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Original poster

For those who have kids doing GCSEs, are you giving them a gift when they finish?

98 replies

JenniferEckles · 10/06/2024 20:54

Festival ticket, bag of sweets, holiday in the sun, family dinner out, new Range Rover, kick up the arse to get a job...

My first of three kids is just about to finish and I wanted to do something for/with him to celebrate but I'm not sure where to pitch it (it won't be a RR, that's for sure 🤣).

What's everyone planning?

OP posts:
Hapagirl48 · 10/06/2024 21:07

Nat 5s here because I’m in Scotland. I took her out for a really nice meal and re-subscribed to Netflix (I had cancelled it in favour of Disney + a while back).

Gazelda · 10/06/2024 21:11

We'll go out for dinner on Friday night.

I've also been giving a small gift every exam day - toe separators, marshmallow, tiny canvas, very fine paintbrush etc.

PandaG · 10/06/2024 21:15

No exams here any more thank goodness, but when there were out for dinner once they had finished to celebrate the hard work and effort (and a pint in the pub after A levels before going shopping for prom shoes the afternoon of his last exam - he went out with his mates in the evening once they'd all finished). No presents as such, but another meal out to celebrate the results on a day of their choosing.

User364837 · 10/06/2024 21:16

Dd is eldest of 3 and what she really likes is 1:1 time with me so we’re going to Paris for two nights just us

S0livagant · 10/06/2024 21:16

The gift is the exams being over. We go out for dinner to celebrate together.

User364837 · 10/06/2024 21:16

a cheesecake at the weekend (her favourite) and thought probably out for dinner when she gets results

JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam · 10/06/2024 21:18

Last exam for DS on Tuesday. We’re going to Alton towers on the Thursday for a 2 day trip. It does coincide with his birthday too though.

The trip was his request, he’s bringing his friend and we’re taking our othe DCs too so it’s not cheap 😂

Gizlotsmum · 10/06/2024 21:20

We’re doing take away for dinner in the last exam day ( her choice) and I have got her tickets for a show that she doesn’t know about yet. It was her birthday a couple of weeks ago so we did a lot then

ShinyBandana · 10/06/2024 21:23

Mines going to London for the week with his best mate so I’ll give him some extra ££ to have a meal. When’s he’s back we’re having a shopping day in town for our hols and 6th Form college to mark the end of school/exams

Wolfpa · 10/06/2024 21:24

my family have gone in together to buy my nephew tickets to the Leeds festival. It only works however as we are sharing the costs he wouldn’t have been getting if it was left to one household budget.

ThinkingAgainAndAgain · 10/06/2024 21:32

We’re going on a mini break, but we probably would have done that anyway. It’s not so much a present, but more taking advantage of the end of term coming early as a result of exams, which means that we’ve got the time to go.

RoundsRobin · 10/06/2024 21:53

I got my DD a goody bag containing chocolate, crisps and her favourite coffee drink as well as a new pair of pyjamas (she was looking forward to a late night and a lie-in) and a candle for her to light in her room when she was relaxing.

thismummydrinksgin · 10/06/2024 21:58

Tickets to a musician he really wants to see' and I've foolishly agreed to a gathering of closest friends at our house next week - will get them some pizzas in. Also said he could have some new running trainers (which he needs anyway).

OneFrenchEgg · 10/06/2024 22:16

No, we do have a (regretting it now but last kid so can't ditch it) operate a payment by results scheme 😂 which caters for low achievers as well as the more academic ones

Original poster
JenniferEckles · 10/06/2024 22:19

OneFrenchEgg · 10/06/2024 22:16

No, we do have a (regretting it now but last kid so can't ditch it) operate a payment by results scheme 😂 which caters for low achievers as well as the more academic ones

I'm interested in how you make that work! I'm likely to have similar - two high achievers and one less likely to do so well.

OP posts:
elliejjtiny · 10/06/2024 22:20

Ds2 does his last exam next Wednesday. His favourite thing is one to one time with either me or DH so we are going to the trampoline park a couple of times, out for lunch etc in the month before the other dc break up from school. Ds1 wants to go to a uni open day in a couple of weeks so ds2 is coming too and doing the tourist things.

OneFrenchEgg · 10/06/2024 22:26

I'm interested in how you make that work! I'm likely to have similar - two high achievers and one less likely to do so well.

Basic payment per exam taken and then a sliding scale from grade 4 upwards. So doing well is rewarded as is taking part. Was probably a terrible idea but has worked quite well so far.

Johaanah · 10/06/2024 22:26

I have dd1 taking A-levels and dd2 GCSE’s at the moment, when dd1 finished GCSE’s we went for a weekend away, a city break.

They both have leavers proms next week and dd1 is going on holiday with her friend the day after, but I’m wondering what I can do with dd2? I might get tickets for a musical as musical theatre is one of her interests. I also got them a JellyCat each.

lots of great ideas on this thread!

PopcornAndGummyBears · 10/06/2024 22:47

We’ll go out for a meal as a family - not actually on the night of the final exam though because DD is going to a concert that night with a friend. (Which she paid for and booked ages ago) We’ll go the night after.

For results we’ll go out for dinner the night before and give her her gift then - she’s getting a new set of EarPods as she’s currently using DH’s old duff ones. We celebrate the commitment to the work, not the results per se, hence doing it the night before - whatever the results are, we want our DC to know we’re proud of them for honouring their commitment to work hard and do their best. On actual results day then she’ll likely go out with friends and we’ll bung her an extra £20 for treats

Mumski45 · 10/06/2024 23:07

A levels and GCSE's finish at the end of next week. We are then taking them both away for a long holiday to help fill in the time before results come out.

TheScenicWay · 10/06/2024 23:09

My ds asked me "what do I get if I do well in my GCSEs?" Then paused and added "apart from a good education?" With an eye roll Grin

We'll go out to dinner on results day and a treat of his choice (within reason)
He's also planned a few activities with friends and we'll pay for that.

Crispynoodle · 10/06/2024 23:12

I bribed my youngest with a tenner for each GCSE over a grade C (10 years ago now) and an extra fifty quid for maths and another fifty for English. She got 11.....and maths and English. Cost me a blooming fortune!

AllOfOurGoodTimes · 10/06/2024 23:16

We paid for our son to have a weekend away and gave him some money to spend over the summer.

Our daughter will probably just want a takeaway and we’ll give her some cash too.

MigGirl · 10/06/2024 23:18

We went out for dinner and I pained for her to do her life guard traning course over the summer so she could get a job.

IdaPrentice · 10/06/2024 23:18

For my eldest I worked out some kind of incentive payment where I paid a certain amount for each exam, with an extra amount if he improved on his mock or predicted grade (though was complicated by teacher assessment due to covid). Now like a PP I have to match it with current DD (likely to do much better).