Anyone else’s kids get burnt out at this point in the school year?

[MaGueule]

I always have the dream that the last half term of the school year will be a time of long, sunny days, joyous sports events and fetes, weekend evenings in the gardens with friends. In reality, I’ve got two kids (now 12 and 15) who are pretty burnt out. They are tired, grumpy, need a break from their friends and are so ready for a break from school routines. DS12 has finished the school play and exams last week, is now counting down the days until he finishes, and has lost enthusiasm for any extracurricular interests. DD15 apparently plans to ‘commando crawl like a wounded soldier’ through her maths and chemistry tests today. It’s like this at the end of every school year. I feel we are just dragging our sorry arses to the end of term! The only thing getting me through is that we’ll be loading up the car with the tent and driving to the coast as soon as the last prizegiving clap ends.

Anyone else got burnt out kids and feel pretty ragged themselves? Any tips for making it through?

Yes! Mine are 14 and 13 and I was thinking the other day that they’re as worn out as I’d expect at the end of term, not with more than a month to go!

Not burnt out kids, but a burnt out teacher 🤣. I think it's acknowledgement that it's ok to feel like this.

Plan in a few treats for them to look forward to.

Early bedtimes (now is the time to encourage reading, because speaking as someone scrolling on Mumsnet, this is the time that doomscrolling/over messaging friends is most tempting!)

Lots of fresh air (it's particularly tricky if you're where the weather has been rubbish, but forecast is looking better)

Oh also, my other tip is Berocca. Honestly, it's great!!

Thank you! I’m glad it’s not just us. I think bedtimes have been creeping later, and no one’s sleeping great. My work is super busy which doesn’t help. I’m going to encourage some earlier night, decent meals and down time.

Yep-absolutely shattered here. Still a very long and busy 5 weeks to go though!

Yes I make sure they have rest days off when needed as better to have 1 or 2 days to prevent physical or mental burnout than to push through and end up off for weeks (my dc have physical conditions and ASD/ADHD) but my dc who is currently undiagnosed still gets similar so we use the same approach. Attendance may not be at the expected level but attainment is fine and it paces them so that they can cope

Same here!
16 just finished exams and 13 yr old who is bored and wants to sleep.
I'm seriously thinking of letting him stay off after his A,Towers trip in a few weeks, shortening the remaining weeks to four and letting him chill/recover before out actual holiday at the beginning of the summer hols.
Least important year, glowing report and 100% attendance so far Won't do him any harm at all.

Yup, exhausted kids, but we’re in Scotland so we finish for the summer on the 27th. Just hope someone tells the weather!

IME experience as a teacher, all of them.

Yes mine too, aged 13 and 14. One is currently doing her year 10 mocks and has a ridiculously intense school thing on that could have been easily pushed a week later.

I also work in a school as a primary TA so have it on both sides. The last few weeks are nuts, fractious friendships, finishing work, preparing for September, move up days, class trips etc.

I always think it's a long, sunny slide down to the summer holidays, but every time it's actually more intense than the pre Christmas period!

I'm so done with this term. A Levels end this week for us and GCSE mocks end next week. Nobody is sleeping, everyone is stressed, I'm basically just a barista. It's like a volcano about to erupt everyday.

I work in early years so even though it’s all year round, we spend the summer “holidays” just playing in the garden and having some chill time. They are so miserable at the moment and so ready for that now.

Long gone are the days where Term 6 was 'the fun term' I'm afraid. It's the worst term now! For children and teachers. I teach primary (Year 3 this year, but I've taught all year groups in my 30 years teaching!).

Last week for us it was Assessment Week. Every day we had tests...there were 3 x maths tests, 2 x reading papers, a Grammar test and a spelling test, then two different independent writing papers (one narrative, one non-fiction). The children were tired of course, and some didn't perform as well as they could have because of this. For teachers, it meant OVER 200 papers to mark, grade and gap analysis (a drain of a task that takes hours) before then adding all the gathered data to the tracker. It's hours and hours of work!

Add to this the fact that it's also report writing time AND parents evening week (x 2 late nights) you can imagine how many hours we are working this term...it's usually around 70 a week on a 'normal week' but it's nearer 90 at the moment. I kid you not.

I'm quite literally exhausted...and so are the children. The pressures in schools on EVERYONE are immense.

There was a post on here this week about schools and many teachers commented. One said something like, if parents really knew what it was like in schools for their children, they'd remove them if they could.

Sadly, I agree...I used to LOVE my job (and still love my children!) but education is broken. I feel so sad for what's happening 😢

Based in the classes I teach in school - primary - then yes, most are tired and ready for the next move. Behaviour definitely appears to go down hill in this half term ime.

Sending best wishes to the teachers who have posted. I can’t imagine how it must feel to have tired children at home, and the class of tired children all day too. You must all be exhausted!

