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Secondary education

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Original poster

Maths gcse y10 lost all confidence:(

26 replies

user8800 · 23/04/2024 19:18

Hi,
I'm after advice from teachers/staff if possible...
My dc is y10 and really upset/stressed about maths.
Historically, they have always been capable in maths (very good y2 sats, going into year above for lessons, etc, but then...covid.
They are set 1 but struggling.
This year, their marks have gone from 5+ in y9 to 3- in their last test.
They need a 4/5 obviously to go onto post 16 (will not be going into stem!).
I'm trying to advise/help as best I can, but this dc is quite an anxious child anyway.
They are very upset at the thought of moving sets but also aware current set is moving too fast.
Wwyd?
Got a meeting this week with their teacher...do I ask for a move? Should they do the foundation paper rather than higher?
I've bought work books etc and am happy to get them a tutor but they are like a rabbit in the headlights atm :(
Thank you

OP posts:
shepherdsangeldelight · 23/04/2024 19:24

(not a teacher)
What do those grades signify? If they are "grade that my DC would get if they sat a GCSE today" then I would be extremely concerned that your DC has actually got worse -that suggests something serious going on.

If it's some internal school ranking, then I would try to understand how this correlates with predicted GCSE result. Unless you are in a particular low achieving school it would be extremely unusual for a child who is aiming to get a 4 or 5 at GCSE to be in Set 1, so, whilst your DC might not want to move, I can't believe the school will want them to stay there. (In fact I'm surprised she wasn't moved after the Easter holiday as that would have been a natural time).

Schools don't generally like parents asking for their child to move sets, so I'd suggest framing an enquiry along the lines of you are worried that your child is struggling and how can she best be supported. The school will also advise as to the best paper for them to sit (at DC's school this decision isn't made until around the end of first term in Year 11, or even later).

goldenretrievermum5 · 23/04/2024 19:25

There’s still an entire year to get things back on track and beyond - plenty of time and no need to overly stress. A good tutor that your DC gets along with well is the best place to start. Book a taster lesson with a few and see who they prefer/teaches in the way that suits them best. DD went from barely scraping a pass in Y10, having genuine panic attacks over maths exams to an 8 at GCSE and going on to do it as an A level which she (nor we or her teachers!) would’ve expected in a million years

fatshamedbyfamily · 23/04/2024 19:27

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Original poster
user8800 · 23/04/2024 19:27

Thank you
Yes, I've told them that the gcse is a year away but they are very anxious:(
I'm also concerned they seem to be going backwards

OP posts:
fatshamedbyfamily · 23/04/2024 19:29

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Wishlist99 · 23/04/2024 19:29

I agree 5 was a very low mark to start with to be in Set 1. At my dc schools a 7 would be a minimum to be considered for set 1. And as per pp, unless it is a very low achieving school, it might be a good start to put him on set 2 which will move at a better pace for him.

Original poster
user8800 · 23/04/2024 19:32

That's amazing @goldgoldenretrievermum5 👏

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 23/04/2024 19:34

This year, their marks have gone from 5+ in y9 to 3- in their last test.

This doesn't sound great but it does depend on what the last test was. Grading an end of topic test in that way would be stupid, for example.

Does set 2 do the foundation paper or higher? That he is in set 1 with those grades would be unusual.

Confidence is quite a big part of maths though, so if he is upset and stressed, and feels the class is going too fast and he is getting results near the bottom of the class (not just on one test), then a chat with the class teacher with a potential set change would be a good idea.

FlutteryButterfly · 23/04/2024 19:47

I got a tutor for my DC for Y11

MigGirl · 23/04/2024 20:52

They have quite a long time until they have to decide which paper they will set. I'd wait until after their next set of mocks. But if they are still struggling then, remeber it's easier to get a 5 on the foundation paper than on the higher paper and if that is all they need for college then I wouldn't stress them out by asking to take the higher paper.

Charlingspont · 23/04/2024 20:54

Get a tutor. Plenty of time to build confidence back up.

Singleandproud · 23/04/2024 20:58

Being top of a lower group with a slightly slower pace can do wonders for an anxious child's self esteem.

I wouldn't be talking paper tiers yet there's still lots of time left. I think a tutor over summer to gain confidence and not lose the knowledge over the break would be a good thing.
I would ask school (or look on the website) for the curriculum plan and make sure you are doing some pre and overlearning. Introducing concepts in a low stress environment at home via revision books, Dr Frost, Seneca and YouTube videos can be really useful, then practising it at school, then reviewing again at home using the resources above to cement it.

noblegiraffe · 23/04/2024 21:01

A set change to set 2 if set 2 are doing higher would be good, but if set 2 are doing Foundation I would hesitate to cap his achievement at a 5 at this point if he was working at a 5+ in Y9 (or was he predicted a 5+?)

clary · 23/04/2024 22:22

I agree, being top of a lower set is often a good thing especially for an unconfident student.

I also agree that this stage at year 10 is way early to be thinking about tiers, so put that to one side.

