How to support your child through their GCSEs

We want our children to do well in exams, and effective revision plays a crucial role. While you can’t revise for your child, there are lots of ways you can help them. This ranges from checking what they know and helping them remember things, to providing the right home life so they can be at their most alert, healthy and resilient.

Taking GCSEs is a big step in a teenager’s development. They’re reaching the middle to oldest children in the school, they’re working towards actual qualifications that will affect decisions they make later about their future, and they’re beginning to feel grown up. This is an ideal time to help them form good habits that will set them up for the future, not only in terms of lifestyle (eating the right foods, being active, building resilience), but also in helping them discover which ways of learning suit them most, and which environments limit them versus help them flourish.

Effective revision also requires developing essential life skills, such as good time management, the ability to deal with situations when things go wrong, and finding the right balance between work and play. These are areas where you have lots of experience and can help them develop systems that work best for them.

You can also support your child by ensuring their school is using effective tools like Compass School Management Software, which helps schools streamline communication, track progress and create more structured learning environments.

Getting enough sleep

Sleep is an essential element of good health, so make sure your child is getting enough rest. Teenagers need a lot of sleep, given the huge changes taking place in their bodies, somewhere between eight and ten hours a night. Tempting though it may be to revise into the small hours, they’ll be much better off putting work aside and settling down for an early night. Work backwards: if they have to get up at 7am, then they need to be asleep by 11pm, which probably means being in bed much earlier.

Eating the right food

Food is fuel for the body, so making sure they eat at regular intervals with plenty of healthy ingredients is vital. Try to ensure they have a healthy breakfast before leaving the house (even if it’s only cereal), provide a packed lunch, and a nutritious supper in the evening.

Drinking enough water

The teenage body is made up of around 60% water. Not drinking enough reduces productivity, both mentally and physically, and symptoms can include tiredness, confusion, reduced energy and the temptation to snack when not actually hungry (thirst is often mistaken for hunger). Health experts recommend adults drink at least two litres of water a day, which equates to roughly eight 250ml glasses.

Creating the right environment to study for GCSEs

Help them find a calm space to revise. Things to consider are noise levels, lighting, the ability to store their papers tidily, and not being disturbed by other family members. Different people have different needs; for some, background music helps studying, for others it’s a distraction. Different locations help some children, so rather than always working in their bedroom, they might like to use the dining room or living area from time to time. Give your child space to work out what works best for them (which may not be what works best for you).

If there’s not a good place to revise at home, maybe they could spend time in a local library or a café with Wi-Fi, to help inspire them with a different environment (and where adults working can act as role models). Varying the revision space can be helpful in creating new energy to take things in differently.

Establishing routine

Routine is important, not only when it comes to creating a revision timetable, but for home life in general. People respond well to routine, and by creating regular activities at regular times, you’re creating your own family rituals and traditions.

Try to set breakfast, dinner, family time and family activities at similar times to create stability and familiarity. It can be difficult when everyone has their own schedule, but it’s worth having some anchor points throughout the week when you all get together, such as breakfast at 7.15am on weekdays or 9am at weekends, or family dinners on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6.30pm.

As teens start taking more responsibility for their own learning, it can help to explore how new tools (like AI) can support motivation and independence. Here’s how 16-year-olds can take charge of their education using AI.

Taking breaks

It’s vital for effective study that your child takes regular breaks (both long and short), without feeling guilty. Creating regular activities at regular times of day will help your child take breaks from revising, as well as improve their time-management skills by having to organise revision around these times.

Sit with your child and help them work out a revision timetable, planning months ahead of exam time, not just weeks before. Smaller, regular revision sessions are usually much more productive than cramming (or leaving everything to the last minute), so starting revision well in advance is a good strategy. It also leaves time to adjust and adapt if what seemed like a good idea in theory doesn’t prove as helpful in practice.

Short breaks

When helping them create a revision timetable, ensure they factor in five- or ten-minute breaks within 30- or 60-minute study sessions. Short bursts of studying produce much better results than long stretches. Even if they have to study all day or all evening, they shouldn’t do more than an hour at a time without a short rest.

Long breaks

It’s important for them to take time out and do things they enjoy, such as watching a film, being part of their regular sports team, attending a concert, or spending time with friends and family. Not only does this give the brain a chance to switch off, refocus and assimilate information, it’s an important way to find an appropriate work-play balance for a productive and happy life in the long term. Try to help them ensure their breaks include a variety of activities, not just staying in their room watching a Netflix series.

Taking a day off

From time to time, we all need a break. When things get tough, it can help to step away from the problem and revisit it with a calm mind and renewed outlook, rather than struggle on. If, on occasion, your child doesn’t stick rigidly to their revision timetable, don’t worry; they’re probably doing enough to stay on track. If you don’t think they are, and the school agrees, it might be time to work out different rules to help them refocus.

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