1. How can you help your child to achieve?
Research shows:
Students with support from home achieve 80% more success at GCSE LF

2. Can you make a difference?
“Parental support is 8 times more important in determining a child’s academic success than social class.”
TES
“Parents have the greatest influence on the achievement of young people through supporting their learning in the home (parental engagement) rather than supporting activities in the school (parental involvement).  It is their support of learning in the home environment that makes the maximum difference to achievement.” 
Professor Alma Harris and Dr Janet Goodall LF

3. Demands on your child
Being more self motivated - taking responsibility for their own learning
Asking if they do not understand
Developing abilities to overcome frustrations and strategies for persisting when the going gets tough
Organising themselves, notes, handouts, different subject topics
Completing more work at home independently
Organising and planning their time over longer periods, to complete major projects
Understanding the exam structure
Planning and carrying out revision – exam technique LF

4. Your role as a Parent Your role will depend on the needs of your child
Lots you can help with and keep them motivated
Attendance officer
Going to parents evenings – asking each subject questions on how you can help
Providing “a quiet space” for them to work at home
Banker – paying for equipment, books, paper etc
Study buddy – Showing an interest in the subjects they are studying
Entertainments officer – finding out about TV programmes, exhibitions, museums, plays films etc. that may be relevant to their courses LF

5. Your role as a Parent
Sounding board and adviser – Helping your child to break down tasks, discuss their work, keeping a subtle eye on progress
Project manager – agreeing the rules for homework, revision, realistic timetables etc. – AND then enforcing them.
Go-Between – Between the school and your child to make sure things are nipped in the bud
Information Provider and Interpreter - Being there to answer questions, help, and make something make sense LF

6. The Secret to Exams Learning the content the first time around
Revision does assume you have looked at it in the first place!
Revision
You need to revise as no one can remember 2 year’s work. There are lots of different ways to do it but make sure you do
The exam itself
Even if the first 2 stages go well the exam can still be an issue. LF

7. Diet Sleep Poor diets have a significant effect on a child’s-
Behaviour
Concentration
Mood
Learning ability
Children with diets lacking in essential vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids tend to perform worse academically, cannot concentrate and are more aggressive.
Sleep
Important to help child get the necessary amount of sleep. 25% of teenagers report being too tired to exercise.
Teenagers are under a lot of pressure to be increasingly alert in the evening owing to their social activities.
Most teenagers sleep in at the weekend to catch up on sleep.
Lack of sleep in teenagers leads to irritability, anxiety, depression, poor concentration and poor learning LF

8. Partnership with the School
Know the names of all relevant staff – Form tutor, Head of Year, Subject Teachers, Exams Officer etc
Try to attend all parents evenings
Find out when you should receive information
Meet/Phone/Write with staff as soon as something happens so it can be dealt with quickly
Don’t expect teachers to be able to talk straight away – they are probably teaching
Let each teacher know that you want to work with them from the beginning LF

9. Other Ways to Help Rewards Time off No nagging Equipment
Comparison to older brothers/sisters
Check their timetable – PE kit etc.
Helping to find the balance
Stay strong – it will all be over in less than a year!!! LF

10. LF

11. Turn negatives into positives
Why are you so disorganised?
Why can’t you be like your sister?
Why do you fail at everything?
Try these more positive comments: LF
You make me so proud!
You deserve to do well!
You are a credit to the family!
You’re a star!

12. Useful strategies to avoid confrontation
Social Greetings - always say “hello”, talk about their day and their interests such as sport or music
Broken Record -repeat instruction with calm tone of voice until action is done
The Passing Technique – acknowledge fact but state you will deal with it later e.g. not washed up
Not Saying “Please” – replace please with “thank you”, this gives assumption the action will be done LF

13. Three truths Students who know more do better in exams
Students who revise know more than those who don’t.
Students who know how to revise do it more effectively AK

14. And some lies ... It’s too early to start yet
It’s too late to start now
No-one else has started revising
You can’t revise for ….
You don’t need to do well in …….
Revision is boring. It’s just staring at a book
I can revise and listen to music/watch the TV
All you can do is your best AK

15. Knowing how to revise
Being ready to learn
Knowing how you learn AK

16. Being ready to learn
• It’s time for a test… AK

17. So, being in the right frame of mind is vital
As a parent, you can help this to happen by…
Being relentlessly optimistic
Using positive presuppositions
Emphasising the positives; don’t dwell on errors
Picking your battles – let them listen to music!
Not joining in the anxiety – be a model of calm confidence
Not continually referring to how you revised at school, or to how siblings revised etc AK

