Gcse 2018 (10) The one with half term

[Stickerrocks]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3256691-GCSEs-2018-9-Will-we-get-to-half-term-for-never-was-a-story-of-more-woe-than-this-of-Juliet-and-who-is-Banquo

Oops. Can't remember how to link nicely, so this will have to do.

It's just hit me:DS2 will be doing RS GCSE in row years! I can't face it again!

I can spell! This is the iPad autocorrect messing around with my posts!

hmc DS has delayed sleep phase disorder. I used to get melatonin posted from the states. It sort f helped, but not really. Then one night I gave DS a sleep mask from one of those long distance flights packs and it has made an enormous difference.
It's definitely worth a try before going down the chemical route.

DS is 15 too, but what difference does age make? I can see it when they were 5 or 6, but 16 or nearly 16??

mmzz older siblings can be a great help in the revision testing which at least shares the load !!

Oratory there is clearly harmony amongst your siblings

Just finished typing English paper 2 questions for his teacher to mark, Ds is clearly stronger on this paper that paper 1. I'm so impressed with his teacher we send his questions late in the evening and they are back early the next morning and she thanks him for taking the time to do it!!!! DS has asked me to buy her a present which he will give to her after he has done the last english exam.

It's a nice thought Oratory but it's been 14 years and I'm still waiting for a time when DS2 will let DS1 show him how to do something (i.e. admit that DS1 can do something that he can't)! The fierce independence started when baby DS2 still couldn't sit up unsupported and it's never stopped.

Idsisatwat - just worked out your username! Iain Duncan Smith, right?
Anyway, I suspect your DD has long since calmed down after her meltdown yesterday. We've all been there, I suspect.
What works to calm DS down, and get him to refocus, is some logic. He argues against the look at your class test results attempts at persuasion but his revision timetable helps.
The revision timetable has a list of all the topics taken either from the CGP guide or the exam board specification, and I get DS to go through and answer honestly how confident he is about each micro-topic, plus how much more time he needs to learn that micro topic well enough to go into the exam with it. He always looks at the list and panics, but then when he starts going through it, he realises that he knows a lot more than he realised, and also what he needs to learn is manageable.
This approach has worked each time with DS, but, that's because it suits his personality (he likes logic a lot!). Maybe it will work with your DD too?

Cblue yes, yes! To the monotony of conversation these days.

Hi everyone, apologies for not replying sooner!

Yes, she has now calmed down. It’s horrible seeing them so upset. But she came and had a long chat with me (which is rare), so she’s obviously feeling better. Making her favourite dinner helped too I think

Stickerrocks she’s got several case studies, which I know she revised before, and knows a lot of detail. But I think yesterday she was panicking, and decided she knew nothing. BBC bitesize helped.
And I’ve probably got it wrong with higher paper - I just assumed that that is what she’s doing due to predicted grades.

hmcAsWas she’s had a few breaks this half term. All day Wednesday was spent at Cheshire Oaks looking for prom shoes and a dress for the after prom party!!! She could probably do with doing some sport, but at the moment prefers to revise

mmzz lol, yes that’s right. He was my “boss”, not that us underlings who actually do the work ever get to meet the people in charge.
And yes, have done similar with DD as you do with your DS. I think it helps them focus. She was her usual cheeky self last night.
I’d just like it all to be over, but then there’s the wait for results....

Ah that makes sense mmzz 😀. Perhaps it works as they’re older sisters with totally different personalities and strengths. Its been nice seeing them working together. The harmony does have its down sides tho - the total lack of drive and competition in DS hasn’t helped him overcome his issues and means I want to put a rocket behind him sometimes !!

We are back to the same old maths issue: teacher has emailed to say that he's arranged mandatory revision sessions in school next week (despite it being study leave). I think there are about 4 hours of them.
Also he is asking for similar the week after.

DS1 does not want to go. He says the teacher just went round asking everyone what they were stuck with in the mandatory revision session that was scheduled for the hour before paper 1, last week. DS wasn't stuck with anything, so just sat there listening to other people getting help, and giving a bit of help to the boy next to him i.e. It was just like a normal lesson, except DS had to get up an hour earlier to attend. He reluctantly gave it a go last time, but strongly doesn't want to trek into school to do it again, plus the other mega sessions the teacher has in mind.

The HoY called me last time that DS wasn't turning up for the revision sessions. The teacher had asked him to intervene. What this comes down to is the teacher is convinced that DS hasn't been bored out of his mind for 2 years. He either ignores DS completely or treats it like a one-off when DS does well. He absolutely refuses to acknowledge that DS does well every time, or that he finishes exams in half the time and always gets about 95%, consistently the highest in the class. The HoY got a surprise when I told him.

DS could just go and give me a quiet life, but, he's really digging his heels in. I don't want him upset in exam week, and I don't want another call from the school.

It's good of the teacher to put all this effort in. I just wish he didn't make attendance compulsory.

He's leaving the school mmzz, I'd just go with what your DS wants to do - perfectly reasonable not to want to go in earlier and if you have to fend off the HoY again, so be it. Your DS not being upset is more important in the scheme of things. I'm extremely glad DD hasn't got any revision classes at all.

mmzz - what is your DS's exam timetable next week and how do the Maths lessons fit in to that timetable?

Bluebelle - what a lovely English teacher...

