What is chance of passing GCSEs if you never do any homework?

[Doodledoop]

DD is Y10. She has EHCP for dyslexia and stuff, and has a load of anxiety around school. The SEN team give her a lot of support, uses laptop for all lessons, has reduced timetable etc. will get a raft of access requirements for exams. Part of the differentiation is she doesn't have to do homework.

Just wondering if this is counter intuitive and she will end up not having done enough to pass. Only looking for grade 4 or 5 passes - she's bright enough to be getting 7+ but really not worth the pain.

As a teacher, my advice would be to see if the school will let her reduce gthe number of subjects she does. 5/6 decent grades is better then 8 lower ones, plus it will help with her anxiety.

If she is bright enough for 7+ then I would think a good chance of passing some provided she focuses in lessons & has good attendance.
What is her memory like? Will she remember a lot of the science just from lessons? Will she revise even if she doesn't do normal homework?

Does she have plans for post y11? If she won't do homework then A levels won't work. BTECs will have work out of college, but they will be assignments that count (or direct prep towards them) so not just 'homework'. Worth knowing what grades she would need for her chosen course at level 3. A level 2 course would be easier but maybe too far below her ability.

That said, if anxiety is impacting attendance, then a course below capability helps as it is easier to catch up. My DD had 75% attendance last year at college but still passed as when she was in she could do 2 lessons worth of work in one.

Thanks she is on a reduced no. of gcses. Pain is obviously cant drop english/ maths/ science which are difficult for her and will have to drop art/drama/sociology which are her strengths.

Post 16 performing arts/ art/ practical btec will need 4 or 5 passes for level 3.

Dyslexia affects ability to remember 'facts' she is saved by comprehension and understanding.

Over the past 2.5 years I've learned (1) MH is more important than exams, (2) there are other routes even if no GCSEs are passed.

Don't let her give up the subjects that make school worthwhile for her though.

At my ds’s school they don’t do homework, they still get excellent results. Homework isn’t what makes the difference to grades, it’s the teaching.

Well it’s impossible to say. I had 50% attendance in Y10 and Y11, and achieved 13 GCSES A and B grade. I’m also dyslexic but brilliant at remembering ‘facts’ so science was a strength for me.

The best way to help her is to engage with the subjects in everyday life. Talk to her about them, watch documentaries and discuss them. If you get hold of some GCSE revision texts and read them yourself, then choose to discuss one topic over dinner every single day between now and the exams. Tell her why and that it's the most paionless way of learning. Just get her to know the stuff inside out rather than a bunch of stored facts.

Pick a bunch of quotes from her Eng Lit texts and use them often in every day life so she gets used to them. E.g. if doing Romeo and Juliet, you can jokily say stuff like, 'Out, you baggage' or 'mistress minion' at her if she is getting annoying and then she'll easily remember these are things capulet says to Juliet when he;s angry with her. Etc.

She might be resistant (DS was) but gradually once they realise they have picked stuff up and do know it better, then they relax a bit more and are up for learning in a different way. It beats sitting along staring at paper or a screen.

Does no homework also mean no revision?

I think revision is key to passing - GCSEs now are much more based on knowing a lot of content. I'd aim to get revision guides for each of her subjects and ask the SEN team to work with her on finding the best strategies for revision that work for her - they could test some out with her. Better to do that now and slowly build up a bank of revision resources than leave it until next year as she can do it at her own pace now and hopefully see the benefit in any mocks that she does, which would reduce her anxiety.

Thanks - really helpful views and experiences. I do get the point about MH and I do talk to her a lot about alternative routes to success but I guess school is where she is now. So just wondering about how to best support prefrably without me having to study subject alongside her.

Is the no homework due to bandwidth, inability to work independently or an 'ASD-like' separation of school and home?

With a reduced timetable, what does she do in the gaps? Chill out, or work on other subjects?

in theory she works on other subjects in the gaps and has some 1-2-1 in practice spending a lot of time chilling in sensory rooms.

I have DC at different state secondary schools and the difference in homework expectation is insane. I think it'll be very difficult to generalise on how much she's missing by not doing it.

Finding the easiest way for her to access revision, as much as she is able, will be key. Videos, BBC bitesize, audio she records herself might all be useful. We've experienced a lot of pressure from the homework-heavy school that revision should be about "doing", answering questions etc, to such an extent that DC has been reluctant to review notes or absorb information as it "wasn't proper revision"/ didn't count. Listen to what school is saying but don't be afraid to adapt it to what your DC can cope with. Better that she watches videos than she's crumpled in a heap unable to engage and/or repeatedly feeling like a failure trying to regurgitate facts she hasn't yet learned on practice papers.