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Original poster

Year 10 parents evening - such pressure to get As and A*s, when a C is a pass

150 replies

BigSandyBalls2015 · 22/01/2016 09:23

Sorry if that sounds defeatist and lacking in ambition for DD. She's doing well, she's taking 11 GCSEs and she's on target to pass all of them at C or above, but last night the pressure was seriously on for her to achieve the As and A*s that are her predicted grades at the end of year 11.

This is more for the school isn't it? Their figures/data. DD doesn't want to go to uni, she's not sure what she wants to do really at this stage. She hates studying, we have to nag and bribe and confiscate to get her to do anything, and she's a fairly anxious teen, so I've been backing off a bit.

These As and A*s that are 'predicted' are solely from the results of her Year 6 SATS, it all seems madness to me.

Considering she is doing well, I feel that last night was depressing and disappointing from the teachers point of view, as she isn't doing as well as school believe she can.

I'm late 40s now and there was never any pressure like this when I was at school. And I'm sure there was far less anxiety, depression, self harm etc amongst teens.

Am I wrong to back off and let her find her own way.

OP posts:
Alfieisnoisy · 22/01/2016 11:09

But yes.....I will agree that aiming above does make a difference. If she aims for A and A* then all her grades are likely to be better tan if she aims for a C.

If she won't study and doesn't want to then it is hard to make her do so.....but her life won't be ruined. It just means she will achieve some things later than she might have wanted to.

briss · 22/01/2016 11:09

no alfie this isnt about your son
its about a girl who is predicted A*s getting Cs

people have often said if you are predicted Ds and Cs to get Cs is brilliant.

Alfieisnoisy · 22/01/2016 11:14

No I agree that aiming high is better ...that was drummed into me at Uni...if you coast and just aim for C's the margin between that and a D could be small.

Draylon · 22/01/2016 12:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BlueBelle123 · 22/01/2016 12:34

I would tell her it doesn't matter what grades she gets but what's important is that she tries her best so that when she opens that envelope in August she can feel proud knowing that she gave it her all regardless of what it may contain.

TeenAndTween · 22/01/2016 12:35

Predictions based on y6 SATs aren't much help.

What were her levels end of y9? Roughly
High 5/Low 6->C
Mid/High 6->B
7/8-> A or A*

These results will be with her for life, and employers do look back at them, especially Maths/English where she should aim for best she can get. (and at least 5s in new grades but 6s if that is doable)

If she is capable of Bs she needs to be aiming for them at least because a profile of Cs restricts her options for 6th form. Many Schools/Colleges require a certain grade profile to attend, and some A level subjects tend to require minimum Bs (or even As) to continue on.

So yes you can progress to A level / Level3 BTEC with 5Cs, but you will have a hell of a lot more options with 8 Bs, and even more with 5 As and 5Bs.

My DD worked her socks off to get her Bs and Cs. But we/she didn't want to get to results day and say 'if only I'd worked harder'.

If you haven't already, I suggest you visit some 6th form / college open evenings to see the range of courses on offer and see what lights her interest.

Draylon · 22/01/2016 12:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TeenAndTween · 22/01/2016 12:38

Yes to Bluebelle

OhYouBadBadKitten · 22/01/2016 13:07

If you think back to how different she was 4 years ago, it is entirely possible that in 3 or 4 years when she finds her 'thing' that she will be really disappointed that some doors are closed to her because she didnt study hard.

Its about balance. I dont think aiming for all a*s is balanced, not when you look at how highly you need to score in some subjects. But aiming for an A/B if you are capable of them is a sensible goal.

howabout · 22/01/2016 13:18

Would you consider discussing with your DD and getting her to concentrate on English, Maths and anything she wants to pursue to A level? Leave her to it for her other subjects.

I would say studying 11 is the problem more than being expected to excel in everything you are capable of.

I have a DD same age. We are in Scotland so she is doing 7 and will drop down to 5 for her Highers. This makes much more sense to me than going from 11 to 3.

That said my experience from my DDs and me and DH a very very long time ago is that for GCSE doing consistent classwork and a couple of weeks revision before the exams should be enough to get an A and if it is taking more effort than that then the next level may be a struggle.