I've taken down the revision wall charts in the dining room...DD is with her dad until Tuesday - we just have Maths/History paper 2/Sciences x 3 and DT..when she returns....I'm going to clean out the dining room and find a home for all the unwanted books (probably in a built in cupboard in DD's bedroom which she rarely uses).
Seems really odd to think in two weeks time there will be no more Maths, English,FRENCH,History,Computer Science and probably no DT either has DD focuses on the wonderful world of science ..

Mmzz it's a shame he's got so many doctor's appointments next week

I agree with goodbye. I would take it up with hoy rather than have him waste hours of precious revision or rest time.

Dd is still on full timetable until a week next Tuesday. School are turning a blind eye if they prefer to stay at home but dd wants to go in. She's worried she won't work if she's here on her own. Also she said the teachers are really helping with exam technique.

Does anyone have any tips for last minute English language revision? I thought I could test her on literary terms? Can't think of much else though.

Mmzz I'd be tempted to forward the email to the head of year and say that for the reasons given last time DS isn't going to these sessions because he needs to focus his revision time on other subjects.
Bluebelle your English teacher is lovely - I bet she also loves the fact that your DS is doing all this practice!

Compulsory is fine if there are problems with effort of attainment and intervention is needed. But A) your DS doesn't have problems and B) it's supposed to be study leave now. DS3's school has had 'drop in' revision sessions over half term and DS has attended two on Tues and one on Friday on subjects he felt he could benefit from. For him that was English, history and music. There was a maths session that clashed with music but, similar to your DS, DS3 is confident about maths.

Next week there are 'drop in' revision sessions in school time and after school most days but none are compulsory.

His school did have a few compulsory after school sessions with selected underperforming students between Feb half term and Easter, and the super strict Chinese teacher had a weekly strongly advised session for the whole class. DS3 felt he got some benefit from those, though.

Time to just ignore these sessions mmzz I think. What are they going to do, give him a detention when on study leave? Or phone the HoY if your DS isn't comfortable with ignoring this teacher.

BTW, talking about sleep issues, my DS2 who has ASD, has always seemed to either need much less sleep than average or simply found it hard to drop off. He's always taken a couple of hours to drop off and woken with the lark, 5.30:6.00. Common with ASD but never too severe to need to consider melatonin. But at about age 16 this changed and he now goes to bed still quite late but can happily lie in until midday or later. I assume it's to do with teenage hormones kicking in. It was similar with DS1 but started much earlier, at about 13/14. And DS3 is still up with the lark at nearly 16. Up before me often even on school/work days. I'm waiting to see if that changes like it did with the other two. DS3 is still fairly short but has definitely hit puberty, but I think he got there later than most of his mates. I think the teenage 'slumber' has more to do with the timing of puberty than age, but DS3 is both young in his year and hit puberty fairly late so seems like an outlier.

Thanks for all the replies. It is tempting to just ignore or contact the HoY to say "No". My only fear is what repercussions there might be on us as a family (DS2 has another 2-4 years left doing maths).
The teacher is not a malicious person but he's exceptionally stubborn, and a bit proud. I strongly suspect he'll take the perceived offence badly.
Maybe I'm just being silly thinking that he'd be prejudiced against DS2 as a result?

Teenmum he's got 6 papers next week, of which maths is 1. There are a couple of other revision sessions which DS will attend because they will be useful.
The maths ones are at inconvenient times that would mean getting up early or a special trip into school.

Mmzz sounds very much like maths teacher is insecure and doesn’t know how to cope with someone being more advanced/ better at maths thanks they are.
Can you ring hoy and explain your DS is hard working and not being disrespectful but needs to work in a way that maximises the use of these last few days - lay it on that you appreciate what the school and teachers are putting on etc but make a special one off case for your DS and maths

I’m fortunate that DS should be in lessons on Monday afternoon and wants to work on English but just an email from me to tutor was enough to allow him home without fuss

mmzz I could be wrong but didn't he officially leave school on the 25th May? if so at DS's school they are just given permission to come back into school to sit exams and then leave I don't think they can be laying the law down about compulsory revision lessons when they are technically no longer at the school, remember even if going to school 6th form that is on the condition that certain grades are met its not a right.

mmzz I think an email to the head of year is absolutely in order, but you could say some nice things about how impressed you are that the maths teacher is going the extra mile to support the students that need it (i.e. butter him up a bit) but for the reasons you've already discussed, DS will not be attending.

Also I think most teachers are far less aware of sibling relationships than we think. So unless you already have evidence of him taking things out on DS2 that doesn't seem a good reason to make DD1 do something that might actually jeopardise his performance.

The maths teacher is also showing a massive amount of disrespect for those students who have already carefully planned their revision strategy and are now expected to change it at the drop of a hat. My daughter is also someone who finds "breaking rules" enormously stressful and would do her nut if a teacher messed about with her very carefully thought out timetable for next week. She knows exactly when she's going in and when she's staying at home and will 100% want to stick with what she has planned. It helps her stay calm if she knows exactly what's happening when.

mmzz - With 6 exams next week I would not be allowing my DD into school for Maths revision as well...I would just email HOY and state the obvious ..
I can understand to a certain extent that the only way to learn Maths is to practice questions, I can also understand the school doesn't want to allow one DC not to attend because this would set a precedent but they finished school before HT your DS is leaving so they don't have any hold over what you decide to do.

mmzz I sent in a lot of texts to DD's school saying she was unable to attend due to stress or being unwell. I did it each time she didn't go in for any vague support lessons like the ones you describe.
They are on study leave after half term. Two of the masterclasses clash so they can't actually be compulsory (history and physics).

Will Mr Persistant maths teacher definitely teach ds2?

Is anyone else’s child still in school full time?