When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Discussion and advice on GCSEs

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cindrella
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When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by cindrella »

Hi Everyone,
I need to know about the next stage after 11plus, KS3 and GCSE preparations!! Does anybody have any idea when and hoe this should start? If there is any such forum for discussions as good and reliable as this one please suggest - I will be ever so grateful. Thank you.
Last edited by cindrella on Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cinderella
cindrella
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Re: When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by cindrella »

Hi Sorry it is me again,

Oh - Look no further! There is an 'beyond eleven plus section' I just discovered!

You know we started to think about 11plus in advance and then really got on the case to make it better for our kids!! so now I am thinking ahead - it looks like parents hire tutors by year 8!! The thing is that getting them tutored in primary school is justified because in state schools they are never going to even touch those skills needed for the entrances, and to compete with independant schools which are doing the curriculum a year ahead!! So to do the extra stuff - yes -Justified!
To get them tutored for KS3, I am not sure how state schools,grammer schools and independant schools work differently!?! All the material that they need to do, will be touched in the school! Won't it? The teachers are so willing to help! The problem is we only get to knoe their progress when the test results need to be signed!
There is so little interaction (as compared to primary school) between teachers and the parents and Ds's friends - We hardly know what is going on!
Help please!
Cinderella
hermanmunster
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Re: When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by hermanmunster »

Hi - I'll move this to the GCSE section
katel
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Re: When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by katel »

In answer to your question - you don't! By the time they are approaching GCSE you have to just trust them and leave them to it.

Sit on your hands - they won;t thank you for your help and it will be counter productive. Honestly.
jingle
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Re: When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by jingle »

I actually don't get asked by mine for help much (only very occasionally for something quick,or a suggestion) They are beginning to learn by their mistakes, and improving by themselves which seems to be good for confidence as well as progress.
It is quite difficult for me though, as sometimes I am itching to 'help' / 'correct'/ 'improve' what they are doing, but I have been politely but firmly turned down! Just as well really, as my 'O Level days' are in the very dim and distant past.
I have learned that (for mine) they far prefer to DIY than have me trying to interfere!
marigold
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Re: When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by marigold »

I totally agree with katel and jingle, unless you have a very unusual teenager they will not thank you for any interference at all. Secondary school teachers, especially at a Grammar school, should be totally on top of it all and beyond frequent luxury M and S sandwiches during the exam period, I would advise leaving it to the experts.

Last week I threw away about £100 worth of revision guides that I had bought for my eldest, the only one which had been opened was the one on " Of Mice and Men ". Sadly the next daughters GCSE's are all from different boards so there was no point in keeping them. I also found a pile of Key stage three sats practice books covered in dust, you can't say I didn't try !
magwich2
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Re: When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by magwich2 »

I am afraid that it is certainly not a good idea to leave it all to the teachers even in a grammar school.
At DD's school the curriculum is not adequately covered in most subjects for 2 reasons. First, the subjects are taught to the average standard so that an A grade is fine. If you want your child to get A*s you need to go further than the school in many instances. Some teachers are great and help the most able but others do not.
Secondly the GCSE syllabus is demanding in terms of sheer boring content and with the amount of missed lessons DD experiences (missing teachers on jollies, House festivals(wtf) sports days, mini enterprise rubbish etc etc etc etc etc etc etc!!!!!) there seems to be an appalling rush at the end of year 11 which certainly did not help DD1.

Unnecessary and inflammatory remarks removed by Moderator Sally-Anne
hermanmunster
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Re: When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by hermanmunster »

as far as buying extra books is concerned I happily do this if the DC has asked me for them - there were odd ones that they did ask for - ...... mice and men comes to mind :lol: - not much else.
menagerie
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Re: When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by menagerie »

I dunno. I think you can help. I remember my mum getting up early to read aloud passages from French novels to me, so I could practise dictation. It really did help with vocab and adjectival agreement endings. Several words came up in the exam which I'd not have known if she hadn't bothered to do that with me.
katel
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Re: When and how to help DS with GCSE preps!

Post by katel »

Of course you can help - but by this stage it has to be led by them. We do a lot of discussing stuff- particularly history and English. If there's an essay to be written, then bouncing ideas around first can be very helpful. But it
's a different sort of help they need at this stage. Wading in with the revision books will not work!
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