GCSE 2018 no. 6: stress, struggles and success (hopefully) *Title Edited by MNHQ*

[mmzz]

New thread for GCSEs 2018

Wow mmzz that's ridiculous to be emailing pupils late at night like that. I've said it before but this thread really is an eye opener into the differences between schools. Sorry if I've missed it but is your ds at a grammar or Indy? It seems do different to the way my dd's school is approaching the exams. They are delighted when the kids turn up

I'd also be recommending a few sick days at this stage. Even if you are honest and say they are for his mental health.

Dd had a night off last night for McDonald's and The Avengers. Back to it tonight. German speaking test next Thursday. For those who have already done it - did your dc just learn stock answers to questions or did they revise any other way? Dd is doing well on the main set of questions but I thought they couldn't get away with that any more

MMzz - I think the DC's at your DS's school are going to be worn out by the time they get to the proper exams....they do appear to be taking a cramming approach. I would be tempted to do what Bluebelle suggests and would have probably kept DS off school today so he didn't get all the homework for the weekend (unless they send that out by email too) and so that he can have some breathing space.

I received a slightly whinging email from DD's MFL teacher about her not attending a clinic on Monday and I just bounced it back stating that DD was working really hard out of school and I was proud of how well she was doing in MFL (considering she asked to drop subject in Dec)...in fairness there was a nice reply back stating that DD's turnaround was most impressive...I wont have DD unnecessarily pressurized...

We appear to have a "new boy" on the scene so I have informed DD its all fine providing she continues to revise until 8.30...he is also sitting his GCSE's too - so hopefully all will be well!

Mmzz the school may be panicking about results as people say but it sounds like their emails are out of control! I was feeling hassled by all the usual revision class type ones but they are nothing like that. DS says his English teacher is running revision sessions in Tutor time.
Hope Sostenuto dgd is now fully restored - it's a lesson for all of us - I can imagine she's a bit fed up having to remember to drink all that water!

mmzz I really think a late night email demanding attendance before hours the following morning crosses a line. Was it actually sent after 10pm? And has the school ever suggested that it's a good idea to get plenty of sleep? Because no teacher should be assuming that the students are up and working at that time of night.

I have never in my life faked an illness, but I agree with others that it may be time your son acquired a sudden "tummy bug" so he has some breathing space to get on top of things. Or alternatively, could you use the email as an excuse to fire off a response spelling out just how much the school is currently sabotaging the efforts of a conscientious student?

DD1's school is operating a "Passport to the Prom" system, whereby the students have to chalk up a certain number of revision sessions and home-made revision resources in order to earn their ticket. I kind of admire whoever came up with the concept as it's hitting the reluctant students where it hurts. But I'm fascinated to see if they do actually prevent anyone from going!

DD1 is fighting against it a bit because she is finding that she has to go to sessions just to get her card stamped. But on the other hard, she's learning quite a lot about being tactical. She was despairing about producing "yet more" English Lit resources until I pointed out that it would be perfectly reasonable to print her quote bank on four separate sheets of paper - one per work - and call that four items!

mmzz my way of dealing with that would be to say DD4 had gone to bed and not seen the email. What a crazy thing of the school to do.

The email arrived at 10:23pm, so yes, after 10.

That's outrageous. And perfectly acceptable to ignore on the grounds that it came through too late.

KickBishopBrennanUpTheArse DS is at a state comprehensive. The school does really well in the league tables, but I've always felt that it was indifferent to challenging the higher performing students like DS.

Top set class sizes are all 33+, whereas bottom sets are about half that size (apart from the very bottom set that only has 7 or 8). Homework for the first 4 years was negligible - maybe 30 mins a week, or less, for KS3.

Revision classes were started in October, but only for the struggling students. Then they were opened to everyone in January, but the topics were so basic that DS found them useless. In any case, by February half-term each dept had decided that they only wanted the lower sets at the revision classes, so they emailed everyone and said that unless your name was on the list, you'd be turned away if you tried to go to a revision class,
Then, suddenly, just before Easter, they've added new revision classes, often overlapping each other and the more able students must attend.

