Current Year 10 2020/2021 support thread

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I can’t see a thread for upcoming new year 10s, so I thought I’d start one, as the long-running GCSE one I’ve been part of for DD has been a life-saver.

DS has opted to take history, German, drama and music, plus double science, maths, English x2, and RE.
He’s pretty bright and does well without having to break a sweat (much to my frustration!), but doesn’t really know what he wants to do in the future. He’s a music scholar at his school, so does a lot of music (DH and I are both professional musicians...or were, before Covid hit...) but loves history and English.

His school provided excellent online schooling and he was lucky to be able to go in 2 days a week for the last 3 weeks of term.

His sister has just finished year 11, so we are biting our nails, waiting for results next week. She has quite a different academic profile, having ADHD and possibly dyspraxia, and has had to work hard throughout the last few years.

I hope us parents of DCs just starting the GCSE journey can help and support each other over the next couple of years. 🙂

Gumbo ahhh that’s a tough one. Would the exam still be next week if he chooses to sit it? Does he know what any of his peers are doing? If he’s predicted a distinction isn’t it likely that will be what the teacher assesses?

DS has decided to go in and write his exam on Monday (it's optional) - along about a dozen or so other kids. I think it's the right decision - and I've reminded him that's it's only a BTEC subject, it's not like it's something fundamentally vital to his future like Maths or English.

Will wait and see what happens next; it's all such a rollercoaster isn't it?

I feel very sorry for the teachers - and to be honest, I also feel sorry for the Government having to make crazy decisions about schooling, since it doesn't matter what the decision is - they're never going to get it right are they?

I presume the current Y10 kids will have 'proper' exams next year, but given that their education is still being disrupted, it's anyone's guess

Gumboit’s anyone’s guess for their exams next year! As it stands our Year 10’s have had the same level of disruption as the current Year 11’s, albeit one term being in their Year 9. And at least the current Year 11’s had 2 full undisrupted terms in their Year 10 whereas ours so far haven’t had a normal term yet in their Year 10. I do worry a bit that once schools go back that our DC’s will just be expected to suck it all up and their will be no allowances for the upheaval they have also experienced.

DD's year have been told that they will be continually assessed from the start of yr10 in case exams don't go ahead as planned again for them . So they have been doing previous exam questions for homework ie. 6-markers for Geography and tests in everything at the end of last term, again all previous exam questions.
My real worry if their cohort do sit exams is that they will be very harshly marked as a result of two years of CAGs (not that I don't think that teachers don't know what they're doing when they're assessing their students).
Also, if they don't go ahead in the normal format what happens to subjects with coursework or practical assessment like PE/Food Tech/Music etc?

I was originally thinking exams would go ahead in 2022 though told DD in September to also prepare for teacher assessment but now schools are closed I suspect will be more teacher assessment than exams but unfortunately got to prepare for all scenarios. DD pointed out y11s last year only missed 3 months and got teacher assessment and some kids have already missed that much through closure until at least mid Feb and isolations. I can't see how exams would get through equality assessments - some kids will have been in everyday so far, others have missed more than they've been in and whenever its from home divisions widen between private / grammar and comps and those with parental help/money for tutors and those without. DDs school did masses of assessments last term so we have grades in all subjects though physics and biology weren't marked as both teachers off long term sick though y9 test grades in those. So she has grades in all subjects 9/11 are from y10.

I mentioned to head y10 and y11 may go to teacher assessment a week or so ago and she was no nothing being said. So when parliamentary announcement out I sent that and also said think its being discussed for y10. DD said in last few days they've been told there will be lots of teacher assessment and tests once back. Feel sorry for the kids though DD is coping well. DS in y9 is struggling a lot more as ASD so I'm needing to do 1 to 1 where I do 90% and he does 10% and lots of muttering, stomping, odd bit of screaming whilst we are also trying to frantically sort house sale before someone decides to stop those. Our school is being very strict on who is let in so only 5% of kids in which does mean the remote provision is much better than last year, we have a more or less full timetable now.

