Going away during GCSE exams

[changedmyname24]

Would you allow your DC to go away for the weekend during GCSE exams, for something they desperately want to do & may not get the chance to do again. Would be on weekend 2 of 3 weeks of exams.

Said child is very bright & got nothing below a 4 in Year 10 exams, also got 2 8s & 2 9s (taking 11 subjects). Is capable of 9s in most subjects (except about 4 of them). School report indicated areas of concern in 2 subjects re independent learning (teacher feels lack of effort).

One parent is ok with this, the other is not.

My d was a lil spread out this year I didn't find it soo intense so yes it depends on the subjects she only had I think, 1 day when she had 2 exams in one day. The first week was ever day then she started having days off.
I think this situation depends on the child. My D was studying between exams, amd I felt it was a lil intense so the time off would give her a bit of time to relax and reset. If your child attitude is a 'whatever happens, happens' then I would say no. If you feel she's studying properly before then give her a break as long as logistics getting back are nearly fool prof!

Leaving aside that he might be exhausted and assuming he studies thoroughly beforehand nothing is going to help if he gets delayed and misses an exam or two. School would rightly take a dim view of this. I pulled off a lot of very good grades in university on very little sleep and very little study, but there's no way I would have made this choice at 17 let alone support my child making this choice as an adult. It's a completely avoidable risk. As an adult your DH is to blame here, if he doesn't value the exams his son isn't going to either. Essentially saying it's fine to go to a concert and turn up exhausted isn't going to make your DS think this is something that he actually needs to put effort into.

Highly doubt he will get asked for ID if he looks 18 and is with a parent. I know you say it says they are very strict but a lot of the time they aren't.

I'd risk it.

Back to the June event on a Saturday- I get that there are often travel issues - but there are so many ways to get back from France - flying /train/coach/various ferry ports - I would think it unlikely they don't make it back at all on the Sunday ?

Alternatively for November - you say your DS doesn't want to go to the event with you - but if you travel with him, would he be happy to go in alone? Or take a friend?

Not a chance, especially as the weekend is not even in this country. There's too much that could go wrong meaning that he could miss the exam, or be very tired. In any event it sounds like he is not putting in enough effort ( a very bright child getting at least 4s is hugely underperforming) and his teachers are flagging up concerns. He won't be doing any revision over that weekend.
Even Olympic level athletes need to prioritise their education.

My daughter went to see Harry styles on a weekday night in the middle of GCSEs with an exam the following pm. She was super organised and did extra revision leading up to it. Was in bed by 1am. It was all fine and she felt it didn’t affect her performance at all.

What about the other parent?
But even if you can't manage November, it's still a really bad decision to choose to risk missing GCSEs.

France-no. Potential for delay would be the reason.

All my son’s friends have very good fake driving licences. I’d just get him one which says he’s 17 and go to the London one.

Well he can't want to go that badly if he's not willing to go with you in November, so I'd say no.
Having gone through GCSEs last year with a very bright, self motivated child I still think no way. We went away for a weekend during easter as a treat / break and she took a while to get back in the zone.

Unless they are doing a lot of creative subjects (less exams), the schedule is brutal. I think you would need to write off all the exams that followed that weekend. If he can manage in life without those subjects then maybe but ultimately if he doesn't want to go so badly that he'll go with you, then it's really not worth going is it?

Considering it is in France then this is preferable than mid GCSEs. My son broke his thumb mountain biking in the November of Y11 he had a day or so off school and it was fine.
He also walked 45 miles in Ten Tors Challenge close the GCSEs starting which required a Friday off school.

Highly doubt he will get asked for ID if he looks 18 and is with a parent. I know you say it says they are very strict but a lot of the time they aren't.

Really? The policy for alcohol sales for many shops is to ask for ID if they think the person is below 25. I would be surprised if they don’t ask for ID for all “teens with a parent”

Isn’t this a crime?

My fake ID was a terrible fake of a college ID card, but it enabled any half interested bar tender to cover his arse and say he had checked it.

But faking an official government ID seems lots more serious