Back to school – how to start the year as a ‘grade 9’ student
It is that time of year again when the long summer nights begin to draw in and the start of the new school year approaches. Don’t worry, make sure that you make the most of it by getting off to a flying start. Firstly, it doesn’t matter whether you are starting school for the first time ever, a student entering secondary school in year 7, or you are returning to school and just about to embark on your final GCSE year or begin your A Levels, or even if you are a teacher getting ready to change the lives of your students, it’s about getting off to a positive start! Secondly, it doesn’t matter how well you feel that you can achieve, it’s about working hard to achieve even better.
Here are 5 tips about things that you can do to make the beginning of this school year the most successful one to date.
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- Enjoy it – look for the positives in what you are doing right from the start. People achieve better when they can see and understand the importance of what they have to do. You are going to school to gain an education, you will need to work hard at this but hard work will be worth it in the end as it will hopefully help you develop the future life that you want. Remind yourself of that. You will learn something new every day at school and this will help you develop.
- Build good relationships – make friends with other students, good friends will be able to support you throughout your school life and maybe even many years into the future. They can help you succeed but remember, this is a two way street. Get on with your teachers and respect them, they will respect you for that. Your teachers will try their best to help you achieve your potential and will be there to help you through difficult times if they can and if you let them.
- Get organised – this is one of the biggest secrets to achieving in anything that you do, but it can also be a difficult skill to master at times. Start off with the simple things – make sure you have all the equipment that you need with you each day, pack your school bag the night before. Michelangelo wouldn’t have been as successful at painting the Sistine Chapel if he turned up each day without his paint brushes with him! Make sure you are not late to lessons, hand work in on time and complete work to the best of your ability. Use your homework planner/diary/journal or even your smart phone to remind you of things that you need to do.
- Pay attention in class and take part– what is being said to you in class by your teachers on a wet afternoon in September may not always seem to you like the most important thing in the world but your learning builds upon strong foundations. Each and every lesson that you have is actually important in the long run. The lesson that you have in the present, is a gift for the future… try to treasure it… no matter how hard that could seem at the time.
- Keep good attendance and punctuality – make sure that you are attending school as much as you possibly can. You can’t be taught something if you are not there to learn it (that means paying attention when you are there too). Try your hardest to make sure you don’t miss school, if you are feeling a little under the weather, soldier on, go into school if you are able to. If you are really ill your school will try to look after you and will send you home if necessary. Make sure you catch up on any missed school work and homework if you miss school for whatever reason. For any prolonged period of absence, speak to your school to see how they can help to support your learning. Data shows that on average students with good attendance achieve better exam results.
An extra, bonus tip, for free
Speak to people and ask for help if you need it! This is for all types of circumstances. If you are struggling to understand a topic in lessons, speak to your teacher and ask for some clarification. They want you to succeed and will be happy to support you, especially if you ask for it. Talk to friends, outside of lessons, maybe they can help you understand things. If you have a problem, feel stressed, overwhelmed or need some support or guidance, speak to somebody and share your worries. Schools are a great support network and are full of people that are there to help you, no matter how big or small you feel the problem is… don’t bottle things up, speak to someone.
Moving forward
Achieving your best is up to you and it involves lots of different things. It isn’t always just about the academic work, how many books you read and about how clever you are. It is about building strong foundations, putting steps in place, trying your best at that moment and starting off in the right frame of mind.
These tips are by no means an exact formula, or even a given to getting straight grade 9s and A*s but they are good advice and something to think about in terms of how you can achieve even better and fulfil your potential. Throughout the course of this academic year we will be posting other nuggets of useful information to help you achieve even better, some will be academic and will teach you how to do things, some will offer advice about how to revise and some will give you food for thought. Feel free to contact us if you need any help.
Good luck with the year ahead. We hope you get off to a flying start!