May half term - holiday for child doing GCSEs

My daughter had all her exams after half term!

Not the case. All Eng Lang exams are always after May HT and usually 2 Maths, 2 science and most MFLs. I've been running about 6 sessions every May HT for years (apart from in COVID). Always well attended.

I agree they shouldn't be necessary, but course content is way bigger than it used to be and pressure on results is huge. If your neighbouring school is doing it, you end up doing it. Plus, the days I get back in leiu provide my only flexible time off, so I suck it up.

And the students are massively appreciative.

We went away over hols, just took books and ds spent some time each day doing work - hour in the morning and hour in the afternoon. He got mostly 9's but is clever and had me to organise him.

Don't do it op.

It only takes one freak storm, one plane veering off a runway, one air traffic controller's strike, one volcanic eruption (never mind a million far more trivial reasons) for flights to be cancelled/delayed/re-routed and he misses 3 or 4 exams.

In the last 12 months I/a colleague/family have had a 4 hour delay, an overnight delay, a re-route to an airport 120 miles away, 3 days delay return from Mexico, local airport closed this weekend due to emergency landing.

Plus schools put on revision sessions in may half term. You've got 12 other weeks of school holidays, or go early July.

Your kid needs all the help he can get, by your own account, don't give him any excuse to blame your need for a holiday and inability to support his revision on his crap results.

Yes. I did a GCSE maths resit at my 6th form alongside my A Levels for the first year. I was surprised this was no longer allowed. You can do a functional skills qualification alongside a L3 apprenticeship. It does irritate me that I suspect everything has been made much harder and more prescriptive just to pander to Daily Mail/ Telegraph readers who pontificate about the ' dumbing down' of education, despite not being in school or having children in school for 20-40 years.

It sounds to me like you need to support your child and help them study.

Like you we always went away this half term but didn't when my eldest did her GCSEs and won't when her sibling is in Y11.

They need the time to revise, have study club and school and just be able to crack on. Hopefully your school will show you how best to support your child so you can help them achieve their potential

We went for a week in Majorca during May half term when Dd1 did her GCSEs. She sat and revised in the sunshine by the pool in between us heading out to explore, eat out. It was a lovely relaxing break away for her.

He may actually study nearer the time. Please don't drag him away, just wait a few weeks. My DD's school ran revision classes in half term

Agree with the posters who point out that there may be extensive revision and booster sessions over May (and Easter). Most decent schools offer this.

Your son clearly can commit to structured sessions provided by school since he attends homework club 4x a week, so you'd be a bit mad to let him miss it. Might be his saving grace.

No. It's right in the middle of exams. It's very different when it's the real exams, not mocks.

Joining the chorus of "I wouldn't". If he's ever going to work, that week is the likeliest time. We are in the 6th (and last) consecutive year of formal exams (or covid assessments) and have been away in Feb a couple of times as a last hurrah. After DS's GCSEs we went away straight after exams, just the two of us as we had a younger one still in school. A very nice long weekend in Anglesey iirc. Haven't done that yet with DD but planning on Salzburg for all things Sound of Music straight after her A levels next summer.

Unfortunately this is a sacrifice you will need to make for your son's sake. If you go you are saying that your holiday is more important than his GCSE's and therefore why should he bother.

If you don't go then that sends him the message that this is a really important time for him to focus on last minute revision and he may take heed.

I have a year 11 and a year 13 and between them we have 5 sets of exams between now and the end of June all at different times so no holidays for us until July now so I feel your pain.

My eldest just did GCSEs...I think it's a really bad idea to be away that May half term week. Even if your DS dislikes studying, he's going to struggle even more if he's away from his usual routine/environment - it's so hard to get anything done in a holiday setting, let alone knuckle to revision! To be blunt, you'd be lessening his chances even further.

There's also the risk that you get stranded somewhere as others have said - massively stressful for all concerned.

I love holidays too - but this is ONE year that affects the course of your son's life, to an extent - how well he does at GCSE determines which A-levels, which in turn determines what uni/degree, which determines one's career etc etc!

Hi

Exams finish mid June which is just over a month away from half term.

Personally I would wait but you know your child ...

My dd is very lazy but to be honest she did the most amount of work during that week- since she didn't think she did that great in paper 1s for her exams ( prior to May half term) and completely changed her out look for the next set of exams and did really well.

Unfortunately they don't know any better - so I think the decision is whether you would regret this and mentally could he wait till June knowing that you had booked something.

Wishing your dc the best of luck!

One thing I don't think you have addressed, but I will reiterate is the issue of being stuck somewhere so he can't actually sit one or more of his exams. This would be incredibly stressful for everyone, and is another reason to avoid going away in the half term!

