To go on holiday mid GCSE exams.

[GCSEDoom]

The only time we can all get off together is half term in May. Would be going to see/with family.

Literally mid exams.
Would this be a really bad idea?
Child has Sen and is already massively stressed about exams, is looking at scraping C's rather than A star.
Are they likely to be exams across half term?

Would you ?

Having just been through GCSE's with DS2, I would stay at home - don't think he left the house all of half term. All the work paid off though 📚✏️

For the record do they HAVE to go to every revision everyday in the holidays? I know it's of benefit to them but DC is in school from 9am to 4.30pm normally and attends support four days a week until 5.15pm. They have a condition in addition to their sen which means they are tired at the best of times and by half term they are usually utterly exhausted but with the look of things from last year after Christmas there are no more breaks for them.
At February and Easter last year they will be in at least four days a week either 10am till 3pm or 9.30am till 3pm and then straight back into exams.

I'm a bit worried if I'm honest we are heading for pure meltdown!

Nothing to do with holidays that btw I just meant in general terms of how much is too much when they barely cope at the best of times !

GCSE

My childrens school ran voluntary revision sessions

So every school must be different

No need to be in every day. I am a teacher and the school puts a lot of pressure on kids and staff to do classes at half term - I won't do more than two days and I wouldn't let my kids do more either

Thanks Rufus.
I hadn't realised until I went on the website that they did almost every day in the holidays at ours after Christmas in year 11 so that's going to be fun when DC realises that

Thanks You'reall
They struggle at the best of times but I'm worried they will become completely overloaded.
Will obviously send them in for the ones they struggle most with the last thing I want to do is completely overwhelm them. We've had issues with school refusal in the past so am on constant very shaky ground.

Sorry this phone is driving me bonkers. I can't see what I'm typing properly!

You'd need to ask the school about half term revision sessions, it's not a thing as such, totally up to individual schools whether they run any and if they do how it's organised.

It's not something I would do but you know your child best. The poster whose child went on holiday and is now at university is totally irrelevant to the your situation OP. If you go and your DC doesn't manage to get 4s you'll regret it even though they mightn't have got them anyway, I wouldn't risk it

GCSE

Oh god thats awful!

They need a rest

It its half term, the school CANNOT penalise you for missing the sessions OR force you to go

What we did for each of the three years (one of GCSE, on of the double, one of A Levels) was plan to be there for the middle of the week - when the most important revision sessions were - and skip Monday and Friday .....
Lots of other families did too, as did many teachers

All children are different and we as parents are the experts on our children. Sometimes when it comes to revision, more, isn't necessarily more - even DCs who struggle academically can benefit from having some real downtime.

DD1 didn't go to any of the revision sessions the school laid on during the holidays - she sorted out her own revision because that was what worked for her. DD2 does intend to do some for the subjects she is weakest in.

As a parent, you have to decide. It's nerve wracking, especially if it's your first DC to do GCSEs , but relying on other people's dogma won't help.

Well, I muT have given birth to the only DC on MN who don't fo any revision ever.

But if School wee offering sessions, my D.C. would be there. I dint yet know what DS2 is being offered, but DS1 was in school everyday in Feb half term. I'm pretty sure there was nothing in summer half term, and although we didn't go away no revision took place not for lack of effort on my part

Only you know what's best for your DC, OP. Maybe a few days away will do them good. Or maybe going away and coming back to exams will be tiring. Or maybe they will studiously revise for the week if they're at home and you shouldn't distract from that.

I think it would be a bad idea but my sister did it and took all her DDs books and she did ok

For DS school the revision sessions during the holidays were not compulsory and more like a drop-in session.

Talking to dd who is sitting gcse’s 2019 we jointly made the decision not to go away.
We usually go away at Easter but dd feels very strongly that she wants to be at home where she can revise best.
DH is disappointed as he works hard and really looks forward to a break but agrees this is far more important.

No

You say your child may scrape some C grades. If they find learning hard then you should be staying home and helping them to revise, stay in familiar routines, cook favourite meals and encouraging attendance to any additional revision classes. Drag them off on holiday and it will be hard for them to revise and do their best in exams and they will affect their future chances of employment. Don't be selfish, put your child's interest first. It is only one week.

No way no way

Plan nice things to do as a break from revision (afternoon out, meals out, cinema trips, nice walk in the fresh air - whatever) but don't disrupt routine and make it really hard to revise by going on holiday.