Check out if set 2 does higher or foundation - agree with Noble no point in limiting them now.

Also ask school for an explanation of those grades which make no sense to me. If 3 is a GCSE PG set 1 makes no sense.

Octavia64 · 23/04/2024 22:27

Maths teacher.

If a student is very stressed then their grades can drop off a cliff. It's indicative of their anxiety not their achievement.

I have also moved students down simply because being top of a slower moving aet is much better for confidence than dragging along the bottom of a too fast moving set 1.

I'd suggest talking to the school and saying that being in set 1 is affecting her confidence and can she go down. It'll do wonders.

Original poster
user8800 · 24/04/2024 00:30

Thank you all
I'll definitely be asking the teacher about the drop in grades
I totally agree re: better to be top of set2
Happy to get a tutor too
👍

OP posts:
RachelGreensHair · 24/04/2024 01:22

Sounds just like my DD :) she's in Year 11 now and looking forward to never studying Maths ever again after her GCSEs. She dislikes Maths despite being top set - one tip from her is to use Maths Genie website, it's actually made Maths tolerable for her and helped increase her mock grades.

SummerFeverVenice · 24/04/2024 01:26

I agree with getting a tutor. Even if they just help your DC get their confidence back, that is a win. Test anxiety due to lost confidence can cause a lower score on the exam. A tutor will help them with any concepts they missed or need more practice on.

SummerFeverVenice · 24/04/2024 01:27

Dropping sets, I agree with too but it may not be possible within the school timetable.

Original poster
user8800 · 24/04/2024 07:43

Thank you all
I really appreciate your responses
We've agreed a chat with teacher and that they will spend some of the summer working with a tutor prior to start of y11

OP posts:
Bookworm1111 · 24/04/2024 08:18

user8800 · 24/04/2024 07:43

Thank you all
I really appreciate your responses
We've agreed a chat with teacher and that they will spend some of the summer working with a tutor prior to start of y11

I wouldn't make him work with a tutor during the summer holidays, otherwise it could end up feeling more like a punishment than helpful. He needs the downtime to put Y10 behind him. I'd find someone to see him through this summer term then start afresh in Sept.

Testina · 24/04/2024 14:24

Do you mean summer term or summer holidays?
It makes no sense to let an anxious child continue to struggle and lose more confidence for another 3 months.

What does the 5+ / 3- grade actually mean?

Leonab · 24/04/2024 16:39

@user8800 It's not worth worrying too much if the exams are not until next year. Here's a breakdown of how exams work:

  • You don't get marks in an exam for providing the correct answer - you get marks for providing answers that match the marking scheme.
  • Students can be highly capable in a subject and still score low in an exam - because they haven't learnt how to write their answers in a format that matches the marking scheme.
  • At least one of the exam boards this year are starting to use examiners who don't teach the subject - teaching is already poorly paid in comparison to private sector jobs, so doubt these examiners will be industry professionals. This further emphasises the need for answers to match the marking scheme.
  • Exam technique such as time management and techniques to avoid making mistakes will increase marks - students tend to develop this near the end of the final year.
  • Learning how to make sense of the questions will also boost marks by avoiding misunderstandings.
So while a mock exam may produce a low score, it's not necessarily an indication of lacking the skills and knowledge to get a high grade. This is a different situation for people who have difficulty with maths - as opposed to not being prepared to do the exam.

With that said, the summer holidays are an ideal time to engage some intervention with exam practise so that they have an advantage for starting the final year of the course.

noblegiraffe · 24/04/2024 18:10

You don't get marks in an exam for providing the correct answer - you get marks for providing answers that match the marking scheme

This is absolutely not true in maths where you usually get full marks for the correct answer even if you provide no working unless the question specifically asks you to show your working.

Leonab · 24/04/2024 19:47

noblegiraffe · 24/04/2024 18:10

You don't get marks in an exam for providing the correct answer - you get marks for providing answers that match the marking scheme

This is absolutely not true in maths where you usually get full marks for the correct answer even if you provide no working unless the question specifically asks you to show your working.

I was talking as much about maths as the other subjects. 😁

There is a correlation that the correct answers tend to be in the marking scheme, but this is not what you get the marks for. For example:

  • You don't get the marks for showing each step of the working out as indicated in the marking scheme.
  • You risk losing marks if you don't show your working out clearly.
  • You risk not getting the marks for working out if you use a technique that's not listed in the marking scheme.

Examiners have the ability to use their own judgement, so in theory they should award the full marks for a correct answer that's not in the marking scheme. In practice, examiners are short on time and as humans are prone to making mistakes - especially when they are under a deadline. So if the working out isn't listed in the marking scheme or is written untidily, examiners are led to make mistakes - especially if they are rushing through the papers.

There are other situations where the exam board requests the wrong answer - e.g. most exam boards for computer science want to hear that there are 1000 bytes in a kilobyte, when the real answer is 1024. This affects not just the direct answer but also how the marking scheme shows calculations.