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Secondary education

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

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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 😬

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Original poster

Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 18:37

Thanks all great advice it's been so helpful!

@redskydelight decent grades as in not failing them all! My expectations are not high but if he can scrape through and not have wasted his education and will not have to re take any ... I'll be pleased!

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TeenDivided · 13/02/2023 18:44

The problem with the 'y9 doesn't really matter attitude' is they aren't trying different revision methods.
Then when you get to y11 you get posts from parents saying 'my DC is overwhelmed, they don't know how to revise'.
By the time they hit y11 you want them to know what revision methods work for them. So they need to try things in y9 & y10.

redskydelight · 13/02/2023 18:57

If you're at the "hoping he doesn't fail them all" level, then sitting and looking at what "the next thing" might be may be motivating. You say he'd like to do an apprenticeship. Have a look at some likely ones and what this means in practice- most will expect a minimum number of GCSEs and will expect maths and English at Grade 4 or above or require resits. They are also competitive, He's got more chance of getting one if he gets better results. This probably won't sink in at this stage, but at least you've had the conversation.

SweetSakura · 13/02/2023 19:02

We have got DD a tutor in maths English and chemistry. Maths and English because they felt key and chemistry because we knew a good tutor. The difference in her is amazing, things have all clicked into place and she has grown in confidence and motivation.

I think school didn't realise she was capable of better plus the lack of teaching in the pandemic really set her back.

I think even if you just focus on one subject it will help, as it helps them realise what they are capable of with good, targeted teaching.

(I was predicted a c in maths by by class teacher, few months with a tutor and I got an A*- admittedly I had always had the ability and just got unlucky with a terrible teacher for GCSE).

bridgetjonesmassivepants · 13/02/2023 19:09

I had a student a few years ago who had a tutor, he couldn't give a toss in lessons. If I had been the parent and was paying for a tutor when my kid was doing sod all in class I would have been furious.
Your child has to be semi motivated.

Original poster

Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 19:31

@bridgetjonesmassivepants exactly - he doesn't even want a tutor even though he knows he did badly. Says it all really..

thanks all - advice re learning how to revise is great. Also looking at apprentaships now to see what he would like and what he needs.

primary school we were told he should be in high sets so he has it in him. Just needs to motivation!

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Decisions23 · 13/02/2023 20:07

@Remmy123 does your son care about any hobbies? Is there anything he really tries at?

Sometimes acting like you don’t care is a way of masking that you’re terrified of failing. If you don’t bother and get poor grades then you can justify it to yourself as you didn’t try. If you try hard but don’t do as well as you hoped, it can hit you hard and make you feel like you’ve failed even though you haven’t.

Just wonder if it’s more a need for him to develop a growth mindset rather than tutoring?

Original poster

Remmy123 · 13/02/2023 20:53

@Decisions23 thanks for taking the time to reply.

he was a passionate football player but gave it up at 12 and now has no hobbies, no passion, he loves playing on his computer and seems to be drifting...

growth mindset sounds like it could help but how do I do that? Thanks

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catsnore · 13/02/2023 20:58

No point having a tutor is he's not bothered. I'm a tutor and motivation is one of the most important things! Sometimes failure is a good thing as it makes them think twice the next time. Speak to school about discussing study/revision skills. Focus on next step and what he needs to progress onwards. Don't despair though - a lot of teenagers go through a bad patch!

JussathoB · 13/02/2023 21:13

Either way, whether it’s at school, at home or with a tutor, DS just needs to get back into the habit of actually doing some schoolwork/homework/exam preparation. Discussions about the future eg apprenticeships etc very relevant.
Ignore typical arguments from year 9 children such as ‘there’s no point in doing work for exams in yr 9’ or ‘ can’t be bothered now, I ‘ll switch myself on just before the gcse exams’ as these are nonsense excuses from youngsters who would rather play computer games than study.

Decisions23 · 13/02/2023 21:23

@Remmy123 maybe this might help?
biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/teaching-teens-growth-mindset

I fear my daughter is the same and worry constantly that she’ll do the bare minimum in everything when at Secondary next year.

maddy68 · 13/02/2023 21:26

It's ok to be non academic. They will find their own path. Education isn't for everyone

Testina · 13/02/2023 22:16

I would actually tutor in the subject he likes most / is best at. Obviously he’ll say he doesn’t like any 🤣 But if you have any idea what that is?

That way you have the most chance of him paying attention to the tutor and seeing how a bit of study can make a difference.

Quick win subject like maths - well, if not quick, I mean easily measurable, can usually objectively improvement more easily.

In Y9, I’d aim to increase engagement and general learning skills rather than plugging gaps in a hated /weak subject.

Has he looked at the apprenticeship pathway? Does he realise they’re popular so good grades will give him more choice? I’ve got a Y10 who wasn’t bothered about maths until she realised that a good grade in it would still increase her chances of getting into the arts pathway she wants.

Original poster

Remmy123 · 14/02/2023 07:13

@Testina they had someone come into the school to give talks on apprenticeships but he didn't tell me much more so I need to take a look

personally I think IT is what he should go into to, his dad has done very well in this field and my son also built his own PC and really enjoyed the process.

he did well in computing but not everyone that chooses it was a gcse can do it as only a certain number of places (apparently)

@maddy68 i totally agree with you and none of my kids are academic it makes things miserable at home trying to get them to do homework. I do still want them to try their best instead of coasting.

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Original poster

Remmy123 · 14/02/2023 07:14

@Decisions23 thanks for that link it's a really good read!!

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