It's exciting having no lessons, and the appeal of the common room and cafe are, understandably, huge! But the less studying you do in the day, the more you'll have to do in the evenings 😩  

Plus, once buckling down becomes a habit (which takes about 3 weeks), the less onerous studying will feel 👍 

While you don't have to study every free period, it's helpful to aim to use half of them to work -  go over previous lesson notes, check understanding of things covered to date, do further reading or crack on with homework and assignments. 

It's also better to make revision resources (eg flashcards) as you go along, rather than having to play catch up on a whole year's work before your end of year 12 exams in June.

"Little and often"  is the key.

If you know you possibly 'winged it' or 'coasted' through your GCSEs without really having solid study skills in place, email RJones1@bohunt.hants.sch.uk for a chat and help with getting a plan in place sooner rather than later. It's less onerous that it sounds, and certainly less stressful than realising you still don't have these skills half way through Year 12!

A Level workloads can feel relentless, so you need to get organised and develop smart ways of managing your 'to do' list.  Find a method that works for you so you can log everything you need to do and you know when deadlines are. Plus it's deeply satisfying to cross things off! You may like using pen and paper to keep track, your phone, or, there are some great study Apps like Forest, Flora and Study Bunny to help with this.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed, you'll also need to sharpen up your prioritisation skills - learning to distinguish when something is a 'must do' vs a 'nice to do', and when something is 'urgent' vs 'important' is key! Ensuring notes are complete and well organised will also make homework and revision easier and less time consuming.

Email Rebecca Jones (RJones1@bohunt.hants.sch.uk) in the first instance for a chat about what you're struggling with and she will advise on how best to move forward. Don't delay! The sooner you nail these, the less stressed you will feel!

Familiarise yourself with the course specification (content) for each subject - it will give you a 'roadmap' for your learning over the next two years, and can be a great way to review your progress and check for gaps in knowledge and understanding that you can go back to.

While this may make you may feel panicked, overall, knowledge is power. Lack of information, uncertainty and lack of control are the 3 biggest causes of stress, so by knowing what's coming up and using this to plan your studies, you will feel more in control and this will help minimise stress.

Ask your subject teachers if you're unsure of where to find the specifications and they will point you in the right direction. They can also advise you on the most useful study guides etc.

At GCSE, the focus is on learning a large amount of content. At A-Level, you must develop insights and form written arguments in addition to learning content. These are new skills and take time to learn. But fret not, with awareness, diligence and practice, they will come. 

If it all feels overwhelming, drop in to see Rebecca Jones or email to make an appointment (RJones1@bohunt.hants.sch.uk). She can help you take a step back and keep the steep learning curve in perspective.

The sooner you get into the habit of practising exam questions and past papers, the better.

No, it's not always much fun, and while it can feel hard work, especially at the start when there will be big gaps in your knowledge, it's knowing what the gaps are that give you the best learning opportunities!

No-one got good at something by just doing it once or twice. Learning to walk confidently took you 3+ years, learning to speak fluently and confidently took 5+ years.  So it's unreasonable to expect to be super confident and great at A Level papers in less than two years!

Think how many times a toddler will stumble, fall down and need a helping hand. But they keep on practising (without beating themselves up!), each time learning something new and getting stronger and more confident.

It'll be the same with your A Levels. You'll have good days and bad days, days when it's a car crash and days when you nail it. Days when you need some support with something, and days when something finally clicks.

The key is practice! Plus, learn how to think like an examiner so you write to what they are looking for. Make practising a weekly habit from the start by doing a couple of questions each week and you'll reap the rewards over the coming year.

If you understood everything in your subject, you'd be the teacher!

When learning new things, there will ALWAYS be things you don't get first time - that's completely normal and it doesn't mean you're rubbish at your subject!

What will become an issue though, is if you don't take steps to make sure you do understand things as you go along. Like a building must have strong foundations to stand the test of time, so, too, you must build each layer of knowledge on a sound layer beneath it.

Many Y12 students struggle with content in the first year of A Levels and it can take a while to 'find your feet'. By the second year though, most students have adjusted to A Levels and have developed the structures, routines and study skills to feel more confident.

To help avoid cracks and things collapsing around you this time next year, put the effort in at each step along the way - Ask, Practice and Ask again if you're not getting something!

