Succeed

    How to help your child boost their grades

    Help your child improve grades by building consistent routines, removing distractions, using curriculum-matched resources and acting on teacher feedback.

    Parents
    Discuss with parents
    Last verified: 14 Jul 2026Reviewed by:BSBen Stacy

    • Start with specific learning gaps, then choose resources matched to the curriculum and teacher feedback.
    • Act as a learning coach who supports planning, reflection and independence rather than reteaching every task.
    • Create single-task study sessions with phones, notifications and unrelated tabs removed.
    • Use current specifications, past papers, mark schemes, structured lessons and school-recommended materials.
    • Protect sleep and review progress weekly instead of responding to every disappointing grade with more work.

    • What Succeed checks

      We review public sources, provider information and recognised education-sector guidance, then focus on what helps students make practical decisions.

    • How official sources are used

      We use official sources where available, especially for deadlines, eligibility, costs, availability and application details.

    • What Last verified means

      Last verified is the latest date Succeed checked the key public information used in this guide. Details can still change after that date.

    • Why details can change

      Opportunity details can change between review cycles. Always check the official source before applying or making a final decision.

    • Succeed's guidance is editorially independent. Providers do not approve or control the advice in our guides. If a provider relationship affects a page, we state it clearly.

    What really helps a child improve grades?

    Helping a child boost their grades is less about parents reteaching lessons and more about creating the conditions for effective independent learning. The most useful role is often learning coach: help your child set goals, plan time, find suitable resources and act on feedback. When subject knowledge or teaching methods are unclear, direct questions back to the teacher.

    Start with the current curriculum, specification and class priorities, then choose targeted study guides, worksheets, quizzes or past papers for a known gap. Pair these resources with focused single-task sessions, a quiet workspace and a sustainable sleep routine. Review whether the approach improves understanding, not simply whether more time was spent studying.

    How can parents help improve academic grades?

    Ask which subjects feel difficult, what feedback they have received and what support would feel useful.

    Common mistake: Avoid beginning with blame, comparisons or a ready-made timetable.

    Gather class priorities, assessment objectives, specifications and teacher-recommended materials before choosing resources.

    Common mistake: Avoid buying guides that follow the wrong course or specification.

    Use recent work and feedback to define a precise skill, topic or misconception to address first.

    Common mistake: Avoid vague goals such as simply getting better at maths.

    Select one curriculum-aligned lesson, worksheet, study guide or past-paper set for that gap.

    Common mistake: Avoid collecting resources faster than your child can use them.

    Agree a realistic study period with one task, necessary materials and distracting devices placed elsewhere.

    Common mistake: Avoid expecting effective study alongside messages, videos or unrelated browsing.

    Complete questions independently, check the response and turn each useful comment into another attempt.

    Common mistake: Avoid reading notes repeatedly without testing understanding.

    Check progress weekly and ask the teacher about persistent gaps, suitable resources or available homework support.

    Common mistake: Avoid reteaching unfamiliar methods when the school can clarify them.

    If sleep difficulties, anxiety or distress persist, seek appropriate support from the school or a healthcare professional. Academic improvement should not depend on sacrificing sleep or wellbeing.

    Which kind of parental support works best?

    DimensionsDirect homework helpLearning coachSchool partnership
    Best useClarifying instructionsPlanning, routines and reflectionSubject-specific misconceptions
    Main strengthImmediate reassuranceBuilds learning independenceAccurate teaching guidance
    Main riskConflicting teaching methodsBecoming overly controllingWaiting too long
    Useful resourcesFamiliar worked examplesPlanners, guides and quizzesSpecifications, feedback and clubs
    Feedback roleExplaining each correctionPlanning the next attemptClarifying priorities

    Academic opportunities for practising study skills

    These optional challenges can give older students a purposeful way to practise writing, research, explanation and independent planning.

    Breakthrough Junior Challenge
    Open now

    A free online science competition for students aged 13-18 with a public-speaking dimension.

    Science
    15 Sept 2026
    Free
    13-18
    Online

    Best for

    Confident science communicators

    Save deadline

    Compare the optional academic challenges below and save any that match your child's interests, workload and goals.

