Supporting your child in Year 10
We are all aware that the stresses and strains on young people are different to those we may have experienced at school ourselves, with new exam specifications and social media pressures adding to the usual complexities of being a teenager in Britain.
Students know that Year 10 will be more challenging and we will do everything we can to enable them to be happy, engaged and as stress-free as possible. We studied mindfulness in Year 9 to help prepare them for this shift in gear; you may find this link on teaching mindfulness to teenagers useful:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-rudell-beach-/teaching-mindfulness-to-teenagers_b_5696247.html
Please also support your child by letting them know they can talk to you about their feelings and helping them to address any concerns or questions they may have. It may not always be easy to find the right time to talk; if they do open up to you, it’s worth grabbing the opportunity while you can.
The workload will certainly become more intense in Year 10. Students will be set 1 hour of work for each subject, and on occasion there may be more depending on some coursework deadlines. It’s really important that students get used to the routine of sitting and working independently each evening, in preparation for the demands of years 10 and 11 and beyond.
We suggest students in this age group spend a maximum of 2hrs per evening studying; this could be spent on homework, reviewing notes or reading around the subject. For example, if your child is reading a novel or play they have been recommended by their English teacher that is thematically linked to a text they are studying, this could be included in this time
The following routine may help your child manage their time more effectively:
SEAS – Study, Eat, Activity, Sleep
Set a time for HOMEWORK so it doesn’t take over the whole evening
Set aside time for a MEAL and, whenever possible, eat with them and catch up with their day.
Set some time for ACTIVITIES OR RELAXING whether it’s going for a run, stretching, playing games or spending time online with friends.
Set a regular, agreed BEDTIME and make sure there are no phones or electronics in the room.
You may also find the following tips useful in helping to keep your child motivated:
- Agree a balance between work and social life and stick to the agreement. Flexibility is the key – if a special night comes up, agree that they can make up the work at a specified time
- All students fall behind, feel demotivated or overwhelmed, or struggle with the balance of social, work and school demands at times. When your child feels like this, berating and threatening them will have a negative effect. Talk to them about the issues, acknowledge their feelings and adopt a sensible attitude in helping them find a solution.
- Be flexible – use the 80/20 rule. If your child is sticking to what they are supposed to be doing 80% of the time, that’s a great start.
- If your child asks for your support, encourage them by helping them to see the difficulties in perspective. Teenagers often take an all or nothing approach to difficulties – “I’ve messed up this essay, I might as well give up.” Try and help them see the bigger picture and remind them that setbacks are often temporary and usually resolvable.
