Don't Wait For The First Bad Grade...
September is the time to build the system!
We’re a couple of weeks or a month into the new school year now, which means the initial “back to school” feeling is probably starting to wear off. The new timetable has become familiar, the excitement of seeing friends has settled down, and students are beginning to get a much clearer picture of what this year is actually going to demand from them.
And this is exactly why I think September is such an important month.
Because right now, you have the time to notice the small problems before they become big problems. Later when the school rhythm really amps up, assignments due, prelims coming up and more - its harder to find time to reflect in this way.
If your teenager is struggling to keep on top of homework, forgetting deadlines, leaving everything until the last minute, feeling overwhelmed by their workload, or simply not knowing how to revise effectively, September is the time to address it. Not when the first prelim or mock result comes back. Not when they suddenly realise they have six chapters to
revise. And definitely not the week before the final exams.
By that point, you're trying to fix the study habits and the academic gaps at the same time. September gives you a much better opportunity: you can look at the way your teenager is currently working and ask, “Is this actually going to work when the pressure increases?”
Because there is a big difference between being busy and having an effective study strategy.
A student can spend hours at their desk every week and still struggle to remember what they've learned. They can complete every piece of homework and still be completely unprepared for an assessment. They can make beautiful notes, highlight half a textbook and create an incredibly detailed revision timetable... and still not actually be learning very effectively.
So before the school year gets busier, I would encourage you to do a little September study check-in with your teenager.
Ask them these five questions:
1. What are you learning in each of your subjects right now?
Not just “How's Biology?” or “How's Maths?” Can they actually tell you what they're currently covering?
2. Is there anything you don't fully understand yet?
This is particularly important because small gaps are much easier to deal with when they're identified early. A topic that feels slightly confusing now can become a much bigger problem when the class moves on and starts building new content on top of it. If there is something they don't understand yet, whats the plan to finally understand it?
3. What are you doing outside of homework to remember what you've learned?
This is where you may discover that your teenager's entire study strategy currently consists of… doing homework.
Homework is important, but completing today's task isn't the same thing as making sure you'll remember the material several weeks from now.
4. How do you know whether your revision is actually working?
This is one of my favourite questions because it gets students thinking beyond “I studied for two hours” and towards “What can I actually remember and apply?”
Time spent studying is not a particularly useful measure of learning. The real question is whether the work they are doing is helping them understand, remember and use the information.
5. What is one thing you could improve about the way you're working this month?
Just one. The goal isn't to suddenly create the “perfect” student with a colour-coded timetable, five hours of revision every evening and a completely transformed work ethic by Monday.
The goal is to identify one part of the system that isn't working particularly well and improve it.
Maybe it's getting homework recorded properly. Maybe it's starting work earlier. Maybe it's finding a better way to revise Biology. Maybe it's learning how to use practice questions properly. Maybe it's simply creating a realistic weekly routine that they can actually stick to.
September isn't about getting everything perfect.
It's about paying attention, noticing what's working, identifying what's not, and making the adjustments now - while there is still plenty of time to benefit from them.
Because by the time the first disappointing grade arrives, the problem is rarely just the grade itself. There is usually a whole system sitting underneath it: how the student manages their time, how they approach difficult work, how they revise, how they respond when they don't understand something, and how independently they can manage their workload.
And those are things we can start working on long before exam season arrives...
What's going on with us at Ignited Academia?
Back To School Workshop Recording & Resources
Speaking of getting the year off to a strong start, I hosted my Back-to-School Workshop last Friday, 4th September, and we spent the session looking at exactly this: how students can approach the new school year with more structure, clarity and independence.
We covered goal setting, how to actually track progress towards those goals, and what students can expect as the school year progresses, from assignments and class tests to prelims/mocks and, eventually, the final exams. I taught them how to build revision and grade trackers and gave them PDF resources to help them build their routines and identify challenges that may come up.
The aim was to help students look beyond simply “What homework do I have tonight?” and start thinking about how they are going to manage the bigger picture.
If you weren't able to join us live, I've made the full workshop recording + all of the accompanying SIX PDF resources available for just £17. You'll be able to access everything immediately, so you can work through the session in your own time and use the worksheets throughout the year.
SQA Biology Tutoring:
And for those of you whose teenagers are studying Nat 5 Biology, Higher Biology or Higher Human Biology in Scotland, my group Biology tutoring sessions are also now underway for the new academic year.
These are weekly live online sessions designed to give students consistent support throughout the year, helping them understand the course content, practise applying their knowledge and develop the skills they need to tackle exam questions effectively.
If your teenager would benefit from having that regular structure and support alongside school, you can find out more about the current group tutoring options here:
Coming Soon!
And very soon you'll hear about upcoming workshop which focuses on prelim/mock revision planning. I'll be taking students trough how to break down their exams into chunks and how to schedule their revision for their subjects in advance for the exam so they can walk into the exam having studied everything at least once and feeling confident.
That it from me, speak soon! 🧬
Brodie
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