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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

GCSE tutor when below in all subjects

40 replies

Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 10:29

My son is in year 9. I think ge is bright but makes no hardly any effort. Told me he had revised for year 9 exams but unable to show me any revision notes.

as a result he got below average in ALL subjects.

Planning ahead to year 10 and getting a tutor for him but not sure in what subject if they are all below average! Maths and English?

if he tried more in school a tutor wouldn't be necessary so I am annoyed but I can't allow him to fail all his exams!

also how do you get them to be more motivated to want to do better!!

panicking 😬

OP posts:
timetorefresh · 13/02/2023 10:38

Get on YouTube find a guy called Thomas frank and look at how to revise effectively

Original poster
Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 10:42

Great thanks! I've no idea it's been years since my exams

OP posts:
mapleandpecan · 13/02/2023 10:44

You could get a science tutor who also does maths.

I used to alternate the two subjects with my students but it'll be hard if he is very behind. He still needs to ensure he is doing revision in between tuition sessions.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 13/02/2023 14:42

What does he want to do next? Being brutal, maths and English he could retake if he had to, but he won't get funding to retake anything else. If he's interested in e.g. a healthcare job, he may need biology, or he may need a language for certain unis, etc. So I would focus on a tutor for subjects that relate to his interests.

If he doesn't have any clear interests, then maths/English are the obvious ones.

TeenDivided · 13/02/2023 14:57

Does he know how to revise?
Does he need tutors or to actually bother to revise?
Finally what does 'below average' mean - are they predicting GCSE grades based on this?

BadGranny · 13/02/2023 15:12

If he’s lazy, a tutor won’t help.

Original poster
Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 15:28

Thanks all

the results were in percentages just showing his grade and the average next to it.

he got all below the average in his year

he doesn't want to go to uni wants to do an apprenticeship but not sure what in

re the tutor - that's what I thought if he is lazy it won't help!

i think if he had revised he would have got above the average!!!

OP posts:
redskydelight · 13/02/2023 16:27

What sort of school does he go to? If it's selective, then bear in mind that below average might still be very good.

Does your son know how to revise? Making notes it not necessarily the best way to do it - there are (for example) lots of online apps now, some fantastic YouTube videos, school will provide online revision resources etc.

If he's just not motivated then throwing money at a tutor might be pointless. I think year 9 is a hard year - secondary school has lost its newness and excitedness, and GCSEs are too far away to really feel that they need to worry yet.

I'd focus on understanding what he can work on and seeing if you can do that.

Greensleeves · 13/02/2023 16:32

You need to have a conversation with his teacher to try and find out what is actually behind these grades. If he is performing to his ability, then I would leave him be and accept that these are going to be the sort of grades he has to work with; help him plot a realistic path to what he wants to do. If he is bright and underperforming out of laziness, I doubt a tutor will help.

The only scenario in which I think a tutor would be useful is if there is an academic problem holding him back; is he definitely not dyslexic/dyspraxic etc? If he is struggling with either literacy or numeracy, a specialist tutor in either of those areas would probably help bring up his grades in all subjects, but you need to know what's behind the underperformance first. You can't fix a problem if you don't know what it is.

UncannySerenity · 13/02/2023 16:49

How bothered is he by his poor results?

Will he be more interested in doing GCSEs in subjects he has partly chosen?

Ultimately he needs to want a tutor and want to improve. Or your cash is wasted.

Good luck.

Original poster
Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 17:09

Thanks all

he is mostly coasting at school but has assured me that he will work harder when doing GCSEs but honestly, he has little drive / motivation I honestly feel like he will not achieve decent grades. I feel like he really isn't taking it seriously. It's a huge battle getting out of bed for school.

OP posts:
JussathoB · 13/02/2023 17:09

Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 15:28

Thanks all

the results were in percentages just showing his grade and the average next to it.

he got all below the average in his year

he doesn't want to go to uni wants to do an apprenticeship but not sure what in

re the tutor - that's what I thought if he is lazy it won't help!

i think if he had revised he would have got above the average!!!

Hi Op. As another poster said, look for some clues as to why this is happening. What have teachers said in his reports or at parents evening? What do his schoolbooks look like where he writes class work and homework? What does he do at home when he does homework? Maybe go and talk to his teachers or at least one or two of them. Perhaps try getting a tutor for one subject first eg either English or Maths, unless his teachers in those subjects offer to give him some extra practice if he stays after school and works with them, or if they give him some targeted work to do at home and then stays after school teacher will go through it with him on a 121 basis and then he redoes it or a similar task to see if he’s improved?
I think it’s good that you have noticed this issue before finding yourself halfway through GCSEs.

