Year 10 - 2023/2024 Support Thread

[QueenMabby]

Hi all

A new thread for those needing support (or just wanting to chat or rant!) with teens heading into their GCSE years.

@icanbewhatiwant - DC's school is a selective indie so that does make a difference. Very few will do the foundation paper. It's not a London indie though so the spread of ability is wider than you might expect. DS got a 4 in Spanish for example. Predicted a 7 but he hated it and did no revision!

Dd already wobbling about work loads, extra curriculars and self-imposed expectations. I'm going to need to manage her carefully over the next couple of years.

@QueenMabby ok, I don't know much about fee paying schools. We don't have any in the local area. There are some further afield, but most dc's in the local villages go to the local primary and feed into the same secondary. One of our old neighbours sent hers to a private school. She had to drive 9.5 miles to the mini bus pick up point. Then her dc's had almost hour on the bus. It was such a long day for them, I used to feel quite sorry for them as they'd have a couple of hours homework after that too. Then when the holidays came and they wanted to meet friends they were often a good hours drive away. I guess living in a town or city it would be different.

Hi everyone,

DD is waiting to get her new timetable but thinks the school set for Maths and English only. We don’t really know as she only joined last year and they were set for science then too but they have offered double science as a choice for the first time this year (previously everyone started with triple and got moved down if they weren’t coping) so that make change the way they manage that.

She hasn’t had much homework over the summer (or so she says!) so has had a lot of time off, hopefully that means she’s ready and raring to go!!

Interesting all this talk of sets and streams. I'm having the opposite problem to icanbe. 👋 Ds2 is far too laid back. I've told him I think he's going to be in for a nasty shock. I won't tolerate / allow him to slip. Football, x box, phone will disappear if grades drop. I don't expect high grades, but they need to be reasonable. He knows that a 6 means school won't allow to take it at A'level. I got an email to say he's only in combined science. He can still do Biology A'level, (he's sporty so wants something sporty so needs Biology A'level). but I'm just unimpressed and have told him so. He does bare minimum. I hardly see him doing any homework at home. Ds1 was bright enough to wing it, but Ds2 I doubt quite that. I'll see how he gets on. He's got Assessment week beginning October. And I'm going to a Parents Y10 meeting in 2 weeks, so that'll remind me if stuff that I've forgotten because it's now been 5 years since I went through this with Ds1 and I've forgotten stuff. So I'm glad I'm here for you lot to remind me!

The triple vs combined science is such a conundrum for many. DD1 (just finished Y11) did triple but her school does it in the same time as double, so they have to work very hard to keep up..

Results are now in and she's done brilliantly in all sciences, but I know having to put in so much work into them out of school meant she couldn't put in the time on other things.

As a result she has a better result in Physics (the subject she likes least) than in English, which she has picked for A-Level. She is doing biology A-Level but could have done that after Combined too.

Having seen what she's done, DD2 is secure in her choice of Combined. She had the choice of Combined or Triple in a normal class (if she scores highly enough in tests for Triple) or a special Combined musicians set, where they do combined science in fewer hours with more time for music practice.

She's opted for the musicians set- she's not very into science but she is very quick with most things. School pointed out that children who have been through that class have gone on to do medicine and other serious science subjects and that combined is fine for A Level. I did combined and so did my sister (who went on to do Engineering at Cambridge)

I guess that what I'm saying is that Triple is a lot of work especially if it is an extra GCSE in effect. DD1 doesn't reckon it was worth it.

Thanks Mini. I'm not that bothered. So long as he can do Biology A'level, which the email said he could, so that's fine.

yes I think it’s hard to choose between triple or combined if they’re given the choice. DD3 has been allowed to do triple as would have to choose another subject to replace if opted for combined. She detests school and doesn’t really like any subjects so given she has to do all three sciences for combined she may as well do all three for triple. Finding a replacement subject would be a nightmare! She won’t be taking any science A levels so it’s just about getting ok science grades at GCSE 🤞🏼

@NotDonna I think it's fine if it is effectively an option choice - ie you can replace it with something else and it is timetabled. DD1's was not - just the top set doing three GCSEs in the same time as everyone else did 2. Particularly bad given all the covid disruption.

They've actually changed the way they do it at their school since then as so many had a nightmare with it. But DD2 is moving so it doesn't affect her. Such a shame your DD doesn't like school - it sure doesn't suit everyone! Maybe next year will be better, I found that with DD1 post options everything settled down a bit and everyone was happier.

@Oblomov23 yes you do have the opposite problem to me. Ds is always expecting me to push him more. But he's always telling me he thinks I'm disappointed with him. So I don't know how to react.

The triple science and A levels is probably different in each school. Ds1 wanted to do (and did do) A level biology so we went to listen to a talk about it at the 6th form open eve. I heard someone ask if their dc could take A level biology with combined science. She said they can but those with single biology will get priority as the step up is a jump. But some dc's might be good at one science but not another, in which case the combined science makes more sense. Ds1 said if he'd done combined science he may have had 2 A star grades as less work load. Chemistry was his weak science.

@minisnowballs oich that does sound a crazy system. Pleased to hear they’ve changed it. Yes, I think DD3 will be slightly happier now most of her subjects are chosen ones. I’m hopeful!

