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Secondary education

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Original poster

I want to help my sons, but I have NO IDEA what they're doing

106 replies

JustGettingStarted · 14/02/2019 21:33

I'm so sorry - I don't really know where to begin.

I'm not from this country - my home country (USA) had a very different way of doing things, and that was decades ago. Also, I work away from home every other week, so I am not around as much as I should be. DH is the stay-at-home parent and I'm afraid he's not able to help much. He just says that everything was different when he was there and he left school right after his GCSE's or whatever they used to be called. He's not likely to be very engaged for a variety of reasons like depression and social anxiety.

So, I am trying to get my head around things. I am ashamed to say that I let things go their own course. I went to some parents nights and I read the school reports (I had to ask what the numbers meant.) But I am not here.

DS1, who is in year 10, has entered adolescence with a vengeance and retreats to his room. He is bright but a bit lazy. We got a call from his maths teacher saying that he has done NO WORK at all in weeks. No assignments completed and his exercise book is mostly blank. He's not paying attention.

There is no textbook. I have managed to log in to the VLE and the MathsWatch websites (DS didn't know how to log into MathsWatch!) I'm trying to get a grip on what he is supposed to be doing. If there were a textbook like I had at his age/level, I could flip through to see where the class is and flip back to the point where DS seems to have lost track and then we could work through the difference over the half term, or at least attempt to. There are five assignments on Mathswatch and that is all there is. I assume his exercise book is supposed to contain the notes of the daily lessons but it doesn't. What is there is illegible chicken scratches.

I have also tried to figure out what he's doing in other classes. I'm not sure what he is doing in Science or History or Literature or Spanish. Again, textbooks would be helpful. Like, if the current Spanish chapter was dealing with a particular verb tense or whatever.

There are "resources" on the VLE and they link to various pdf's and scans of revision material.

Obviously, DS1 isn't exactly keen to fill me in on everything. We want to tackled maths, first, but I need to know what he's supposed to be doing in all the subjects and try to keep an eye on what he is doing. There doesn't seem to be an awful lot of homework. He's not being sent home with a page of quadratic equations to factor or whatever.

DS7 is in year 7 and I gather he's a keen student who is applying himself diligently so there's probably nothing crucial with him but I still wish I knew what they were doing!

What do I do? Where do I start?

OP posts:
Iseethesilverlining · 14/02/2019 22:42

When I was looking for GCSE revision books for my DS, I came across a Dad on mumsnet who had made a great revision planning scheme for his son. He then turned it into a business as so many people asked about it. It’s called Study Buddy - thestudybuddy.com/product/gcse-revision-sets/ He basically makes magnetic cards of all the topics for each subject and exam board, which you can use on a magnetic white board to plan out study. It’s so easy and it has been fabulous for my son, who really likes being able to see all his topics at once and assess which he needs to work on most. It might be worth getting at least the maths set for your DS’ board?

EducatingArti · 14/02/2019 22:42

Ok. He is sooo going to wish he'd been working in class and that you didn't know about mn There is so much practice and help out there that you can get him doing!

Original poster
JustGettingStarted · 14/02/2019 22:43

We've found some of the videos on the maths website and khan was one that came up, too.

He's in the top set; I know that.

I'm trying to figure out what questions to ask the head of year (is that whom I should meet with?). I checked their website and couldn't even find information on when he sits which exams. I literally don't know when he takes his GCSE's - is it next year (he's in year 10)?

OP posts:
Lwmommy · 14/02/2019 22:44

Here you go, this may help and its free qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/mathematics-2015.html

neverbee · 14/02/2019 22:47

Main gcse Exams start in mid May of year 11 and are sat over about 4 or 5 weeks. He will probably do mock (practice) exams in November or December, possibly second mocks in March.

EducatingArti · 14/02/2019 22:47

If you have £12.99 to spare, I really like the mathsbuster programme from CGP publishing. ( Get the higher level one) . It is a self-contained online learning and practice programme and if you set it up with your email and a password of your choosing, you will be able to log on even when you are away with work and check how much he has been doing!

EducatingArti · 14/02/2019 22:49

His GCSE'S will be from May onwards next year.
CGP do lots of inexpensive revision books too, so you may find others there that help when you know what exam board and syllabus he is doing for subjects.

Cwenthryth · 14/02/2019 22:50

‘Paper’ in the UK generally refers to a written exam, as compared to the US where it generally refers to a homework/coursework assignment.

BartonHollow · 14/02/2019 22:52

Complicated there was a time when you could sit subjects in pieces called modules which then added up to your grade

I think maybe Gove (Education Secretary As was) scrapped it and it all went back to end of year 11 exams. Not certain.

He will sit his Mocks (Practice Run Exams) in January.

