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Secondary education

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

Yr 11 support thread - the scaffolding is holding up well

999 replies

pointythings · 22/05/2017 17:00

Because we need a new thread now that things are really hotting up!

OP posts:
readyforsunshine · 31/05/2017 19:01

possum my Dcs take the train to school & its tight. They have the same form time set up & the school is understanding, they have to be. Occasionally trains are delayed or cancelled & a bus is put on for them or I take them, delays happen, it can't be helped. Over the years we've even sadly had suicides on the line, dcs weirdly have taken it in their stride Hmm

PossomInAPearTree · 31/05/2017 19:26

Thanks. Don't know any sixth formers with cars going. Not many kids from our village go to this school. Have just spoken to some people on the town fb page though and some ex sixth formers reckon the school will be ok about it. So am reassured.

GiraffeorOcelot · 31/05/2017 23:40

How is revision going for people?

DS is doing well but seems to have fatigue of past papers now and struggling to concentrate on them. Results almost getting worse.

We need to adjust the method but I don't know how. He has never made any quantity of revision notes so we're on online resources which are varying quality.

Full day off tomorrow then back to it on Friday but any hints very welcome.

AtiaoftheJulii · 01/06/2017 00:00

Ds had the weekend off, then worked hard Monday and Tuesday, but was off again today.

He's using a variety of revision methods - e.g.
Science - past papers, revision workbooks - either answer and check, or if he doesn't know, look it up and write out a model answer.
History - making notes, which could be lists, mind maps or timelines. Flashcards - summaries, and now question and answer flashcards.
RS - mostly bullet point notes.
German - mostly vocab on memrise or quizlet.

RaskolnikovsGarret · 01/06/2017 08:01

DD learns everything off by heart from textbooks or exercise books. Then reads any other material eg notes, then does past papers. She never makes flash cards or uses websites, as she thinks of those as revision 'avoidance' and much easier than the grunt work of learning off by heart. It works for her, but it involves hours and hours of work. Other methods will work for other children.

PossomInAPearTree · 01/06/2017 08:57

Made it with eight minutes to spare.

Draylon · 01/06/2017 11:47

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Quadratilla · 01/06/2017 12:11

Possum Phew! You've proved it can be done and I'm sure that 90% of the time it will all go without a hitch.

readyforsunshine · 01/06/2017 12:15

Easy possum Grin
Ds has done very little sadly, under 3 hours of actual work I'd say, I'm really disappointed.
He was making posters/mind maps, doing past papers, key notes, & I helped him a bit if he'd let me. Mostly sitting in his room making posters with him, reminding him to get back to it as he got distracted etc. Since they broke up he took the w/e off, was out with Dh Monday, took a bit of revision, came home with the intention of doing more but didn't. Tuesday he managed about an hour before going to stay with a friend for the night. They planned to revise but didn't. Yesterday he met another friend & managed about an hours worth of work before catching the train to town to get chipsHmm
I woke him this morning, we are supposed to be getting his prom suit then home to revise. I had to drop dd off, came home, still in bed on you tube. I feel he's completely taking the piss to be honest. Sad
draylon I'm concerned that A levels will not be the best fit for Ds but since he doesn't know what he wants to do he has no interest in anything else. My only hope is that he'll suddenly mature into a student over the summer, he's bright but very lazy.

BertrandRussell · 01/06/2017 12:30

Ds has 5 hours of English revision at school with his super thorough super strict Polish English teacher today. She keeps telling them she would like to see how they survived a Polish school and feeding them chocolate...........

BigSandyBalls2015 · 01/06/2017 12:57

Draylon that's really interesting. I really wanted DD to do an apprenticeship instead of going back to 6th form in Sept but she was very against it. Turns out school have continually presented it as an inferior option and say she's 'too bright to settle for an apprenticeship'.

She's fairly bright but very lazy and I can't see her putting in the effort at A level. She's very little revision this week for GCSEs, preferring to socialise or sleep!

She'd be so much better off doing an apprenticeship in something she's actually interested in.

Quadratilla · 01/06/2017 13:46

DD is mind mapping each section of Biology 2 and 3. This appears to be the final stage in her revision process - except for reviewing those mind maps I guess. She's also doing History and Maths every day in preparation for next week along with Music and German (mostly vocab). She's aiming to work 5 or 6 hours a day and seems to be mostly achieving that since Monday. Lots of writing going on. I think that's how she remembers things. Very few past questions though. Her teachers seem to have covered loads already and she doesn't feel more are useful.

