The day has finally arrived. After a long winter of lockdown, classrooms are filled with students again, corridors are buzzing with chatter, and pupils are rediscovering a love of learning. The country has gone back to school.

Many students have quickly settled into their old school routine. However, some are inevitably finding it more difficult. In general, children love routine, structure and socialising with their peer group. But after months at home, some will have lost their academic confidence. Others will be worried about friendships, and the uncertainty around A Levels and GCSEs. Meanwhile, teachers have reported an ‘epidemic’ of demotivation during lockdown as a result of remote lessons and a lack of social contact. 

Covid measures are also a source of anxiety for some children. Face masks, Covid tests and social bubbles may be around for the foreseeable future, but for some they are adding to the back-to-school pressure. 

If your child is finding it tricky to get back into the classroom routine, don’t panic. Here are a variety ways to help them find their feet.

Concentration at school

Parents have noticed that children’s ability to sit still and concentrate has deteriorated over the past year. While this is concerning, now children are back in physical classrooms it is likely that their concentration will rapidly improve. By their very nature, in-person lessons are usually more engaging than lessons conducted via screen – particularly ones where children are allowed to turn their cameras off. On school premises, teachers can also keep a closer eye on pupils to ensure they are staying on task and talk to parents if they are concerned. 

Plus, it is not all doom and gloom: months of lockdown may well have forced children to become more self-sufficient when it comes to studying. Several months of independent learning may have imparted skills that they would never have developed in normal circumstances. 

If your child or teenager is fidgety and struggling to focus, it is helpful to allocate set periods of time for homework activities. For example, setting aside 30 minutes before dinner to focus on a Maths exercise. Phones and tablets are the nemesis of concentration, so try to keep children away from their devices when they are studying at home. Having a quiet area in the house where children can work in peace is also important – if not always possible to achieve. 

Separation anxiety

This is a problem for lots of young children who feel like they are starting school all over again. To get them back into the swing of things, try to ease them back into a sense routine and remind them how much they used to enjoy school before lockdown hit.

Psychologist Professor Tanya Byron suggests writing a note and popping it in their school bag or lunch box to settle them. It is also helpful to have a calm morning schedule so they are in the right mindset when they set off for school. Just ensuring that their school bags are packed the night before and that their uniform is laid out can make a real difference – as can making something nice for breakfast. 

In all likelihood, separation anxiety will wear off after a week or so. However, if it lingers – or gets worse – it might be worth speaking to the school. 

Screen habits

Lockdown has been filled with screens. Children had lessons online, socialised online and even – in some cases – exercised while staring at a screen. A report by the Guardian says that screen time soared during the pandemic, with website and app visits in the UK more than doubling in January 2021 compared with the same time last year. 

School is a perfect time to reduce children’s dependence on technology, and to help them re-engage with the real world. Homework and dinner time should be screen-free zones, and many psychologists advise that parents remove devices from children’s bedrooms overnight. For teenagers, it might be worth buying an alarm clock so they don’t have to rely their phone to wake them up in the morning. 

Social skills

Given the intermittent nature of schooling this year, many students will have fallen out of touch with friends, or will be worried that the social dynamics of the classroom has changed. As we’re still not allowed to arrange play dates or meet in each others houses, it is hard to know how to help in this department. Ultimately, however, most children will just need some time to find their feet in the social arena. If your child is just starting school, remind them what makes a good friend and perhaps give them idea some break time ideas, including how to approach schoolmates to play.  

For older children, remind them that they can talk to you about any friendship issues and encourage them to use social media responsibly, rather than banning it outright. 

Covid worries

A number of new measures are now in place at schools across the country, which might feel strange or scary – particularly for younger children, or those with vulnerable relatives. Secondary school students are now taking part in asymptomatic Covid testing, which means all pupils in Year 7 and above will have taken three Covid-19 tests on school grounds. After the initial programme of three tests in school or college, students will be given two rapid tests to use each week at home. Staff and students in secondary schools and colleges are also advised to wear face masks in all areas, including classrooms.