Your teachers and Tutors are there for you and go home happy when they can be of help to you - so make their day and talk to them if you feel stuck or behind!

Just because your heart is racing and you feel butterflies doesn't mean something's wrong or you're not coping! We all need a certain amount of stress - it helps us focus, move things forward, learn and perform. 

Just like learning to ride a bike, you need to feel a bit of fear. As long as you feel supported and safe enough in the process, new challenges and going outside of your comfort zone are good for you - it's how your world gets bigger and your self-belief, confidence and abilities get stronger.

The trick is to learn when helpful stress tips over into unhelpful stress - when you feel overwhelmed, fearful and you can't think straight.

The good news is that managing stress is a skill - everyone can learn it and get better at it with practise. 

So, if you're feeling under more unhelpful stress than helpful stress and you can't see the wood for the trees, ask for support with learning how to better manage it. Email Rebecca on RJones1@bohunt.hants.sch.uk for a chat to look at how you can improve how you're managing life's ups and downs.

The 'V' for Vision in VESPA is super important - having meaningful goals drives motivation, and with that, the effort needed to achieve them.

Whether you want to go straight into employment, volunteer with an organisation like Raleigh International, take a gap year, get on an apprenticeship or go to uni, being clear on 'what's the next best step for me?' will provide the focus and drive you'll need to make it happen.

You may not yet know what you want to do next, and that's ok. It's not always easy to imagine what you want in life, especially if you have a parent(s) and other well-meaning others offering advice and telling you what you 'should' do.

Here's the thing - your life is your life. Only you know what your interests, preferences and motivations are, and the more you can tune into and listen to these, the better - because this can then inform your choices.

Yes, listen to the experience of others and add it to the mix of things you will take into consideration as you think about next steps, but ultimately, it needs to be your decisions for your life.

If you want someone impartial who will give you the time and space to explore your ideas, thoughts and interests without judging, advising, criticising or offering unwanted opinions, drop in or email RJones1@bohunt.hants.sch.uk for a chat.

Once you've got a goal, it's key to plan your route to get there or you may inadvertently find yourself on a harder path than necessary.

And if you haven't yet got a clear 'what's best for me to do after school?' goal, that's ok. Make it your goal to explore what this could be over the next term. Book an appointment with Rebecca as a first step. Email her on RJones1@bohunt.hants.sch.uk.

When you have a clear goal and you plan ahead like this, you start to get your mind in a helpful place for the work needed to get you there.

Make sure your goals and the steps are realistic though. Otherwise you'll soon get disillusioned and lose heart, which will affect motivation as you start to think you can't do it.

Each of your A Levels is different and you may need different goals for each of them. But they should all support achievement of your overall post-school goal.

If you're not sure where to start and would value some help with finding a goal and/or working out the steps to getting there, drop in or email Rebecca Jones for a chat (RJones1@bohunt.hants.sch.uk). The longer you drift around without a goal or clear steps, the more likely it is that you'll feel lost and demoralised and end up somewhere you don't want to be. And then it can be harder to get back on track.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 

Similarly, all play and no work = failed A Levels.

The trick is to get a good balance. Not just of work and play. But of late nights and early nights. Healthy food that helps your brain, and junk food that does more harm than good, physically and mentally. Of chilling out and being sedentary, of getting outside and moving your body. Of drinking and of having a drink. Of caffeine and sugar, and water and fruit. Of social times with friends, and quiet times of rest and recharging.

If things feel out of whack, email RJones1@bohunt.hants.sch.uk to review what's on your plate and the choices you're making around various things so you can get a good balance from the start.

You may feel you're the only one who feels out of your depth, self-conscious, anxious, stupid, low etc.

But I promise you, you're not.

Most, if not all of you, will feel some or all of these things most weeks. While not pleasant, it's totally normal. Starting A Levels and in some cases, a new school, is a big deal. And there will be days when it feels really hard.

Sometimes these difficult feelings pass within a few hours or days, but sometimes they can persist for weeks. Which is miserable. 

That's when it's good to talk stuff out with Rebecca from our Wellbeing Team (RJones1@bohunt.hants.sch.uk). Sometimes simply sharing what's going on can help you feel lighter and things feel more manageable. Other times, it can help to explore some strategies to change things up so life feels easier.