High Challenge

Why is it important to achieve the top grades? The job market and higher education places are increasingly competitive. Employers always check GCSEs. Aim high. How can school, pupils and parents help?

School lessons are differentiated to provide extra challenge if pupils are up for it, developing higher order thinking and questioning skills. Pupil progress is closely monitored and extra mentoring put in place where needed. Additional opportunities are made available through coursework catch up and extra revision sessions, so keep an eye out for these.

To become a top learner, pupils need to be building learning skills in lessons. Click on the image to the right to see Building Learning Skills

To succeed in life, take note of a recently heard Bear Grylls quote: 'Behold the turtle, he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out!' Do not be afraid to get things wrong - sometimes this the best way to learn. Try to develop a growth mindset. Have a look below at the differences between fixed and growth mindsets.

What else can pupils do?

Think like Socrates. Think about how you think.... Can you think of another way of explaining the concept? What is the evidence for that idea? How does that help…? Why do you think that …? Make Links. Can you link what you have learnt with other lessons in that subject? Can you link it with different subjects? What have you learnt that could be useful elsewhere? How will you apply what you learnt? Prepare for exams. DEAL WITH STRESS. Get lots of sleep. Get your 8 hours. Exercise. Nothing reduces stress faster than physical activity. Build it into your timetable. Avoid comparing your abilities with your friends. Be prepared. WHEN ARE YOUR EXAMS? Start to map out your revision – how many exams do you have? Do some need more revision than others? What can you be doing now to make revision later easier and make the summer less stressful. E.g. flash cards. Choose a topic and revise it until you know it – test yourself. Don’t leave revision too late. Once the GCSEs start you could have up to 10 exams in a week. Check the One Stop Revision Shop on iDeer.

Parents play an essential role just by being interested and talking about what they have learnt. The Department of Education did an extensive study on the affect of parental involvement and found that secondary school children with parents very interested in their education progressed almost 20% more in mathematics and reading between the ages 11 and 16. High parental interest led to better exam results. Children showed a significant improvement in exams when they received extra help at home, compared to no significant improvement if they received extra help at school. Parents play an important role in helping to reduce distractions such as TV. Children with interested parents scored higher than others no matter what their starting point was.

If, as a parent, you are interested in reading more about high achieving pupils, you can read our Gifted and Talented - Information for Parents document.