A Parents’ Guide to GCSEs

Is your child preparing to choose their GCSE subjects? This is an exciting milestone because they finally have an opportunity to choose which subjects they wish to focus on. However it can also be a challenging time for your child, because they will need to think about their future and may feel under pressure to make the right decisions. To help your child navigate this important part of their education they are going to need plenty of parental support.

In order to provide the best support for your child when they reach their GCSEs, here is some helpful information from an independent school in Somerset.

The term GCSEs actually refers to the exams that students take at the end of Key Stage 4.Students usually study between 7 and 9 GCSE subjects before taking these exams. The majority of UK schools require children to continue learning English, maths and science at GCSE level, but the other subjects are optional.

When helping your child to choose which GCSE subjects to take, it is important to consider their interests and their future career goals. You should also discuss their preferred school subjects and why they enjoy them. This is because, when choosing GCSE subjects it is vital that your child chooses the ones they enjoy most – because enjoyment of a subject will lead to the best results.

It is also useful to talk to your child about what they wish to do after school. Do they wish to go to university and what would they like to study there? Do they know what job they would like to do in the future? These conversations will prompt your child to think about their academic strengths and how they can have an impact on their future.

If your child does have a particular career goal, you could help your child to research the qualifications needed in order to get there. However, don’t forget to encourage your child to keep an open mind and think about several possible career paths. This will encourage them to explore and develop a wide range of skills.

One of the best ways you can support your child when they are choosing their GCSEs, is collect as much information as possible and do plenty of research together. Relevant information will help your child’s decision making, keeping the stress levels as low as possible. It is also important that you do not put pressure on your child to choose subjects that YOU want them to take. Allow your child to make their OWN decisions and you will see their learning flourish.