Y10- 2025/2026

[CouldNotStayAway]

Hi all! Thought I’d start a new thread for the upcoming new academic year!

Thanks for the new thread! Hope all those starting GCSEs in Y10 enjoy their new subjects and are happy to dump some old ones. It was a Y9 start here so we are old hands in this house. There was some issues at the end of last year so I'm hoping for a better Y10. We've asked for some class moves due to bullying and I'm really hoping that happens and allows for a new start. Also hoping maybe some of the attitudes have changed over summer and they'll have grown up a bit for Y10. Things might start feeling a bit more real for the teenagers!

Thanks, @CouldNotStayAway!

The summer holidays are flying by. DD is having a good time, but is more relaxed than I am about starting Y10! There was no summer work set, but I suggested DD at least tidied up her books and perhaps read through the GCSE science topics they had started in Y9 (most of it doesn't start until Y10 at her school) but she rolled her eyes and said that 'nobody' would be doing that...

She is really looking forward to focussing on her options subjects (the highlight being an increase from one music lesson per fortnight to five!) and is, on the whole, happy with the teachers she has been allocated, apart from the sciences where she has two 'meh' teachers and one 'bad.'

@RosieRivetingAgain I hope the class moves are granted, though I would guess it might be trickier during the GCSE years? DD found that the alpha girls / bullies had calmed down during Y9, so fingers crossed...

Also checking in! Eldest DD starting in year 10 in Sept
she is excited to start her options so fingers crossed it all goes smoothly
school isn’t plain sailing for us, DD is ASD and finds school very overwhelming at times so hoping she can take it all in her stride

Hope it's ok to join you? My DD is starting Year 10 having started her GCSE courses in Year 9. She enjoys all the subjects and is doing well academically but socially it has been a challenge since Year 7. She has received an ASD diagnosis over the summer so hopefully this will help her during the next two years, it's all a bit new still but not a surprise and she is ok with it (although, typically, wants people to know but is worrying about how to tell them.) I just hope she manages ok, the difference between her anxiety levels during term time and the holidays is vast...

My youngest DD is starting year 10 in September. She's looking forward to some new subjects. I'm hoping she hasn't overstretched as her 4 option choices are a language and 3 essay subjects rather than including a creative subject.

She got the choices she wanted though and was very involved in the selection. It's already quite a different experience to that with my elder DD who has ADHD and ASD. That was a roller coaster ride for sure.

Can’t believe DS2 is starting Year 10. He is really looking forward to starting his option choices and not doing all the subjects that he really hates.
Following on from the others thread asking about what they want to do after school…he basically wants to follow in his older brothers footsteps. It’s good for him to have that motivation but they are 2 completely different people and I know DS2 won’t find it as easy as DS1.
My older DS is at Loughborough doing a Sport Science degree. He is very focused and very academic.
DS2 has ASD (only diagnosed in Y6) but is an extremely talented sportsman in 2 sports. He doesn’t exactly struggle academically but everything is so so much harder for him. I don’t think he’ll go down the A level route and will instead do a Level 3 BTEC at College.

It should be ok to move @LetItGoToRuin as the problematic classes weren't options or set by ability. Rumour was they were planning a rejig of them anyway, I think Y9 was a challenging year across the board so they may have been hoping to try and smooth out some problematic relationships!

I'm really hoping for a better year 10. She's really not interested in the drama of teenage relationships, she just wants to get on with her work.

Hello,
I hope I can join you here: DS1 is starting y10 in September.

I was a science teacher, left this summer, so happy to help with science stuff.

Has anyone had older kids go through? Do you have any recommendations for English literature companion book brands - DS will be reading An Inspector Calls first. We have a copy of the book, but of all the companion books available, which is the best type?

Thanks!

Hello can I join? Dd looking forward to Y10 at a good comprehensive. Brain rot over the summer recently compounded by binge-watching a Netflix series she has fallen in love with (“over 700 hours mum - I’ll watch it all before I’m back to school!”).

So far only half her timetable has been released and she has a ropey teacher for maths but a great teacher for Spanish (her weakest subject). She was planning on maths A level so I hope this won’t drag her down. Most of her top set maths class already have a maths tutor and driven by academic ambitions of their parents so I doubt they will notice the impact of a bad teacher. I’ll be back here I’m sure to find out what is the best time to get a tutor on board - I’m happy to invest but I know dd will seethe if I imply she is not capable of doing it all by herself (why did I get one of the stubborn independent kids?!).

I know dd is capable of good grades, neither of us mind too much if she doesn’t hit those grades but it would be nice to give her a fighting chance!

@RosieRivetingAgain speaking from perspective of someone who was bullied,
it’s still possible to ace your exams whilst dealing with those tough social situations. But for your dc sake I hope it does settle down and there’s some respite so dc doesn’t dread going into school every day.

@Lindy2 I’m in the opposite position as dd is taking triple science and Fine Art. The workload seems terrifying to me but she says that’s what she wants.

@AnnieAverage welcome!

I don't have any advice on timings for getting a tutor, but my DD similarly lacks confidence in the chemistry teacher she has been allocated. Her current plan is to manage it herself by comparing notes with friends that have different teachers, and also to use the CGP workbook / revision guides and any online resources to try to fill in any gaps herself.

