A disappointing report. Has this happened to your child too?
The end of a school year or term doesn’t always round off positively.
End of KS3 or GCSE progress reports might flag up worrying issues of concern. In short, something is wrong. Something is stopping your child from reaching their potential.
Instead of that feeling of joy or success, problems spelt out in black and white can hang about like a dark cloud, stopping your teenager from moving forward…
Let’s talk practical measures to help your struggling son or daughter overcome these challenges and reach their potential?
Keep a Realistic Perspective
Everyone knows that initial GCSE prediction grades start life in primary school.
However they did in their SATs is truncated into an expected GCSE grade later on down the line.
- Just remember, though, those predicted grades are not cast in stone. They are estimates – not fact.
- Also, check out teacher assessment grades as these usually give a more accurate picture of current performance.
- Plus, if your teen has had mocks or exams recently, you might spot a couple of red flags such as grade potential dipping in certain subjects.
Initially, don’t worry. There might be a rational reason for lower grades. Some students just have an ‘off’ year as growing up is fraught with all sorts of hassles.
What if you’re worried it’s more than that?
Grab The Chance to Chat
Have you isolated a couple of subjects – or even one key one – that highlights a loss in meeting potential?
- Why not broach the subject at a quiet time – not one where the whole family are together.
- Rather than just citing the worrying bits first, start with a pat on the back for all kinds of non-academic achievements that term or year.
- Calmly ask about the subject you’ve noticed has a dip in grades to get the ball rolling. Some teens will open up, while others clam up. You’ll have to play it by ear.
- You could always moot the idea of spending a bit of time over the hols coming up with a game plan to make those subjects easier?
If you can whittle down key curriculum areas that are causing bother, you can decide on the best approach.
Unlock Potential With Holiday Tuition
One positive route is to opt for a spot of one to one tuition.
If your teen isn’t keen to open up (trust us – this happens all the time), chatting in confidence with a trained teacher or tutor really can bring your reserved teen out of themselves.
Without the pressure of school or peers, a personal tutor can help your teen unravel the problem and work on the solution within a safe space.
You might be surprised how often we’re asked about holiday tuition here at 121 Home Tutors.
Given that we offer the very best online learning platform, as well as tutors in Manchester and Cheshire, the option is there if you need it.
It’s easy to get in touch with our terrific tutor team too. Here are all the details..
*Image courtesy of Televerde
Tags: end of term report, holiday tuition, learning issues, predicted grades