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Supporting your young person pre-16

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  5. Supporting your young person pre-16

It’s never too early to encourage your young person to think about their future. The information below will help you support your young person throughout secondary school, helping them at the different stages of their educational journey to make the most of their opportunities and prepare them for their post-16 options.

Years 7-9 – pre-GCSEs

While the pre-GCSE years might seem early to start preparing for university, setting the right foundations now will stand them in good stead for the future. This is the time to start working out what they’re interested in and to support and encourage them to explore these passions. By doing this, and by forming good working and studying habits at a young age, you’re giving them the best possible start to their academic journey.

Keep an eye out for things that particularly excite or inspire your child and help them to explore these outside the classroom.

Maybe they have come home from school and want to share everything they learned that day about Shakespeare - consider a theatre trip or watching some performances online with them. Maybe they are showing a keen interest in learning more about Architecture or Construction - take a walk around your local area and look at the different types of buildings there are.

Chat to them about what they’re interested in, encourage them to read, watch or listen to podcasts around the subject and look for opportunities for them to get involved in that area. Teachers and Careers Advisors are a great help in finding these. You might surprise yourself and find a new passion of your own!

Agree on a homework routine with your young person and support them to stick to it. Working on a plan together will help them develop independence and accountability. This may encourage them to take more pride and responsibility in getting their work done.

You know them best, so you will know if it is best for them to get their homework done as soon as they get home from school or if they will work more efficiently after a couple of hours of relaxing.

Try to keep to the same routine each day and find a quiet space in your home which is free from distractions. If this isn’t possible, you can always encourage them to work in their school or local library.

Most schools will have some compulsory subjects that students must take at GCSE, such as English, Maths, and Science. As well as these, they will need to select a number of optional subjects. Helping your learner decide what to choose can be tricky, but think about:

  • What do they enjoy?
  • What are they good at?
  • What have their subject teachers fed back to you at Parents’ Evenings?
  • What job(s) are they thinking of doing in the future and therefore, what might they want to study at university?

You may have a very firm idea of what you would like them to study, but only they can motivate themselves to work hard and do well. Try not to insist on a particular subject if they have their heart set on studying something else. Have an open and honest conversation with them where you can both discuss your points in a calm and productive manner. We know it can be hard, but try to steer clear of the I ‘know what’s best for you’ mindset!

Year 10-11 – GCSE years

In Year 10 and 11, your young person will focus on their GSCEs. You and your young person can start to use these as an opportunity to look ahead and plan for the next step in their educational journey. There is plenty you can do now to support them at this critical time.

Building revision methods and routines now will not only help your young person with their GCSEs, but will also prepare them for more independent study in the next stages of education. There are many revision methods out there, and your learner may need some help to find the one that works for them. Active revision techniques, such as making flash cards, mind maps or placing post-it notes with key facts on them around the home, could be a good way to keep them engaged.

Be sure to talk to teachers if you notice any struggles or issues – the school is likely to have after school revision classes and a range of revision strategies to recommend. The key thing with any revision method is that your young person feels comfortable with it and that you can constructively support them to use it throughout their time studying.

There are many tips and tricks out there. To find more information, we recommend starting with the BBC Bitesize Parents’ Pages.

We all know what it feels like when you get stressed and overwhelmed! Encourage regular breaks and time outs from studying during the revision and exam period. Although it can be tempting to think that they need to study from dusk till dawn as exams approach, many young people find that having some time-out from studying and doing something they love helps them to study more effectively when they go back to their homework or revision.

Work experience is a great opportunity for your child to experience different career pathways, develop key transferrable skills, and enhance future university and job applications.

If your young person’s school encourages work experience during Year 10 and 11, you could speak to your friends, neighbours or colleagues to help them find an interesting work placement. Help your young person to compose emails and make enquiries to find a placement in something exciting and inspiring for them. The school’s work experience or careers team should also be able to provide good advice and leads for placements.

If your young person already has an idea of the field they want to work or study in, try to help them find work experience in this area, as this can enhance their UCAS application later and give them an idea of future career paths they may wish to follow. If they can’t find their perfect Work Experience match, don’t be discouraged - they will gain plenty of valuable and transferable skills no matter where they are placed. They could also explore more relevant work experience options during the holiday periods.

Now is the time for your learner to start thinking about the next stage in their education. Universities and higher education providers usually require Level 3 qualifications in order for your young person to embark on their courses. There are plenty of routes available, so you will need to support them to explore all their options. There are a range of Level 3 options available, including:

  • A Levels
  • T Levels
  • BTECs
  • Apprenticeships
  • International Baccalaureate
  • A combination of the above (usually A Levels and BTECs)

In the Autumn Term of Year 11, sixth forms and colleges usually hold Open Days and Open Evenings. Go along with your learner and research the variety of courses available. Talk to them about the subjects that they are good at and enjoy - do they want to continue with some of these or try something new? Where and how would they be best placed to do this?

The choices that they make now will impact their future decisions, so spend some time looking through university prospectuses and websites to check whether the courses they might want to progress to have any specific entry requirements. For example, some universities may require a prospective student to study a science subject at Level 3 in order to do a Biomedical Science degree. Equally, many universities require minimum grades at Level 2, which usually means achieving a certain grade for GCSE Maths and English. Achieving this will open many doors when the time to choose post-18 options arrives.

It might seem soon to start thinking about how to fund university, but doing your research now will make the process easier down the line.

Start looking into how Student Finance works and consider if your child is eligible and wanting to take out a student loan. Think about how much university might cost and any other forms of funding that might help. These include scholarships and bursaries, which are usually based on merit (such as academic, sporting, and music) or on background or circumstances, and don’t need to be paid back.

For many students, their Student Finance entitlement might not be enough to cover their maintenance – think rent, food, and travel. It can be helpful to check out the government’s Student Finance Calculator to get an estimate of how much they could be entitled to. This can help you decide if you’re able to contribute to their living costs, and how much you should be saving now to do so.

You can find the Student Finance Calculator here.

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