I just opened an email from our local political party, who I support. For the first time they have a chance of winning a local seat in the election and are desperate for people campaign for them. I can’t even muster up the energy to offer that at the moment. The best are likely to get from us at this point in the school year as a poster in the window. I just hope there are lots of younger and older people who are able to help out.

Teacher here who was grateful to be waking up spewing vomit this morning because it meant a break from work.

The kids are done.
They are bloody exhausted. So are we, and so tensions are higher and behaviour is far worse. As always, we have the "if you think this is bad, just wait until we're a few weeks further into this half-term" conversations.

And yet. All year groups bar Y11 and 13 are now sitting mock exams, generating a ton of marking all due within the next 2 weeks. That they will be mentally done after their exams (with potentially still 4 more weeks to go) is beyond the capability of understanding for those on a higher pay grade, who think it's a good time to also conduct deep dives into subjects at this time of year.

Everyone is banging on about the importance of teaching right up to the end (and I'd agree if I had anything left to teach - "revision" isn't it). But we're all tired and fed up.

ThrallsWife oh my goodness things must be bad! I really hope you feel better soon.

It seems like a terrible time of year to do exams. Even when I was at school, I remember people struggling with hayfever and the heat in the examination hall. DD did her GCSEs the second week of this term and that seems much better both for teachers and students.

We are lucky that both our kids’ schools have an activity week next week, which means that they will at least be off timetable (and my daughter’s case, in Paris with me for two days), away from desks and enjoying some social activities with their friends.

Hopefully, after that homework and too much hard work in lessons will be done and it would just be a case of getting them in and out on time until the end of term.

This is what I don't understand; kids and teachers alike are utterly burned out at this time of year. (As evidenced here and from my rl experience of speaking with teachers recently) My own DD is Autistic and she's barely coping right now.

The curriculum is more demanding these days, as is life in general. It's something that is spoken about a lot. Particularly when discussing why a lot of kids struggle these days.

Yet more and more stuff is piled in top of both teachers and kids at this time of year. I ran into our Headteacher recently and she admitted that they 'lurch from one thing to the next' So why are they adding yet more things? Finding extra to pile on top of teachers and kids that are already overworked?

So far this last month we have had a jam packed 'wellbeing' week. Totally different change of timetable and just way too many activities. We have the school fair, sports day, non uniform day, the end of year assembly, the end of year show, the end of year day trips. At our school we have also had two back to back week long residential trips, which to me is just utter madness. Obviously this means some of the teachers are off supervising those trips, so supply teachers are brought in. The kids who aren't away have got an entirely different timetable and it's just stress city. Nobody seems to know where the fuck they are.

The final two months of summer is pure carnage. As is the month of December. It's too much. For everyone! I really feel its time to pause and re-evaluate. Life should not be this frenetic.

Prizegiving is on the last day of term in both our kids’ schools. DH and I are dividing and ruling this year by each attending one. I know that some people find it a lovely event but it is the longest hour of my entire year (and I’m including the colonoscopy I had in January in that.)

My youngest is definitely tired and ready for a break. She’s also in year 10 and has mock exams at the moment. Then work experience before the end of term. She’s counting the days til summer holidays.

My 9yo has had 2 meltdowns at home this week over trivial things and yawned their way through out parents evening appointment yesterday. DCs last few weeks are crammed with trips, performances, taster sessions in their next class/school, and some extra days off.

I'm a teacher in secondary and I am also exhausted (and still finishing marking/reports). Thankfully I teach my last proper lesson today, then 2 weeks of activities/planning for next year (not in UK)

Mine always were by this point, as I was.

It's why I roll my eyes when people start shouting about making the summer holiday shorter. They need this long rest.

Yes, absolutely!
Am a teacher, too, and have just been off sick for two days. DS10, too! Haven’t had a day of sick all year.
DS6 is usually brilliant at school but with suspected ADHD and has been really struggling this last week. Concentration, etc and now the behaviour is getting a bit ropey. His teacher and I were discussing strategies and she then just said ‘we all need it to be the summer holidays, frankly - that’s the best strategy’.
Amen to that!
Friends in America are already off and the Irish lot break up now, too. Admit to look at them longingly!

We do lots of early nights at week and week-end and don't relax the usual rules around screentime (as that makes them more tired and grumpy than anything else.) Their clubs and activities all end last / next / this week which gives them some downtime and there is also less homework.

But they are still really tired and it's the only time of year when they bicker with each other (which is exhausting for DH and me!)

Yep my kids are exhausted. I think too much actually is planned in this half term, same as the half term before Christmas. There are sports days, fairs, non uniform days, transition, trips. It needs to be spread out better! I feel like I’m at a school event every day over the next few weeks, why are they all now when everyone is so tired!

It doesn't end after school though... mine are 21 and 23, just finished with uni, assignments, dissertation, exams done. Both have returned to the womb I think... turn out of their pit midday ish and absolutely knackered by 10pm... still, they are starting to look brighter and getting up a few minutes earlier every day.