I know where you are coming from@Oblomov23 re the lack of effort.
DS has coasted until now and done well in subjects he is naturally strong at but average in others as he puts in minimal effort with revision and homework.
Am hoping that they ramp up the homework and this forces him to step up.
We shall see, he is away with his mate and family until Saturday so will need to crack on with his holiday work post then. I am going to be positive!

Hi all, wondering if I can join? My DS is going into Year 10 and already worrying about his GCSEs! He’s my eldest so it’s all new to me. He has ASD but in mainstream school and is pretty anxious anyway so the thought of exams is already filling him (and me) with dread!

Welcome @SleepyJim My DD has ADHD (combined type), dislikes school and struggles with exams. Is on meds but still struggles. So although different to ASD, the anxiety is a huge thing too! What subjects has he chosen?

Hi all, hoping to join too. Eldest DS is going into year 10. He’s very bright but has coasted along doing the bare minimum for the last 3 years and am hoping he ups the effort now! If it’s not sports related he’s not really interested (and he spends far too much time on his phone whenever he’s not on a pitch/ramp/court!)

Hi @NotDonna sorry to hear your DD struggles too. He has chosen geography, ICT and business studies. He is at a catholic school so also has to do RE which he isn’t delighted about but has finally been able to give up French which he really is happy about! Not sure yet if he is doing double or triple science. What subjects is your DD doing?

Welcome @SleepyJim. My dd is NT but very anxious about academics and we've already had one wobble over GCSEs and she's not even started them!

Our week A timetable is viewable on our parent portal so cue loads of frantic texting to see if she has any friends in her classes (she didn't last year). Looks like she has one or two in most of her classes which is good although she didn't get a couple of hoped-for teachers leading to a minor wobble over how she's going to get good grades if she doesn't like her teachers. <sigh>.

Ours don’t usually receive their timetables until the day before. Parents don’t have access. Thanks @SleepyJim she’s also been allowed to drop a MFL (which is a first at their school). There’s only been around 5 of them allowed to drop it. She was doing Spanish and German last year but pretty dire at both. English is enough of a challenge 🤣 So she’s chosen Triple sciences, History, PE, Food & Nutrition. She’s only doing 9 - most at her school do 10 but given her struggles she’s allowed 9. My eldest who’s bright but dyslexic also did 9 subjects but back then the Head insisted that all 9 were ‘academic’ and had to include an MFL. She got all 8/7’s bar the MFL (5) so she’s rather envious of DD3!!

We can see DD2's timetable on her new 'portal'. So weird to see music practice periods mixed in with her lessons... and lessons on a Saturday! She'll only take eight GCSEs, because of all the music, so it seems incredibly sparse compared with her sister's. There's also a lot more PE than we're used to (though some of it is called 'games'.

Heaven knows what the difference is...DD2's PE has mainly been walking slowly round a field for the last two years so it might be a bit of a shock.

Welcome Woods and SleepyJim.

Oh the PE walking around a field has made me giggle @minisnowballs
I think PE lessons are skills/fitness based whereas Games are actual sports, so will ‘train’ in PE but actually play hockey, netball, cricket etc in Games lessons. Good to see they’re encouraging sports.
They’re radically changing our timetable to incorporate a registration/pastoral 1st lesson each day. They used to do a register in the 1st morning lesson. So kids would go immediately to physics or whatever the moment they arrive in school where a daily register would be taken. Now they’ll have form time first thing each day. Also moving to hour long lessons rather than 45 minutes (that could be interesting for DD with ADHD, but we’ll see), and I think fewer lessons a week and over a fortnight, so it’ll be interesting to see the new format and how it works in practice. A letter was sent out in July and the rationale sounded perfectly reasonable.

Ours don't see timetables until a few days before either. Parents can't view them. Though Ds has signed in on my laptop and has forgotten I can see 🤣

Ooh perfect @icanbewhatiwant does that mean you can stalk him, check homework etc?

@minisnowballs, @NotDonna has it right. PE usually Skills - ours includes Invasion games, gymnastics but also using the gym and indoor things like badminton. Games is teams sports. DD is very excited because this year is the first that she doesn't have to do hockey. She's doing just netball this year and can't wait.

@NotDonna - our school does form time or assembly every day from 8.40 for 25 mins. Our periods are 40 mins each - 8 per day. Dd has lots more doubles now she's on GCSE schedule.

No timetable here yet. As DS has ASD we often get it in advance of the term starting but unfortunately the (excellent) SENCO has left and I don't know who the new one is so haven't been able to get a copy before term starts.

@QueenMabby - I am a little worried that DD will have NO PE skills. She wouldn't even know the rules of things like hockey and it's been years since she's even done football. She has the Snapchat group for her new year group now who are very friendly but also seemingly VERY sporty. I guess they're used to the musicians being 'different' though.

@notdonna I think tutor time is important for checking in on kids. Mine have both developed decent relationships with tutors in the past, so hope the change works out.

My niece's school is changing all the tutor groups so that they are put in a group with others who have the same 'weakest' subject as them so they can have extra tuition in it. Which would be fine if it weren't that they aren't ability streamed in that. Niece's weakest subject is English, but she's actually a brilliant allrounder so not convinced that being in a tutor group with those who struggle with literacy will help her much. Interesting idea though.

We are in labelling and packing hell. I thought I was doing really well getting ready for the school year but it appears I was ignoring the rest of a very considerable iceberg of things to do below the surface.