November maths resit - no lessons yet!

[MathsResit]

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions about how I can progress this situation.

Ds got a 3 in maths GCSE in the summer. His goal was to scrap a pass and he undershot basically. The maths resit lessons in sixth form clash wih one of his options and I've been in regular contact with the head of sixth form about what input ds will have. To be fair to them, it's a timetabling headache and they are trying to do what they can, but as of today, he hasn't had any maths input from school.

Ds has refused a tutor point blank. He's doing a bit with me very reluctantly. The maths resits are in just over a month. I'm hoping that ds gets a bit of anxiety adrenaline about them soon and focuses - he is pretty capable of getting a 4 if he gives the longer questions a good go and uses the extra time and rest breaks that he has.

I don't know what else I can do. I can't make ds engage with a tutor, nor can I make the school magic up a maths teacher with capacity to teach 2 children (there's another child in the same situation).

Any advice or suggestions please? TIA

I would push the tutor harder with him. In maths you need to understand the basics in order to do more complex things and it's hard to study on your own if you don't have those in place.
Are there consequences if he doesn't pass the resits? e.g. he won't be able to continue in 6th form?

Could he not sit in any yr 11 lessons in his free periods?

Agree with PP push tutro harder or if you have ablity sit down with him and do past papers.

This will be the wrong board and it's split between numeracy and maths - https://www.mathsdiy.com/gcse-numeracy-topic-booklets/ but there are topic booklets here with worked solutions or go to amazon and get a work book for his board with answeres and sit and work through.

Thanks all. He does get the basics. We got his June papers back and he raced through the first half of them getting them all right then left a lot of the higher mark questions. We've spoken about how he needs to have a change in mindset when he reaches those questions - they do need a bit of time working out what you need to do.

Annoying thing is that I made him do loads of past papers in the lead up to the June exams and he got 80+ percent consistently. Think we'll have to resume past papers.

Perhaps you should remind the school that it is a condition of their sixth form funding that they have set learning hours specifically for those who got a 3 or less at Maths or English GCSE. They should be providing the lessons! And they will definitely be telling the DfE that they are providing them otherwise they will miss out on £££ of funding.

My DD is in a similar position as she got 4 and wants to improve. School have various timetable clashes and started lessons last week: 2 lessons pw, but missing something else. The lessons are aimed at Foundation Level 4 and she is doing higher and wants a six (not sure if that's possible for her...)

She does have a tutor who she is seeing twice a week. I would really push the tutor idea if you can.

I've spent the morning making a spreadsheet and folder of topics / exam style questions from Maths Genie. It's amazing and its FREE! She started this about 2 weeks ago, but we've been getting in a muddle over her marking / consolidating. The process is:

• watch the video
• do the exam style questions on printed paper
• mark them (she wasn't doing this herself)
• make cards for any learning points. Either the process or where getting stuck
• make a list of ones to revisit and another list for ones to go over with the tutor.
• They also have mini tests for Foundation & Higher and also 45 mins past papers.

Maths Genie is organised by grade / topic lists, so it's really easy to navigate. My DD is covering grades 4,5 and 6, but if you DS is doing Foundation, he should only do up to Grade 5.

Really good luck. We've found it tough going as she has forgotten a lot over the summer and it's challenging to fit it in with everything else.

I've been a bit reluctant to go down that route, YellowTigerTail, as the school has been good to my ds and I do appreciate the time tabling headache.

I've received another ''it's all sorted out" email and have asked for times and days the lessons will be. Ds has taken in a past papers and assured me that he'll do it during study support as he refused to do it yesterday.

Exams in less than a month and no formal teaching since June :(

Given that they are obliged to be teaching him maths, I'm surprised the school hasn't managed to put anything at all in place, even if it's sitting in the corner of a different maths class doing past papers, and somebody marking them - or getting him to mark them himself and then spending a few minutes with him looking at some of the errors.