Children in yr10 onwards - which school hol do you go away in?

Spendless

Was just wondering what others do?

Eldest starts in yr 10 in September. Until now we've frequently had our main 'summer' holiday during May half term. I've never been fond of going away in July/August, even before I had kids, too hot, expensive and crowded. This has worked so far as any tests or assessments have taken place before we've gone away.

Now I've realised that from the next academic year son will be taking exams shortly after half term and will probably need to be using the time to revise. He's taking triple science and his exams start next summer. Christmas isn't an option for going away due to an elderly relative always coming to us, who isn't in good enough health to take away with us. Many moons ago when I sat my exams my mocks were in November, so I guess Oct half term would be out????

Would appreciate responses from parents of older kids as to what they've done, have you just stuck to going away in 6 weeks holidays? And also the views from any Secondary school teachers about study times needed.

shop-to-drop

Ask the school because my son is year 10 this year and I would have liked to go away in May half term but didn't book anything as I assumed he would need to revise for GCSE's. However, he only had one exam this year and it was last term so going away wouldn't have been a problem at all. I am guessing that with the changes to exams the majority of exams are in year 11 as my older son definitely had more exams in year 10.

So my advice check with school as in my experience it's not a problem in year 10.

CH27

We always went in summer.
Easter & Whit holidays tended to have revision sessions running.
Remember not to be away for results day in August.
When they're in year 11, 12 & 13 they finish around the first week in july IIRC as soon as the exams are over so if you've only got the one child it's a bit cheaper to go then before the others break up.

edit reread your post & you said your eldest so ignore my last bit

laurel7172

Son in Year 11.

We're smack in the middle of his GCSEs. Two weeks on, half term week off, two weeks on.

I really wouldn't recommend going away in May next year...

daisiegg

Definitely summer holidays. Even in Year 10 if they don't have proper GCSEs after May half term, they may well have other things going on (my Y10 form were lamenting before we split for half term how much work they had to do - an English controlled assessment to prepare for, science exams, art coursework and textiles coursework were things that came up among others). October half term is also likely to be a busy time for coursework etc. In the summer holidays they may have a bit of reading to do but are unlikely to have anything substantial.

balletshoes

same here as laurel's school (and my nephew's, he's going through his GCSEs now) - school was open for revision classes for years 10 and 11 at both Easter holidays and this May half term, and they have the rest of their exams from tomorrow until mid-June.

Buzzybee90

We went straight after gcses in late June so before summer hols.

daisiegg

But he is her eldest child. She has others who will still be in school in June. Also this would only work in Y11, not next year when he is in Y10.

Buzzybee90

daisiegg wrote: »

But he is her eldest child. She has others who will still be in school in June. Also this would only work in Y11, not next year when he is in Y10.

That's true, sorry was thinking it was year 11. We still went in May/ June though, due to my dads business summer was completely off limits. I know there are fines etc now.

Spendless

daisiegg wrote: »

But he is her eldest child. She has others who will still be in school in June. Also this would only work in Y11, not next year when he is in Y10.

I was thinking about the calendar year of 2015, so mainly he'll be in yr10, but will go into yr 11.

But yes, you're right, I also have another child 3 years younger. If they'd been 2 school years apart i could have gone when they finished exams in yrs 11 and 13, but that doesn't work either -lol.

peachyprice

We still always went in the summer holidays. The holidays we went on weren't really affected by being too busy or expensive.

It meant that they always had a good treat at the end of the months of pressure and most importantly for me it meant we weren't packing a holiday into a one week window that meant rushing to pack the Friday they broke up and rushing back to school/work as soon as we got back.

In yr 10 they started the next years work as soon as the exams were over, so they would have missed the beginning of the y11 curriculum if we'd have taken them out of school in June.

The only year we went earlier was when the boys were at the end of yr 11 when they officially left school on 26th June and our daughter was in y6 and had finished all the work.