If you’re the parent of a teen who will soon have to choose their GCSEs, you might be wondering what you can do to help. Lots of young people find it a stressful and nerve wracking experience.  Whilst other students feel excited. Most teens will be feeling a combination of the two. It’s a great time for them because they can finally start to tailor their schooling around what they actually enjoy and have an interest in. Here are some tips to give your child the guidance they need from an independent senior school in Hertfordshire.

It Can Be A Stressful Time

You need to help your child understand the implications of their decisions, without adding to their pressure or stressing them out. Be sensitive to the fact that their emotions will be heightened.  They might even take it out on you and the rest of the family. It would be wise to have a one-to-one chat with them.  Encourage them to talk about their feelings and get it off their chest.

Think About Their Future

When going through the different options with your teen, make sure they’re aware that while GCSEs are a little more unique to their preferences, there are still roughly 8-10 spaces to fill. What this means is your child can still have enough variation in their education so that if they want to change their mind again at A Level, they are able to do so. Obviously, if your child has been dead set on a dream job since they were little, choosing the subjects will be a little easier than if they have no clue what they want to do.  But regardless, there will still be scope to have a change of heart before the time comes to start applying for jobs.

Some schools often offer vocational qualifications in conjunction with their traditional GCSE options. Essentially, these qualifications allow the student to get some practical (as well as theoretical) experience in a particular vocation. This helps them to master skills that will be required for that type of profession in the future.

Let Them Decide

You might have some ideas regarding GCSEs you’d prefer your son or daughter to choose, but it’s vital that they make their own decisions. There’s no point in them studying something they hate or aren’t very good at just because you want them too; they will end up performing badly. With that in mind you should also discourage them from choosing subjects just because their friends are doing so.

If you require any additional information, don’t be afraid to get in touch with your child’s school and speak to the teachers for further advice. The best thing you can do to help your youngster is remain calm and collected about the situation so that they don’t start to feel overwhelmed.

On top of this we have the struggle of my kids sitting all their exams in welsh.  So I am glad of these tips to help my children with the decision making process regarding which subjects they pick!