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

Bennifred

One thing to look out for after the exams finish for Year 11, is if they are going onto sixth form they are sometimes expected to attend school for the last couple of weeks of the school year in preparation for that.

Wyre

I am very glad we didn't go away this half term as we received a letter in the post from the school on the Friday (final day before half term) saying my year 10 was expected in school 2 days for maths revision classes (she is taking her maths a year early). Had we been going away she would have missed this.

I do wonder, however, just how they expect families to take holidays when obviously term time is out and so apparently are half terms and other holidays (had similar at Easter).

Lily-Rose_3

Always a tricky one with GCSE and A level students. Best not to plan much at all when they're in the last 2 years of school or doing A levels. When my daughter was between 14 and 18, and DH and me and she wanted to go away, we would go for 5 days or so at the end of September. 3 days in school time and a weekend.

If you do want to go in a holiday, and you don't want to go in summer, you're not leaving yourself many options are you? There's only Easter really. Half term late May is going to have exams. Late October half term is going to be cold and most places shut. Christmas out of the question as everywhere is shut and the weather cold.

Just leaves you with Easter. And you say you hate crowds, but 'any' school holiday will be teaming with kids.

This is why we always took our daughter out in school time. Then again, they weren't so strict then.

shop-to-drop

Like I already said

Speak to school only they will know.

I just assumed it was a no no but it would have been fine, I wish I'd checked with school first.

arbrighton

Spendless wrote: »

Was just wondering what others do?


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.

Nope- all exams for triple science are taken in Y11 now (i.e. terminal rather than modular thanks to Gove). Most of the Y11 triple science group I work with as a TA had no exams until their language oral this year and then nothing until on or after 12 may. Majority are finished by 13th June but will be expected to come into school for one or two days to do 6th form induction and leaver's assembly. A number of the year group sat foundation GCSE maths last year. THose who got c go onto higher, those who don't resit.

Easter break is probably a good time as even with a week away, there is still time to study.

As for when mocks are, it varies by school- with us this year, it was straight after Christmas

daisiegg

Wyre wrote: »

I am very glad we didn't go away this half term as we received a letter in the post from the school on the Friday (final day before half term) saying my year 10 was expected in school 2 days for maths revision classes (she is taking her maths a year early). Had we been going away she would have missed this.

I do wonder, however, just how they expect families to take holidays when obviously term time is out and so apparently are half terms and other holidays (had similar at Easter).

There are 6 weeks in the summer...

Wyre

Daisiegg - You assume that we can take holidays during the summer holidays. It's not as if it is just this year - she will be year 11 next year so no holidays then, the following year her sister is year 10 so no holidays then and none the year after for year 11.

Regardless, I suppose what I am really objecting to is the complete lack of notice that these revision sessions during holidays would be running. We weren't even informed that my lass would be taking the exams early. I am impressed the staff are giving up their holidays to run them but surely they knew more than one day before the holidays started that it would be happening?

daisiegg

Wyre wrote: »

Daisiegg - You assume that we can take holidays during the summer holidays. It's not as if it is just this year - she will be year 11 next year so no holidays then, the following year her sister is year 10 so no holidays then and none the year after for year 11.

Regardless, I suppose what I am really objecting to is the complete lack of notice that these revision sessions during holidays would be running. We weren't even informed that my lass would be taking the exams early. I am impressed the staff are giving up their holidays to run them but surely they knew more than one day before the holidays started that it would be happening?

I may be wrong but I suspect your daughter knew further in advance than that and did not take it in or did not mention it. If not, then yes, someone has been very incompetent at their job!

Anyway, there are ways and means around going on holiday if you really want to. I remember going away one Christmas when my sister was revising for exams in January. Can't remember what they were - may even have been uni first year exams, but the same principle applies - she insisted that my parents pay for an extra hold bag for her textbooks and she sat on a Caribbean beach studying! Yes your child may feel uncomfortable missing a revision session that she thinks 'all' her friends are going to but even as a teacher I say don't sacrifice a family holiday so she can attend. There will be nothing new and groundbreaking in those sessions - they will just be going over things, and usually if she asks either before or after the holidays the teachers will make the materials they have used available to her. We run Easter GCSE revision sessions in a core subject and I think out of the whole of the year group attendance is maybe 50%, and that is all we'd expect. Trust me, the 50% who do not attend don't fail their exams or even do worse than anyone else! Don't not have a family holiday for 2/3 years just in case there are some revision sessions in the holiday! As long as you can trust your child to get some work done on the holiday - maybe before or after it if you are not away for the entire school holiday or if you are, maybe an hour or two a day in the morning while the family lounges by the pool, or late afternoon while people rest before dinner ( whatever format your holidays take!) - then family time and a holiday is really valuable relaxation and unwinding for everyone. Often having to focus and work in a smaller available time slot is a good way to really get things done, anyway,and your child may find they get as much done in an hour or two of disciplined work a day on holiday than they would sitting in front of their desk for the whole day at home, flitting between Facebook and revision, staring out the window etc!

daisiegg

Also I often get students coming up to me a week or two before a half term/holiday asking what the homework is going to be over the break as they are going away with their families and want to get it done earlier. I always try to help them if at all possible!

FBaby

Hi Spendless, your post has left me a bit anxious...as I've already booked to take the kids away next May holiday and will even take them out of school the day before and after I assumed that DD would do all her GCSEs the following year. The school made a point during a presentation that the new education system didn't encourage taking early GCSEs.

I assumed that even if they did, it wouldn't be the day before/after holiday anyway. I didn't think about revising, but I suppose that could be done whilst on hols. I remember spending the whole week away on a skiing family holiday revising in the pub every day for my A levels!

This holiday was an incredible opportunity that the kids really wanted to do (and cancelled this year's holiday as a result) and so booked very quickly.