Parents

In order to give each student the best possible chance of success and fulfilling their potential we are committed to help all students to reach their potential. The hardest demand on our Year 11 students is that of understanding the long term importance of achieving the best they possibly can, therefore your help as parents in this can be invaluable. Good exam results are not based on what happens on the day of the exam. Many feelings will go through the minds of both yourselves and the students alike, e.g.

• Are they in the right frame of mind?

• Will they remember what they have revised?

• Will they get the right question?

The results of your child’s exams are generally determined before they sit the final exam. There are 3 broad stages in the process of achieving good exam results. Exam success is about getting things right at each stage of the process and remembering what can go wrong!

STAGE 1: Learning the subject content first time round.

The process of revision (looking at something again) makes the assumption that the learning of each subject has taken place already – every lesson does count!

 STAGE 2: Revision.

Even a student who has attended every lesson of the course and paid attention needs to revise to achieve their full potential. Everyone needs to complete revision using techniques that are effective for them.

STAGE 3: The exam.

Even if a student has learnt the subject content and revised thoroughly, things can still go wrong on the day of the exam. There are many skills that can be used during the exam and good practice to follow exam techniques and approaches will be covered by subject areas.

How do I help if they seem to be under too much pressure?

You could help them to plan what it is they have to do – sometimes students don’t know where to start. Encourage them to talk to their subject teachers if they are concerned about an aspect of a particular subject. Make sure they have built some leisure time into their study plan and that they are going to bed at a reasonable time. By ensuring your child attends revision/booster & study support sessions this will help reduce stress.

How can I make a difference when I didn’t do GCSEs?

Just being involved and interested can make an enormous difference. It can be the difference between success and failure or between 5 and 4 passes. Parental support is the most important factor in determining a student’s academic success. You don’t need to be an expert in any of the subjects.

How can I help with revision if I don’t know anything about the subject?

Testing a student on their key facts, revision notes, revision book or exercise book will really help. You do not have to know anything at all about the subject they are revising. Ask them to tell you about a topic and where possible ask them to explain any key facts. Shared learning – help by testing them on a topic after they have revised (you have the work in front of you, they tell you about it). You can ask questions from the information.

How much revision should my son/daughter be doing?

Revision is something that should be done all year, not just something that happens the night before.

All year: At the end of each day, a student should look at what they have learnt in each lesson and make a short summary. They may also want to add to their notes by carrying out some more research.

Encourage homework to be done in regular amounts every weekday evening. If students are not given any set homework they can organise notes from their schoolwork, prepare revision cards or revisit a topic (we have a range of web subscriptions to support independent revision – in addition, increasingly apps are being developed to support revision).

8 weeks prior to the exam period: We recommend revision every day in the eight weeks prior to exams, with more time spend over the weekend. Little and often is best for memory work.  Students should work no longer than about 45 minutes at a time. Then get up and do something else for 20 minutes.

Switch off or remove for a while things that will cause distractions. It may be that the iPhone or X-Box needs to be hidden! It is vital that your child is not distracted by mobile phones, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

What if they tell me that there is no revision to do, or that they can’t revise a particular subject?

Encourage them to use strategies teachers have given them or they have in their revision guides. It is NEVER too late to start revising and every little counts. It is not the time spent that is useful but the effectiveness of the technique they use.

My child always leaves everything to the last minute – one moment there is all the time in the world and the next it’s high stress levels

How can I help to create the best conditions for learning/revising?

Parents often ask how they can best help their child. Encourage and praise your child. Show an interest by talking to them about what they have been learning in their different subjects and the homework / coursework they have been set. Provide a suitable work area for study, ensuring that all the materials that they require are there. Don’t let them work themselves into a state of exhaustion – encourage them to take regular breaks.

Everyone learns differently but students often find exam preparation hard. Encourage your child to explore different ways of learning but be supportive of their efforts, ensure they are realistic about putting in enough work for each exam without becoming stressed or anxious and talk to them about what works for them. The ideas below give some specific advice – the most important thing, however, is often simply to be aware of the issues & concerns your child may have by talking to them about school, emphasising the importance of doing their best and offering challenge and support as needed.

As parents it can be really helpful if you ensure your child is up in plenty of time and that they are well rested, fed and hydrated (particularly during examination periods). Ensure that your child attends school every day if possible. Even one lesson missed means that key information could be missing regarding coursework / deadlines (or a topic that is covered in the exam). For the majority of subjects, lesson content can only be covered once, due to the volume of work needing to be covered.