Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Original poster

School trip at Easter in year 11?

17 replies

CityWallandaTrampoline · 13/05/2019 19:15

DS (current year 10) has brought home a letter for a school trip (4 days abroad) taking place in the Easter holidays of year 11, ie a month before exams start.

DS is keen and it sounds really interesting but the timing seems crazy to me - far too close to exams. If it makes any difference, DS is very bright and very ambitious but quite disorganised and not always good at motivating himself. He tends to leave things to the last minute and I’m worried that this trip will just add more stress when it comes to it and he’ll be panicking about revision Hmm

School also runs revision sessions in those Easter holidays, 4 days of which he would miss. The teacher running the trip (who loves DS) thinks he would be fine but I’m unconvinced. The trip does come under the umbrella of one of his GCSE subjects but doesn’t relate to the actual syllabus or topics studied for GCSE iykwim.

Would love some objective opinions on the timing of this. Am I being an unreasonable and mean mother if I say no, or is it actually a really bad idea?

OP posts:
OKBobble · 13/05/2019 19:17

Personally it would be a no here!! (For context DS did his gcses last year and so they are still fresh in our minds).

What are the school thinking arranging a trip then that doesn't relate to the actual syllabus? Was it a trip for lower year groups but because of a low uptake they have opened it out to your 11 too.

Original poster
CityWallandaTrampoline · 13/05/2019 19:23

No it’s specifically for year 11, it’s framed as eg GCSE Geography trip. I believe (but am not sure) the topic might have been in the old GCSE syllabus and it is an area in which the school has won awards for knowledge/raising awareness. Lead teacher tells me they have run it at this time of year for many years with no detrimental effect to the students Hmm

OP posts:
Pipandmum · 13/05/2019 19:24

Goodness my son is doing his GCSEs now and we were going to go away over Easter (decided against it for financial reasons). It would not have made one bit of difference. Are you thinking your kid is going to be studying all the hours of the day? That’s not even healthy. I think a break away from revising and still a few weeks away from the exams would be great. I wouldn’t have hesitated sending my son ( and as bright as he may be he’s not at all academic and he’s only going to get 4, 5 maybe the odd 6. But I feel the same about my daughter who is super diligent and expected to get 7 and 8s). 4 days out of months will make no difference and may actually help especially if your child is getting stressed.

TunstallTansy · 13/05/2019 19:27

Wouldn't have done it here - our dc wanted to do something for their exams each day and also attended the revision sessions put on at school during the Easter holidays.

Original poster
CityWallandaTrampoline · 13/05/2019 20:04

Pipandmum - no I wouldn’t expect him to be revising all the hours of the day but by Easter of year 11 I would expect him to be doing something every day (especially if they’ve not been particularly organised with their revision!).

I should say it is generally a great school and this teacher is fab - DS loves the subject and will probably take it for A level - but I just can’t get my head around the timing of this trip!

OP posts:
ElsieGrote · 13/05/2019 20:12

My DS went on a football tour for 4 days in the Easter hols of GCSE year.

He had a revision timetable from school which included a "day off" each week & 4 revision sessions a day during the hols so he just juggled it round to take account of the tour.

He met/ exceeded all his GCSE target grades.

I think it's ok as long as long as your DC is organised about the rest of the hols. For my DS the football tour was the last tour with boys he'd been playing with since he was 8. It meant a lot to him and I'm glad he managed to do both.

ElsieGrote · 13/05/2019 20:18

DS went on a 4 day football tour during the Easter hols before his GCSEs.

He had a revision timetable from school that had 1 day off a week and 4 sessions a day on other days. So he just juggled round the missed sessions.

He did really well in his GCSEs & the tour meant a lot to him as it was the last tour with all his mates since Yr 5.

I think if your DS takes on board the need to make up the time, actually having a good break in the middle of it all is no bad thing.

ElsieGrote · 13/05/2019 20:19

Whoops - sorry for double post - thought the first one hadn't posted but it had.

BubblesBuddy · 13/05/2019 23:01

It is a great thing to have a break from the grind of revision. Great for mental health and a big boost to wellbeing. They should not be wedded to revision every single day and the revision timetable can reflect this. They are allowed time off. Do you work 7 days a week for weeks on end? The timing is not unreasonable at all. Mine both did a short trip in the Easter hols. It’s great to relax and learn at the same time.

Seeline · 14/05/2019 14:54

My Ds went on a week long music course with school during the Easter break before his GCSEs last year. Worked hard the rest of the holiday.

DD is probably going on a five day trip with Rangers next Easter before hers.

It is a long slog through to the end of GCSEs, including an almost non-existant half term. I think it is good for them to have a bit of down time.

Punxsutawney · 14/05/2019 15:17

I have a 19 year old and also a child in year 10. I would say as long as your Ds is happy with the revision he has been doing and has proved that he is working hard I think it would be a good break for him. Oldest Ds did study hard but also had breaks. Youngest Ds unfortunately has possible sen and lots of issues at the moment and it has certainly put gcses into perspective for us. Ds has the potential to do well but is struggling with his other difficulties, I just want him to be ok and gcses come second. Exams are very important but so is the mental health and happiness of our children, without that they won't be able to function, regardless of how many grade 9's they have.

Lara53 · 14/05/2019 17:28

My Ds is yr 11 and did a 3 day history trip to Poland at Easter. It was a good break and he got down to revision afterwards. His friend who bombed Mocks was not allowed to go

Original poster
CityWallandaTrampoline · 14/05/2019 19:21

Interesting, replies are more mixed than I’d thought - I expected more “no”s!

I think part of the problem is being asked to commit so early, when at this stage I’ve no idea how his revision will be going next Easter (although judging by previous performances it could be a last minute scramble). I’ll have to give it some more thought...

OP posts:
tempo · 16/05/2019 15:20

My DS is in year 11, we went away for 4 days over Easter. He did a couple of hours of catching up with his art, but that was it. It's such a long slog from the beginning of the Easter holidays to the end of exams mid-June, I honestly don't think that a few days off will make a jot of difference. Actually I think it does them good to have a break from time to time.

sansou · 16/05/2019 17:00

Weekend yes, whole week - no for us.

We normally go away Feb half term - DS doesn’t want to next year so we’re not.

HomeMadeMadness · 16/05/2019 19:15

Does seem a little crazy timing wise. Four days off over Easter isn't the end of the world but it reduces the available time and may mean he gets out of the swing of his revision (he might well lose an extra day either side and I'm sure there'll be other things he wants to do over Easter too).

MarchingFrogs · 16/05/2019 19:25

DS2's school ran a trip to somewhere at least theoretically warm and sunny and probably linked to some department's curriculum this Easter and is doing something similar(ly expensive) next year. He didn't go this time on cost and health grounds, not because it was coming up to GCSEs and although he should do well enough to stay on for 6th form, putting down the large, non-refunfable deposit for next year's is a bit of a punt. We're definitely not averse to the timing, in itself, though. The school still does AS, so next year is anpther exam year , but if he does stay on and a last minute place comes up, we would be open to him going, if he wanted to.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page