Year 10 GCSE Support Thread

[OrangeCinnamon]

Hi all,
Can we have a thread for Year 10 support please? Even though Dd started in Y9 I have already noticed a massive ramping up in pressure and her anxiety I imagine it is a fine balance of being supportive but not a helicopter parent. How do you motivate but not nag? How do you encourage good study/revision skills without being overbearing? How can I help my Dd to be resilient....so many questions hoping for some hints, tips and support along the way.

Dd is Summer born so struggles sometimes. Her main loves are Music and the Humanities subjects. She bobs along with Maths and Science and despises French. Wants to be an international popstar, historian, writer, journo or judge! She sufffers terribly with low self esteem but hopefully this term will be able to get her on a course of cbt.

I'm back again too, hello all.
Well, atm things are looking good, they have a monthly effort card and my dd usually has 1's and 2's after a couple of years of 2's - 4's.
The last report says exceeding all predictions except for one, can't remember what that was.
She isn't out of the woods yet though and some subjects only lifted from 3/4 or 4/5, so we have never expected brilliant grades.
Currently she has a target of 8/9 and 8 in 2 subjects so she'll get something.

DS still coasting here. End of year exams after Easter and no sign of revision at all. Just hoping that moving into year 11 will provide the proverbial kick up the backside.

Just like us Romany. Just need to get the grades required for a full time post 16 music course (albeit at different ends of the classical/technology spectrum!)

Yes, I'm not worried, they can only do their best.
I'm one of these who hates the word try your best, I think it suggests just going into the exam ill prepared and trying to do well.
Trying isn't good enough, doing by preparing is best

I won't push her, she's doing enough herself and I think it's important they carry on normal life as well.
Can you believe the little minx isn't even coming home friday, but off to scout camp for half the holiday.

I am putting my foot down for a school day though, where we discuss where she's up to with each subject and how to move forward, planning and organisation. If I don't she doesn't always tell her SENCO and can end up missing deadlines, which in subjects like Art, she can't.

Can I say I know how stressful it is having a child who might not get enough to get onto chosen 6th form course, we had that with DD. DS the opposite and I’m hoping things will be a bit smoother.

Think I’d better ask him about end of year exams.

Dd was the opposite too. Conversely because she’s training to be a professional dancer she didn’t need any qualifications to get onto her course (but she aced GCSE’s with mostly Grade 8’s with a couple of 9s & a 7.

Ds however needs to get grades 4/5 in at least 5 subjects to get onto his music Btec including the dreaded English. Then depending on uni courses they may well look at gcse grades too.

DD got 4 but was able to scrape in as had a language exam under belt which places accepted as another. She failed Maths plus has reset it two more times and still hasn’t got it.

However things have come good, but I’m waiting for Maths its rear head again as applying to switch University at end of year.

Maths is tone of the two that ds could get a really good grade at as long as he doesn't freeze. His target is 6 but on a good day could get a Grade 7/8.

English his target is 6 but I will be happy with a 4/5.

Having both Maths and English makes life so much easier if possible to get it must be said. DD is an example of things coming good after GCSE and I think it’s not uncommon for them to come into their own later, if anyone reading feeling a bit despondent hang in there. Sometimes they need to be able to drop all the stuff they hate and are able to focus on what they enjoy.

It's funny in a way that one thing those of us on the 2018 thread got accused of (mostly by people who didn't contribute) was making those with lower achieving children feel inadequate but it wasn't like that at all. Some of us pointed out that our current Year 11 might be a high flyer but we had other children who were expected much lower grades. We could rejoice in the achievements of all and help each other through the difficulties, whatever the ability.

I hope that as we move closer to the exams we can do the same on this thread. I found every one really supportive on GCSE thread a few years ago when DD was doing hers and it really helped as there were some very difficult moments.

Things are likely to be very different with DS as he is likely to be towards higher achieving end of the scale but i’m Incredibly proud of DD who has found her own way through determination and keeping on keeping on.

Definitely Comefromaway

I've never felt out of place and have had some great support, all our dc are different and I've seen people be really nice to those whose children may struggle. With this in mind I don't care if the majority will be all 9's and 8's, the parents are just as lovely as those with targets of 1,2,3.

have loved catching up with your posts. DD is on half term for 2 weeks now. Have just received her full report with grades and comments. It's the only full report we get each year and seems to vary when we get it depending on yr. Have parents evening early May.

I have to admit that her report says exactly what I would have chosen it to say - that she is working really hard etc and is achieving all her targets (7s) so well done - but every subject mentioned that she could also do some more work at home using tools that the school has given her (access to websites etc) she could do even better.

It was what I had been saying for ages. She has always done exactly what the school asked of her, but never more. There are definitely times she doesn't have any revision or homework so would have time to go and see what else she could do.

