Taking responsibility

Much as I love my job there is one thing about 6th form students that drives me to distraction… their lack of responsibility. Last year for example I took a class and prepared them for a case study based exam. There was one boy who had grown a bit arrogant after a successful result from his January examinations. All advice and preparation I tried to give was rejected as he’d decided I didn’t know what I was on about as I was a new teacher. He refused to complete mock examinations, practice questions or even attend lessons on time during the preparation time. When the results came out in August however, suddenly it was my fault that he had not achieved the B he wanted.
Now I am having difficulty with some students completing coursework. They do not focus in lessons although they’re not disruptive and they appear to be working. Clearly they are not bothered. They meet deadlines but hand in sub-standard work despite a lot of support. Instead they claim that it’s not their fault that their coursework is poor – rather that they’re stressed, or tired, or didn’t understand. However these are just excuses. I sound like I am trying to pass the buck but I am happy to admit that last year I did not do nearly as good job as I have this year. These kids have had much more support, guidance and help than ever before. Perhaps that is where I’m going wrong. Perhaps students would take more responsibility if they didn’t get so much help.
How are these students going to fare in the future? Will they blame their employer when they are unable to meet a deadline??