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.

[whistl]

The first end of topic tests are happening about now, aren't they?
Two years ago, DS1 did a History end of topic test and got a 2. His target was a 9, so it came as a bit of a shock, to him especially.
The problem was that although he knew the facts and figures, he wasn't applying the techniques he had been shown about how to answer the questions.
It shook him out of his complacency and made him listen to what the teachers were telling him. Essentially, he learned that doing well in GCSEs is as much about technique as it is about knowing the syllabus.
It was good to learn that so early.

[AlexanderHamilton]

Hopefully that will be a wake up call for ds in his physics. He’s predicted a 5/6 I think.

[whistl]

AH the freesciencelessons youtube videos are really good too.

www.youtube.com/channel/UCqbOeHaAUXw9Il7sBVG3_bw

[Cambalamb]

Hi all , I have a DD in yr10. I also have a DD doing A Levels who was very gifted and got a string on 9s and A*s in 2017. My yr 10 DD is not on her level academically but is doing ok, I think. She just had her targets and current grades. Her current grades are 4s and 6s but her targets are 8s and 7s. Does that seem likely? At end of KS2 she got 5s in English and 4 in Maths. They didn't do a science SAT.

[whistl]

Hi Cambalamb if your DD is getting 4s and 5s now, then its a good start. Exam technique makes a big difference under the 9-1 GCSEs (maybe it always did) and there is plenty of time to practice it and improve her marks.

However, I bet if you ask the school, they will tell you that the grade targets are aspirational. So, in old money rather than getting A/A*s your DD may end up with A/Bs with the odd C thrown in.

[Cambalamb]

She says the current grades are based on assessments and end of yr 9 achievements. The targets seem too high to me as older DD had targets of 8/9/A* but she was a high flier. I do wish school would explain rather than just publish a list. No parents' evening coming up so will have to send an email I think.

[Cambalamb]

your DD may end up with A/Bs with the odd C thrown in.

I'd be very happy.

[whistl]

If your DD1 was a genuine high flier, maybe her old grades reflected that even the reformed GCSEs are still unchallenging for the brightest? So, the gardes could be right. Maybe you are just thinking your DD1 is what the top looks like and so everyone who gets 8/9/A* is like your DD1, whereas your DD2 is not like your DD1 so she shouldn't be in the running for 8s and 9s?

Saying all that, a 4 in maths in the SATS doesn't usually result in a 8/9 in maths at GCSE.

It will be interesting to see the analysis of what % of those who got 9s this year in English and the humanities, got 5+ at GCSE. Ditto maths+science versus SATS maths.

[Cambalamb]

The problem I've had is that with a 3.5 yr gap between DDs, they have done things differently. DD1 did KS2 SATS in 2012 in Maths, English ad Science and got 5a in all. By the time DD2 did them in 2015, they didn't do a Science test and the a, b and c thing had gone out of the window so she just got 5s for Eng Lt and Lang and a 4 for Maths. DD1 did new exam for Maths and Eng so new grading system but everything else in old money, so to speak. Teachers have told DD2 that her GCSEs will be harder than DD1's, they have t memorise quotes and formulas now whereas DD1 was given them in the test or could take the text in to the exam hall.

[Cambalamb]

Yes you could be right there. DD1 got 100% on some papers.

DD2's target for maths is 7.

[Northumberlandlass]

Hello - DS in Yr10 & very chilled.... they have endless assessments at school for subjects & he does revise for them.
He completely self manages & he’s not given me any reason (at the moment) to doubt him.
He seems ok & targets are 6/7/8’s.
He rows & trains 3 time a week, plus racing at weekends. He loves it & he has a strong network there. In the summer i saw rowers revising on the riverbanks!
He’s doing
2 x English
Maths
3 x Science
Geography
PE
Latin

The max school allows them to take is 9 - a two week rolling timetable.

He has no clue what he wants to do in the future.

[Cambalamb]

That sounds greatNorth , my DD is quite relaxed and self manages everything, we don't have to nag her to do homework/revision. She's at an all girl state secondary that is 'outstanding' according to Ofsted but it's not selective. She's doing:
Maths
Combined/double science
Eng lit
Eng lang
Geog
History
Drama
Food and Nutrition

[Heifer]

My DD has at at least 6 subject tests when she goes back after half term. I'm interested to see how seriously she takes the tests and how much revisions she does. She always completes her homework and works hard at school but I definitely feel she could be doing more at home. She wants to do well, but I just haven't seen her go that extra mile yet.
She has never really revised properly - so I'm hoping this is the time..
I'm also interested to see what her predictive/where she is now grades will be. As I really do have no idea any more. Her school have given grades every year but its always been hard to relate them to actual GCSE grades (although I've read enough on MN to know even when given a 9-1 prediction it's still a guessing game).

DD seems ok in herself, is lucky that she is in a great friendship group so we don't get the normal dramas that some teens seem to go through.

She is studying
Maths
English x2
Triple Science
Spanish
History
PE

She has no idea what she would like to do, but I think she has kept all the doors open with her options.

Its really useful to read all your posts. I just want to know how to help her the most without being too pushy. It's a hard balance :-)

[YeOldeTrout]

My yr10 DS is not industrious. He may be turning into a stereotypical MNers boy (just thinks the good grades will happen without his own dedicated effort, can't organise self out of a paper bag). Except that he's still DS with a huge amount of baggage different history from others (eg., was villified by other parents in primary).

I don't think these threads work for me. I guess my kids have mental health issues so I don't prioritise their grades. I'm not that invested, they must make their results be what they will be and I am only a support. If they get thru in some kind of fashion & still have good resilience, we will have the only true success I'm looking for.