Everything was manageable until two weeks ago. The lessons are really good - mostly revising exam technique rather than knowledge - but each teacher seems to assume that the DC are revising their socks off each night, and then they set tests and past papers to identify weaknesses which they address in the revision sessions. The issue is that there is so much of this type of homework, there isn't time for any actual revising.

That was my first reaction last night i.e. a stop-the-clock sick day, but DH and DS were strongly against it.

DS wanted to go in because he says what they are doing in school is actually useful (and if he doesn't hand in the Biology past paper today that he slaved over last night, then it won't be marked).
DH just never thinks a day off is a good idea.

I am walking a careful path here, because I can see that DS is going to struggle to get everything done on time, unless the school eases up immediately (i.e. highly unlikely), but I keep reassuring DS that all will be fine to stop him from panicking, which would interfere with his ability to revise even more.

Dd has been off sick the last couple of days - she’s still not right but has gone in today.

The late night email is ridiculous. We have a no devices after 9.30pm rule in our house so it would not have been seen.

She says that all content has begun covered so lessons are all revision based now. Ds’s English tutor did tell me this week that another local high school still havnt finished one of their literature set works!

Morning everyone

Ds's school has cancelled PE to concentrate on revision for RS, after that English. They said to let them know if we have an objection. I strongly suspect they are worried about the results this year especially as it looks like they will not do well with progress 8. It looks like they will lose their outstanding.

Sorry to hear of the stress your ds's school is causing mmzz. I have never heard of a school emailing a pupil late at night like that.

My ds is stoically getting on with it; he was very grumpy last night and said he just can't get his head round English comprehension (he can, but the stress is getting to him). He is not feeling confident at all I tried to help but he just said "some people have got it, but I just haven't" and stormed up to his room. Then he was back in the study later on carrying on with some Science. He is looking tired and pale.

I hope eveyone is bearing up the best they can?

Id be strongly objecting. At Dd’s School the dancers don’t do PE but at. Ds’s school they say it’s been proved excercise helps you concentrate better & improve grades do theybdo extra early morning laps of the Astro.

Really sounds like your DSs school is slogging them too hard too close to the end, mmzz. Hopefully they won't get any walkouts or breakdowns in the exams due to stressed children. I think your DS is lucky to have such a caring mum looking out for him. Well done.

An evening off for my DS tonight. We've worked Friday nights off into his revision timetable since the Easter hols. He and his brother are having a couple of friends over for the night. Not too worried, though, as DS has always been that kid who goes to sleep early and gets up early regardless of anything else going on, even sleepovers. (All those early mornings in toddler years paying off).

Back at it tomorrow.

mmzz email later than 9pm: IGNORE

Looks like they’ve just realised the new courses mean their previously top scoring students aren’t as secure as before. Not fair to pile the pressure on now though. They should realise most schools will be even less prepared. The very nature of the courses - broader with more content suggest they can’t knowvevrtything to the same detail which in theory is a god thing ? Aldo i wish schools would realise that applying this across the board pressure risks damaging the conscientious ones and has little impact in those that are never going to work that hard anyway. At best the dc won’t take anything in or be able to recall it if they are stressed and loose confidence and risk jumping around from one thing to another rather than sticking to a clear plan - at worst - well I don’t want to go there.

Can you let your dc know you will support him in a day at home next week if he needs it and pick a few papers either in the subject he is least bothered about or that he knows best and insist he doesn’t do them. If he is getting his target grade consistently in papers does he need to do them all - and can you mark them for him and just go through the bits where he had dropped most marks,

I have the opposite problem where ds having done some revision now thinks he knows the stuff and is switching off whereas it is very superficial knowledge he can’t apply to the questions. He s lovely but dyslexic and laid back to the point of prone is not a good combination for gcse s.

DD was working until 11 last night, because she realised after working on her Spanish that there was an English task she had forgotten about. I don't think she has ever had an email from school, certainly not at that time of night. Any homework being set is based around the topics they will be revising in the next lesson to give them a chance to get more from the classroom session.

Kick The MFL teachers have given them all a list of topics which may be covered in the speaking exam along with a list of around 30 questions (which will then lead into more within a conversation). DD is trying to learn as many as possible before next Thursday.

