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Secondary education

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

Original poster

End of Year 7 Exams

33 replies

wheresthebeach · 03/05/2016 15:27

Just wondering how much revision per topic is 'standard'. DD still getting homework, so revision is on top. It just all seems a lot to do at the moment!

OP posts:
pasanda · 03/05/2016 18:25

Have school asked her to revise also?

My dd is in Year 7 and tbh, neither of us have even thought about revising yet

Getting her to do homework is hard enough!

lljkk · 03/05/2016 18:44

We were sent home a 5 page letter in late March about the importance of the upcoming exams (late April/early May) and suggesting the kids should start revising then, hence the reason for almost no more homework this school yr.

I had conniptions & banned DS from any revision until the weekend before actual tests. He has done about 20 minutes on each subject, usually night before, & has felt fine about each exam so far. They seem to be exactly the same as other assessments earlier in the year, so a 45 minute test covering most recent material, not covering the whole year, for instance.

DS has a good memory and we are not highly ambitious; nor is it a "selective" school. DS is in top set for a few subjects.

ihatethecold · 03/05/2016 18:49

I didn't realise they did have exams in year 7!
My Dd hasn't mentioned anything and we haven't had an email about it.

NewLife4Me · 03/05/2016 18:51

Mine hasn't mentioned anything about exams Confused
I didn't realise either.
i just presumed next exams were KS3 in y9

Yankeetarts · 03/05/2016 18:53

When mine where year 7 they did about 30 mins the night before,also they have exams every year not just from year 9

TheDailyMailareabunchofcunts · 03/05/2016 18:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lonecatwithkitten · 03/05/2016 19:17

DD is year 7 they were encourage to start one revision at Easter to get into good habits for the future.

Original poster
wheresthebeach · 03/05/2016 20:23

School has asked them to revise. Various amounts of info re: exam content depending on the teacher. Science and maths appear to be the entire year content in the exam.

My mind is boggling!

OP posts:
Heifer · 03/05/2016 20:28

Just asked my DD if she has end of year exams, yes, but not been ask/told to revise yet and she "thinks" they are in a few weeks.

I think they will be just like her normal termly tests that she seems to have after every major topic. If so, she will be asked to revise a few days before.

Casbotsproudmum · 03/05/2016 22:07

My dd and I had just had a bit of an argument regarding the revision. she was sent the test schedule last week and I'm really not looking forward spending time with her that week! Full on with 3 tests per day for 4 days. She started to revise this weekend but haven't really been told how to revise which now created an argument as I told her she had to read through the notes at least 2-3 times and try to memorise them and then I will ask her questions based on them. Up until now she only read through them once and I ended up spending 20 minutes basically telling her the answers.

Elibean · 04/05/2016 10:14

At dd's school, they have tests every half term and these seem no different. They are asked to revise a couple of days before, and do some revision work in lessons leading up to the test....its pretty low key.

But at my nephew's school, exams are a huge deal and they are set the following year accordingly. He spent the Easter holidays revising - well, he was meant to!

It does vary school to school...

TheDailyMailareabunchofcunts · 04/05/2016 11:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 04/05/2016 11:54

I think learning how to revise is probably the important lesson.

Lljkk's method works for children with a good memory even up to GCSE. It can come unstuck at A-level though.

How much you do depends on your DD and how much the school use the results. I would definitely be laying the basics of good revision techniques even if you only spend a night or two on each subject.

Original poster
wheresthebeach · 04/05/2016 12:21

They use them for setting next year. I'm not sure what % of their end of year mark is based on exams vs coursework. It seems a big deal, they are definitely trying to get good revision techniques established now. It's five days of three exams a day which I think is pretty heavy going at 11.

OP posts:
sydenhamhiller · 04/05/2016 14:46

Interesting thread. DS in Year 7 at a grammar, and it seems a bit full on. On the whole, he has a lot less HW than his friends at a local boys comprehensive and an academy. But there's been an email home to parents with the exam time table (exams over 2 weeks), and one from the head of science which is 4 pages of topics they should know for the science exam alone. Four.

