When will my son finally start working?!

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mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by mystery »

Amber wrote:
mystery wrote: 3 years is a long time over which to spread a GCSE syllabus. It shouldn't involve hours of homework for an able boy.
I think Scarlett's son must be taking the exams early though: as from what I understand, it is now statutory, or law, or decree of Gove, or something like that, that GCSE courses last only two years.

I shan't comment on the wider question - you already know what I would say! :lol:
Oh that is puzzling. How would Mr Gove know if you sneaked a peak at the GCSE syllabus in year 9 but didn't sit the exams until year 11? I hope he does not have CCTV in every classroom in the land.

The new national curriculum is pretty relaxed about what happens when as well isn't it? And academies (of which a very high proportion of schools now are) have quite a few freedoms regarding the national curriculum I think.
Amber
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Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by Amber »

Well maybe I've misunderstood. Apologies if so.
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by mystery »

I don't know. What have you seen about this? I find the news on secondary qualifications very confusing as it seems to change by the week - but I don't know how much of that is Gove and how much is the press.
scarlett
Posts: 3664
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:22 am

Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by scarlett »

He's definitely taking them at the usual time. His school feel it's better to spread them out over three years...Hmmm not sure why now..shall have to look at their info and report back. No squabbles please Amber and Mystery whilst I'm gone. :D
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by mystery »

Please come back quickly. I'm scared. :shock:
2childmum
Posts: 523
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 4:02 pm
Location: S E London

Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by 2childmum »

Almost all the schools we looked at last year now do a 2 year key stage 3 and then they choose GCSE options at the end of year 8. None of them do any of the controlled assessments (or course work in more practical subjects) until year 10, and in most subjects they take the exam in year 11. One school told us they had started to do it as the exams were so much earlier than they used to be (starting in May) that they felt they were losing out on a term's teaching. I think it's a shame that children who may only be 12 are having to make decisions about what they study and stop studying so young, and it's usually things like art and drama that seem to get dropped. I don't think you have to fit the GCSE into 2 years, i just think you have to take all the exams at the end of the course rather than spread through it. In reality the skills needed for GCSE are being taught all the way through school anyway, so who is to say when a child is starting GCSEs - it's only subject content that you could put a start date to, not the skills. My daughter is analysing fiction in English, using primary and secondary sources in History, learning about how to conduct experiments in science - all GCSE skills (albeit at a lower level) - and she is in year 7.
scarlett
Posts: 3664
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:22 am

Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by scarlett »

I'm becoming addicted again, Mystery..it's not good.
Well, my ds obviously takes after me when it comes to concentration. Can't remember what they said a year ago at the Gcse evening...must have spent too much time gazing round the room wondering who comes on here.

I think the last poster has rung a few bells. All I remember is that they felt it was a better way for boys. Maybe he'll use a ruler by the time the 3 years is up. I'd be even more panicked if he was taking them in 2 years. I'm waiting for his Gcse predictions at the moment. When I asked how they reach this prediction, he said it was through cat tests that were taken at the end of last year. Not sure how that works and more worryingly, he doesn't remember taking any :shock:
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by mystery »

The only thing you need a ruler for these days is flicking ink pellets across the room, and for annoying parents and teachers with by failing to use it for more conventional purposes. Once he is an architect he will most certainly never need one except for keeping his client's dogs in order.
cherryvalley
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:22 am

Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by cherryvalley »

Hi Scarlett

Going back to your original query, my experience with my bright but lazy DS1 was that nothing really changed until 6th form (and even then, progress has been slow!). We carried on nagging about homework, did revision timetables for him, put revision material in front of him etc. He didn't get the predicted string of A*s at GCSE, but got one A* and mostly As. I don't regret intervening, because at least he can put As on his UCAS form for GCSE. If we'd left him to his own devices there would have been a lot more Bs.

It was only when he got to 6th form that he ever did any work at home without us first suggesting it might be a good idea. He still doesn't do that much. Even the night before an exam, he is likely to revise for 1.5 hours and play online games for 4 hours. But he got reasonable AS levels and I think visiting universities and finding courses he would like to do has helped.

It is interesting to me that your son at grammar school is like this. I thought the problem was that DS1 was at an all-ability school and was at or near the top of his classes even when he did little work. Perhaps he would have been the same anywhere!

Anyway, all the best - and maybe you will be lucky and your DS will start working sooner.
solimum
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Joined: Wed May 09, 2007 3:09 pm
Location: Solihull, West Midlands

Re: When will my son finally start working?!

Post by solimum »

This may not be what you want to hear but my DS1 only really started working hard in his second year at university! He had a very focussed girlfriend at the time which may have had somethiing to do with it - also he was finally able to give up the options that he really found tedious . He was bright, got a clutch of A* GCSEs without working over-hard (and a D in Spanish...), relaxed a little too much at sixth-form college (refused point blank to look at any selective sixth forms) but fortunately got into Mech Eng at a good university with somewhat disappointing BBC grades (only a few marks off ABB) on the back of an Engineering Education placement and a Year in Industry... He went on to get a first and is now close to completing his PhD, plus has won prizes for presentations etc and enjoys mentoring younger students.
Looking back I think a lot of it was an unwillingness to conform to an institution and no desire to impress people he had no respect for. (The "bright younger brother" thing may also have been an issue - it must have been very galling when the occasional teacher wanted to tell us how excited they were about DS2's achievements wen we were suppoed to be discussing DS1...) Serious job-hunting awaits (he won't stay in academia) , but I suspect he'll end up in a small firm with a lot of scope for individuality rather than a large "graduate training scheme"-type environment.

Nephew in his earlier twenties has struggled more, took 3 years for 6th form then dropped out of a music tech degree. He worked hard at a series of driving/retail jobs, but has now secured an apprenticeship and is well on the way..

Take-home message. Some (girls as well no doubt, but perhaps more often boys) are quite capable of hard work when they can see the point f it and find it satisfying/interesting. Some struggle with academic subjects and resent being forced into someone else's mould. Never give up on them and discourage unhelpful comparisons with siblings/cousins/friends/parents who were more conventionally successful. And be very welcoming to all their girlfriends!
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