How to Start the GCSE Year Strong: Back to School Advice for Students and Parents

The start of a new school year is tough on everyone. Students having to rediscover (or still search for) the willpower to get out of bed on time, parents building up the mental fortitude to navigate the school run and don’t forget teachers, having to wrench the bottle of wine from their hands to find clarity of mind again. It’s a shock to the system.

The school year is long - I mean, it’s basically a year, but there’s a danger in that belief for GCSE students. It becomes an excuse to develop slowly because, apparently, they ‘have time’. It’s easy to think of the end of the year as the most important bit. I suppose it makes sense to think like that, it’s where the exams and assessments are, but it’s wise to get out of this concept of placing importance at the end of the process rather than considering it all as part of a journey, of which the beginning is just as important as the end.

Last year, I made a video that really resonated with students. 100 days from the start of GCSEs, I put out a thought to students to consider every day as 1% of their total GCSE preparation time gone. I think it made people realise that time is this silently encroaching, voracious, unstoppable beast. That the way you treat it matters. In a conversation with a new Year 11 pupil last week I asked if the GCSE exams feel close - “no” they replied, “I feel like it’s quite a long time away.” My follow up was: how long ago does the start of Year 10 feel? A pause. A smile. “Not long ago.” That’s the mentality shift we need - recognising that the end of a school year is always nearer than you think, so every day matters.

I’ll never forget this line from a movie I watched when I was in school: “Every passing minute, is another chance to turn it all around.” (10 points to you if you guess it). And I think that stuck with me because it taps into that sense of hope and encouragement. It’s never too late - you’ve just got to grasp the moment. At the start of a new academic year we have to encourage students to grasp their moment. Every minute of every lesson is a moment to gain something; understanding, knowledge, confidence - whatever it may be, but it’s there, they’ve just got to want it.

So, how can they start strong after the long, hot summer months? Recognise that, from the word go, students need to want what school can offer them. Opportunities to improve. Having that mindset and understanding is the first step in being prepared for ‘the important bit’ at the end of it all. The quicker students accept that the first step is as important as the last, the easier their journey will be.

Beyond mindset, be physically and actively getting prepared. My school day wake up time is 5.40am (obviously I’m not doing that in the summer holidays!), so I start setting my alarm to this time again to get my body used to it. I start compiling timetables, notes, schedules - I begin to map out the year. I don’t want anything to be a shock. Students can be organising folders, having a brush up on that one topic that threw them last year, being active with the work - before teachers are forcing it upon them in a few days time. If they know something that will be covered this academic year, have a look over it. Watch a video on YouTube around the subject - it doesn’t matter, but begin to get back into that groove. Take ownership and gain control over your GCSE revision.

Setting the right tone in class. Here’s a bit of honesty and I know I’m not alone in this, I’ve sat in enough staff rooms over 15 years to know this. Teachers shouldn’t really think like this but… the attitude a student shows in their learning can influence the quality of teaching they receive. A student who is keen, willing and driven is a much more pleasing student to support, leading to better feedback, the potential for more support outside of class time and a better student/teacher relationship more broadly. So, starting the term being engaged, asking questions, contributing in the classroom makes a student really stand out. The teacher who experiences that from a student is going to push them harder and get better results. I guarantee it.

This year may be the most important academic year of their lives, there’s no hiding from it, so we need to coax them into embracing that. If you’d like some support getting your child started on the right foot this year, find out more about my GCSE English tuition here.

Answer: Vanilla Sky, 2002 (10 points if you got it right)

Sidenote: my mother took me to the cinema to watch this when I was 14 years old - I do not recommend watching this with your child.

If you’d like help motivating your child and putting a real GCSE revision plan in place, feel free to get in touch with me directly here.

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