Quadratilla · 01/06/2017 13:54

Sod. I hope that didn't sound smug. Blush I'm a lazy git and am amazed by how much DD is working. She wants to be a doctor so is really motivated. I'll be back on here in two years with DD2 saying how she's out with her mates and hasn't revised at all. I think having a specific career in view must focus the mind somewhat because DD1 is naturally a lazy git too, but really, really wants to go into medicine.

Draylon · 01/06/2017 14:07

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Draylon · 01/06/2017 14:23

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ifonly4 · 01/06/2017 17:10

Ready, was he revising when doing the exams before half term? Hopefully he'll get focused over the weekend with exams fast approaching again. It might depend on how he feels about certain subjects, DD doesn't think she can learn any more re: English now and her exam technique is good, maths doesn't find easy and doesn't think she'll learn much more now other than going over a few things, RE never revised but all work and mocks marked as A*, so I doubt much will be done on these three. However, she does have three subjects next week she wants to do at A level, all fact based so a lot of revising is starting to go into these.

My DH supported apprentices and graduates where he works at one stage. He reckons the apprentices came in with a much better attitude, where willing to learn what the business required, had less problems in the work place and were generally more relaxed people -
part of this may just be the type of person that's attracted to go down the apprenticeship route. He totally acknowledges the graduates have worked hard to get where they are (and I suspect one day out DD will be one of them), but they came in with the attitude they had the qualification, you were meant to look up to them and were more likely to have problems adapting to the job., This isn't' quite his words, but as near as I can put together. I'm not criticising those that go down the graduate route, but an apprenticeship is not to be looked down on.

With regard to revising DD is doing different things for subjects, maths was past papers, others have been mind maps, flash cards, making relevant notes. Personally, I'd have gone down the route of reading, re-reading and making a few notes, but as she hardly revised for mocks, I'm just glad she's doing something. She takes the flash cards to school to look at before exams and so she has something easily to hand if she has just a few minutes.

applesareredandgreen · 01/06/2017 19:39

My DS is doing BTEC sport amongst his GCSEs. It's mainly coursework and he expects a distinction but the 6th form college he hopes to go to doesn't recognise the BTEC as part of the entry criteria even though one of his chosen A levels is PE!

pointythings · 01/06/2017 20:07

DD1's revision has focused on History and sciences - she knows her maths and for English lang she knows what she's doing. School are holding revision sessions for all subjects roughly the day before - confidence boosters, help with formulas, tips on exam technique. So far we've had a nice balance of work and rest.

OP posts:
minesawine · 01/06/2017 22:08

I feel like this half term has set my DS back quite a bit. He was doing okish, but he has got the sniff of PlayStation and it is such s a battle to pull him off it. We had agreed two hours revision and two hours off throughout the day, but after the 2 hours of play, it takes 30 minutes of me shouting before he gets started again. I am now worried that he has wasted a week when he has exams on Monday. What have I done???

readyforsunshine · 01/06/2017 22:10

ifonly yes he was, but only really got to it about 3 weeks before they started. So far they have gone well, except maths, but he has done hardly any history, human geography & his calc maths is weaker than non calc & since the first paper was tough he really knows he needs to work at it- but he won't! He has all this & the rest of the sciences, which are not such an issue, to come.
He wants to do A levels but I'm worried he won't work & will waste 2 years. I wonder if he'd be better directed to btech/apprenticeship but he doesn't know what to do as he's 15 & who does know at 15?! Yes I realise some of you have dcs with plans & that's great, it motivates them, but most of us don't end up doing what we set out to do after all do we? So I sympathise with him, i get it, I just don't know how best to direct him. & its sooo frustrating that he won't work!!!!

readyforsunshine · 01/06/2017 22:13

At least he's done the 2 hours wine 😂🤣😓

gazzalw · 02/06/2017 08:35

Think having half-term in the middle of the GCSEs is misguided TBQH. It has disturbed 'the flow' - DS seems to have been doing about six hours a day but seems to have been having quite a lot of R&R too - and he's still got 17 papers to sit (he's only completed 2/11 subjects so far) with the last week (when I recall we were already in wind-down mode) the one with most exams - how is that right/fair?

On the subject of apprenticeships DS's super-selective holds a parents' meeting every year (a careers one) championing them so don't knock them!

Danglingmod · 02/06/2017 08:45

So does my ds's independent school! They very much encourage what suits the individual: armed forces ; art/music/drama school ; apprenticeships ; employment - all are considered equally valid choices as university.

readyforsunshine · 02/06/2017 09:03

I think 6 hours a day is masses, I'd be really pleased with half that. Which would give him 10 hours of sleep & STILL free up 11 hours a day to do as he pleases.
Yes I agree, Ds grammar do same, I think most do now. I think the 'A levels uni only' is commonly acknowledged to be outdated thinking.

tiggytape · 02/06/2017 09:05

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