Only concern is physics is still off and they are a month behind and just being given links to Oak Academy on random topics which they've already done but that's 1 subject out of 11 so very happy overall. Though hoping rates fall and schools can reopen or at least someone prioritises y10.

Yes, Ds school also doing 6 Mark exam type tests.

Are parliament discussing what might happen for current Year 10's @Silkiechickscat? I agree there needs to be some concessions. I worry about all of the science practicals that are being missed (advised to watch online for the time being) and also stuff like music composition/practicals. Also the speaking element of languages.

I'm sure content will be dropped in some subjects.

Hi everyone,

I hope I can join this conversation? I'm wondering what you all struggle with when it comes to your teens and entering year 10?
What is it you want most for them and what do you need solutions to as parents of teens?
For me, it's motivation and a huge increase in anxiety so I'm looking for solutions for both and wondering what other parents think?

Thanks
Mrs C xx

Light There's no public discussion for year 10 yet - could be another year and wouldn't be surprised if we get the its all exams in September then oh they are all cancelled and its teacher assessment in January. One proposal they apparently considered this year but got vetoed was just keeping maths and English exams and rest teacher assessment. I think you've just got to prepare for teacher assessment and exams which is annoying as its constant pressure. At this stage its a guess what will happen next year.

Welcome MrsC I'm lucky DD doesn't get anxious and atm is pretty motivated - she went through a stage of being unmotivated in y8 and y9 so I went through good grades = more money and more choice of jobs. And she said she loved money. I would say researching jobs, and future opportunities is what has motivated her and her brother. Her brother has suspected ASD so he is more a constant push to motivate and I have to work with him 1 to 1 full-time each day to get him to do work and then its 90% me.

Anxiety is hard - sorry your DD has that. Is she getting any help like counselling. I have found cahms useless. Private is better but obviously expensive. We have a few pets and they help the children stay calm. Otherwise I would tackle very slowly ideally under advice from a psychologist / counsellor.

Biggest issue we have with DD is drama in the girls in her year which can get very nasty and obviously all the disruption now with covid so lots of on-off schooling and a couple of long-term sick teachers.

We have no science practicals at all - some links but don't think they do them. DD opted out of all practical options and languages so no issues with those but yes they will need to think about those. Nearest we have is computing but that can be done from home but it is quite teach yourself but DD seems to have hang of it. Think there's a lot of maths and she's doing python atm. I know nothing about computing so glad she can work it out. I was scared when school made her do that (and she was predicted a 5 last year) but she studied over the summer and got an 8 in the first exam and was top, she didn't get that from me! I know turn computer on and off if an issue but that's the extent of my knowledge.

An 8 that's amazing!! x

@silkiechickscat - thank you for your reply. I'm just figuring out how to reply to these on here!

Thank you so much for sharing so much with me. I should have said I don't actually have a child myself, I'm an English teacher at a college (very PT) and a lot of my students are anxious and struggle with this daily. I want to know how I can best support and encourage them from the other side of the computer! I love the idea of encouraging them to get an animal - I have x3 cats, x4 hens and x2 rabbits.

This week I've been encouraging them to get out and walk in nature and send me their photos, then I've been sending them mine so 'we're in it together'.

xx

That's kind of you to try to help your students. I find what is missing is the social side of school (though I don't miss the girl drama and DD is happier and more stable without that) but the chatting at lunch etc. I think the kids like when they can see what others are doing / their pets etc, ask each other how they are - I wish school had some kind of lunch club or tutor group where they could just chat / swap photos though there's so much to organise its too much I think.

They always moan about activities but you can see them smile when they see photos of other kids pets / other kids cycle route / other kids baking. Some of them are in very difficult situations where there isn't enough food and that's really sad, my DD used to take some of the kids food to school whose parents wouldn't use foodbanks but they were missing a lot of meals. I wish the government would add an extra £100 or so to child benefit a month - maybe in supermarket vouchers - so the kids would have food and not have to worry. The free school meals get help but there's lots just above that.