I had to be very careful with her though and not let her feel that I was saying her report wasn't good enough and that she could work harder. She definitely needs to feel that we think she is doing well etc so I had to sell it that she is doing well and if she wanted to get the 8 or 9s she could do the extra work. I really hope she does as she would love to get those kind of grades. At the end of the day it's her choice. I will nag her to do what she needs to do, revise when she has tests etc but she has to want to do the extra stuff. It's taken me a while to get to that place :-)

She doesn't have her end of year exams until June, but has been revising really well since Christmas for any test she had. Thanks to you lot for mentioning the revision cards (both blank and printed)

I'm feeling quite bad atm for making DD do French - she didn't hate it when she chose it but did within a couple of months. I kept banging on about how it was good to exercise that part of her brain etc . The reality is she just doesn't get it and struggles and then feels down on herself. Is it really worth this? The problem is that she self selected her options by default e.g the ones she didnt like were discounted. She wanted to drop French for Drama ( with Music I thought may be too many performances and reliance on groupwork) or Media Studies ( she had no idea what it involved). she just can't keep the language in her head iyswim.

She is only doing 9 GCSEs so can't really drop it :-/

OrangeCinnamon - I would have pushed my DD to do a language if she hadn't had wanted to so I can see where you are coming from. It is possible to get her some help? tutor perhaps. Maybe that will be enough to stop her hating it, if she can feel like she is getting it. It's hard to know what is right. My DD is also doing 9 and I agree I wouldn't want her to drop one - unless I really thought it was causing her harm.

I encouraged my Dd to do a language too & French did turn out to be her lowest grade She said she wished she’d done Geography instead. But in the scheme of things 1 dropped grade out of 9 subjects doesn’t really matter.

I think only the best 8 matter so maybe don’t worry too much? A tutor might be a good idea to get her confidence up if you’ve got the funds for one. Dd had no choice but to do a language but ds will next year and I’m already wondering if we should let him give it up.

I’ve always thought Spanish was dd’s weakest subject but she’s suddenly saying she really enjoys it and might do A Level?! Let’s see what the year 10 exams bring though ....

I think only the best 8 matter so Thank God, mine's only doing 8 but a good mix, for her.

Unfortunately ds had to change school at the end of year 8 and his new school only offer German. He found it impossible to get his head round German in Year 9 after having done 2 years of Spanish so he isn’t doing a language.

Are anyone's DC going to have exam access arrangements put in place next year?
DD has ADHD. She's had extra time awarded , after assessments showed slow processing and poor working memory. She has a pupil passport that lays out her difficulties and how she can best be supported. At the beginning of this year, a case conference was held for all her teachers, with video presentations on how ADHD affects students, and an open letter from us. This was initiated by the SENCo.
DD is due to take part of a GCSE in May. In a phone call from the SENCo yesterday, it was stated that she will have to take her exams in the sports hall with all the other candidates. Apparently, the school has a policy of not providing separate invigilation.

I've looked at the JQC access arrangement guidelines and it appears that separate invigilation for ADHD students is a reasonable adjustment, under the Equality Act, so we're going to take this further, but I'd be interested to hear from anyone else dealing with access arrangements for SEN.

I’m really sorry I don’t know Alsoplay but it might be worth contacting IPSEA about this.

Not sure if this is right but i’m Vaguely under I,pressing that Maths now counts as 2 of the 8 as DS allowed one option less whilst they focus on Maths to improve their Progress 8 score.

No language here, DS has dyslexia and finds them a bit tricky. He would have tried German but not offered.

That's weird, Alsoplayspiccolo. What about students who need a scribe? Is the school saying everyone else has to do their exam listening to someone mumbling the answers to their scribe in the corner?

DS2 doesn't get extra time for his dysgraphia but he does get to type the answers as this is his normal way of working in the class.

DS1 got both - extra time and typing - as he also has dysgraphia. He took some GCSEs in a separate room and others in the hall. FWIW he hated lining up with the whole year and then being called out with the bunch of "specials" to be taken to a different place. For him, it was the walk of shame.

I'm not sure what other SEN other pupils have, whistl - it's a selective indie, so possibly no scribes required. However, there are students that require rest breaks, so movement in and out of the hall; DD has a prompter too.
I don't believe the school actually can have a policy that that fails to make reasonable adjustments - that would be discrimination, surely?

Ds will have use of a laptop for written exams. Heh as autism and one consultant suspects it may be co-morbid with ADHD but we are struggling to get a referral appointment. He is borderline for slow processing speed. His previous school said he wouold get extra time (all access students took their exams in a separate room there) but his new school don't seem to think he will. They have had to test him again as the tests he did in Year 7 are out of date.