My definition of "coasting" may be different from some but as long as mine go to all classes and do the hour or so of homework a week they get I don't push.

Babelange · 22/01/2016 13:58

Your DD's school don't sound as though they are providing you with very nuanced information. One thing I have noticed is that they haven't really 'taught' them revision techniques so I'd look out for any advice the school give you or your DC about supporting them - reading through a revision guide is not high quality revision.

Does the school usually get a lot of children to mostly A*s or As? You can usually check your school's performance online and then think whether your DD is an outlier and underperforming or whether they are being unrealistic.

I am getting a slightly different message from DS's school - his Y10 parents' consultation is in 2 weeks; he had L5s in Y6 and good CATs (highest centile for non-verbal recognition), spent Y7 & Y8 in top sets for English and Maths then got bumped into second set for maths and third set for English! He's an arts and humanities boy and was mighty cheesed off (the English set I queried... and queried as he was getting higher grades than the set above). He got a 7A (and consistently for all but 1 of his end of term assessments) at the end of Y9 and is back in the top set for GCSE.

His targets for English and Maths are As, 2 x As for Biology and History and the rest Bs including 3 subjects he has chosen. When we talked about it he thought that these were rather low - he is doing the work and is conscientious so I want to make sure the teachers understand his commitment. He is honest with himself though; he is unlikely to get As in Physics and Chemistry. I had the same experience at school; I got 3As, 5 Bs and a C (old style O Level) - when the school told my parents how delighted they were, DM told them that I was disappointed not to get 5As and 4Bs.

Alas none of us have crystal balls. But you are right in focussing on your DD; mental health is so important - a good starting point would be to say that it is not ideal not getting good grades (B+) but there are always plans 'A' and 'B' (college, different school, apprenticeship). Interestingly DS's school 'model' the receiving of results for the Y11s in the school hall with all their friends with their mock results so that they can really engage with how they might feel in the summer - and at this point it isn't too late to knuckle down. Some DC just learn the hard way (not looking at you DS2 Hmm ).

Babelange · 22/01/2016 13:59

Your DD's school don't sound as though they are providing you with very nuanced information. One thing I have noticed is that they haven't really 'taught' them revision techniques so I'd look out for any advice the school give you or your DC about supporting them - reading through a revision guide is not high quality revision.

Does the school usually get a lot of children to mostly A*s or As? You can usually check your school's performance online and then think whether your DD is an outlier and underperforming or whether they are being unrealistic.

I am getting a slightly different message from DS's school - his Y10 parents' consultation is in 2 weeks; he had L5s in Y6 and good CATs (highest centile for non-verbal recognition), spent Y7 & Y8 in top sets for English and Maths then got bumped into second set for maths and third set for English! He's an arts and humanities boy and was mighty cheesed off (the English set I queried... and queried as he was getting higher grades than the set above). He got a 7A (and consistently for all but 1 of his end of term assessments) at the end of Y9 and is back in the top set for GCSE.

His targets for English and Maths are As, 2 x As for Biology and History and the rest Bs including 3 subjects he has chosen. When we talked about it he thought that these were rather low - he is doing the work and is conscientious so I want to make sure the teachers understand his commitment. He is honest with himself though; he is unlikely to get As in Physics and Chemistry. I had the same experience at school; I got 3As, 5 Bs and a C (old style O Level) - when the school told my parents how delighted they were, DM told them that I was disappointed not to get 5As and 4Bs.

Alas none of us have crystal balls. But you are right in focussing on your DD; mental health is so important - a good starting point would be to say that it is not ideal not getting good grades (B+) but there are always plans 'A' and 'B' (college, different school, apprenticeship). Interestingly DS's school 'model' the receiving of results for the Y11s in the school hall with all their friends with their mock results so that they can really engage with how they might feel in the summer - and at this point it isn't too late to knuckle down. Some DC just learn the hard way (not looking at you DS2 Hmm ).

Babelange · 22/01/2016 14:00

oops site crashed briefly Blush it was long first time - sorry!

noblegiraffe · 22/01/2016 14:36

It's not just for the school, your DD's teachers will need her to get her As and A*s too or they can say goodbye to any chance of a payrise next year.