Teen Our passport to prom simply means no detentions, behaviour points and unauthorised absences. I don't think there would be more than 20-30 at prom if they had to attend revision classes!

Alex Year 11s were given the option of dropping PE after Christmas unless they were taking the GCSE. DD plays tennis and coaches 3 times p.w. so I think she gets the chance to clear her head and run around then. I regret her giving up swimming last year, as I tend to use the time slogging up & down the lanes to think & ponder, but I don't miss the early starts. All the pro dancers and here though are obviously a different case.

A sneaky day off for me - loads planned but ended up with DS(11) off sick, so not been anywhere.

@mmzz - that is bonkers level of stress for your DS - they cant force you to attend before and after school sessions - I would be saying that the email wasn't seen until too late in the morning to be in early. Our kids need quality sleep and downtime and decent food. DD has done 3 afterschool sessions this week, but that is enough for me.
We had extra revision sessions for the more able students back in February / March and needed to be invited to attend, and now the ones are for everyone who feels the need. Seemed a better way of doing it.

I agree with @kickbishop with the differences between schools - we are up north and a normal comprehensive school, with decent results - one of the good ones in the local area, but I do think the teachers pile the stress on the kids so they can keep their jobs.

@achickencalledkrma - same here with the Prom - you need a 95%+ attendance. Don't know what DD is currently on but she has had two days off since Christmas. It was reset at Christmas, so those who had a poorer record were back on track. Nothing stamped but just the usual attendance through registers. It would be good if attendance at revision sessions added to your quota.

DD English Teachers are pushing her to get a 8/9 and are trying to figure out what she needs to do to get that. She is very able in these subjects, English, RE and History, and I think the difference will come with exam technique and understanding where the extra 2-5 marks will come from. I hope this isn't too much pressure on her personally, but she seems ok at the moment.

@Donotbringlulu - PE hasn't featured around here since Christmas, apart from those that want to do it. They were given the option (or decided for themselves and the teachers just went along with it) to do revision in those lessons, with the choice of actually getting out and doing some sport if they wanted to. She doesn't like PE so she is happy!

Total of 26 exams from 14th May to 15th June - need a big chart to cross them off!

DS2 is taking the day off tomorrow and we're going to the Imperial Festival. Lots of science-related talks, shows and exhibits; I'm really looking forward to it. Knowing him, he'll bring some revision to do on the tube, so it's not a whole day off.

DS2 has had nothing like the level of compulsory revision sessions described on this thread. He was told to go to three of the lunchtime geography sessions on offer last term (he chose the three about exam technique, one for each paper) and that's it. 1.5 hours in total.

Hopefully DD's English went ahead today it was changed yesterday so she could go to Computer Science revision session at lunchtime...she was due to be doing English Presentation followed by French Presentation at lunch.

Just one more week in school before she breaks up...oddly enough I don't think there is a mountain of revision still to be done (except History) - she has been steadily plodding away - I think every lesson in school is revision so that's 60 plus hours plus the odd session at lunchtime/after school... I cant remember any of the sessions being compulsory either - although most of the time all the girls have attended the sessions.

I keep on thinking no more uniform and then have to remind myself that she needs to wear uniform for exams!

DS attempted to go to his first revision session (they are not compulsory) this week but he said it was full so as it was lunchtime had a kick about with his mates instead

Car is now exam ready even if DS isn't (yet) its had a service and passed it MOT I'm very proud as its getting on a bit

So of fed up with internet where I am. I keep trying to get on and answer people sigh! Anyways enthusiasm is wearing thin here too though dgd is staying on an hour for biology revision class after school.

Think by what I've read that everyone under strain as the exams get nearer. I've decided not to worry anymore because no matter what dgd gets I will still be proud and know she tried her best. I think that worrying about whether the DC get an8-9 instead we should think as long as they pass and get the grades they need is better for the dcs mental health ( and ours too!) But its only my opinion. Everyone wants their DC to be superdoopa but I think a happy DC mentally and physically is much more important, again only my opinion. Think my outlook on things is changing after the last few weeks.

I agree Sostenueto - they can only try their best. DS2 will be disappointed if he doesn't get the grades to do the subjects he wants to do at his first choice sixth form, but it won't be the end of the world, and he has back-up offers.