18. What can you do to help them remember?
It’s no co-incidence that the BBC revision website is called
“Bitesize” !
Break work down into small sections – they’re easier to handle AK
Study skills

19. Knowing how you learn
Visual Auditory Kinaesthetic AK

20. AK

21. AK

22. AK

23. Key revision methods
Spend some time each day on rote learning. AK

24. Revision Methods
Reduce everything you know on a topic to 500 words, then to 200, then to 50, then to 10.
Write those ten on a card for the morning of the exam AK

25. Highlighting key information
Revision Methods
Highlighting key information
Encourage your child to:
Do something with their revision material other than just reading it
Highlight key points that they can re-read
Use colours and create a set of notes to make revision more focused AK

26. Revision Methods Creating notes
Get them to do something with their highlighted notes e.g.
Create revision cards/posters AK

27. They could even build a REVISION WALL !
Revision Methods
Be Imaginative
They could even build a REVISION WALL ! AK

28. Revision Methods Do exam questions from past papers
(for an hour or ten minutes or …) AK

29. Revision methods
Make podcasts and then listen to them repeatedly AK

30. Revision methods
At the end of each day, write everything you have learned in very quick bullet points. And then read them first thing in the morning. AK

31. Revision methods
Make flow charts, diagrams, graphs, drawings as well as notes. AK

32. Revision Methods Remembering lists
Get them to use different memory techniques to remember key words/lists Mnemonics: 30 days has September, April, June and November…
Mnemonic:
n. A device, such as a formula or rhyme, used as an aid in remembering. AK

33. Size to show importance
Revision Methods
Size
Shape
Shape
Size
Size
Size to show importance
Shape
Shape
Use Spider Diagrams
Easy to read
And for emphasis use…. AY
Colour

34. Revision Methods Using the computer Creating power points for revision
Key websites e.g. MyMaths, SAM learning, GCSE bitesize
Podcasts
TAKE CARE – Are they revising or social networking? AY

35. Revision Methods What else can they do?
Record themselves reading their notes out loud
Get together with 3 or 4 friends
Play it back whilst relaxing or doing other things
Each create a PowerPoint on a different topic
Get together on MSN with 3 or 4 friends AY
One asks questions on a topic – the others see who can answer first
Swap Power Points

36. What else do you need to consider?
Being organised can reduce stress and lead to higher production AY

37. Study areas AY

38. The learning environment
The place
The time
The calm
Food and drink
Built in rest time
Physical activity AY

39. How long? AY

40. How long? AY

41. How long? AY

42. How often? AY

43. How often? AY

44. How often? AY

45. How often? AY

46. Revision Timetable Subject 1 Subject 2 Sunday 1st April Science B7 PM
English
Monday
2nd April
Triple Science B7
9.00 – 1.00
In school
Unit 3 Maths - Angles
Tuesday
3rd April
Triple Science
C7 and P7
English literature
Wednesday
4th April
RE Ethics AM
RE Philosophy
Thursday
5th April
Maths
D&T
Friday
6th April
Urdu
Saturday
7th April AY

47. Your support with revision
What can you do to help?
Ask questions
Know their timetable
Offer rewards and incentives
Engage with their revision
Show an interest AY

48. Before exams - preparation
Good diet e.g. Healthy breakfast before the exam
Good nights sleep
Structured revision
Right equipment for each exam
Attendance at revision sessions
Make sure that they are on time
Know what exams they have and when AY

49. In school support
Intervention e.g. Intervention booklets, catch up controlled assessment sessions, extra lessons etc.
Revision/support classes during the week
Moodle
Teachers! RO

50. We will intervene if: Grades are dropping
Results are below expectation
Behaviour is a worry
Classwork is below standard
Controlled assessments are disappointing
Target grades are not being met RO

51. Pupils will have: High quality teaching Regular homework
Regular in class assessments
Mock exams
Module tests
Controlled conditions assessments
Coursework RO

52. Types of support/intervention
Revision classes
Holiday school
‘One to One’ tuition
Small group withdrawal
Additional external lessons
Course changes
Access arrangements
GCSE revision guides
On line revision materials – GCSE pod, My Maths,
Adapted timetable RO

53. To help your child succeed:
Talk to us about any worries
Attend parents’ evenings
Discuss the Report and Grades card with your child
Buy revision guides, support books and tests
Give a clear message that you are in full support of the school in supporting your child to get the best possible results RO

54. Summary Know how your son/daughter learns best
Know when they learn best
Know where they learn best
Give them space and opportunities
Be positive & encouraging; don’t dwell on errors
Get involved
Don’t join in the anxiety; be a model of serene confidence
If in doubt, contact the school… RO