Supporting Your Senior Student
Entering senior years of schooling is a joyful and wonderous time. You are feeling older, more mature, perhaps you have started driving, and you are now leaders of the school. You wear a different blazer; you contemplate a witty name to put on the back of your senior jersey – said consideration often results in your trusty surname being the winning choice. You now have study days, a whole day where you do not have to come to school. However, with this great power comes great responsibility – and this newfound responsibility can be difficult for some students to grasp.
As students enter year 11 and 12 there is an expectation that they become more independent in their work. Students must become better at managing time and tracking assessment dates. No longer are students able to ask their teachers for an extension, there is now a formal process that must be followed in line with BSSS policy. Further to this, there are now penalties that apply if work is late. Students may feel that they are getting less support from teachers at this stage, when in fact the support simply takes other forms. Drafting becomes an enormous part of assessment work, as do planning templates.
So, what can you do at home to better support your senior student?
- Have a discussion at home about these changing expectations, what worked in year 10 will not necessarily work in senior years.
- Check that your son has a tracking and planning system in operation with regards to assessment due dates.
- Engage with the senior studies tab on the school website and read the Senior Academic Handbook, encourage your son to do the same.
- Monitor V-grade warnings – remember, these are not a penalty notification, they are notification system for parents indicating that if work is not submitted penalty may occur. V-grade warning are not a BSSS requirement, they are a courtesy.
- Ensure that out-of-school work commitments are not interfering with your son’s ability to complete schoolwork and assessment on time.
- Encourage your son to strongly engage with the pastoral program at the school, his tutor and Head of House are there to support him.
- Liaise with the appropriate Head of Faculty should you have any questions about curriculum.
- Encourage him to select subjects that interest him whilst at the same time assist him on his path to chosen goals.
- Advocate for him but remember that his teachers also have his best interests at heart.
- Encourage him.
- Remind him to enjoy this precious time!
Ashleigh Kerin
(Head of English & Languages)