I don't think my parents even knew my O level time table (showing my age), nothing about what I was doing at Year 7. And I went to an International school in NL, where if you did not pass the end of year exams, you had to repeat the year.

I am going to encourage about 20-30 min revision per subject but leave it at that: he's very diligent, but can get very stressed. He is very resistant to me trying to suggest revision techniques, (what would I know after being tested every year of secondary school, and 9 finals in 3 weeks at the end of 4 years at Uni Hmm ) so I really hope school is covering this...

FlyingScotsman · 04/05/2016 14:52

We have exams here too but no info at all re said exams.
It looks like they will be the same sort of thing than the normal evaluation during the year. They are also quite spread out.
Some are happening now, some won't happen fur another month at least.

Agree about my parents not Bering as involved as that. I'm happy to do so with dc1 when I know they aren't fooling around and are taking things seriously.

NicknameUsed · 04/05/2016 14:53

"I didn't realise they did have exams in year 7!"

I thought all secondary schools had exams at the end of the academic year, every year. They do at DD's state comprehensive. They use the English and maths results to set for the following year. There is a lot of movement between sets during their time at school - up as well as down.

Exams at DD's school are usually just before the May half term. The academic year ends in the third week of June and they start the new academic year for the last four weeks of term. This is increasingly common in schools now. I think it is a good idea

ihatethecold · 04/05/2016 17:54

I've asked my Dd but she isn't aware of any exams as yet.

randomparent · 04/05/2016 19:54

We got the following from DD's school and so are somewhat relaxed about it:

"While it is important that your daughter prepares herself well for the internal exams, she should not attach so much importance to them that she gets anxious or stressed about her performance. Girls cannot fail the internal exams – there is no pass mark. Making mistakes and unpicking areas where there is misunderstanding can be much more useful than doing exceptionally well. The girls’ marks are not compared and we do not refer to an individual girl’s performance in class when exams are gone over. These exams are not a test of the relative performance of girls ... I would be grateful, therefore, if you can work with us to reassure your daughter and reiterate the message that these exams are mainly an opportunity to develop and to practise exam technique."

Original poster
wheresthebeach · 05/05/2016 11:00

Great school attitude Random. Takes the pressure right off.

We've had nothing from school apart from 'they are happening, you need to revise'. Feel an email to head of year forming in my brain....

OP posts:
NewLife4Me · 05/05/2016 22:22

I think the schools should tell the parents what they will be tested on and when.
it surely can't take long to compose one generic note for each class and send in group email, text or even a slip of paper.
I know some children and parents would still not bother, but they'd catch those who are unaware who would support revision.

Cleo1303 · 06/05/2016 12:28

My daughter is revising three subjects every day - 2 x 30m and 1 x 40m. This is in addition to homework.

She is very enthusiastic which is amazing because when she was preparing for the 11+ she loathed every minute she had to revise. (Oh, the rows.) Long may this new phase last!

They do three or four exams a day for four days.

Original poster
wheresthebeach · 06/05/2016 21:53

Cleo I think that's what my DD's school expects her to do. The only way this is possible is if I cancel her after school sports clubs for however many weeks' revision lasts for. I suppose she could go to bed circa 9:30 but she'd be a zombie.

OP posts:
Hexor · 06/05/2016 22:30

No exams apart from y10 and y11 matter at all, just saying

Cleo1303 · 06/05/2016 22:49

It's only for three weeks but I'm not forcing her. She is very enthusiastic. She gets a few days to hand in homework so is doing most of that at the weekend.

The school she goes to is "busy". Loads of the children are in from 8 until 5 because they want to be. Many are also involved in school activities over the weekend - sometimes both days for eight hours - not all year round obviously. The ones who do this are happy and keen on what they are doing. Not every child does this. Some come in at 8.30 and leave at 3.45. That is fine and what they want to do.

Other children leave at 3.45 and then go on to out of school activities - ballet, sports training etc.

I'm just delighted that at the moment DD is keen on revision and it only has to last for three weeks.