Everyone is so in favour of performance related pay for teachers, forgetting that it is not the teachers but the kids who have to actually perform at the end of the day.

Chopchopbusybusy · 22/01/2016 15:29

For those who think 11 is too many it's a normal number in English schools.

TeenAndTween · 22/01/2016 15:39

ChopChop That's as maybe. Doesn't mean it is sensible though.

How does it serve a child to get 11Cs when maybe by only doing 8 or 9 they might get a number of those Cs up to Bs ?

At DD's school the standard was 10.5, with the .5 taken y10.

She dropped one after mocks and it was the best decision ever. She was able to focus on the other subjects and I'm convinced dropping the subject got the English Lang over the pass threshold and bumped at least 2 others up from Cs to Bs.

Bolognese · 22/01/2016 16:14

lol, noble is always on about teachers getting paid more, guess what she does for a living!

In ten years time which would you rather hear, the cries of your DD not able to afford her own house because she doesn't have a well paid job due to lack of qualifications. Or, thank you mum for making me working hard on my GCSEs when I was dragging my heels, its really helped me get on in life.

I am sure there is one child who fails all their GCSEs due to lack of effort, then goes on to tour the world before starting a financially lucrative career in something, but I would not risk my child's future on winning that lottery.

noblegiraffe · 22/01/2016 16:21

Confused I'm not on about teachers getting paid more, Bolognese I'm pointing out that intense pressure being put on students by teachers to achieve their target grades is a natural consequence of performance-related pay. Expect to see more of it in the future.

Along with good kids not being moved up a set because a teacher wants to hold onto them for their value added.

Lonecatwithkitten · 22/01/2016 16:39

As someone who trains students who are on a variety of different post -18 learning programs what I focus on is she doesn't know what she wants to do currently. Working hard and obtaining a mix of A*,A and Bs will leave far more doors open to her than a mix of Cs and maybe the odd D.
She should be encouraged to work to give herself the widest possible range of choices,

homebythesea · 22/01/2016 16:51

chopchop 11 GCSE's is not normal in the independent sector

whyayepetal · 22/01/2016 17:19

Hi OP. I have a DD now in Y12, and what you say makes a lot of sense to me. DD's school (state comp) does a "working at" grade as well as target grades, and we found these much more useful. Explained to her that there was a strong element of fiction in the target grades for various reasons, and got her to focus on working to improve the "working at" grades little by little as these were more realistic. She did fine in the end, and came through the whole thing with mental health and sense of humour intact. Good luck to your DD

neuroticnicky · 22/01/2016 17:19

I have friends whose DC have failed to get offers at the unis of their choice because of Bs in their GCSEs and -even if your DD doesn't currently want to go to uni- if she is a bright kid it seems to me the school is justified in getting her to aim for all A*s/A s. I suspect a B in GCSE is probably equivalent to a D in the old O levels which (as I know from personal experience) generally meant one was not doing much work in a subject..

neuroticnicky · 22/01/2016 17:38

I should have added for those too young to remember that (before GCSEs) a CSE Grade 1 -the highest grade- was treated as showing that the student could get at least a C in O levels.

TeenAndTween · 22/01/2016 17:40

neuro I suspect a B in GCSE is probably equivalent to a D in the old O levels which (as I know from personal experience) generally meant one was not doing much work in a subject.

Sorry, I can't let that pass.

A very able child might be able to get a B with little work. But many, many children, including my DD have to work incredibly hard to get Bs / Cs.
Plus, although I think some aspects of GCSEs are easier than O levels, there are others which are harder, e.g. sources in history, or the in depth textual analysis in English Lit.

Chopchopbusybusy · 22/01/2016 17:45

Teenandtween I was simply replying to those posters who wanted to know why she was taking 11 - as though there was a huge amount of choice in the matter.
Homebythesea not sure it's relevant what independent schools do. Again, there isn't really a choice. At DDs school there were very few exceptions made to the number of GCSEs taken. Only really if a child had learning difficulties which is not the case in the OP.