Year 10 2024/2025 - come and join!

[36and3]

A thread for those with kids beginning their GCSE course next month.

Dd is my oldest so this process is a first for me. Her options are: triple science, Spanish, history and food/nutrition.

We've spent the summer organising her room. We've bought revision guides and files etc for every subject and she's excited to get started!

Would anyone like to join me for the ride?!

Anyone else's DC finding there is a lot of work to do? Lots of homework? How do you support them?

The school's starting to do their end-of-half-term tests so I'm quizzing DS on the topics they've covered. I used this website, which lets you do one quiz free every day before you have to start paying:

DS is definitely shocked by the amount of homework but I don’t think he’s getting loads. He’s trying to avoid it which obviously isn’t working. I am finding physically sitting with him is difficult as I get home late and often have work over the weekend, I’ve told him he’ll have to do prep at school for an extra evening if he doesn’t start getting on top of it. He currently has prep 2 nights and art club one night, so gets home at 6 on those evenings. He does get more holidays than if he were at state so that makes up for longer days a little.

Thanks for the tip RealHousewivesOfTaunton have shared with DD.
Doesn't seem to have more homework at the moment and has been doing at least some extra maths revision.

Still not that much homework here - I’m sure I had tons more in year 10. DS is all up to date on it but still has plenty of time to play Roblox and Minecraft every day 🙈🤣

Not much homework here either. I am surprised. I am sure older sister had much more than this. Maybe it will ramp up soon.

Another one with not much homework here. It seems bizarrely quiet on that front.

Half term here. Hope all going well with you guys. Here it’s been a bit rocky. DS1 had a maths test that he totally bombed despite doing (a bit of) work for and has had a bunch of assessed work in school that has made him quite stressed. DH and I disagree on how to handle it and had a row about it last night. Have science revision to do over half term which will not go down well either…
How is everyone else doing?

Half term here too, this one has felt never ending! He had two 'surprise' key pieces yesterday. I pointed out that, if he'd been revising as he went, it wouldn't have been as much of a suprise.

DS has surprised me this half term. He's racked up a handful of detentions for not doing homework 🙄 but has been revising on his own initiative and making his own flash cards. I don't get any of his marks until parents evening in November but hopefully he's doing ok.

We've had first set of predicted grades already which were all delighted with, though appreciate there's still a long way to go. We get a grade card every half term and we have parents evening in December. Two week half term here of which one week we're away so she's then got all her homework to cram into a few days. Dd is very diligent so I can't complain.

She's also very happy with her options which definitely helps. Hope all the others feel settled with theirs too. Dd was on the fence between geography and history for example and is now so so pleased she picked history!!

Long awaited half term here too, from us both Having a very quiet week as FIL sadly passed away last week so lots for DH and I to do, DD struggles a bit with her emotions in that's she's very closed and doesn't particularly like to talk about things like this although she's a big talker in other ways so will keep an eye on here. Her Head of Year is lovely and has had a quiet word if she needs anything.

DD seems happy, she's working hard and got great results so far. First report will be before Christmas. Her time this week is being mainly taken up with Art Maths and Computer Science seem to be her favourite lessons.

Hope everyone's DCs are having well deserved breaks.

Sorry for your loss @UncomfortableSilence so tough on everyone.

Sorry for your loss @UncomfortableSilence
DD's sister is coming home for reading week. I just found out that they message each other every day and DD sends photos of the cats. They aren't openly affectionate with other when together so this has cheered me up.

Quiet half term. No work has been done, although I can see she has got some books out today.

Thank you.

MrsMcNally-That's lovely with your girls, there's 5 years between mine and I see glimmers now they are older that show they do really like each other

DD is currently in her room doing Chemistry homework that apparently she didn't know she had and that no one in the class has managed to do as it's so hard so she's trying to teach herself it.

Preparing for another long term ahead, happy to get back to work and routine though.

Sorry about your FIL @UncomfortableSilence
Here have had to have stern conversations with DS1 after we got his maths assessment back (17%!). After he did it he said it went fine (he has admitted he lied about this). He says he just freaked a bit and his brain froze. Any tips for DC getting over this? I’ve gone over it with him and while it was on an area he finds tricky he could do 75% of it then.
science tests next week - some productive revision done under protest, now I just have to hope they go better 🤞.
Good luck to anyone else’s DC with tests next week.

DS had history, Spanish and computer science to revise over half term for tests first week back. He didn’t seem to do very much but he’s got 92% in computer science and 95% in Spanish which he says is on track for grade 9, so maybe he was actually doing some work in between Roblox 🤪 He’s started his drama coursework too. We don’t have parents evening until march which seems very late in the year but usually get a termly grades report so we’ll see what that says. His maths and science are usually good but I have no idea how he’s getting on with English which was a bit more hit and miss in previous years 😬

We sat down in half term and made a list of potential work experience places as well and done a template email to send. He’s had his first rejection email the other day so onto the next one!!

He’s going on a trip to the NEC on Tuesday as well to a sort of post-16 pathways exhibition which sounds interesting, info about apprenticeships, colleges, different careers, etc.

Dd seems to have unit tests constantly but she's being mega organised and filing all her notes as she goes. She's started a Christmas carol now and we're going to see the stage show in London next month which I'm actually looking forward to! She's managing her external sport 3-4 x a week which is a healthier balance than before.

That sounds good @36and3. DD has done A Christmas Carol in y7 this last term, as did DS when he was there. It's one of my absolute favourites so I'm a bit sad they don't do it for GCSE!

DS has given up his martial arts, which was a huge commitment because he just couldn't focus on it. He's joined the local gym so is going there and swimming instead. It's way more flexible so fits around everything else much better. He has been invited to a programme with our local Sixth Form College, aimed at giving 'high flyers' 🙄 a taste of A levels and university, which starts this week.

That sounds great! Does he know what he wants to do longterm?

This looks like a useful thread. DD is y10 and seems to be going well - options are Sociology, Art, Geography, and then triple science, English and Maths. Good test results for Geography, she really struggled to decide between History and Geography but went with Sociology instead of doing both.
Gave up her sport at half term which was sad but also a relief. She is now just going to the gym and swimming which has taken the pressure off as training and matches all weekend (and travelling!) were just feeling too much. Good decision as I can see that has lightened the load and she is happier.
Interested to see how much time y10s are spending on homework and revision.
We are also going to see A Christmas Carol next month which should be good and useful!

Everyone seems to be doing well. Long may that continue! DS managed to stay awake through Simon Reeve at the theatre this weekend and came home quite inspired, which will hopefully give him some motivation in geography. We have parents evening later this month so I'll find out how he's doing. No detentions for a week 💫

@36and3 he will probably do science/geography/maths at A level as he plans to study Environmental Science at university with a view to working in Conservation. He does come up with the occasional curveball off music production but I think that will end up being more of a hobby.

That sounds interesting dd wants to do biology, chemistry and maths at Alevel.

DDs termly report was good - expected grades of 8s and two 7s (maths, latin). She was a bit annoyed she didn't get 9s for biology and physics as she did get 9s in the tests but I've said it's better to have something to aim for. Still persuading her to go to the maths club after all the pleading to get a tutor, she now "doesn't have anything she needs help with" 🙄
Have booked Macbeth at The Globe at Easter which went on sale today.