WilsonandNoodles · 13/02/2023 17:10

If he, like most children his age doesn't really know how to revise, is a bit lazy/ more interested in other things and isn't 100% focused in class then even if you got him a tutor in every subject he wouldn't improve much. If he's already having 3-6 hours a week in a subject 1 more won't make much difference , there are clearly more general problems.
Speak to a local tutoring company and explain the situation. Ask for someone who will work generally across the subjects, teach him some revision techniques and get him completing homework and test preparation across the subjects. They're subject knowledge doesn't matter at this point. Then give it until the next reports or parents evening and see if any subjects are standing out as being weak areas.

JussathoB · 13/02/2023 17:12

Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 17:09

Thanks all

he is mostly coasting at school but has assured me that he will work harder when doing GCSEs but honestly, he has little drive / motivation I honestly feel like he will not achieve decent grades. I feel like he really isn't taking it seriously. It's a huge battle getting out of bed for school.

it is a huge mistake to leave the effort until yrs 10 and 12. He will be very behind by then if he has been wasting all his time at school. Have a serious talk with him about how important his educational results are even if he doesn’t go to uni, and go see some of his teachers with him to get him going on some work.

WilsonandNoodles · 13/02/2023 17:13

Also don't panic, there's loads of time and its not an unusual situation to be in!

TeenDivided · 13/02/2023 17:14

He'll have more exams at the end of y9.
Maybe pick a couple of subjects say Science & History and say he will do revision as directed/tested by you for those so you can teach him how to revise?

Original poster
Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 17:15

Thanks

we have parents evening coming up I am hoping to get more insight, I haven't had much feedback.

he is good at history as that teacher called to tell me. He got just under average score with no revision.

school books are lacking content I think, not sure what to compare this against so might be normal.

the problem is I need him to want to do well he is so unbothered 😬😬

OP posts:
JussathoB · 13/02/2023 17:17

TeenDivided · 13/02/2023 17:14

He'll have more exams at the end of y9.
Maybe pick a couple of subjects say Science & History and say he will do revision as directed/tested by you for those so you can teach him how to revise?

Also a good idea

JussathoB · 13/02/2023 17:21

if your son enjoys a particular subject this can help to get him going. His teacher might help you in developing his revision/standard of work. But you should pick another subject too - English or Maths are essential for example. I just have a teeny suspicion that if your son finds history ‘ easier’ he might still get away with the minimum and this is what you are trying to turn around?
maybe you could have some rewards in mind for progress- doesn’t have to be really expensive

JussathoB · 13/02/2023 17:36

one more post from me - does your school have a website or online portal? Often schools set homework online now so you can see what he is supposed to be doing. There might be information about resources to use for practice or revision? Also, in Maths the teachers usually have loads of resources whether online or not and it is very likely that your son could put in some independent study on this. You could check out with his teacher then what he has done and whether he is making any progress.

GentlyGentlyOhDear · 13/02/2023 17:39

I would go for mentoring or academic coaching as that helps students across all subjects develop their study techniques and work on exam and revision skills. Tutoring just focuses on one subject.

JussathoB · 13/02/2023 18:10

There isn’t only one way to approach this, several strategies could work, depending on what you/teachers/tutors etc can get your son to do in terms of studying. This might be a bit confusing. What do you think might work? He spends six hours a day at school so it makes sense to try and get a better result from that. Parents evening should help here. Ask directly what the teacher thinks if your son’s work effort in class and for homework. Ask directly what can be done to improve his results and can they help you/him.
Re tutor/mentor, Another influence outside school could also help simply because it’s a change from school and focus on a subject or technique which would help him make progress. But it’s expensive and above all don’t expect one hour tutor or mentor work a week to necessarily solve weak results in all subjects.
Above all don’t be fobbed off and hopefully you can get your son on a new direction

watchfulwishes · 13/02/2023 18:20

GentlyGentlyOhDear · 13/02/2023 17:39

I would go for mentoring or academic coaching as that helps students across all subjects develop their study techniques and work on exam and revision skills. Tutoring just focuses on one subject.

I was going to suggest the same.

redskydelight · 13/02/2023 18:28

Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 17:09

Thanks all

he is mostly coasting at school but has assured me that he will work harder when doing GCSEs but honestly, he has little drive / motivation I honestly feel like he will not achieve decent grades. I feel like he really isn't taking it seriously. It's a huge battle getting out of bed for school.

Lots of Year 9 students (particularly boys) are like this. Some of them (not all of them) do pull it back for GCSEs. My DS told me that Year 9 results don't count for anything so what's the point in working. To some degree, he has a point.

What's your definition of "decent" grades? Are you talking about not passing GCSE at all/not getting good enough grades to go on and do whatever the next thing is/not getting all 8s and 9s? Because the way you tackle it might well depend on the answer to that.

bellocchild · 13/02/2023 18:30

This isn't particularly helpful, but when I was in teaching, I was often surprised by how much better students did when they had a brain-click and realised what they wanted to do eventually. Could you try getting him to talk to, or even shadow, some of your friends in their daily work? Or even find some careers advice?