I think it's important you try and come up with a goal for him. If he is creative, what about doing an art based BTEC at college? If he has a goal in mind, and knows he needs e.g. 4 grade 5s, or grade 5 English and maths to get there, that might help motivate him.

It is also amazing how much some students grow up in Y11.

Echoing the chorus of those who say, don’t go away May half term. I’m sorry you are getting a hard time but now (rather than next May) is a good time to know that this is a bad idea!

I recall a story, last year I think, about airport chaos and a family outraged at the hoops they were going to have to jump through to get their son home for his maths GCSE – they had planned a flight home the night before the exam (flight was then cancelled) which I found breathtakingly foolish. Not saying you were planning that @Madamlulu !

All my DC found that there were subjects or at least exams after half term that they basically shelved at the end of April – “I’ll work on the last bits for those in half term” – for example for DS2 this was history IIRC. The immense number of exams every week (he had 10 in the first week) meant that this took the pressure off a bit. And it meant he was very busy with that work in May half term.

If you’re away (you don’t say what kind of holiday tbf) it’s much harder to get any work done, even if you can take any revision guides and notes with you (which may not even be possible if flying and limited on space).

Suggest a few days at Easter instead maybe – but as others say, check any Easter revision sessions in school.

And if he is not keen to revise – I hear you on that. There are lots of great threads on this board offering advice on different ways to revise. Just sitting looking at books doesn’t help everyone. With my DS1 I used to take him for a walk and we would go through a past paper I had printed out as we went. It was really helpful for him just to talk through some possible answers – or even for him to explain to me. I know you say he won’t let you help but please continue to offer, supportively. You say he doesn’t or won’t study – but he has not yet been (or seen anyone) in mid-GCSE yet – you may find that changes dramatically next spring.

I agree with those suggesting looking at post-16 steps actually – this may really motivate him and you need to be loking now (if you haven't already - it;'s not clear). What are his currect PGs? What might they lead to? – A levels? BTEC? College course with a practical aspect? He may find somethign that inspries him.

I wouldn't go. It's right in the middle of the GCSE exams. Even if he doesn't normally do much at home, he may want to try to revise, especially if the first few exams he's done before the half term didn't go well - it may be the kick up the bum that he needs! You may also find that the school will be emphasising revision and doing revision classes etc before/after the Easter break which may get him motivated!

Yes, I know you'll be annoyed if he just sits around all half term playing on his Xbox, when you "could have been" all on holiday, but it's grossly unfair to take away any opportunity for him to do some revision.

And as others have said, much higher risk of being delayed by the busy airports etc during half term, and increased risk of missing any exams in the first day or two of when you were due back!

The school might hold half term revision / study sessions. Lots do. It sounds as if he responds to school led study.

At exam stage ours often git together in groups at the library to revise. Would he do that?

There will be study sessions during the Easter holidays and the students may be expected to be in school until their last exam is over. There will probably be something during half term too.

You never know, as the time gets nearer and he sees what others are doing in terms of study, he may get motivated to do something himself. There will certainly be encouragement from the school to make the effort.

I agree about mocks. For many, it’s what they need to realise this is serious and they need to get themselves in gear.

By next May half term he will have done at least one set of y11 mocks, finished the curricula for all his subjects, will likely have had lots of after school, Saturday and holiday study sessions, will have been involved in dozens of conversations about predictions, college and 6th form applications, apprenticeship applications etc., will have done many past papers in his ordinary lessons and will be 6 months older. Additionally he will have had 2 weeks of real GCSE exams and will know the feeling of trying to answer a question you haven’t revised for, and acing a question that you had revised for. I wouldn’t put money on him still being massively immature and not connecting work and results. Even if he is I still think it’s the parents job to be supportive rather than decide that he was immature in y10 so didn’t deserve the best shot in y11.

I agree you're getting a hard time here but I'd also say no.

Dd1 is y11 and has worked so hard already this year. She's said no to a couple of days away in the UK in February half term and there's no way she would want to go anywhere in May. You might 'normally' go away in May but this isn't going to be a normal year.

I think you've had a hard time here, but it's also an 'I wouldn't' from me. We went away in the Easter holidays before DD's GCSEs and even that seems to be fairly unusual among her peers. I wouldn't plan to go away for much of Easter with my younger kids during the holidays based on what I know of what their approach to the exams is likely to be. I think a short break at Easter would be a good thing for pretty much anyone though.
With a kid who needs help with motivation and organisation (I think I have one who will be like this during GCSEs), I would definitely want them to be around to be able to access any extra sessions that school may offer. (Was happy to miss them with DD as she was doing the work anyway.) I've also known kids who were still pretty laid back at this point in Y11 have a real turnaround in the Spring, and if your son does turn out to be one of those kids, I think you'd want to support that.
As others have said, if he's your only school-age child, the bit in early July where they've finished but it's not the summer holidays proper would be a great time to go away.