Y7 - attainment dropping and apathy

[2LittleMonkeysJumpingOnMyHead]

DD is coming to the end of Y7 and I’m worried about her mindset and what will happen if I do nothing.
At primary she did fine. Decent SAT results and seemed to get on with work and homework fine.
I have let her find her way at secondary and only reminded her to complete maths homework. There are other small
tasks in google classroom which she appears to do and there are no sanctions forthcoming but I don’t trust that this is because she’s putting any effort in.
They’ve been assessed the last few weeks and her scores have dropped right off to failing levels. She says ‘I’m working at my level’.
I managed to get her to send a photo of a science question and she wasn’t even answering what the question asked. I know she is / was capable of this a year ago.
I’ve always suspected ADD but no primary teachers shared my concern. She’s taken to picking skin and drawing all over hands in class.
I have parents evening next week and will talk to teachers then, but need to be clear what I want to know. Mainly it’s how this massive drop in attainment has happened and how to get her doing her school work like she gives a shit.
I’d appreciate any suggestions for how to help her - ie do I mandate and micromanage homework time or let school sanction? What can we do over summer to help her develop better focus and habits?

I should add that socially she’s doing really well, and has developed her independence better than I could have imagined a couple of years ago.

bump

I would start to check how she is doing her homework and make sure she is doing it properly. Or have a discussion on what is going on. If it were me, I would start paying close attention to her homework and explain the importance of putting best efforts. My dd sometimes draws on her hands and does silly things in class, but it is more because she is bored (last year of primary). She is not keen on doing the homework given either because it is too easy according to her. She is top of the class and going to a more academic secondary after doing well in the 11+. But, I will have to watch my dd closely to make sure she learns good homework/study skills. As for primary she was able to just coast along and in secondary she will put more effort.

Could your dd be bored in class? Or maybe not understand the work? My dd has a friend that started to not understand the work (in a different language) so she started just daydreaming in the class and not paying attention.

I have discussed it with her and she seems to be developing the attitude that this is all she’s capable of. I know that’s not true.
there is so much differing advice about whether to micromanage homework or whether to leave the sanctions to school.

There is a difference between helping your child develop study skills etc and micromanaging their every full stop.

firstly, I think you do need to check at parents evening whether teachers are happy with your DDs work and results. Is she doing homework to satisfactory levels, or could she actually be doing better etc. I always asked at parents evenings wht I could be doing to help my child - most teachers were able to give useful advice.

Do you actually know what homework your DD is getting - an online platform or something?
Do you check that she is doing it? Are you aware of her spending time doing homework after school?
You could be doing random checks each week on different subjects to see if she has completed work.
Is she aware that you are willing to help with homework (I don't mean do it for her, but perhaps suggest a couple of websites if she needs to research something, or discuss a question with her to explore the way to write an essay and what to include, or test her on foreign language vocab, or have a look at the relevant BBC Bitesize pages for something she is not understanding etc).
Do school give sanctions for incomplete/unsatisfactory homework?

Some good thoughts and suggestions.
She’s well aware that I can support with maths homework in particular as used to teach maths to adults. I do check that one as it’s in a different portal, but so far haven’t been able to see the other items, only whether they’ve been ‘completed’.
I’m beginning to wonder if the teachers actually check the homework in any way, as that would make me pretty apathetic about completing. I will investigate at parents evening, but worry the underlying attitude won’t change: they will let her slip down and lose faith in her abilities :(

You mention in your OP you think she could have ADD? Have you talked to secondary school about this? If you think this could be an issue I would raise it now and pursue things. It wouldn't be the first time a child has been deemed fine by primary school only for the wheels to fall off in secondary.

You need to pick up the supervision. Your child is showing you they are not mature or motivated enough to do their work without you pushing them.

I was in a similar position but luckily caught it before the assessments. I incentivised good grades and it seems to have worked so far.

We had a look over the weekend and the google classroom links to loads of different quiz sites the teachers use and it’s very difficult to know what she’s done and not done. She isn’t clear.
I have some questions for the teachers around how she’s doing and what I can support with, and will speak to school about potential ADD again.

I don’t know how I feel about incentivising grades: needs to be relative to their ability or feels unfair at this age. I want to incentivise effort and positive mindset but that’s harder to measure!

https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-in-girls-women/

This is a really good article on ADD in girls you might find helpful.

Like @SamPoodle123 my DD was always top of the class in her last, less academic school and I knew she would need to stop coasting and start working in seniors.

In her Y7 test results she has dropped low in a couple of subjects that were always her stand-outs and I’m really worried she’s in bad habits.

it doesn’t help that all her work is on her tablet; prep is done at school and I have absolutely no inkling of what she should be doing.

During revision I encouraged her to set a timetable and put in some effort but she just didn’t and took every opportunity to slack off. Other girls were WhatsApping photos of their revision desks and sharing info but she said the year head had said they didn’t NEED to revise outside of school and to make sure they relax. My DD has taken that message to heart and everyone else has done better than her!

When she told me of her low marks and I looked confused, because they are for her strong subjects, she said a similar thing to yours @2LittleMonkeysJumpingOnMyHead, insinuating that I would be wrong to be disappointed because that was her level but I know it’s not!

I’m currently incentivising daily practice for a music exam with something she desperately wants but it’s not going well and I’m still badgering constantly with huffs and growls in response. It’s so confusing!

I’m sorry to hear that but slightly glad it’s not just us struggling.
I’ve started keeping an eye on the homework set on the school portal. History was set yesterday. No history homework in google classroom to be seen. I then realised she doesn’t have a History google classroom. There’s no evidence that the teacher has even noticed she’s not been doing any homework since January. No wonder the poor child is confused!
I’ve also been in touch with school Educational Psychologist again, asking for support with potential ADD. They just want me to go to the Dr to get a diagnosis but I pointed out she will have left school by then so perhaps we can look at ways to support the particular behaviours and struggles in the meantime.

“The year head said be relax and no need to revise outside classroom.” A phrase said a lot in all girls school. So if your DC follows instructions it would be this comment. Unfair, as she looks like she could do more.
Missing history google….IT issue and how long has this been going?
Maybe track instructions of homework, work etc with how clear or vague it is and what your child understands it to be?
Happen to friend’s kid in music, do play this part at home and if you have time maybe some sight reading on same grade for 2 years. Found another teacher stated minimum 15 mins daily and 1 or 2 sight-reading pieces and scales, arpeggios daily. Did exam in 2 months. DC needed clear, concise instructions.

Supervision.
Tutor.

Both of the above.