What are your 15/16 year olds doing?

[bobisbored]

My boys are both year 11. They have no exams now and therefore no school work to do. One of them knows what he wants to do next year and I've ordered some books for him that aren't here yet. The other has no clue. They are so unmotivated and fed up. I feel fit them but I'm really worried that 6 months of doing nothing will have a really bad effect. Today they've mowed the lawn and walked the dog but other than that they've been in their rooms on their Xbox. What are your kids doing?

DD has shedloads of schoolwork posted online, so she's doing a normal school day. She's also running with her brother and doing some yoga or pilates app thing.

I was thinking of posting the same thread. All my DS is doing is walking the dog and on Xbox. Oh and arguing with me that he wants to see his girlfriend hourly😬

Mine has no schoolwork set, either. Apart from his remote music lessons and practising he is: learning how to cook, clean, iron, do DIY, gardening ... I was planning on teaching him the domestic stuff during his long summer break anyway so we've just started a bit earlier. He made his first loaf yesterday single handedly. He's usually super busy with his music so this is a fantastic opportunity for him to learn important skills.

My twins still have school work set! Which they claim to be doing. Probably not as much as they've been set, but they are definitely doing some. I've told them to especially concentrate on the ones they want to do for A Level next year.

Apart from that they are chatting online to friends, playing games online with friends, watching tv etc.

Tonight they do have a virtual Explorer Scout meeting on Facebook. That will be interesting!

They claim not to need to go out at all, but I will force them into going outside soon for some fresh air and vitamin D!

My Y11 has plenty of work set for each lesson of day. They’ve been told it’s crucial they keep going as if exams still on to help inform teachers’ judgements. Social media, tv, occasional home work outs after 4pm.

My son is Year 11 and doing 5-6 hours schoolwork a day at the moment. The teachers have set lots of work and have told the kids that it will be marked and will go towards their expected grades or personal assessments from the teachers. He has to email his work at the end of each day/week so they know who has completed the work.

Other than that, he's been doing a bike ride every day and weights, etc. in the garden along with the usual messaging on his phone and arguing with his brother...

DD had no school work but is well motivated and been out for a walk (alone!) every day. She's started reading the texts for a level English and is finishing coursework - not that it will get looked at I don't think.

@MrsJBaptiste that's very impressive. shows how schools don't have a clue what to expect if he's got so much and DD had none set.

DDs school has set-up a Remote School. DD has been set bridging work to prepare for A-levels and the y11 and y13 students have been asked to volunteer as buddy support for young students, helping them with their schoolwork.
She also spends a lot of time socialising online, painting, playing instruments and tidying her room.

I'm in Italy and DD (16) has had full lessons online via video conference since lockdown began.
I teach in the same school so am doing the same.
We get up, make our top halves look respectable and log on.
They're also getting the usual amount of homework and oral tests (they have a set number of oral and written tests a term here)
When all that's done she does a bit of keep fit a bit of piano and Netflix.

Mine are 17 (A level) and 15 (GCSE). 17 yo's virtual school broke up today, so he has written an essay because he wanted to. He has also done a lot of music practice and went for a long run. 15 yo has watched crap on You Tube while lying on her bed. All sodding day. They have also argued with one another. A lot.

Dd hasn’t been set any work from school, they’ve said bye to her and that’s that!!

She’s taken to running and also running errands for elderly neighbours, that’s about it. Cooking the odd cake.

We’re having daily battles about keeping going with her studies... she hasn’t so far.

It’s going to be a long summer with no school work for 5.5 months!

My 15 yr old has nothing set, getting bored. I’m wfh fulltime. I’m paying her to help younger DC with their work

I'm so happy to find this thread! I'm close to go mad with negative, moody year 11 DD. She's spending all her time in her room, watching films, reading, chatting with friends and revising the subjects she want to do as A-level, she asked me buy 3 A-level books which I done and she started with. Not much homework from school as started gsce revision before break up. She says she want to learn how to cook but everytime I tell her we are to start to cook dinner she's looking on / helping like I just put needles in her eyes. I am trying so hard to find something all if us can do and found a quiz online on twitch yesterday but after doing 10 questions I realised we did yesterdays. Every suggestion I come up with just come up with the most bored look ever. Both OH and I are working ft at home and she's an only child. What do you guys do as a family?

