AIBU to consider booking a holiday for a week during the Easter school holidays when DD1 is studying for GCSE's?

[kslatts]

DD sits her GCSE's next spring, school have told the pupils they will be running revision classes during Easter holiday. We are considering the following 3 options.

1. Stay at home so DD can revise all through the Easter holiday and go to the extra revision classes if she wants or needs to.

2. Go away for one week of the two week holiday, but somewhere that DD will easily be able to continue revising but also have some time away from the books.

3. Go away for one week, leave revision at home to give DD a proper break from the revision.

We already have a holiday booked for next summer after the GCSE's are finished, so am not really bothered whether we go away at Easter it not, but I was thinking option 3 would be good to give dd a break for a week. Genuinely interested to hear what other people think.

DD was in school most days over Easter this year. The other days, she was with her friends stressing over exam prep. I wouldn't book a holiday until after the exams (and then watch out for sixth form prep days).

Ask her what she would prefer.

I went away before exams several times, and it was fine, but it's a VERY personal thing. I tend to work better under time pressure, so I actually probably did more work than I would have done given more time iyswim.

Although as someone mentioned upthread as it's GCSEs she doesn't necessarily know how stressed she will be at the time. And although easier as you have so many subjects for GCSES there might actually be more work than for A-levels.

DS has his GCSE's next spring so no Easter or May holiday for us. We will go away in the summer instead next year. We will have this scenario again in two years time for DD.

Either I suffer from amnesia, I'm a genius, or things were very different 20 years ago (quite possibly the latter). I got straight As for my GCSEs and I have no recollection of having a revision timetable, going to revision classes, or stressing about my exams during the easer holidays.

Is it really so pressured now that 15/16 year olds can't have a week off 2 months before exams?

I think I paid attention in class, did a bit of revision, and turned up to the exams. Obviously not what happens now!

Tulip I think there is a lot of pressure now-but I'm not sure if it actually improves results all that much.

When I did my GCSEs (less than 5 years ago) I was known as the "chilled" one (I did revise, but not excessively) and yet I hit my target grades, same as my friends, one of whom only took Christmas day off (yes, they were revising on 24th and 26th of december for GCSES in JUNE!!)

It's the law of diminishing returns- revision is good and necessary, but insane hours of it just makes you tired and hate the subject, for only a few extra percent.

Tulip, GCSEs start soon after the Easter hols for some dc. My ds last year had 2 weeks back and then a run of 1 or 2 papers a day. Easter was his chance to revise for them and do practice papers.

OP, I wouldn't plan to go away for half the holiday. I would decide once you have seen the exam timetable and know how spread out the exams are. And your dd won't know yet if she wants to go to the revision classes - some dc find them really useful I think and enjoy seeing their mates too.

My dd found revising for GCSEs worse then A levels - because there are so many bits and bobs and papers to practise - and you don't like all the subjects! Even doing two hours a subject, which is say a practise paper and marking it/checking/learning the tricky bits = 20 hours for 10 subjects. It adds up very quickly.

And having not enough time makes it more stressful not less, IME. My dc both had calm Easter hols, fair bit of work but seeing friends and doing things too.

All sorts of things can go wrong.

One of DD1's teachers left the school at Christmas. It was discovered that they were behind in the syllabus, and that not enough had been done yet for the controlled assessment. And the school computer system went down, and stayed that way for over a term. They needed it to do the controlled assessment.

In the end, the replacement teacher arranged to use another school's computers over the Easter holidays, to allow the controlled assessments to be done. If she had been away, she may not even have finished it.

So, option 1 gets my vote.

We did go away for February half term, though, before it all got too intense. She brought her books with her, to study in the evenings.

We went a way for a week when my daughter was doing her GCSEs. The plan was she would take her books and revise. In reality the books got left at home and the break must have done her good because her results were much better than expected!

4 days away might be nice when she totally switches off but the rest of the time she needs to be at home revising

I would wait til a lot nearer the time. I did this and then asked DD how she felt about going away for a short casual break, she was unsure and didn't leap at it so I knew she would only be agreeing to satisfy the rest of the family. I told her we would leave it til after exams and she was relieved.
She didn't need to go in to school revision classes (wasn't requested to by her teachers) but she felt secure knowing she could if needed.
She didn't revise exhaustively through the hold, she did a kind of one day revising one day off average. On the days she was off, some she spent watching TV all day and others we went on really nice day trips.

I think breaks in between revision days lead to better learning than a longish break and a big knuckle down, she did really well btw

I'd say 1 but have some fun / restful days built.

I'd wait until nearer the time before booking, but depending on what DD is like maybe do a Friday to Sunday break? Would be good if DD gets anxious and puts a lot of pressure on herself, if not, maybe use it as pre-Easter bribery to get more revision done?

Either I suffer from amnesia, I'm a genius, or things were very different 20 years ago (quite possibly the latter). I got straight As for my GCSEs and I have no recollection of having a revision timetable, going to revision classes, or stressing about my exams during the easer holidays.

I did mine longer than 20 years ago and we had these

You might be feeling the stress a bit yourself by that time. I remember DS1 being ridiculously chilled/lazy about the whole thing, didn't bother with the revision classes and would happily have swanned off on holiday if it had been on offer. I was suddenly that panicky parent. I wouldn't book anything longer than 3 or 4 days, for your own sanity. You probably know how well your DD is likely to do, though.

Ask her what she would rather do....but I would really suggest the Upton that gives her at least a little break away from studying even if it's only a long weekend. Just a couple of days away from books and clearing her head, and then back to studying after a nice little family break.

Upton = option!

I did my GCSEs 20 years ago (god that's depressing to realise!), but we revised, and had some revision classes run once teaching classes finished - but one thing that happened back then, we finished being taught the course a lot earlier, it was basically done by around March then it was just effectively revision in class until we stopped for study leave, that doesn't happen anymore, they are still learning new stuff until very close to the exams, so are expected to revise in their own time, not in class.

OP - do you need to book anything? Can you just put the money to one side now and then if she feels like a few days away at the time, book a last minute deal? If you've already booked and paid for something, you might all feel the pressure to go and not waste your money, even if she really doesn't want to and you don't think it's best for her.

Actually thinking about it, I don't think we learned new stuff after Feb half term when I was doing GCSEs, everything after that was just going back over old work - that doesn't really happen anymore as far as I can tell.

I went to Disney world for the whole 2 weeks of my Easter hols before my gcses. Didn't take any revision with me, had a lovely break and wonderful time. Got good Yves results, went on to 6th form, uni and did a masters. If dd is bright and inclined to work hard anyway she'll be fine.

Ah, but will it do her head it (the DD) if she is going on holiday when she is meant to be revising? It would have done mine in.

I think that the Easter holiday is not a good time for a break from revision unless were talking about one or two half days off a week. And trying to combine a trip with revision won't work. This is the most important part of your dd's education so far, don't sabotage herby planting the idea it's a good idea to take a break in the middle of the revision period.

This thread made me realise it's over 40 years since I did my O Levels .

Personally I wouldn't take my teenage DS away at Easter but then I find holidays with teenagers so difficult that I just avoid them completely now - maybe a weekend/couple of days away is a good compromise?