Holiday in year 11

I think where you go depends on how your child revises, so it may not be a great idea going somewhere with poor internet connection.

DD mainly revised from notes and revision books, but often looked stuff up on BBC Bitesize (which was a massive help for English lit)

Exam timings are currently unknown

Oh and the exam dates have been published and are known-mine are on the 11th and 16th May. I think English Language starts on the 9th May.

Well funnily enough I was just musing on this one too while I was out in the rain with the dogs - whether to take Y11 DD off somewhere in the UK over the May half term and I'm in two minds, even though she's DC8 and so have experience of seven other DC/ GCSEs. I'm inclined to go ahead, although to be fair it could be quieter away than at home (our house is in the middle of a ring of houses by a pub in a busy holiday village with holiday lets all around). I don't think it's an absolute no no at all OP - depends on all the variables.

Oh phew, OP! Was worried there as he will have exams that start in May (my subject's in is near the start of May)
It will be more expensive in the summer, yes, but you won't get those GCSE months back. You're making the right choice

Actually all of the boards have their gcse timetables online other than CIE which will be released in October so if you know which boards your child is taking you can work out their timetable.

Could you go somewhere over xmas or in the february half term week instead?

Obviously you dont get the same weather, but ive been to tenerife in the winter and had great weather, and also had good weather in malta, although thats probably not as reliable

Dd is in Year 11. We will be going away for a few days to the theatre in London) in February half term (along with several of her schoolfriends & teachers - same show 😁) also probably at Easter, this country though, not abroad although Dd may do an Easter dance residential instead.

I wouldn't go away abroad May half term but a long weekend in the U.K. would be fine I reckon.

PS this is not AIBU so there's no need for sanctimonious comments. There's no need for them anyway, but especially not here.

We like to go away in May too. We can still go in year 10 because year 10 exams are immediately after Easter but year 11 is definitely out.

check any end of term/year activities eg prom

I asked ds if he'd prefer a family holiday or a prom and he said a holiday without hesitation. I don't know about sixth form induction dates though. But a local friend with older dc went away in early July so it can't be impossible to work around unless something changes.

As for Easter, there are 2 weeks, I'm sure a short break at some point would be possible and even advisable in some cases. For example, if they are doing a language, you could spend a long weekend in the country they are doing the language of? But it depends if the school is doing revision sessions.

Not Easter. Revision should be in full swing by then.

We usually like to go away in May, but have had to put it on hold for GCSEs and AS exams, and next year it will be A levels. Why would you jeopardise your children's chances of success?

Just been through GCSEs and I'd say it's a bad idea. We had the chance to go away during the exams, originally DD was all for it but as we got nearer and needed to firm it up, the thought totally stressed her out.

Exams here involved getting up early to try and cram a few more facts in, do the exam and then start all over again. Even having half term didn't seem to reduce this constant rollercoaster.

I know the weather won't be so great, but possibly consider Easter or immediately after the last exam around 26 June.

Exam timings are currently unknown but a start date of 14may is a good working date until you get things confirmed.

• a holiday in April or may would be an awful thing to do to your dc

Apart from it being rather pointless for your son to be on holiday, it won't be much of a holiday for you if you have to make sure he is doing plenty of revision.

Good point about being delayed on the way home. Several years ago we went away May half-term, returning on the Sunday. Mid air we were told that for operational reasons, our flight was now not going to Gatwick but to Manchester! We were bussed from Manchester back to Gatwick and instead of arriving home about 7 p.m., it was after midnight. A GCSE student on our coach was not going to get home until about 3 a.m. and had an exam the next morning!

Exams start mid may but there are often practical exams and language orals before that. There'll be revision sessions at Easter and half term. Is your holiday more important ?

Definitely do not do, especially if looking to go abroad. It is very possible that he might have an exam on his first day back. What would happen if you are delayed and can't get back the day before?

That fear would be enough to ruin the holiday for most GCSE students.

Dreadful time. Please don't do this to your child.

Possibly dim question here.

No possibly about it...

Right in the middle of gcses! How focussed on revision would dc be?

Alternatively, you could take work away with you and have an enforced quiet/revision time each day. That's what my parents did with me when I was pre-GSCE. Every morning I would sit down for 2 hours and do a past papers under timed conditions and once that was done we went out and did something nice. But it depends what kind of holiday you had in mind. A villa would work for that, a hotel room or activity holiday wouldn't.

We're going away over Christmas and have no holidays booked after that. However DS is trying to convince me that he and DH could go on holiday at Easter whilst i supervise DD's revision at home