How much work should year 11 be doing?

[SummerDuck]

So DS2 is going into year 11 next year and is probably your typical bright but lazy teenager. Very capable of achieving a good number of 8s and 9s next year with effort but equally would be happy to scrape by if left to his own devices.

Me and DH have agreed that we want to implement some more structure to his studying next year- i.e. handing over his phone when he gets in from school until some homework and revision has been completed.

What we can’t agree on is how much work he should be doing. I’m inclined to say he should be starting with 2.5 hours of homework/revision on school nights and then 3 hours a day at weekends, but DH thinks this is far too little.

So to parents of DC who have just left year 11- how much work did your DC aiming for top grades do?

I've just read your post about how much work you expect from a primary school child in the primary posts. No wonder your child dosent want to do revision, you have already burned him out from the years of extra work including weekends when he was in primary. I feel very sad your your son. Has he ever had a day without schoolwork? They need time off, he was specially needed days off in primary school. Sorry but your posts make me so angry.

OP, I would spend some time studying the gcse curriculum, it doesn't need this level of revision / homework, nothing will be gained by your ds spending hours in his bedroom. Maybe speak to friends who have had dc go through the exams.

We want our kids to be self motivated. Mine do some low level sports, a lot of music and a manageable amount focussed studying of their own choosing. As well as TV/ YouTube and socialising. I'm not going to stand over them. I'll help and offer advice if necessary but they have to want to. I think because they are busy they have to focus in the available time instead of study stretching out to fill hours every day.

Plus we have implemented a no studying on a Sunday ( this could be broken if really necessary). As students we both found it helpful and it means they have a day off totally and helps them plan their time better. Wouldn't work for lots of families but it does for us. We are at church on a Sunday so not shopping etc which others might need to do.

Having no single day with no school work is horrible. Having both weekend days dominated by school work means no trips, no days out with friends - no childhood.

Way to go to give your kid depression and a lifetime of resentment

Plus there is an expectation that they'll have access to the internet to do their homework so the phone restrictions make no sense.

Your child will be working far harder than their peers and they will resent it

Your compromise is far too much and is likely to lead your DC to burn out well before exams start. We're not in South Korea any more, and their culture in terms of study hours is not healthy and not to be emulated. GCSEs are a marathon, not a sprint - you build up the hours as exams get closer. You should also bear in mind that homework in Year 11 has a large revision component already built in.

It's also worth considering that as working adults, most of us don't work 7 days a week (obviously your super high flying high earning husband may, but it isn't healthy!). Children should be allowed to have at least one day a week completely free of school work. Relaxation and rest are also part of optimising exam performance.

Please don't do this. It is not helpful to anyone and your child will resent it. Keeping on top of homework and paying attention in lessons is all that is needed. Once mocks are on the horizon, an hour a day is plenty. Your child needs downtime as well as revision.

My DS has just done y11 at academic selective school and probably did 2 hours a night and 3 hours one weekend day. If they are really applying themselves and as PP said, doing all the work set (and suggested) by school that is absolutely plenty . School will naturally know their progression BUT VERY IMPORTANT and hard to do is that if they do those hours then the rest of their time is there own. You need to get off their back, praise them for the work they have done. They need downtime to read watch crap on their phones, game, see friends whatever they need, it really is as important as the studying to keep their stamina up. And try and do a weekend day off when you do a family thing, keep connected with them. The worst thing to do is let them feel like nothing is ever enough.

As a teacher- parents do this, parents also get tutors for their children- I had y11 students who must have been spending 5 hours a week outside of school with tutors last year but they are not the norm.

However, I would say they are a minority in the UK, and the ones who will admit to it are even more so. Parents like to pretend their children are totally self motivated and/or got 9s doing minimal revision, which I don't think is helpful.

I do think at least one full day off a week is helpful for mental health, though.

Worth bearing in mind that equally some parents will do nothing to support, their bright but lazy child coasts through with grades between 5-7, which is normally fine to get into sixth form BUT then will sometimes hit a shock if the child wants to apply for something competitive like medicine/vet med, and the grades aren't quite good enough.

The other thing I would add is that it may be worth getting your DH to look at the grade boundaries actually needed to achieve top grades in GCSEs- the actual % needed for a grade 9 is often not that high. Your DS doesn't need to be getting 100% in everything.

It's also worth spending some time working out how best for your DS to revise- I know you've said you don't want him on his phone, but something like Seneca can be a really good revision tool for GCSE, and is totally online. There are also lots of great websites and revision videos on youtube etc- so it would be good if he could access these in some way?

Are you going to sit with him and work out a revision timetable etc? I think something like that will probably be far more helpful than just insisting on a set number of hours.

Hahahaha

Unless you're standing over him, not a chance will he do all that.

If you are still around, wondering how this went and what worked/ didn't. Am in literally same position with DS end of year 10. What worked and what didn't?