[Oblomov18]

Year 10 ds1 here. Doesn't seem to have done much revision for his exams he sat last week. But When I mentioned this he was horrified and maintained he'd done tonnes. I left it at: "we'll see"!

[LimitIsUp]

YeOldeTrout - I am a bit conflicted too. I want ds to do well - but I don't target a flush of top grades, I think a lot of the mental health issues in the young today are due to an over emphasis on grades and achievement. Some teens revel in academia and love learning, which is great but for those that don't, you can't and shouldn't force it. I stick with these threads though even though they are not perfect fit for us, because they can be very helpful and informative and other posters will support you (and you them)

Do stick around - its good to have a plurality of approaches

[Cambalamb]

Yeolde the most important thing is happiness and resilience. I like these threads because it's good to hear real stories and real life. Too much emphasis on grades drives us all to join threads like this for some reality and reassurance at times.Life skills and personality will always trump grades for me but unfortunately this is the world we live in and we have to navigate a way through for our chn.

[marycontraryquite]

My ds is in year 10. I have always been told he is a bright boy. He passed the 11+ but we decided against grammar school as all were single sex and we really felt he would do better at a mixed school. He is capable of a lot I feel but he doesn't kill himself, really sticking to the bare minimum. He is hard working and diligent in school, I always have rave reviews at parent's evening and his homework is 100% self managed. But I wonder if I am missing any tricks in helping him to push himself a bit more.

To be honest, I am not an educationally pushy or over involved parent and I don't want to be but I have a niggling worry that there is more
I should be doing. It's also worth noting that he is a very mature 15 year old and doesn't take well to being 'managed'. Any advice welcome.

[LimitIsUp]

Which is it? He does the bare minimum or he is hardworking and diligent at school. Those statements seem
a bit contradictory?

[marycontraryquite]

Not meant to be. He is diligent and hardworking at school but I feel he does the bare minimum with regard to homework and revision.

[LimitIsUp]

Ah, I get you. Does he get the results though? - on tests etc

[marycontraryquite]

He can be a bit hit and miss but has done well so far this term in tests he has mentioned to me although we haven't had any progress update from school this year yet. I suppose it's when I read this thread and see reports of children who are doing quite a lot of work at home, I wonder if I am being too relaxed about his approach. But in the same moment, I am loathe to turn him off. He is doing fine and I'm sure will do fine at GCSE but I'm fairly sure he could do a lot better. I sometimes worry I am doing him a disservice by not pushing him to meet his potential a bit more.

He would hate for me to sit with him to do revision or anything too hands on. Not his style at all.

[whistl]

I think GCSEs are important since they are the first proper exams and the only time that the whole cohort does the same exams. However, they quickly get eclipsed by sixth form which, probably will be eclipsed by university. So, they are important but not that important.

I want DS2 to do himself justice, although right now I have no idea how good (or otherwise) he is. The KS3 monitoring reports were deliberately opaque.

Since it's my second time around, and I have only just finished seeing DS1 go through the GCSE process, I feel like I know what is likely to happen.
As a general timetable, I think it goes:-

Year10, Christmas term: get a school report that gives aspirational target grades. Try to make sure DS2 keeps his notes in order and encourage him not to leave any topic without having learned it. Don't read too much into end of topic assessment grades because they will change.

Year 10, Easter term: same as the first term, but start DofE stuff. Maybe sign ds up to Seneca or get him to watch some MrBruff videos.


Year 10, Summer term: end of year 10 exams. Make sure DS takes them seriously. Treat them like pre-mock, mocks. They are a good chance to help DS work out what revision techniques work for him.

Year 11, Christmas term. It starts off feeling like year 10 but ends with mocks in either January or December. These feel like a real effort but they are only the warm up. Get thematic desk, chair and a place to store their study materials, if you haven't already. Also get a full set of revision guides. Start planning which sixth form to go to and which A levels to take.

Year 11, Easter term. Things are getting serious. It's time to put a comprehensive study timetable together and for DS to start balancing his time between work, rest and play. The school's extra revision sessions start kicking in before and after school, but typically they are targeted at those who most need them ( optional for everyone else).

Year 11, Easter holidays: hard work and an endurance test (for both parent and child). Suddenly the maturity starts to show and your little boy is gone, replaced by a near adult who can do so much more than you thought they could.

Year 11, first month back after the holidays. Teachers who haven't finished the curriculum are in panic mode, and every class is a revision class with past papers galore. It begins to feel like time is running out and it is necessary to prioritise what is still to be learned. If there has not been enough revision by now or it hasn't gone well, then there is a tough realisation that it's too late to catch up completely and that will be reflected in the grades.

Year 11, mid-May the first GCSE. Parents panic that their DC will remember to leave their phones outside the exam room. The rhythm is: sit exam, come home, see the funny Twitter memes where everyone says they did badly, tidy away the revision stuff for that paper and get the revision stuff out for tomorrow's paper. Repeat for a fortnight.

Year 11 Summer half term. More revision.

Year 11 June: last couple of weeks of exams, then chill!
Year 11 July: school prom
Year 11 August 23rd go to school and get the results.


It goes really quickly!

[marycontraryquite]

That's a really useful timetable for the uninitiated such as myself. Thank you.

[Cambalamb]

What's a thematic desk? I did none of this for DD1. I have only ever encouraged DC, fed them well, attended parents' evenings and bought text books and revision guides. I listened when she said no holidays at Easter and Whitsun in yr 11 The rest is down to them.