A letter to Y11 parents...

Dear Parents and Guardians

So here we are at last: it's GCSE time and your child is about to take the exams that they have been working towards for the past 5 years.

It doesn't seem possible, does it? It seems as is it were just last week that you were bringing that little bundle of joy home from the hospital, or signing the adoption papers. You have hopes and dreams for your kids. You love them and want the best for them.

If you are a short term foster parent or a carer in a children's home, then your situation is a little different, but I know how invested you get in the kids in your care. And for them, the stakes are really high - that next step is often make or break time for them.

Your child's teachers are also highly invested in their success. We have worked very hard to ensure that we understand the requirements of the exams and that our students have the knowledge and skills that they need to do their best.

Now we have reached the stage where there is really very little else that you, or we can do: it is up to them. We can still help though.

At school, we will run timetabled last minute revision sessions; we will mark extra work that they do and we will provide quiet places for them to revise if we have them. What is on offer will vary from school to school, depending on the needs of the cohort and what is possible. But please be reassured that our reputations rest on the results of these exams - nobody is sitting in the staff room with a fag and a cuppa these days.


You can help too.

• Make sure your child gets good quality sleep and that they eat real food. Having done my finals on a diet of late nights and pot noodles, I can assure you of the value of vitamins and eight solid hours.
• Make sure they have a workable revision timetable that they will be able to stick to. And then help them to stick to it.
• Help them to be on time for their exams. They generally start at 9am in the morning or 1.30 in the afternoon. Students need to be at school in good time. There is nothing worse than rushing alone down to the sports hall late and arriving hot and out of breath. Or worse - being the kid the deputy head had to ferry to the exam because you were still in your PJs when it started. (It happens every year.)
• Back off the pressure pedal. Your kids know that these exams are really important - even when it seems as though they couldn't care less. Telling them over and over again doesn't help the situation - they can read your subtitles "I'm terrified that you will fail!" and that makes them more anxious. Seriously - keep your stress to yourself.
• Help them to keep things in proportion and reassure them. Some kids feel that their parents will somehow love them less if they don't do well in their exams, or that their lives will be over if they don't get straight As. Have realistic expectations and tell them that they are loved.
• Have a plan for if things don't go to plan. When the results are what you expected, it's happy days all round. When they are not, your child will need you to support them. Don't share it with them until you need to, but make sure you know what their options might be. If my mum hadn't had a plan for me post O Levels, I would not be where I am today. I didn't know it at the time, but I do now and I appreciate it. 

What our youngsters need to hear at this stage is, "You've got this. You know what to do and you have the skills you need. Do your best, that's all anyone can ask of you. I  have complete faith in you."

It's a good message. I may get it printed on a T-shirt...

Good luck!