This is a big change from what children are used to. However, once they get over the original strangeness, the scariness should wear off. Explain to your child that the precautions have been put in place to keep them safe, and set out how the measures will affect their day-to day-lives for the next weeks and months. 

Exam anxiety and school

A lot remains unclear about this year’s GCSE and A Level qualifications. Exams watchdog Ofqual has confirmed that results are to be decided teachers, who can use a combination of tests, coursework and written assignments to evaluate their pupils. Schools will also be able to use questions set by exam boards to determine grades. 

Over the past few of weeks, schools have been developing action plans around how to assess students in the months ahead. Exam season is a stressful time for all pupils and tensions will inevitably be running high. However, remind your teenager that students around the country are in the same boat and everyone is facing the same uncertainty. 

To help teenagers prepare the best they can, suggest they try some past papers – many of which are available for free on exam board websites. Meanwhile, if they are struggling with a particular topic, encourage them to raise this with their school teachers. Alternatively, one-to-one tuition could help bring them up to speed ahead of this term’s assessment period. 

The post Back to School: Adjusting after lockdown appeared first on Hampstead and Frognal Tutors.

After months of Zoom lessons and home schooling, all children will head back to school next Monday. Boris Johnson announced last week that primary and secondary schools will reopen on 8th March, with breakfast and after-school clubs also allowed to resume. Attendance at school will be mandatory once they have reopened, meaning parents have a legal duty to send their children to school regularly.

There is also news on the exam front. Ofqual, the exam watchdog, has confirmed that national GCSE and A Level exams will be cancelled in England and replaced by grades decided by teachers. Schools can determine grades by using a combination of mock exams, coursework and essays. Teachers also have the option to use ‘mini’ external exams – set by exam boards – to help guide their grading this summer. 

Students will be excited to return to real life lessons and catch up with friends. However, many teenagers will be feeling anxious about their upcoming GCSEs and A Levels. Meanwhile, younger children may be worried that they have fallen behind in their schoolwork during the long months of lockdown. 

Don’t panic. Here are five tips to help students prepare for the upcoming term.

Gentle revision

No one is suggesting that children embark on a seven-day revision spree before heading back to school. However, it may be worth spending some time this week reviewing topics that have been covered in class, identifying tricky areas, and writing a list of questions to ask teachers once in-person lessons have resumed.

For subjects like Maths and Science, why not attempt a few practice exercises? Meanwhile English Literature students should re-familiarise themselves with their set texts. This way, pupils can resume their real-life studies with confidence – rather than feeling like they are on the back foot. 

Past exam papers

A big question mark still hangs over this year’s GCSE and A Level qualifications. However, exams watchdog Ofqual has confirmed that results are to be decided teachers, who can use a combination of tests, coursework and written assignments to evaluate their pupils. Schools will also be able to use questions set by exam boards to determine grades. 

While it is tempting to take the foot off the pedal in the knowledge that public exams have been cancelled, it is important that teenagers are prepared for whatever form of assessment they encounter this summer. Past papers – many of which are available for free on exam board websites – are a great way to help pupils stay focused and motivated. 

If teenagers come across questions they are struggling with, encourage them to talk to their school teachers when they are back in the classroom – or to contact them via email beforehand. Alternatively, one-to-one tuition could bring them up to speed ahead of this term’s assessment period. 

Existing work

Schools have been setting work for children to complete during lockdown. However – away from the classroom environment – it is difficult for teachers to ensure every student is keeping up with their assignments. Before school starts next Monday, encourage your child to make sure they are up-to-date with their workload. Nobody wants to start school anxious about uncompleted work, or getting into trouble with their teachers. 

Sleep routine

During lockdown, many children have been going to bed later and getting up later. While this may be sustainable when everyone is at home, lack of sleep can have a big impact on children’s concentration and ability to absorb information during lessons. In the run-up to schools reopening, therefore, try to introduce a more rigid bedtime routine. 

