In the run up to heading to an international Sixth Form, students will have to study GCSEs for a couple of years. It’s important to give children the confidence to pick up whatever subjects they like, while also making the right decisions to shape their future.

Focus on what your child enjoys

Your child will be studying these subjects for a couple of years, so the subjects they choose should be ones they know they will enjoy for that period of time. With that in mind, your child should be picking subjects they like and actively love learning about. Forcing your child to pick out particular subjects just because of your own personal preference will make them much less motivated to pick up their studies.

Look at what your child excels in

If your child is already showing a preference for different subjects, maybe it’s worth their time studying for now. The next stage of your child’s growth will come in their A Levels or pursuing a college course, so it’s good to push your child to go down those routes if you feel it will benefit their overall learning.

Some children have a clear path of what they want to do. If your child wants to go into History and Philosophy for example, picking up Religious Studies, History and English Language at GCSE level will give them a lot of prior knowledge.

Make your child feel like any of their choices will work

A good push of motivation is letting your child choose what they want. If you have the confidence in them that they will do well, it doesn’t matter what they choose. What will matter is the grades they get later on and how well they perform. 

So, give your child the skills to explore whatever subjects they please, and it gives your child that freedom to pick out what they like. You can still see what your child picks out before they move forward and ensure they pick out subjects that you see your child doing well in. Complementary subjects, like English Language and History, work well in developing transferable skills.