Y11 students expected to come to school during Christmas break

[Abangersrash]

My 16 year old in y11 due to sit GCSEs in spring brought home a letter stating it is now compulsory for all students to stay an hour after school to study and to come into school during the Christmas holidays for extra studying.
Dd is doing very well and already spends most evenings going over things and doing work that couldn’t be completed during lesson. (All students are expected to do this too)
Now I know it’s hard being a teacher and there just isn’t enough time to get through everything, but I’m shocked and angry that they are expected to use their free time to do work that the teachers cannot fit in during school hours.
my dd is anxious she will fail as many teachers are driving it into students that they can do better even if they’re predicted high scores. She gets nervous that her work isn’t good enough when it’s fantastic by my standards. She is predicted to pass all subjects and in my opinion doesn’t need extra help in her own time.
These students are entitled to a school holiday and a break from learning, when are they supposed to have down time or socialise with friends and family?
Does anyone here have children who have had to do this? Is it common? What can they actually do if you refuse, surely it cannot be compulsory after school hours? It’s good they offer this for students who need it, but it should be something you request and not something that is expected. What do you all think?

WTF. I would ask for sessions to be provided on Zoom so kids can catch up in their own time. Not on. Say you're away.

The teachers will also hate this. In fact they shouldn't be doing it. It is beyond their contracted directed time and unlikely they will get paid for it.
Lectures on achievement are always doomed to failure. Those trying hard just get more anxious.

I'm a teacher and I think that's outrageous. I've never heard of such a thing. I'm equally outraged on behalf of the teachers who are presumably being made to do this. I don't see how they can possibly make this compulsory. I would not make my dc go in, whether the school said it was compulsory or not.

You just write in that you already have travel plans and that X will not be attending.

It is normal for Feb half term and Easter, and you'll be surprised at how little teachers are paid to be there in their own free time. Most teachers would rather be at home with their families too.

i don't mind the after school stuff. however i'd be finding a polite and professional way to tell them they can take their holiday study attention and stuff it where the sun doesn't shine. (also a yr11 parent here so i do understand the pressure atm)

I would absolutely be telling them she won't be attending due to family holiday commitments/being away.

Well an awful lot won't attend simply because they will be away at Granny's etc.
It the Christmas holidays - people go away to visit family. That's the whole bloody point of having the two weeks off.
Tell them to f off.

Here they have extra classes before school and after school all year. From February half term they have compulsory sessions in the half terms and Easter. There are also compulsory Saturday sessions nearer the exams. If you don’t attend you can’t go to prom.

Sounds very weird. In a UK state school? Unheard of. If there's a staff shortage that shouldn't mean kids coming in over break. It doesn't even make sense really? Just refuse. Say you're going away.

DS's state school didn't have compulsory (or even voluntary) lessons outside school time. He got mostly 9's in his GCSE's. They should not be necessary IMO. Going to prom depended on behaviour during school time - not on going to school outside of school time.

@SwallowsAmazons I always think the "can't go to prom unless you do this" thing is daft. If I was in Year 11 I would have zero desire to go to prom so I probably wouldn't turn up to the revision sessions (if I was like I was when I was 16 - I wasn't the greatest student).

Hmmm that sounds discriminatory to me.

Is it a private school? They can’t be compulsory in a state school - you can’t demand children come into school before school, after school, on weekends and in school holidays in a state school. It’s ridiculous.

i doubt they can make this compulsory. Not in a state school.

It's so awful how our education system treats children now.

Interesting that there's another thread on banning home schooling but with school acting like this no wonder home schooling is so popular!

It is a U.K. state school yes. I’m glad you all agree with me, I wasn’t sure if it was a new expectation in secondary schools as I left school 20 years ago when it was very different!
I will be telling school we are staying with family over Christmas so she will not be attending.
Usually I’d also express pity for the teachers who are expected to do this, however it’s the teachers who have set this up and arranged it voluntarily!
I hope there aren’t threats over the prom and expectations to go to school over weekends, dd has a Saturday job she loves and it would really upset her to miss her work and the prom.
The pressure is awful, no wonder mental health is on the increase with younger people these days.

I know from contacts at secondary schools that offering revision classes in the Easter holidays lifts GCSE results by at least one grade, so there is a proven justification for such a step.

Stick to your guns op. You know your daughter is working as hard as she can including in her spare time. She does not need to attend these extra session. Great that they’re an option for the kids who need them, yours doesn’t and they would actually be detrimental to her. She will get a lot more out of being at work on a Saturday too if they try and get Saturdays going- surely the teachers wouldn’t want to lose their Saturdays too though! They can’t tell kids they’ll miss prom if they don’t go to extra curricular revision- it’s discrimination for those kids who can’t attend due to prior commitments such as work, sports, clubs etc and those who need the time at home to decompress from the day.

They should have given you a bit more notice because people make plans over Christmas.

But I would actually be grateful the teachers were willing to give up time in their holidays for extra revision, and I would be making my DD go.
Year 11 is hard but it's really worth putting the effort in now and relaxing when GCSEs are over.
With GCSEs, A levels and then a degree I didn't have a proper relaxing Christmas holiday for years, but it's worth it in the long run.
If your DD is anxious then feeling more prepared will help and that's hopefully what these revision sessions are for.

however it’s the teachers who have set this up and arranged it voluntarily!

there’s voluntary and then their is “voluntary”. I would hazard a guess it is the latter…

Ask them if their public liability insurance covers the students and the teachers being there on days when the school is normally closed.

Even more so if they have set this up "voluntarily"

I had this almost 20 years ago when I was at school, during Easter. Everyone hated it then too!

I bet it’s a case of “ You need to improve the success rate in your subject(s) so I suggest you run extra classes during the holidays”

Secondary school leader here:

"Thanks for the offer but xxxx will not be attending."

Totally unenforceable- any threats should be taken to governing body (bypass head who will know all about it and deflect). Bet this causes lots of stress on staff who will then go off sick during term time...

That's ridiculous. I'm a teacher and I would refuse....as I do to the requests I go in over Easter. I already provide revision in my lunchtimes and plenty of one to one support for struggling students in my free time. In my experience the more you guide the revision and provide sessions like this, the less work the kids that really need to actually do. The hardworking top achieving kids will do loads on unnecessary extra study and risk burnout.

We used to offer revision sessions during Easter hols, but they weren’t compulsory. It was just useful for students who felt they needed a bit of extra help as they neared exam time. We did used to explain to the kids that these sessions might be really helpful and it would be beneficial to come, but it was up to them whether they did.

Could this be a similar thing and your daughter has got confused?