Screen time is also a battle in many households. A report by the Guardian says that children’s screen time has soared during the pandemic. Based on anonymous online habits data provided by 60,000 families, website and app visits in the UK more than doubled in January compared with January 2020, spurred by YouTube, TikTok and BBC News. The average daily time spent on apps rose by 15%.

Research has suggested that screens can negatively affect how quickly children fall asleep and how long they sleep for. Having a couple of screen-free hours before bed therefore could have a beneficial effect, therefore. Removing electronic devices from children’s bedroom – be it smart phones, tablets or Play Stations – could be a good place to start. 

Covid chat

A number of new measures will be in place at schools once pupils return, which might feel strange or scary – particularly for younger children. For starters, secondary school students (i.e those in Year 7 and above) will take part in voluntary asymptomatic Covid testing. This means all secondary school and college students will take three Covid-19 tests as they return to the classroom from the 8 March at existing school testing facilities. After the initial programme of three tests in school or college, students will be provided with two rapid tests to use each week at home.

Staff and students in secondary schools and colleges are also advised to wear face masks in all areas, including classrooms, where social distancing cannot be maintained. 

These new measures will feel alien to students, parents and teachers alike. It is important, therefore, to talk to your child about what precautions are in place to keep them safe, and how this will affect their day-to day-lives. 

The post Back to School: How to Prepare appeared first on Hampstead and Frognal Tutors.

Students and parents across the country are anxious about the effect the coronavirus pandemic could have on GCSE and A-Level grades. To address your concerns, here is a breakdown of everything we know so far, from calculated grades to autumn assessments. 

Will the public GCSE and A-level exams go ahead this summer? 

No. The government announced on 18 March that this year’s GCSE and A-level exams have been cancelled because of coronavirus.  This also includes the cancellation of iGCSEs and the International Baccalaureate. 

How will students be assessed? 

In place of country-wide assessments, teachers will calculate grades for all their GCSE and A-Level students. Your child’s grades will reflect the results teachers believe they would have achieved if lessons, revision and exams had gone ahead as planned. 

Schools and colleges will consider a range of things when calculating GCSE and A-level grades, including classwork and homework; results in assignments and any mock exams; any non-exam assessment or coursework; and general progress during the course. 

Schools are not required to set any additional mock exams or homework before submitting the grades to the relevant exam boards. On top of this, the government has said students won’t be disadvantaged if they were not set, or were unable to complete, any work given out after schools were closed on 20 March. 

How will exam boards ensure the process is fair?

To make sure that grades are fair across different schools and colleges, exam boards will put all assessment grades through a process of standardisation using a model developed with Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation), the government’s independent qualifications regulator. This should mean that students are not advantaged or disadvantaged because their teachers are more generous or harsh than others. 

How will GCSE and A-level grades be standardised? 

As well as submitting grades, schools will be asked to rank each student relative to others in the class who fall in the same grade category. For example, if they judge that five students would have been most likely to achieve a grade B at A-level, they should rank those five students from 1 (the most secure/most likely to achieve the grade) to 5 (the least secure/least likely).This information will be used to standardise judgements. 

The standardisation process might mean that the final grade a student gets is different from the one their school or college sends to the exam board.

When will GCSE and A-level results be published?

The government says GCSE and A-level grades will be published on Results Day as normal –13 August for A-Levels and 20 August for GCSEs – if not before. They want students to have as much time as possible before the start of the next school/university year to decide their next steps. 

Can students see their calculated grades before they are submitted? 

No, this information will be confidential. 

What happens if students are unhappy with their grades? 

The government has said students who are unhappy with the grades they have been given will have a chance to sit their exams before Christmas – ideally in the autumn. More guidance around this is expected soon, and much depends on the approach of individual exam boards. 

For further information and reading

Ofqual consultation on awarding vocational and technical qualifications in summer 2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19): cancellation of GCSEs, AS and A-levels in 2020 – GOV.UK

The post GCSE and A-level grades: How will they be calculated during the Coronavirus pandemic appeared first on Hampstead and Frognal Tutors.