Aibu holiday GCSEs help!

[Sjgmumma]

Okay. So next year ds will be doing his GCSEs. My mil has booked us all a holiday as a treat due to me being very unwell recently and will be for the foreseeable. The holiday is first week of may to turkey 2nd-9th
Ds will start exams around the 16th.
Am I crazy to even contemplate it?
Ds isn’t very academic at all.

Well, it's easy to see how you ended up with no exams either if that was her non-supportive attitude for you too! You however can support your son and as others have said, if he can get those passes he needs he can then start whatever he wants to do. I hope you can stop her making "he's going to fail anyway" comments to his face.

What a horrible attitude from her.

You can’t do this to your child.

I’ve spoken to dh and he’s very much on my side with this.
Dh sat his GCSEs. However never collected his results. I never sat mine I left school at 15.
I’m not academic in the slightest. In fact, quite thick.
Worked big standard retail jobs which dh has also done.
I stopped work a year ago due to severe mental health due to past trauma and also have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.

I’m thinking I should just book a holiday myself.
I’ve never booked one before. So can I ask if anyone has any advice?!
First week of July in turkey, is it very hot?
Is it better to go all inclusive? We have 5 children.

@GolfForBrains

Well, it's easy to see how you ended up with no exams either if that was her non-supportive attitude for you too! You however can support your son and as others have said, if he can get those passes he needs he can then start whatever he wants to do. I hope you can stop her making "he's going to fail anyway" comments to his face.

Well she’s not my mother. But I didn’t end up with an education because I left school because I was bullied and I suffered with my mental health due to previous SA when I was 8. So yeah, my education wasn’t great.

Don't be so hard on yourself! Retail is important work - look what the pandemic has shown us. And you obviously do value your DS's education orcyiu wouldn't even be asking these questions. As others have said, with support your DS can still improve, even if things aren't looking great right now. And he us more likely to do that if those around him are positive and show that they thing it's important. Don't let your MIL influence him. The holiday can be something for him to look forwards to after his exams.
I've never been to Turkey sorry so can't advise on that side of things but hopefully someone will give you some good tips.

Agree this is madness if your mum won't change dates then you can't go.

Booking something yourself is a lovely idea.

Yes Turkey in July will be pretty hot. There's loads of places that will be really nice then - Spain / Balearics / Tenerife etc.

Google is your friend to find out average temperatures etc

I would look on holiday company websites to see what's in your budget

Jet2holidays usually gets good feedback and you can sort by lots of different things.

All inclusive is easy and you know exactly what you're having to spend - but often pretty poor quality food / repetitive unless you go quite high end / expensive.

You are not thick.

You are posting on this forum in a coherant and logical way for a start.

You were just disadvantaged.

This is bonkers, obviously you can’t do this to your son! What on earth was your MIL thinking, I assume she is oblivious to your son doing GCSEs?

I'm glad your DH is on your side OP.
Perhaps when MIL realises you're not for budging, she may be more open to changing the holiday date. You could offer to pay the difference if you were now thinking of planning your own holiday.

Wow OP you’re not thick, there’s no such thing- just people let down by a one size fits all system. You come across well in your posts and you clearly care a great deal about DS. I’ve never been to Turkey so others can help there but I’ve found all inclusive is easiest when on holiday with kids- saves carrying cash for the constant ice cream and drinks requests!

Just so you know OP my parents and none of my siblings or extended family have any GCSEs/ qualifications.

I got barely any GCSEs as I didn’t do any coursework and I was very stoned when doing the exams as I didn’t care.
I then became a teenage single mother on benefits.

I now have a university degree, I am a qualified teacher and I’m doing a masters degree. Which were all very much against the wishes of my family.
Don’t let your parents or PIL put you in the same box as them.

I think a holiday after his GCSEs sounds amazing!

If there are 7 of you it may be worth looking at villas like Villaplus and then just staying in the villa/local area so you don’t spend lots of money on day trips.

I don’t have much experience of them but you’re going out of season so they’ll be cheaper and the website gives you the price. You’ll then need to see how expensive flights are and how you’ll get food - would you hire a car to a supermarket etc.

Really pleased your DH is alongside you in this OP.

I doubt you are thick, and anyway, so what? You have made a life for yourself and your family despite having a lot to overcome.

And how academic or otherwise your Ds is isn't the point - the point is that he is supported to fulfil his own potential, whatever that might be, and deserves to get the benefit and rewards of his work at school. It is good that you and your DH are united in supporting him to do that.

Good luck finding a holiday that suits you.

Remember to budget for passports for everyone, and also travel insurance.

Another cost to take into account is that the DCs may be fined for taking unauthorised absence from school. I'm from Scotland not England but I'm sure someone here will know how much that's likely to be.

Half term of year 11, my two were expected to be in school every day.

Mad. He’ll need to be revising. Even if he was I’m the best student in the world he’s need to be doing some prep.

Well, he’s probably going to fail anyway. You and his dad have no education so not the greatest example. He can resist them

What a HORRIBLE thing to say about all three of you! Never mind re-booking, tell her to stick her holiday up her arse!

@reluctantbrit

DD is in Y10 and we already said no to any holiday bookings from October 2022 until June 2023 as the school has 3 mocks prior to the actual exams and all holidays are used for revision.

No way I would take her out during school time.

We plan to take her away for a week after the exams and then the usual Summer holiday before 6th form starts.

We are away Easter for a week. No revision at all. Son in year 11. One week 'off' will do him good.

@NeverForgetYourDreams the difference is you are away at Easter, not missing school time two weeks before the exams start.
To be fair some exams may happen in that week anyway (MFL, Art)

@NeverForgetYourDreams depends on the school and your child. My children's school,did Easter revision sessions and they would have hated to miss them.

No way

Sounds like you’re making a sensible decision. As others have said lots of the practical subjects have earlier hand in dates anyway and some of the MFL subjects had earlier speaking and listening exams. Not to mention full on revision sessions.

If you check when the exam contingency day is and go after then, that’s your best bet. I also second a villa for that many of you but where depends on budget.