Y11 2025-26 - Trying not to melt and pushing through the final weeks

Dd is competing this weekend too, it was supposed to be both days but she’s dropped Sunday. She was training last night (she’s reduced her hours since mid April), she’s always way happier after a training session which is a huge plus 🙂

I’m not 100% convinced that being out this weekend is ideal though (it’ll be a 6am start, home after 7 & she will be exhausted). When the exam timetable was first published she announced that if she wasn’t allowed to compete she wouldn’t any work at all for physics so this is a compromise for both of us 🤷‍♀️

@ItsPickleRick- son is at a state comprehensive. He and his friends have been on study leave for ages. I think some pupils have to go in but it’s the minority as far as I understand.

edit: it is a high performing school if that impacts the study leave decision. Progress 8 Score: +0.6. Attainment 8 Score: 58. Outstanding Ofsted.

DD has been on study leave since shortly after Easter, thank goodness. Independent school.

We’re in a state school and study leave started after half term. To be honest, I think my DC may have been better off with no SL / enforced revision at school as he struggles to structure his time at home.

Those talking about sports, mine doesn’t do anything at a high level but they have been either going to the gym or to sports training pretty much daily all the way through. They’ve needed it and I think it’s helped keep them sane!

My DC is in an indie and has had study leave since early May.

But I invigilate in a state school and the DC there have been on study leave since late May as well.

There was discussion about this earlier in the thread and I think there seemed to be a link between school results and study leave; regardless of the DfE advice. Schools with lower results who are trying to improve them seem to go down the ‘no study leave’ route; the ones that already get good resulrs (like the school I work in) seem to continue with study leave.

Good luck to all the exam takers today!

My DS is doing a national competition on Saturday, he was supposed to do Sunday too but withdrew from the second day in order to revise. I think generally it has been good for him as he has learned to pace himself during mocks and while he is tired far less than I expected and while he’s cut back on training it has been good for him to do something other than revise.

My dd has had none at all! After each exam she is straight to lessons or vice versa doing 3/4 hours revision for the next one! She said her hand and wrist is really hurting now.
If they dont go in then no prom!!

There’s been no study leave here at all.

Those whose DC have had study leave, are they in state schools? Our school sent a letter stating that study leave wasn’t allowed in line with DfE rules, but if that was the case surely it would be the same in all schools?

I feel for the young people who haven’t had study leave. My son was shocked when I told him. Although I’m not sure if he’d have been more productive in school or not.

He has 2 subjects today that clashed (extended maths and music tech) so he has an exam at 11.00 and one at 13.30 which feels weird. I assume he’ll be supervised in the break.

Dd is very able at maths (reckons she got 100% for paper 2) and she reckons higher EdExcel was hard yesterday. She thinks she probably got a higher mark on Monday’s further maths than she did on yesterday’s maths.

Is anyone else’s child trying to combine GCSEs with (very) high level sport? (That is in season.)

It has been tough. (On us! Let alone dd!) The only thing is that I am starting to wonder if maybe it is not as bad a thing as I thought. She doesn’t seem to have the fatigue that everyone else is describing. Maybe because she is getting fresh air and (lots of) exercise every day. Whether she likes it or not.

Having said that she had a National last Sunday so left the house before 8am and got back after 7pm. So that wasn’t the best prep for biology and further maths!

Same

No study leave at all at our school; revision sessions every day! Geography today- the end is in sight! Roll on Monday evening!

We have five exams left. Geography paper 3 tomorrow, Chemistry on Friday, Physics on Monday, Spanish reading on Tuesday and Spanish writing on Wednesday.

I can't believe your poor DS gas had no study leave!

DD's school last day was 2nd May, which seems remarkably early compared to most.

I don't blame you letting him have tomorrow off.

Yep Geography here tomorrow too!

3 to go for DTs like some others. Geog tomorrow, chemistry Friday, then physics Monday to finish. Leavers assembly after physics exam.

DTs likely to get 7s, off chance of an 8 in maths for 1 twin actually thought edexcel higher maths was ok today unlike most on this thread. I wonder if they think it was ok as I they don’t expect to get all the questions and pints right whereas it sounds for those who are real fab mathematicians it was really hard as you need to answer them all. Hoping that grade boundaries are lower than 2025 which seemed very high compared to 2024: edexcel mat. Alternatively they may just be losing all sense of reality of the exam difficulty now.

We are in the final stretch

Yes we have geography paper 3 here tomorrow

I've agreed to let my son have the day off school tomorrow.

They have had no revision leave at all and he is absolutely on his last legs. He's done really well for the last month so I'm going to let him have a breather.

He's going to revise at home instead for chemistry, food tech and physics.

Chem physics Spanish left here !!

GCSEs are over for us after today. We are exhausted. I just wanted to thank you all on this thread for the emotional support during this time. I hope all the kids get what they were aiming for.

She said that there was a 5 marker on how to saw something!

Hi can I ask did anyone’s DC do aqa textiles today? My DD is so upset about it, she said that there was lots of maths in it (5 questions rather than the usual 2 or 3) and that it was unfairly weighted to RM. She got an 8 in her coursework and in her last mocks got a 7 so she’s really upset.

Kids wearing spy glasses?

I hadn't really clocked that the last exam for many (unless taking Spanish sorry all Spanishers) is on a Monday. A bit crap. Or maybe not? weekend for a last blitz??

DS2 finished on a Friday with physics (it's always physics) and DD on a Wednesday (with physics). Tho for DS2's year the MFL was German with writing on the Monday so yes, maybe that was worse. For the Germanists. Who were pretty much utterly disengaged by then.

DD is looking exhausted tonight,
bless her. She was hoping to cram Geog tonight but it’s just not going in. Then chemistry on Friday which should be OK. And the final push over the weekend and into Monday. Followed by sleep!