Back to school: How to survive Year 11

This article was first published in August 2019.

Year 11. Just wrap your mouth around those words and believe you’re in it.

Year. 11.

Doesn’t it just feel as if coming into school for your first ever assembly happened a few short weeks ago, as if the burdens of exams and The Future were a million years away and would never really need to be considered for AGES?

Worry not! Headteacher and TV star Mr Burton is here with his top tips to help you survive.

Six tips to successfully start year 11

So here we are… I can’t sit here and promise that next year isn’t going to be hard, or that there won’t be tears, or that, at certain points, you will want to give it all up and throw a mug at the wall. It is hard; it is frustrating; it is full of pressure.

But it is also such an amazing time, and as you sit there before it’s even started, here are six tips to make sure that Year 11 goes phenomenally well from the morning of the first day back.

1. Get organised

Organisation in year 11 is so crucial.

There’ll be homework, deadlines, coursework, assessments, exams, prom dates to ask out (YAAAS!), as well as everything else that comes with being a young person and enjoying your life. In short: it’s busy.

Having your time planned is really important, so that you can make sure everything gets done, you do it justice and you also give yourself time to enjoy what you like to do outside of school.

Use your school planner, your phone’s calendar or a piece of paper to plan what you need to do, when for, and how it’s going to get done.

When you’re back at school, think about exactly where you are in each subject, what you need to work on, and how you’re going to go about it.

Talk to teachers, school staff, mentors and anyone else who’s out to help, and use the advice and support that’s there. You can do this, and you’re the one doing it, but you can’t do it all by yourself!

2. Understand perfection is not practical

Get this: you aren’t going to get everything correct in every assessment for the entire year.

You still have a year to go, and mistakes are part of the process of learning. If something goes wrong, that’s fine; look at what went wrong, think about why, and consider how you can make sure you learn so that it doesn’t go wrong again.

3. Revision starts early!

The earlier it starts, the longer you have to re-revise information. And the more time you allow that to move to your long term memory, the easier it is to recall in exams.

Don’t make revision just for your mocks; make it a part of your overall exam revision for the summer. Plan your evening’s revision out on your planner/diary/phone (from tip #1!) and bank that knowledge for the future.

4. Look after yourself

The most important thing about you is your physical and mental health, and Year 11 can be a stressful time for everyone.

If you’re struggling, tell someone. If you’re not well, tell someone. If it’s getting you down, tell someone.

Only by talking can anyone help anything, so don’t soldier on letting it get worse. Talk to someone who you trust and start to make things better.

5. Be yourself… and don’t compare

All anyone wants from you is your best. Not your friend’s. Not your sister who left school three years ago with top grades in everything – YOURS!

Run your own race and don’t compare yourself to anyone else.

It’s sometimes hard when your friends are all getting exams back and talking about what they got, but your future is not about them, it’s about you, doing your best, and being the very best version of yourself.

6. Enjoy it!

Right now, as you prepare to start the year everyone’s been talking about for ages – how important it is, what’s going to happen, when you’ll finish, your plans for the summer that seems ages away at the moment - you’ll think this is ridiculous!

In a few years’ time, though, that won’t be the case. Massive things will happen this year which, right now, you’re in control of. Take control of your future and own it from the first day back in September.

Enjoy the highs, and get help through the lows, and make sure, when you reach the end, you've done the best you can.

If you need support

You should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher, or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.

If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are more links to helpful organisations on the BBC Bitesize Action Line page for young people.