With mine they like looking at careers and 6th forms, I think that helps to know there is some point to studying and they can think about when life is more normal. It's also mainly listening to them. But remember to look after yourself. My DD also worries about the teachers, especially the long-term sick ones who are old. I also tell mine about children in different parts of the world in lockdown and how it varies there. I think the uncertainty over grades doesn't help atm but it helps when teachers are reassuring about that and I'm preparing mine for teacher assessment or exams. Mine prefer to know everything going on - I think they feel more in control so every Tier change, every education change etc or x may happen or y may happen, they are the 2 possibilities.

Thank you, bless your DD.

I'm a young teacher and managing quit well, but I also want my students to know they're supported and will be OK! I think the lunch club idea is a brilliant one and would be so beneficial for so many students.

If there were a programme outside of school, as a parent what would you want it to equip your children with? x

I asked DD and she says they are doing 2 maths after school clubs, ones for children expected to fail and one for the most advanced to do FSMQ

Any suggestions on how to get an unmotivated year10 boy to do more than the absolute minimum? The school is now doing registration at each class which means he does absolutely have to log in but he think a word will do when I think a question needs a paragraph. Tonight one teacher has asked where his work is - answer is he hasn't done it but instead of replying he does nothing until we pester him into at least replying to ask for an extension.

I don't blame the teachers - they're doing a great job. But they are going to be assessing him and currently he's the underachieving kid who refuses to face up to the fact that this matters. I'm so depressed watching his life options close up....

@Gumbo Good luck to your DS today!

@HelloDulling thanks, much appreciated
It'll be freezing in the exam hall as they have to have the windows open so they're allowed to write in their coats!

@Silkiechickscat I think you've talked about your DS before and it sounds like you're doing an amazing job with him. YY to not missing the girls drama - DD had a really rough time with it at the beginning of year 7 and didn't really find her "tribe" until the end of that year so it was a tough few months. She's lucky in that her football friendship group was always separate to school so she had that support as well.

Like yours as well - DD has really done some thinking about her choices over the first lockdown and last term, has decided on her A Levels and possible degree paths and is using that as her motivation to keep on!

Also agree that it's the social side of school that is missed most - she's not the most extrovert but an only (she has stepbrothers but they're in Scotland so won't see them for a while) so my real concern is that for however long we're in this situation she will only see me, DH and her dad.

@MrsChinamano it's lovely that you're thinking of your students, if there's anything that could assist in the socialisation that would be it for me but appreciate that our DC are all different.

DD has just done form time and her teacher has been talking about the BBC Lockdown Learning programme. I hadn't really paid much attention to the adverts etc as I thought that it was aimed at primary but it sounds like there is a fair amount for secondary in case it's useful for anyone else. He is a Physics teacher and was prety complimentary about the GCSE revision stuff that is there. We (she) is very excited about Brian Cox being on every day, but will have to watch on catch-up as it's still in school time.

Hope everyone has a good week, good luck to @Gumbo DS!!!

Good luck to Gumbo's Ds today - I think its the right decision to go in, surprised its been left to children to decide as surely that will default to ones likely to do well taking it but presumably they can benchmark against other years. I think its better to have the evidence to support the grades as if it goes to teacher assessment there'll be some over-grading and then it will be needing to prove a grade.

Saw the y11s they are proposing adding teacher assessed exams in summer either sat in school or at home now after saying no exams and only teacher assessment. I guess its teacher assessed exams (and think just proposed at this stage) but feel for y11s dealing with this chaos and hope our y10s don't get the same though not overly hopeful on that one. DD is remarkably relaxed on it all. No idea how you could do exams from home with no cheating.

