Tuesday 28 July 2020

A PARENTS’ GUIDE TO GCSES


When the time comes for your child to start thinking about which GCSEs they would like to study, there might be an element of confusion and anxiety within your family. This is perfectly normal as it’s a big deal for young people.


The best thing you can do, as a parent, is make sure you are as clued up as possible on what’s involved with GCSEs and how your child’s decisions can affect their future. Here’s a guide from a private prep school in Leatherhead.

As you probably know, a child’s educational journey is separated into four key stages. Key Stage 4 is taught to children in Years 10 and 11, which is when they study their GCSEs. 

Your child will need to choose some of the subjects they wish to study at this stage, but some lessons are still compulsory. These obligatory subjects across all schools include English, maths and science, and sometimes schools will require students to study a modern foreign language. 

The optional subjects will also vary from school to school and will depend on your child’s preferences.

When helping your child choose their remaining subjects, ask them to consider various different factors. For instance, what are they good at, what do they enjoy the most, and what will help them find a job in their chosen career, if they have one?.

If your child is unsure what career path they’d like to take, ask them to consider the initial two questions a little more closely.

 It might be wise to encourage them to pick a variation of subjects so that their route is less defined, giving them room to change their mind about their future. 

During this stage of your child’s life, your involvement and support is more critical than ever before. Without your guidance, your child might struggle to decide and know what the right thing to do is. 

However, try not to force your own interests on your child. If you encourage them to study a subject that they don’t like or aren’t very good at, they won’t get the grades they need to build a successful foundation, and they might even start to resent you. For more advice, be sure to speak to your child’s teachers as regularly as you need to.

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