Teachers:how disastrous would it be to go on holiday for the whole of the xmas holiday in year 12

I would take them. What a great opportunity.

tspirit - they are talking about going away for the whole of the Christmas holiday - no actual days off school. I also find it a bit silly that you wouldn't advocate time off school, but missing time from Uni would be fine!

tspirit the OP isn't talking about missing any school just going on holiday in the school holidays.

I am a 6th form teacher and I must support the science teacher who wrote earlier...so much disruption is caused when a student is absent, they miss vital revision, notes and practice. Missing actual exams seriously disadvantages them and causes them untold stress.
Although it sounds like you have made your mind up already I would advise you to wait. In 2 years time he will be at Uni and you can go whenever you wish.
I find it interesting that you are fitting in around the commitments of your family over there rather than the commitments of your son.

I would go - surely he would be able to put aside a couple of hours each day on holiday for revision, exams wouldn't start until the 2nd week of Janaury and due to the subjects he probably wouldn't have them anyway. Also as it's Year 12 and AS Level subjects he could always resit a module later on anyway.

I think very few Year 12's do more than 1-2 hours of PROPER revision a day over Christmas anyway.

A trip to Africa would be such a good experience as well to write about on UCAS etc.

The best advice here will come from the school - they will know who well your child is doing and whether he can afford to lose that preparation/revision time (because, with the best interntions in the world realistically how much work will actually get done on the trip?!) It is hard for others to advise without knowing ability, progress, when the exams are, ability to perform under pressure etc. I know we run 'in-school sessions' during the hols which many students find vital,we also seem to have students needing this time to finish coursework and most teachers do plan/set work and revision over these hols. I would speak to all the teachers involved and follow their guidance.

Just a warning re. taking school work away. Try and put all notes in hand luggage, only put replaceable text books in hold. A friend's children lost their luggage for a condiderable time and this caused alot of stress.

i think that i would take the holiday- he is old enough to understand that in return for this he will have to keep on top of everything and plan into the holiday when it will be possible for him to study. We have done lots of family hols in the past where various neices and nephews have arrived with school bags full of books and revision timetables. there are so many kids over such a wide age span that we would never have got together as a family otherwise.

usually said student bags the best table- sticks on their ipod and gets on with it for a few hours each day. It actually works really well- they get mucho praise from everyone for doing it- it sets a good example to the younger ones and no excuses for being stuck! there is always someone who can help.

if you are staying with family, you can let them know in advance and use the safari at the end of the holiday as an incentive to get it all done!

I teach under-graduates rather than school children and i think it actually could be a good idea as it might force him to do more of the work during the term (when it is fresh in his mind) and to try to understand everything as he goes along. Then he could just take a few practice papers and do one every couple of days or so. Fresh and rested brains think better

I don't see why he couldn't take some work with him and set up a study schedule while you are there, which gets some work done but also allows a holiday. It might actually be easier to get on with work in a fresh setting.

Will you have internet access when you are there. Lots of students like to discuss what they are revising and if he can email friends to discuss ideas this may help.

To be honest if it was me I'd just go for it! Even if your DS has exams he can do some revision while you're away and the exams this year started on Jan 11th which would give some time when he got back as well. DD2's friend ended up with flu for over a week in the xmas holidays so even staying at home doesn't make for perfect revision. We had a houseful of visitors for most of the time and I'm sure DD2 said she was revising just so she could escape from everyone.

I advise my students to split their holiday revision days into three sections (basically morning, afternoon and evening) and to do revision during two of these sessions (realistically 2 x 2 hours). I am under no illusions that many days go by with no revision at all, obviously Christmas Day, Boxing Day etc.

It's a lot easier for them to revise for May/June modules, because there are no obvious days off or parties.

I remember when I revised for my exams almost 30 years ago, I split my days into the school timetable, and would revise the subjects I would be studying at that time. I was not the teenager who lay in bed until noon, unlike my own boys. I don't think this strategy would work with safaris and family events.

I think I'd go but make sure at least two hours per day were set aside for revision, plus maybe an hour or so in the evening.

Realistically, how many hours a day do A level students normally do in the holidays bearing in mind the fact that most don't emerge till lunchtime and spend at least an hour a day on FB and more generally pissing about.

I think with dd she also needed to show she had started work on her extended project. I think she spent a month just getting the title right!

For his Philosophy AS Level, he will not be doing an exam in Jan - quite simply they do not offer it. As for RE, well that depends on the board. They can't really do it will RS EDEXCEL (except perhaps the investigations / coursework module), but many schools do with OCR.

Incidentally, I'm a specialist 'A' level teacher, and I expect my students to have a break over the Christmas hols. They work bloody hard for me all year round (weekly multiple choice tests, end of module tests, timed essays in class for every module, and regular concept / key word tests), that I find they need the holidays to relax, otherwise I find they come back stressed and don't work to their full capacity.

But the only way you're going to know is if you ask your child's teachers. Each teacher has a different way of doing things.

But to add, even if they don't do January modules, teachers will expect the students to do a significant amount of work during the holidays, especially background reading.

Not all schools will do science modules in January. My school doesn't, nor does DS's.

As has been said for other subjects, it is hard to cover the material in time, and get exam practice in.

Not all schools do January modules in all subjects. It would be a good idea to collect this info so that you can make an informed decision. If he does have modules, they start pretty much the first full week of term.

I don't think that it is fatal to go on holiday, but your DS will need to take work with him and set up a study schedule and stick to it.

Yes, am of Riven's crystal ball - my Yr 11s sat a module in Jan and we don't get their results until March!

Have a peek, Riven, and let me know how they did

riven, not being funny but how do you know your ds did fine - results aren't out yet.

Agree with webwiz re checking whether his chosen subjects do so exams in Jan - we do in geography but it's a 'skills' paper based on fieldwork so minimal revision needed. I know that history at our place don't sit a module but Sciences definately do as does English Lang and Maths.

am v envious on 2 counts 1. Africa! and 2. your db's job as a geologist!