MrsW Glad your DD is doing well, avoiding school drama and finding future plans. DD got me to contact a proposed 6th form over the weekend and they've replied they are opening but date tbc.

Good luck with the remote learning today - DS first lesson is PE but DS hates PE and will growl if I suggest it - I suggested to DH he could risk death and wake DS up and tell him its PE It seems to be star jumps etc. Then we have English, Engineering, Maths and RE I think. Plus trying to get some progress on house sale. All good fun!

All the best to @Gumbo's DS today! Hope it goes well.

DS seems to be doing ok, they are following their usual timetables but yr10 get a study period instead of "humanities" and they are saying they can be flexible about when they do PE and they are giving them a mix and match grid to choose from (in DS's case I suspect this means he won't do PE!)

Sadly my yr7 is finding it a bit overwhelming and hard work and "all of the good parts of school are gone" :( DS isn't missing the social side at all but he has ASD so I think the other students are an annoyance for him usually rather than a plus! He is completely happy to hide alone in his room on his chromebook. Not sure how they are going to do the assessments they were due to do this term but school have said they want to do them if it is possible.

It's about to be breaktime so I should probably go and throw some snacks at them!

Thanks to everyone who wished DS well for his exam this morning - he's home now and apparently it 'went really well' He said it was easier than the Mocks and easier than the old exam papers he's been working through - I've no idea whether that means the exam board felt sorry for the kids and deliberately made it easy, or whether it's coincidence - or indeed, whether it's only DS who found it easy! Whichever way, it's nice that it's out of the way

So now we all have to wait and see what happens for our DCs exams next year... what a time to be a teenager!

2 weeks down, hope we're all doing ok!!!

Yesterday was a tough one for DD, they have 5 lessons a day and all of them were live - Maths, English, Geography, Chemistry and French . She's coping well on the whole, awful weather here is making it difficult to get much fresh air but she does admit to feeling better when she gets out a bit.

I know that all settings are different but school have been really great, at least 2 or 3 live lessons a day (only yesterday so far with all 5), feedback on what they're uploading, even posting out new workbooks if printing is a problem. Teachers and school staff everywhere need some sort of medal - if there's any on here I'm in absolute awe of you all.

Hope everyone has a good week!

OH MY GOD IT’S AWFUL.

DD is fine; 5 live lessons each day, she’s cracking on. Missing her friends, missing her teachers, but she’s still smiling.

Year 7 DS is a very different creature. Live lessons, with the chat box pinging away, just stress him out. And then stress me out. I really, really can’t handle it until Easter.

We are muddling along through and settling into a routine. DS actually had two emails from school to check how he is doing which I though was nice, I was copied in so I also replied to say how I think he is doing. He has an English "assessment" in his lesson today (language reading paper I think), then another tomorrow and next week. Not sure about other subjects, they were supposed to have a full week of assessments this week.

I did get a reply from his maths teacher and his Cayley result has not come back so she said she would chase but wasn't hopeful. Good news is she did confirm he will be doing the IMC on 4th Feb, it's all online this year so should go smoothly.

Really not sure how sustainable this is though, feels like quite a lot more effort for teachers and students than regular school. I'm counting the school days to half term (after today 17 to go!) Somehow I can't see secondary schools being fully back after half term so who knows when they will be back? We have parents eve scheduled for just after half term but they have already said it will be online (which I though worked brilliantly last term, no sprinting around the school, no running late, all from the comfort of my sofa!)

DD is managing fine, doing all by herself and doing well.

DS is a complete nightmare and needs me to do everything - school now require 5.5 hours a day of live lessons and its marked unauthorised absence if you aren't there. He is screaming, whining, moaning, pretending he is deaf, sleeping in the day, kicking one day and won't read, write or use computer and I have other things like house sale / move to sort though that looks about to collapse. I did resign then senco said he could have place but deputy head withdrew it and DS doesn't want to go in until school is normal. I so hope this ends soon.