    Compare academic opportunities

    Is your child's study plan set up to improve grades?

    • The target is a specific topic, skill or misconception.

    • Resources match the current curriculum or exam specification.

    • The teacher's latest feedback has a planned response.

    • Each study session has one clear task.

    • Phones and unrelated tabs stay outside focused sessions.

    • The weekly plan leaves enough time for sleep.

    • Your child can explain what improved and what remains difficult.

    How should grade support change by age?

    Age / year groupBest focusGood opportunity typesWhat to prepare
    Primary schoolReading, number fluency, positive routinesShared reading, curriculum gamesShort routine, discussion prompts
    Years 7-9Organisation, subject confidence, independenceHomework clubs, structured online lessonsPlanner, teacher priorities, quiet space
    Years 10-11Specification coverage, exam practice, feedbackPast papers, revision clinicsSpecifications, mark schemes, gap list
    Years 12-13Independent planning, depth, precise feedbackSubject projects, essay competitionsStudy plan, course requirements, deadlines

    Common myths about helping children improve grades

    Reality

    Task quality and connection to classroom learning matter more than simply increasing hours. Excessive work can also displace sleep and recovery.

    What to do

    Set a precise learning goal before adding study time.

    Reality

    Parents may be unfamiliar with current methods, especially in secondary subjects. Supporting planning and redirecting questions to teachers can be more useful.

    What to do

    Help your child formulate a clear question for their teacher.

    Reality

    Dividing attention between learning and non-academic media can weaken attention and long-term retention. Switching tasks is not the same as processing both well.

    What to do

    Place distracting devices outside the study space.

    Reality

    A resource only helps when it matches the course and addresses a real gap. Teachers may already recommend suitable free or school-provided materials.

    What to do

    Choose one matched resource and test whether it helps.

    Match academic opportunities to your child

    Use the Match Quiz to narrow optional challenges by subject interest, age, format, workload and intended benefit.

    Step 1 of 4

    What are you looking for right now?

    Ben Stacy

    Selection reviewed by

    Ben Stacy

    Co-founder, Succeed | Former secondary teacher and educational leader

    Co-founder, Succeed | Former secondary teacher and educational leader Ben works at the intersection of education, technology and school adoption, with expertise in how secondary schools evaluate data-driven tools and how education technology is used in practice.

    View author page

    Questions parents ask about improving grades

    Aim to be a learning coach rather than a second teacher. Help with goals, routines, resources and reflection, while allowing your child to complete tasks and make decisions independently.

    Start with materials recommended by the school and resources aligned with the current curriculum or exam specification. Exam-board past papers and mark schemes, plus structured lessons with videos, quizzes and worksheets, can address clearly identified gaps.

    Direct parental involvement in homework is not consistently linked to improved attainment, particularly when current teaching methods are unfamiliar. Help your child interpret instructions, plan their approach and ask the teacher for subject-specific clarification.

    Agree one task for each session, place the phone elsewhere and close unrelated tabs. Make the boundary collaborative and apply sensible device habits across the family rather than treating them only as punishment.

    Turn each useful comment into a specific action, such as correcting a misconception, redrafting a paragraph or trying another question. Feedback should identify what was successful as well as what needs improvement, then be followed by an opportunity to act.

    Sleep supports memory, learning, emotional regulation and daytime functioning. Encourage a consistent routine, a calm bedroom and reduced screen use before bed, while recognising that teenage body clocks often shift later.

    Ask the school about homework clubs, study spaces, printed materials or device support. A workable environment matters, and schools should understand barriers that make homework or revision harder to complete.

    Review one target weekly using completed work, quiz results, feedback and your child's explanation of the topic. Look for better understanding and increasing independence, then adjust the resource or ask the teacher if the same difficulty persists.

    Explore more

    Browse programmesBrowse competitions

    Useful guides

    Sources

    Find opportunities that fit your next step

    Use this guide to build a shortlist, then find matching opportunities in Succeed.

    Find matching opportunities

    Find opportunities that fit your next step

    Use this guide to build a shortlist, then find matching opportunities in Succeed.