx 5 hours a week of study time, for each subject - so around 20hrs for most folk, 25 for your ds.
As others have said though, some of that can be in free study periods as most A-level students don't have a full timetable.

ISingSoprano · 13/09/2015 16:06

Dd's sixth fo college recommend five hours per subject per week as a minimum.

oreosforlunch2002 · 13/09/2015 16:28

Only 5 hours of school a day? 30 extra hours study would be like staying at school until 5:30, then the equivalent of a half day on Saturday and Sunday. If you want to do well at A-levels, it sounds reasonable. I guess it's just about how important you think it is. I know kids can be lazy but sometimes they need a kick up the a*s.

Personally I think if you want 4 A*'s and to get into oxbridge it's essential.

SueDunome · 13/09/2015 16:45

This time last year, ds was in Y12 embarking on 5 ASs (inc FM). I was shocked at the amount of work he was putting in, working until 10pm most evenings throughout the first term. He worked his socks off and gained very impressive mock results in December. He then relaxed over the Christmas holidays and started again in the New Year, producing equally impressive results in the Second Mocks in March. When it came to revision for actual exams, I was a little concerned as he definitely was not putting in as many hours. I was assured by his Tutor that he'd done the groundwork and knew what he needed to do, and she was right. There's a massive difference between GCSE and AS and putting in the extra hours from the beginning is extremely important.

SheGotAllDaMoves · 13/09/2015 17:10

We've been told around 25 hours of lessons plus 15 hours of independent study. So a forty hour week.

But mine get no study periods in L6 so have to do their 15 hours in the evenings/weekends.

titchy · 13/09/2015 17:11

Might want to check your maths there Oreo - staying till 5.30 would be an extra 2 hours a day, so 10 hours Mon to Fri. That leaves 10 hours studying to get in on both Saturday AND Sunday. Hardly half a day each....

Balance of work and play vital imo.

AtiaoftheJulii · 13/09/2015 18:05

My daughters' sixth forms said an hour at home for each hour of lessons. Dd1 definitely wasn't doing that much, dd2 probably approached it. The earlier they start on consolidation/reading around/extra practice, the easier it will be next summer.

Rosieposy4 · 13/09/2015 18:24

Yep, an hour at home for every hour in class.

TeenAndTween · 13/09/2015 18:42

We've also been told the hour for every hour thing.

But as there are 'frees' in the day, that does not equate to all the hours being done at home. DD has 10 non-timetabled hours, so she should be able to get quite a lot done at college.

AtiaoftheJulii · 13/09/2015 19:04

Yes, I should have said "an hour independent study" which is what school said!

SheGotAllDaMoves · 13/09/2015 19:10

Crikey if DC do an hour for an hour that would be 50 hours.

Eek!

Given they have no free periods that is a lot of late nights!

BoboChic · 14/09/2015 07:11

Not English system but, IMO, a useful anecdote: my DSS2 just finished Lycee in Paris. He took the same course/subjects as DSS1, two years ahead, at the same school (bar one very insignificant subject difference in an option). The teachers were largely the same. And the two of them got almost identical marks in their bac.

However, DSS2 put in far less work than DSS1.

So I think that general advice on how much individual study time is required needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. The important thing is to keep on top of everything from the start. Catching up when things have started to slide is very hard at this stage.

Cloud2 · 14/09/2015 13:12

Agree with BoboChic, children would be really different regarding how many hours needed to study. Like DS1's school advise 1 hour homework each day, some children only take half an hour a day but still in top of the class, but some may take hours everyday to keep up.

KingscoteStaff · 04/10/2015 10:24

DN has been advised to spend the same hours on independent study as he has teaching hours.

So - 6.5 hours teaching time for History, 6.5 hours independent study a week.
5 hours teaching time for French, 5 hours of independent study a week.

etc.

He is aiming for v. high grades in mostly essay subjects, though - don't know if that makes a difference?

GinandJag · 04/10/2015 14:05

DD is doing 15 hours a week for five subjects.