Any advice re screen time fir year 11s and how to keep the noses of lazy but bright kids to the grindstone without making them stressed about GCSEs? [Edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

[OneHamm3r]

Just that really. Dreading this year and could go with some advice on how to handle it all.

[OneHamm3r]

Of which he is fully capable.

[Boyskeepswinging]

Yes of course anyone can visit Oxford, either at an Open Day or just for a wander around. Lots of uni's run Open Days this time of year, why not go along to one to see if it does the trick. Certainly worked for my DS who is now really focused on doing well to get into his chosen course.

[Wolfiefan]

Surely “most” homework can be done without a laptop? Not all homes have them.

[OneHamm3r]

All the maths homework is set on online products they complete and submit with in the program, loads of fab resources, timetables and homework questions are put on Its learning. What am I supposed to do, stop him benefitting from it?

[TeenPlusTwenties]

Might not work for you OP, but with DD1 she had an upstairs laptop for h/w which was shut down tight with parental controls. Then downstairs she had a more open access. So we knew if she was upstairs 'doing h/w' she at least wasn't gaming or on SM.

Or, a teacher on here once posted the key combination to recover closed tabs on a web browser. Try CTRL+SHIFT+T next time he quickly closes something.

[Drabarni]

Instead of having to threaten to take it off him, promise some time when he has done his work.
Encourage him to make a timetable of revision and learning for each subject. If you can help him designate a certain amount per subject depending on how much work is required.

[OneHamm3r]

How could we restrict a laptop? That is a good idea. Is there any way we could shut it down for anything bar schoolwork?

[Wolfiefan]

Have it in a common area.
Only allow it for tasks he needs it for.
At least until he proves he can be trusted.

[OneHamm3r]

As I said we don’t have a great common area.

[Wolfiefan]

So change things around? If he won’t change hinges himself then you need to change something.

[OneHamm3r]

I can’t change things around.

[Teacakeandalatte]

I'm always about getting dc to choose to do things for themselves so talking about how he can stay motivated and avoid procrastination temptations. My dd likes to write her to do lists and make up a revision timetable etc all really good, but sometimes get a bit sidetracked when it comes to actually following them, so I would talk about how she can get herself to stick to that.

[Wolfiefan]

If you don’t change something then his habits won’t change. Your choice.

[Fuzzyend]

A 15 year old boy should be self-regulating screen time?!?!?!?

Quality MN smugness.....

[OneHamm3r]

I’m aware I need to change something but house layout I can’t.

[asdhgfdfgd]

oh wow doesn't @Wolfiefan have all the answers... yikes

[Wolfiefan]

My DS would self regulate at Y11. Because we had prevented him binging on screens when he was younger and he had got in the habit.
If he hadn’t then he would only be using the laptop under supervision and as required.
Sit him at the dining table or at the breakfast bar or in the living room on the sofa. It’s not impossible.
Or resign yourself to the fact that he will coast through the year, not get the grades you want him to get and not learn good study habits.

[OneHamm3r]

You were lucky.We’ve always regulated our dc’s screens. Our small house is busy and he can’t concentrate out of his room.

[Pythonesque]

If he's bright and capable, a fair amount of this year's learning needs to be exam technique, rather than stuff-I-need-to-know. That can potentially be a big de-motivator.

Consider discussing jointly "what can I do to get the best chance at high marks", would he respond to a "can I beat the system" approach? There is not always that much difference between 7, 8 and 9 in some subjects, I increasingly get the impression it is whether you can make it easy for an examiner to give you the marks.

I say this having a bright daughter who has just done extremely well in her GCSEs but was quite demoralised at times over the last couple of terms.

[RedskyLastNight]

Does he really "need" 8s and 9s?

I think I'd be wary of overpushing a child who is going to do well anyway.

I'm in a similar position in that my bright lazy child is unachieving, but in his case he's currently on track to fail some GCSEs and barely scrape a pass in ones he potentially wants to study for A level, so, yes, he does "need" to do better.

I'm not convinced that getting an 8 rather than a 7 or 6 is worth huge stress and a fight.

[LoveGrowsWhere]

Here DS does not self-regulate so we're going into yr11 with the same screen rule as the last 3 years- no recreational screen time Mon-Wed evenings. He can do all his phone chatting on school bus & walking home. Laptop available for homework.

Homework won't fill those evenings but he has a sport practice, can read something not related to school, watch something with us etc. Any way of reducing stress & social media pressures.

[Comefromaway]

I'm at my wits end. Ds is autistic and has PDA which doesn't help and goes into full blown meltdown when the screen time shuts his phone and ipad off. The other night he was screaming switch f**ing screen time off at us at 11pm at night, he smashed up his Lego Death Star and swept everything off the coffee table. He was crying

He has problems sleeping and is on melatonin for it but is addicted to screens. We thought it had got better but he was refusing to get his bag ready for school so I brought screen off time forward by 15 mins and it all kicked off.

[Comefromaway]

Ds is capable of 6's and 7's with the odd 8. His school predicted 6's at the start of Year 9. We are now concerned that he won't even get 4/5's.

[LoveGrowsWhere]

Conefrom Could you try something like we have ie some evenings no screen? It stops the argument about turning off as DS knows that night screen is just not going on in first place.

[Comefromaway]

The last time I tried to tell him he couldn't have any screeens on we caught him trying to run away.