Year 10 DD swamped by work and no time for revision

[JugglingMummyof2]

DD1 is in Year 10 at a nice but not super selective state school. She has always been in Set 1 and is described as quiet but bright and hardworking by all her teachers. Last parents night she was said to be on target for 7's & 8's subject to continuing to progress at the same rate.
She has exams in two weeks and had a study timetable all worked out but the homework keeps on coming and the topics they are covering in class now will be on the papers. I can see she is starting to panic a little as the last two nights she hasn't managed any revision ( 3.5 hours of homework last night, 3 tonight - all new material).
So can I please ask if this is normal? The school are making a big deal of these exams and how only the top students will be able to stay in the best groups/do triple science/study further maths. Advise please.

Gosh - just noticed the typos ( first thread) and I would like advice not to order someone to advise me!

All I can suggest is to reassure her that it will be the same for all of her peers presumably.

My DD is in Yr10 and at an Independent (not super selective) very sporty school. Homework stopped this week because she has "Mocks" before and after HT (thankfully HT breaks up the two weeks and they are also allowed study leave - so not in school when they dont have an exam). Last week some of the homework was intense - French was the main issue...DD also stated that Biology teacher was feeling pressure because instead of having some revision classes she was still covering one or two topics that had not been covered....Other subjects they are having revision classes and actually running revision periods during lunch too (where perhaps pupils have missed or are not secure in certain area's). It seems to be a little muddled - in terms of I know they are way ahead of the syllabus in some subjects- Physics and Chemistry but a little behind in others ...

Same sort of pressure in terms of these tests will predict what grades they are looking to achieve ..although I would have thought that triple science and further maths would have been decided at the commencement of year 10 ....

I wish my daughter would buckle down to revision - that is why the homework has been taken away but she's still not putting in the effort I would like to see (her words and actions are at conflict!)....

Good luck to your DD with her exams ...

Thanks for your comments.
To clarify triple science and further maths were decided at the beginning of Year 10 but they have been told that they will not keep their places in the top groups(and so continue with that path) unless they do sufficiently well.
French was the main issue in our house tonight too but there has not been any revision lessons at all and exams start on the 22nd May - new work in all bar RS and Chemistry.
Good luck to your daughter too - I am starting to feel stressed too - Lord knows what I will be like this time next year....

It is hard - I dont know how much revision DD should be doing each night ...like I said its a roller-coaster - where DD will state that she is going to a revision class at lunch time (or a workshop - for an area she is unsecure in) but I will ask if she's gone to the revision lesson and she hasn't!
More annoying is that she's been encouraged to go to the Rounders lunch time session next week (she is NOT sporty and NOT in a team) and she thinks this is more important than going to the History revision class - History is her weakest subject !

I think speaking as a teacher, one of the main issues is that we really don't have much idea what next year will bring for current year 10s.

That is, we know what the content of the exam will be - but we don't know what they need to do for a level 8 tbh.

I have a middling group of year 10s (I teach MFL) and their targets range from 5-7. Hmm well we just marked their mocks (done after Easter) and we really really don't know where to put the grade boundaries. We have asked other schools what they are doing and used percentages and more or less made it up.

So what I am saying is, this explains the pressure; we want them to do as well as they can. For MFL, can I advise your DC to mug up on some basic phrases for speaking and writing that they can adapt as needed (so French: on peut.../il y a ... j'aime/je n'aime pas... and lots of opinions adjectives etc so they can say or write something relevant; and revise vocab on topics they have done so they can recognise what the question is asking - one of my students wrote a long answer about her house, but I was asking her about homework!)

Thanks Clary - I believe DD's French teacher has given them the same advice and whilst my DD whinges - I dont think her teacher could do anymore ...I think they all got a little stressed out because I think the teacher was trying to cover 4 conversation topics when only 3 are needed because they need to talk about 2?. My DD is NOT that strong on French (has potential but not turned on my languages) but she did get 100% in the oral exam - so the only way she is feels she can go is downwards... She is sitting IGCSE so will have a A-G grade next yr.

Oh OK I don't know about IGCSE spec at all so maybe take no notice of my advice!

In AQA GCSE which most schools will now be doing you have to talk about a whole range of subjects and in the final exam will need to cover all three "themes" (which themselves each include I think 4 sub-topics)

Thank you so much clary. That is very helpful. Now I wish I could show DD this thread but wonder if she would be offended that I have described her lovely school as 'nice but not super selective'.
Yes French was the very long homework - specific vocab to be used and the instructions to write a long paragraph on 7 mini topics.

It is great to hear it from the teachers perspective and very impressed by your DD's 100% oral result lottysmum.

OP I have a DD in Y10 at a superselective who had mocks last week and this and has been able to do almost no revision because of being away at Easter, various sporting commitments and a three day weekend away in the middle because of a team competition. I suspect her results will be some way short of her predictions (almost all 9s) but she doesn't seem worried if she's not hitting targets - I'm not sure she's been threatened with moving sets though, which I don't think she'd like. She's certainly not swamped with work or feeling pressure though, in answer to your question.

That is good to know goodbye. Given it is a super selective school if they are not giving them much homework then maybe 'our' school are over doing it. Given your DD is predicted almost all 9's though I wonder if she is so bright that she doesn't need to work so hard - is it a state school or independent?

Juggling I think they might be being a bit too free with the 9s!

It's a state school and I think by the sounds of it your DD's school is overdoing it. Of course a lot is to do with individual constitution too - this DD is my eighth DC at the same school and none of the older DC have ever been completely snowed under or given signs that they in any way oppressed. If your DD can possibly relax a bit about it that can only be good.

I feel your pain. Our son's "mock" year 10 exams are next week. A last minute Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition is being done on Friday and Saturday, so that's 2 lost days of revision. The idiot English teacher has just set them an essay which he wants handed in on Monday morning. They are doing "projects" GCSE which the teacher has just announced he wants completing for handing in on Friday (so Thursday because of the DofE) (previously he'd said June but has now changed his mind). So, that's basically no revision now until Sunday, and the exams start Monday. It's the same every bloody year, teachers leave things to the last minute and then set a load of work when the kids should be revising. To make matters worse, the English teacher did the same thing last year but never even bothered marking the essays!!

Goodbye - 8th DC? I am in awe - you really have read the book and got the tee shirt. No wonder you are chilled out as you have probably seen it all before any many times over.
Bad - having read that I won't complain so much. Your poor son - what a week ahead for him(and you).
I would send you wine, gin and cake if I had any idea how to attach them.

I feel your pain. DD only in year 8 but getting lots of homework, plus revision for end of year exams. I don't know how they expect the girls to fit it all in.

Oh and a bloody georgraphy project to boot!

Hi Peanutbutter. My DD2 is Year 8 (very chilled out child but now at a super selective state so feeling the pressure a bit) but has very little homework and all about revising for the exams which are after half term. Such a contrast really.

No projects here but DD2 did spend 6 hours one weekend a few months ago making a Shakespearian theatre stage out of a cardboard box - it even had battery powered fairy lights ( very authentic!).

DD1 feeling better now as only 30 minutes homework last night so she managed to get a few hours done. Great to hear from everyone - keep it coming - I'm finding it very therapeutic.

juggling DS in y10 will be on study leave during the exam week. As it happens, because of his options, that gives him two free afternoons and one full day free to revise in the week. Will your DD have that?
Homework has been less these days but hasn't stopped. Most of the homework is the kind that supports revision though.

No sadly hardboiled she needs to be in school at the same time each day and the only free session she has is Friday morning before French in the afternoon.
Things are easier here as they had only 45 minutes homework over the weekend so she got 6 hours done yesterday and two this morning and is now lying in the garden with DD2 planning the latter's party in July.
This time two weeks it will be all over bar the Sciences.