No idea if this will be enough, but I'm pleased to see that she wants to manage her own learning rather than expecting to be spoon-fed everything at school. Whether she'll actually do what she says is another matter... we'll keep an eye on it in Y10.

@HedgeWitchOfTheWest welcome - and noted on the science expertise front - thanks!

I don't have any advice regarding English support/revision materials (DD's school has so far only asked us to purchase a copy of each of the three texts they will be studying, ideally in an annotation-friendly format) but if you mention the exam board your DS will be using, someone may be able to offer specific advice. There are some English experts on MN, though they may not be reading this thread (tagging@MrsHamlet who is often so helpful!)

Can I join in too please? DC1 is starting Y10 in 2 weeks, we've had an easy summer but heavens knows how the next 2 years will go. She's picked a lot of humanities subjects and to my sadness has dropped the language.
The school does a lot of crowd control in lessons so I need to find ways out of school to broaden her knowledge, we're talking about an English tutor to reawaken her love of the subject.

@RunningKatie Ah my dd would have LOVED to drop her foreign language! I think a language is nice to learn if that’s your thing, but if you don’t want to do it, it can be torture.

Hello all,
Please can I join? I am petrified about my DS1 sterling year 10, he on the other hand is completely laissez faire! We have picked lots of humanities subjects and DT although he is doing Spanish which is also his weakest subject @AnnieAverage.
I would also like some revision books for English lang and lit please! We are starting with a Christmas Carol.
Gosh it is all so nerve racking!!
Glad to have a new team to discuss with though.

I am hoping for a better Y10 than Y9. My dd got her ADHD diagnosis first week of summer holidays and we have a CAMHS appointment for medication assessment at the start of November. Also got new support contacts in the school week before the end of term who seem to understand her and don’t just think it’s behaviour! ASD assessment has been turned down by CAMHS at the moment which isn’t so good.

@brackengirl hopefully the diagnosis makes a difference at school.

Similar here. DS’s school is very strict, which means lessons are beautifully calm. But they’ve extended their high control to the curriculum and teaching. Every lesson is scripted, with gap-fill booklets. Very clinical and uniform.

I’m planning on doing everything I can to broaden his experience. Books, films, plays, museums, documentaries, visits, etc.

Your home enrichment sounds so lovely @RunningKatie. I would love to hear your thoughts so far!

Signing in.

DD is relaxed. I'm already getting worried about GCSE English. The 4 means everything. Its frustrating that she already gets 4/5 in classwork but a 2 in exams...
Shes worried she might move down a set and really doesn't want to be in Set 3 (of4). The teacher implied she will try to keep her in Set 2 as shes quiet and hardworking but ultimately it isn't her final decision.

Shes excited about her options. They all seem to get their first choices except the one course they didn't gave enough people to run. (Only 4 people wanted to do business management apparently!)

Ahh I was looking for a thread like this - I’m hopping in!

Also hoping for a better, more settled Y10 after a rough ride, socially. Sorry to hear quite a few others had the same experience.

Our focus this year will need to be organisation and application. DD is very bright but a bit lazy, unorganised and so far unchallenged. She gets great results but has no idea how and doesn’t know how to apply herself/study as it’s not been needed yet. I’m terrified that she has all this potential but could very well crash out with the stress when it all gets harder this year.

Last year she felt a little bit of challenge in two subjects, so ditched those immediately when options came round saying that she “knows” she’s totally failing them. She got 100% in those end of term exams and predicted 9s! 🤦‍♀️ But she struggles to actually revise, and therefore has no proper understanding of where she’s at with the knowledge, meaning low confidence.

She was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of summer term. I’m glad she doesn’t feel the need to mask anymore and is understanding how her mind works, but it’s really hard getting her to set up systems in advance that will serve her. I’m just talking folders set up with dividers and the subject notes for the subjects already started, and a whiteboard etc. I just know everything will be fine in a panic on the very last day before going back!

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky Same situation, although not yet applied for the ASD. I’m waiting to see how the first half of the year goes before thinking about medication as DD has some other medical issues that might make it a less straight forward solution. I’d be interested to hear how you get on.

@AchillesAndPatroclus your DD sounds very like mine, mine is ASD and very very able.. predicted 8/9s but is so unmotivated.. she masks a lot at school so usually comes home shattered and homework is the last thing she wants to do

she also struggles with revision as she wants someone to tell her the right way and that isn’t really how it works

she is excited to get started in sept so that’s a positive, I just hope the school can guide her with revision strategies as she is going to need them

@Lisamummy22girls Sounds familiar! Have you found school supportive so far?

Mine is completely averse to writing out notes and refining information on revision cards etc.
School work completely on laptops and she “revises” by scrolling through the teacher notes/lesson pages, sometimes making quizlet for the bits she didn’t already know.

Shes doing ok, so that seems to work for her but seems alien to me as I had written notes, post it’s and all sorts coming out of my ears during GCSEs and I’m worried she’s missing something crucial.

DH also only has to read things once and the information is just locked in - very annoying as I needed all the help I can get retaining this kind of stuff!

@AchillesAndPatroclus mine loves a “Mind map” so I think will be ok if she can stick to making those but she has never done flash cards

she has French homework to make verb practice book over the summer for next year so has done that…

I just hope she stays positive and motivated and doesn’t burn out..