We've played so many board games and done online quizzes like the friends one last night. It's nice having that time with DD. Ds is 13 though and really struggling.

I have made him start a project of his choice in the morning and told him he's going to have to do the revision books I bought him before he goes to sixth form. He's mainly been on the xbox, watching tv and YouTube. He's grumpy and bored. I'm finding him to be rude and patronising. But I'm really upset for him how his final year at school has turned out.

My year 11 gets online exercises (quite hefty ones for some subjects) to be uploaded when done.
Currrently he is sitting in his room sorting his notes from the 1st sem from piles into files. After that, I think it will be physics and literature.
He bought three audible books to listen to as well.

ds(16) was doing NAT5s this year (GCSE equiv) and is getting some work home which is taking up most of the school day. Ive told him he would have been studying for his exams and this study would not only have been for the exams but also to firm up his knowledge prior which will be the foundation to his Highers (A level equiv) next year. So far he is doing it and it is keeping him more than occupied, but I know many aren't (his physics teacher told them only 12 out of 50 students that are progressing to higher did).

His English teacher has told them to work through past papers and send in for him to mark. Read quality journalism, keep a diary about the lockdown, read books (I think some sites are allowing free downloads just now).

Outside of ongoing school work he is walking the dog with me, he is doing exercises at home (weights, skipping, etc), helping with more chores/cooking. This weekend if the weather keeps up he will be helping in the garden this afternoon.

Add in a board/card game night a couple of times a week and although we are missing outdoors we are keeping reasonably occupied.

I am WFH so I am also keeping busy. We have a bigger problem with dh who can't go out to work and struggles to find ways to keep himself occupied!!!

If your boys are year 11 (is that GCSE year?) why isn't their school providing work? If the school isn't providing work what are their plans for next year? If they aren't leaving school they can still study their subjects to put them in a good place for starting A levels next year. If they are leaving they can start studying their college subjects.

You are right, 6 months of doing nothing wont be good for them so you need to motivate them now before they settle into that pattern.

@WeAllHaveWings dd’s current school doesn’t have a 6th form, so they have finished with her year group.

She has offers from 4 colleges/6th forms, dependent on grades.

She’s hoping to do btec sport. So not a levels that easily link to a gcse course.

We have ordered some books which hopefully will help, but it’s not easy.

My DD is still doing schoolwork. She’s upstairs writing an essay for hw now - she does really love her studies though!

I didn’t realise some schools weren’t even setting work for this year group - that’s disgraceful!

Tbh, the revision for GSCE's should have started at pretty much the same time that the schools closed so it was never supposed to been any new learning: just revising in class and revising as homework. But yes, after hours of studying every day after school for 2 years to suddenly not have any: many seems to have started read up on their A-level subjects as they don't just know what to do with their time!

I'm very concerned about my year 11 DS to be honest. There's no work from school and he now has an unconditional offer for college so no need to do anything else GCSE wise. Apart from lifting a few weights all he's doing is playing on his Xbox with mates. All.day.long

I can't even get him to tidy his room. Every conversation could easily turn into an argument with him which I don't want. We're going to have to share the house for some time yet and we need some kind of a positive relationship.

Very concerned about how damaging the next 6 months are going to be for unmotivated lazy kids like him. I'm actually in awe of how much some of your kids are doing at home.

bought a N-Switch & animal Xing with his earnings, paper rounds, cycle rides & country walks with me, winding up little brother, moaning about food. Pretty normal, I suppose. :)

DS(15) is Y10 and is busy with schoolwork interspersed with PS4, walking the dog, eating, going through DH's collection of car magazines, watching various boxsets (Easter holidays started this week).

Ds is year 11 and has been set zero work by his school. The only advice they have given is revise if you think you may need to resit any exams. As far as school are concerned they will only use work and assessments completed before 20th March to make their decisions about grades. He did about 30mins A level bridging work for the first time today.

We know lots about isolation and it's negative impact as Ds is autistic. He has been isolated for years and will continue to be once everyone else is back to normal. It can be tough that's for sure and Ds has had some significant mental health issues. To be honest though what he is living at the moment apart from no school is his normal life. He's alone in his bedroom pretty much all day every day.