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 planning to set up Tassomai for DD in the summer - it worked wonders for my DS last year. Her public transport commute is even longer than his, so I’m sure she could squeeze in 15 mins a day.

Kingscote I think they do a discount in early September that makes it an equivalent price for 9 months as just starting in January / Feb. So it may be worth waiting for the offer to come out.

I got a discount last September. It was 3 courses for the price of two. Also there is a refere a friend credit scheme that runs every so often.

First year 10 mock result in for maths. Grade 6 which is amazing considering the minimal revision he did. Maths is, however one of his strongest subjects, the other being music.

I bought tassomai thanks to all the recommendations from you guys and the Year 11 GCSE thread at the beginning of the easter hols, just as revision started in earnest for the Year 10 exams, which are wrapping up this week, and so far my DS has loved it. Made a change from other revision techniques and doesn't feel quite so 'work' like if that makes sense. Any time technology is used, he is much more likely to do it. I figure that even if it didn't help this time around, just getting in to the habit of doing it should stand him in good stead for next year (or maybe I am being a little too hopeful!).

so happy to have found this thread! dd uses primrose kitten link which has youtube videos and practice papers (although you do have to pay).

Well revision has stopped for dd in prep for Mahler so I'll be back before the holidays for tips and to lend support too. With at least 9 weeks holiday though she intends to put the hours in between resting and practice. Hopefully some fun too.
Good luck with all the exams.

DS has exams next week.
He used Seneca at school today for Biology revision and was impressed with it.

Just found this thread. This is my fourth and final time through GCSE with DS4 . Exam mill has been part of our lives since 2014 and so am glad that there is a glimpse of light at end of the tunnel- but a bit sad as its a sign that my baby is nearly grown up

DoE drama. Having completed/enjoyed doing his Bronze without too much hassle, DS has signed up to do his Silver. I refused to arrange anything for him, pointing out that I was happy to proofread any emails/letters that he wished to send to sort out a different volunteering stint but he had to take the lead himself. (Continuing existing activities for the physical & skills sections so little effort required to arrange those on his part.)

So, after a heated debate yesterday and this morning, DS has managed to get out of bed, do park run and put himself forward to help the park run organisers for the next 6 mths+. Hallelujah!

Hi all sorry been AWOL got my own exams to worry about . Dd has got clutches of 4/5s for her year10 tests not surprising since she only did proper concentrated revision for a week and a bit. Hopefully a wake up call .

DD very positive about Biology today!

Having carefully cross referenced all her notes against the spec, she can see she’s only got 1.5 topics to go - all of homeostasis and half of inheritance, variation and evolution. I think she can now see that solid revision for her year 10 exams will lay a great foundation for mocks + the real thing.

@KingscoteStaff - DD has biology tomorrow. She and her friend did quite a lot in the car yesterday (3 hours in the car to get to/from a sporting event). It all sounded quite good if a bit over my head.

She also has maths tomorrow. History after that, so much content to get through.

Definitely makes life easier to do solid work in Year 10 to May foundations for Year 11.

@OrangeCinnamon - good to get a wake up call in Year 10. I think that's when DS1 got his. It's a bit late if it only comes in the Year 11 mocks. DS1 got 'the talk' from DH and pulled his finger out. It all ended well!

Phone call from Food teacher. He is completely disengaged, refusing to do any academic work and got 12% in his exam.

I despair. At his last school it was one of his favourite subjects, one of the few he was doing well at there.

DS got in from school did half an hour of very weedy physics revision and is now back on the computer. I am trying my best but he is going to get a massive shock that will hopefully act as a wake-up call.

Oh no, comefromaway - what has created the change do you think? How frustrating for you (& him, I'm sure) - what did his teacher suggest?
Well, ds got his wake up call today in the form of his Spanish results back ;-)

I think it’s partly a personality clash with the teacher/she doesn’t know how to handle him/his stress levels rise & he becomes uncooperative.

DD starts tomorrow - Biology and Geography. Fingers crossed they go okay as they are her two favourite subjects.

Comfromaway that's so hard when it's gone from a subject he loved to one he's not engaged in.

@Comefromaway - your poor DS. It sounds like something is really bothering him. Early night tonight and talk in the morning.

@ChristopherTracy - 30 mins is better than nothing but I feel your frustration. What about hiding the controls? I have had to do that in the past with DS1 and DS2.

DD had maths and biology today, both seemed to go well. It's history tomorrow and she's going through it out loud with me at the moment. Russian history (Stalin) is pretty grim. We've just had an explanation about how angry people got when they had to eat horse penises.

He had a meltdown, fell asleep in one of his lessons this afternoon and is now saying he does too much so he wants to drop his singing and musical theatre group because he can’t cope with it all with the amount of study I expect him to do. (I’m asking 30-40 mins a night).

He has two detentions this week too.

Just wanted to cheer everyone on here up a bit as a parent of a DS.

Yr 10 exams - he did almost nothing and I decided to let him fail in the hope that it would buck up his ideas. Yr 11 mocks - I asked him what revision he was planning - he said a couple of hours - for 9 subjects!

By Easter Yr 11 he was on message and he did very well. So don't despair. Also, remember that although it may seem like a lot of work to you, you don't know what is in their heads already. Quite a lot more than I imagined in my DS case.

Thanks Elsie - that is encouraging.

I cant hide the laptop as it would cause a massive row and probably a storming out. If he stayed in the house he would then sit and do nothing as a protest. He needs to engage with it himself I think. I can't force him.

Thanks @Elsie and @sandy...seems we are in a long tunnel still but there is promise if light.

@comefromaway how are things today? I keep on telling Dd she needs to build up her 'working hard' capacity or else it will be a struggle next year.
They need their outlets and dropping the musical theatre doesn't sound a good idea.

He’s full of it tonight. Been to rehearsal and is currently still playing the piano.

He does always seem very exhausted in his Monday night dance lesson though. It’s show week next week with his MT group.