In the mean time he will get projects called coursework that counts toward his final grade, and what the projects consist of vary according to subject.

In Science it's can be like a practical or having to prove something via research and having statistics to back it

For English you'd have like a project on a book you like and essays/creative writing Also giving a presentation.

For IT we had to do a project for each different application (Windows) that showed we could use it. That will have changed now I'm sure.

DEFINITELY go and chat to his Head Of Year I'm sure they'll be able to allay a lot of worries

YouBumder · 14/02/2019 22:52

My eldest is only in first year at high school but all their assignments, work, tests etc go on an app which is really helpful as you can see what they’ve to do and tick them off if they don’t tick off that they’ve done it! Doesn’t help immediately but may be worth suggesting to school? It’s callef show my homework. Sorry not RTFT so sorry if it’s come up already

Secretlifeofme · 14/02/2019 22:59

I would make an appointment to speak to the head of maths.

As a teacher, I hope you don't mind my saying but you seem remarkably ill -informed about the GCSEs. Did the school not have an information evening last year to explain it all to parents, or a pack of information that was sent home?

EducatingArti · 14/02/2019 22:59

A lot of coursework ( projects) have been scrapped now. There are none in Maths. It is all on the exams at the end of year 11. Science has practical work done under supervision of the teacher in school. None of the GCSE's are modular any more.

BartonHollow · 14/02/2019 23:01

@EducatingArti

Thanks. I thought it had gone that way, but wasn't sure

Original poster
JustGettingStarted · 14/02/2019 23:06

I'm very uninformed about gcse's because I am from another country. I have asked my husband about them but he just goes on a tangent about how he failed his and then says everything's different, now. I have some idea of what they are, but I've never gone through them myself or vicariously through anyone else.

OP posts:
Original poster
JustGettingStarted · 14/02/2019 23:07

There was an evening, but I was out of town then. I am out of town a lot - at least half of the time.

OP posts:
pallisers · 14/02/2019 23:08

I have a lot of sympathy OP. I am an irish woman rearing children in the US and it is a big culture shock navigating secondary school/high school stuff. The continueous assessment/grading/GPA and honors/Ap etc all knocked me for a loop for my eldest. At least the US curriculum is actually quite like the irish one in many ways.

And look, I know this is none of my business but I think your dh should also step up here. he is the SAHP and he is from the UK. I took a break from work when my middle one was in sophomore year - she had a lot of issues and needed support. But the support you give as a sahp in the teen years is just this kind of thing - staying on their backs about homework and study, staying in touch with teachers, talking to other parents about good tutors if needed etc.

Secretlifeofme · 14/02/2019 23:08

Yes, I understand that, but every school I have ever taught in has held information evenings or at the very least sent info home. Haven't you had any of that? If not, the school is at fault IMO.

Secretlifeofme · 14/02/2019 23:09

Ah, cross post. You should have been sent the information if you couldn't attend though.

Original poster
JustGettingStarted · 14/02/2019 23:10

I haven't said that the school is at fault.

OP posts:
Original poster
JustGettingStarted · 14/02/2019 23:11

My husband isn't going to step up. I can delegate some of the tasks involved, once I have a handle on what needs to be done. He's not going to take any initiative on this.

OP posts:
BartonHollow · 14/02/2019 23:13

@JustGettingStarted

Basically as far as I have gathered the American system is your Grade Point Average over all 4 years of school plus your score on the SATS at 17 gets you what you need for College

Here your grades at GCSE across all subjects determine what avenue you can take at 16

If it's A Level you choose 4/5 subjects but it depends on how well you did on GCSE as to whether you can take them. The A Levels you take are usually relevant to the university course you want.

If you don't do so well at GCSE there are a variety of vocational routes you can take

Original poster
JustGettingStarted · 14/02/2019 23:15

BartonHollow that sums up what I do know about the gcse's. I just don't know what they're doing at school or have an idea how to keep track of what they should be doing now.

OP posts:
EducatingArti · 14/02/2019 23:16

Very few people take 4 or 5 A levels now since they scrapped the AS level as a half way point and made the whole thing graded on the year 13 exams alone. Most now just do 3.

EducatingArti · 14/02/2019 23:18

You really need the schemes of work for each subject and school year you are interested in. The syllabus for key stage 3 ( years 7-9) or a particular GCSE is fixed but it is totally up to individual schools to decide what order to teach the different topics in.

Original poster
JustGettingStarted · 14/02/2019 23:18

If he flubs his gcse's, I know the way to do an end run around that obstacle and still attend an American University. It is perfectly possible to be an utter screw up at age 16 in America and still graduate from a good American University. I wouldn't take it for granted that bad gcse's = learning a trade. Although he may have to work at something more menial until he is mature enough to go to university.

OP posts: