What can I do in year 9 to support for year 10/11/ & GCSE- if you knew then what you know now?

[Putyourleftarmin]

Hi All

I’ve been reviewing some different threads on here which have been helpful but for those parents with DC in yr 10/11 beyond, what good habits/ structure can I support my now year 9 DC with that will help for the next few academic years?

Background- DC has suffered trauma (I won’t go into details here) the last few years- school attendance and overall confidence has been impacted but has really improved of late.

They do their homework on time and a few extra curricular clubs / voluntary work but not something every night of the week

I think getting them into a rhythm/ routine with things that can help support ways of working once they get to year 10/11 will really help and would be helpful to hear any “if I knew then what I know now” type feedback

Would welcome any pointers/ things that have helped on:

-best ways to revise

• essay planning and examples
• general organisation

Thank you

I would say revision.
Learning whether revision cards and or mind maps works and best times to revise, length in one sitting etc.
Learning to spread revision out for longer term retention.

But also, if suffering from trauma, keep a close eye on mh, as y10 and y11 can get very stressy.

Thank you for the advice. Thats exactly why I am thinking about what gradually to do to ease things in rather than it becoming overwhelming (as much I as I can do anyway)

We had a regular homework time slot so it was just a habit to do it at that time. If there was no homework then they could watch Youtube to widen their knowledge on something ie Elizabethan spy network or science experiments you cannot conduct in a classroom.

I completely agree with Teen work out what revision method works for them. Mine did flash cards, mind maps or brain dumps did not.

Also use the summers, so end of year 9, find out what books they will be studying for English GCSE, read/watch them over that 6 weeks, get to know them. Look ahead for what themes they will be covering in those books so they can pay attention. Start looking at stuff on Youtube by teachers about English to get their head into the right frame of mind to know how this all comes together and most importantly how to gain marks.

End of year 10 summer go back over their end of year exams and work out how to gain more marks in every subject.

Throughout any GCSE stuff which can happen in year 9, do revision notes/flashcards now whilst it is still fresh in their head because they will have to do them at some point, might as well do small bits at a time.

I think doing it in smaller chunks definitely helped mine. We called it eating the elephant, one small bite every day is easier than trying to do it all near the end. Personally like you I was always looking 2 years ahead for my children and it paid off.

If your child is doing a content heavy course like history or geography (or even sciences) , if the revision style works for them, make revision flash cards as you go

This thread is really helpful, thank you. My DS does a lot of extra curricular stuff - all his own choice, and he gets a lot of joy out of it. How much did your DCs cut back on clubs outside of school?
DS is academically bright, and will be expected to take 12 GCSEs. I am worried about burn out.

12 is an unnecessary number.

@TeenToTwentiesi completely agree - but unless I withdraw him from the top stream (and so he will be learning in lower sets) we don’t have much choice. He will be doing statistics in yr 10.

Set them up with good habits so they start with reqular time & place for working, decent notes, and summaries at the end of each topic. Get them to work out what revision techniques work for them.
Yes yes yes to the eating the elephant description above.
My y11 dropped one extra curricula at the start of the year. So now he is "only" out 3nights a week, plus probably one weekend a month.

I made sure my daughter continued throughout. She pushes herself a lot so this made sure she had some down time.

She does ballet, so it made sure she had some some exercise, and rangers gave her social time.

she got 11 A* GCSES.

But all kids are different, saying that. If you think they won’t do the work, maybe cut down but don’t stop entirely.

Don't know whether my son is normal when it comes to studying but up until year 11 he did very little extra on top of the work set by the school. He did however go to all the before and after school extra lessons and those put on in the holidays (these weren't in year 9 though).

I think it's good advice to work out the best way they can learn and in particular practice exam technique.

I think there is a real risk they burn out and/or run out of steam if the pressure starts too early.

As soon as you know what board/course they are doing for science, history and English, buy the Revision guides. In a few months time, people will be selling them on eBay etc so you can get them much cheaper. Read them yourself so that you understand how the courses are structured.

Find out the set texts for English and watch films / listen to audio books / see plays.

Set up the expectation (if it isn’t there already) of 60-90 mins independent study after school. This can be homework set, reading ahead in text books, reading / annotating set texts etc. if you make this time a habit, it will really help. If necessary, tweak your evening routine so it works - move food earlier or later or offer lifts to later clubs or sports training.

@SunblockSue it depends on the school, the cohort and to the aspirations for certain grades. A lot of people say you only need GCSEs to get you onto the next stage which in Dc's case would be 5 x grade 4s for their sixth form. That can be rather restrictive in what A levels they can take and what the typical grade is at A level if they come in on a grade 4.

Dc's History class for example ranged from grade 2 to grade 9 in year 11 just before exams. That is a hard thing to differentiate within the class. Their GCSE content also started in year 9. For other subjects work was finished in class time, if they experience low level disruption then work then has to be finished at home.

Our imposed homework time slot started in year 7 because primary gave very little homework. We asked our friend who was head of Geography for advice on what helps a child to succeed that is within our control, these are the things he said. We cannot control friendships or their attitude to learning but we could scaffold the Dc so that they had our support from day one.

What helped all through secondary was understanding that not all learning takes place within school and that goes for GCSE content too. School encouraged watching films depicting the things they were studying such as Elizabeth with Cate Blanchet. For science it was the Free Science lessons chap on YouTube. Children have a lot of time after school and on weekends. Making them understand that and getting them to decide how they divide that up is a great way of helping them take charge of their free time. Dc carried on their sports but that was great for their mental health. My youngest child is at uni so we have been through the whole system.

Oooh yes, definitely try and see any plays they are doing before they study them, so they can watch them and enjoy them first and foremost, without the pressure of having to analyse them.

if Macbeth is going to be challenging for them to understand at first watch, let them watch a you tube synopsis before you go.

An Inspector Calls is always on and the production is pretty good. My daughter was really pleased she had already seen it as it’s very dry when 15 year olds read from a script!

Hi Everyone

Thank You all so much for the advice and tips on here, it’s really appreciated- I hadn’t checked the thread for a week or so.

those who have recommended getting texts for English literature ahead- do you know when you find these out? Is it start of year 10?

We have the subjects with the list of exam boards and make up of the courses as DC chose options last week so that helps with buying study guides.

They have indecently started doing some revision each day- I felt the school maybe already be starting to support/ add pressure depending on how you look at it.

I think an hour a night after school most days is doable for us with clubs etc and I agree provides a good framework and space.

@Putyourleftarmin You can ask the head of English. They may not decide until quite late (or they may even have different sets doing different things.) We were told end y9 it would definitely be Macbeth but other things undecided.

@TeenToTwenties Thank you - great idea

Watching. DS currently doing A levels but DD is very different, so up for hearing some good ideas that might work for her.

Is anyone doing anything in particular over the summer to prepare for September

This is such wonderful advice, thank you all for sharing. We're currently deciding whether to move our DDs to a new school for Years 9 and 10, and this is massively helpful as if we move them, we want to ensure we're also doing our bit at home to support them as best we can.

Ds has just finished year 11 and waiting for GCSE results. My advice is routines!! We made a chart with his homework /revision times/ hobby times (football practice)/ free time. It helped with his time management. Also just be involved, keep checking in, offer help and advice. And make sure they are eating properly and getting enough sleep. We have never allowed his phone in his bedroom overnight.

@Cornishbelle I would look at a mark scheme for English lit, understand Assessment Objectives (AOs) see page 6 in the link but scroll down to the answers to the exam questions so you can see what the markers want to see. Knowing things like this for English Lit and Language I think helps them get into the right mindset and helps you as a parent support your child.

GCSEs are a game, understand specifically what gains points, especially important in Science if they are looking for keywords in answers. Always check which exam boards they use. AQA that I linked is the most used for English Lit. Understanding AO3 and context for books/plays/poems is important. I would also look at the 15 poems they usually study. Mine did Power and Conflict.

If school provide a study guide it often comes too late. Mine had them early through school and used them in class. Brilliant for analysing the poems for form and structure etc. But YouTube had poetry breakdown videos. Worth looking as a parent to see if you can support your child.

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