No holidays in summer half term now.

[SecretSquirrels]

Just a selfish whinge really.
After years of holidays being limited to school holidays I now find that we can't go away during the the May / June half term as it's smack bang in the middle of exams.
This year it's GCSEs for DS1, next year it will be AS and the following year DS2 will be on GCSEs and DS1 A levels.
We have always had a week away at this time of year but it's really not possible when they are up their ears revising.

You could consider a UK holiday ina cottage - lots of going out for walks but leaving the boys in to do revision - and then family time afterwards.

I suggested that this year but DS didn't want to do that as he was worried he wouldn't be able to revise properly.
Actually I think he would probably have been okay for a few days, although to be fair I think I would prefer to be at home to revise if it was me.
DS2 gets much more nervous about exams and I suspect he will feel the same.

It's par for the course though

Can't you go away when the exams are over? Might be outside the school holidays and cheaper eg early July

I know it's par for the course but I didn't twig until this year that we would have several years of it.
DS2 will only be in Year 10 next year but maybe the following year (always supposing they still want to come with us of course).

Do AS exams not finish before half term and then A2 after half term? That might not be right but it's worth looking into.

This might not be the done thing these days, but when I was in 6th form (not year 10 tho and I am an only, so appreciate it's different), my parents went away for a few days when I was revising for A levels around this time of year. I actually quite enjoyed the quiet to get on with things (but I was also a geek, so did actually work, and to be fair from memory, I did also take a bit of advantage and have mates round at least one night). Not really suggesting you do this, necessarily, but might be an option at least down the line a bit?

Best just to shift timetables for these few years of their lives.

I've just had to change our summer holiday for next year (luckily I still could). We always go away for the end of August. But next year, DD1 will be in Y10, which is when they take their GCSEs at her school. So we will have results day. Since she normally goes on music residential trips at the beginning of August moving the holiday will mean that she might miss out (similarly, her sister). But there you go. We will miss results day this year, and she is doing a physics module on Wednesday so, maybe, there will be a result for that.....but to be honest, tough. For one module, she can ring the school. Or, even, wait until term starts again.

Look on the bright side.

Their ages indicate that within the next 4/5 years you can holiday with out them! Then you can go whenever you like and pay the cheap prices!!

I am looking forward to it - my DS is 14 - and we are still paying the peak prices. grr...

Yep, it's a blow when you realise that you can't use the may half term anymore! We had to give it up 6 years ago now - 2 more to go after this year.

Hate to tell you this but Easter gets a bit dodgy for AS year..... The exams are pretty early and if you're doing a language or art then there's an even earlier pressure. And feb half term looks dodgy if you do art AS.....

At least DS wants to revise!

How about you go away Oct half term?

My DC go into year 9 in September, and it seems to me that this will be the last year of freedom!!!!!

Yup its a pain! We managed a long weekend as ds was on top of things.

My thought if he wasn't knuckling down was actually a narrow boat- a holiday with noting to do except revise - no TV, no consoles, no mates to meet up with - it has a lot to commend it!

Results day is a terrible tie.We will be away this year but I don't think DS realises. Actually, unless you have fears about not making the grades for your progress to 6th form/college I'm not sure it's that important to do results day at GCSe or AS but you have to be there at A2 incase you have to start calling uni etc

@Theas truth be known the biggest worrier in the family is me. It's as much for my sanity as hers that I changed the holiday. I was actually on oliday when my own A level results came out, which a nightmare but at least I was on a 2 E offer so it wasn't really an issue for Uni what grades I got.

This year DSS1 is taking the first set of his French bac exams and DSS2 is taking his brevet (and has also taken his FCE). We were "stuck" by revision not just this summer but also at Easter and in February...

Oh yes I had already worked around results day. I appreciate it's not essential to be around but DS would have been disappointed not to be able to go in with his friends to collect them.

gettingalifeno I didn't know that about Easter but actually DS2 is on a school trip next Easter so that's out.
shrimponastick I love having them with us on holiday. We had children late and had 20 years of travelling before children. I dread the day when they don't want to come with us. We might manage a few more years as long as we are footing the bill and going somewhere they like

secret My DH ia getting all bereft about the DC going to university in five years time. How few family holidays that leaves.

He keeps coming home with ideas of places we must introduce them to.
I don't mind that bit actually. I've nver understood people that keep going back to the same place/s. I mean, I have my dotage for that.

We wanted to go at Easter this year, but thought better of it when we saw the GCSE modules lined up for Yr10's. Opted for our usual late August, so will be away on results day. But DD's school only allow Yr11 & 13's in for results, the others have to wait.

Will definitely avoid being away for results day next year (yr11), as expecting a sixth form scarmble. Extra tough for that year, as first lot for which the education to age 17 compulsory.

Guess that's it for Easter AND May/June half term for another three years.

Lucky we have a 6 school year age gap. DD2 (yr4) will be in yr8 by then, but should get two or three years in before the public exams start again.

It isn't just exams though. Dd (now in year 9), has had holiday "projects" every half term and holiday since year 7. Sometimes it is 3 or 4 projects, because every teacher assumes that they are the only one setting holiday work.

We have given up on the idea of a decent family holiday and just do long weekends or short breaks so that all these wretched projects can get done.

I had this very same discussion with dh yesterday. We have always enjoyed half-term breaks and now we're buggered for years.

I can see that the old ladies who used to come up to me in cafes etc and say "make the most of them when they're this age" were absolutely right.

3little all manner of things fill up the diary.

Revision, trips that take place in holiday time, courses etc

When DP and his exW were hammering out their divorce agreement, with great foresight I told DP that they needed to annualise the DSSs holidays and agree to deduct time spent on language trips, revision courses etc before splitting the difference between them. His lawyer was at this strange agreement (she clearly thought it totally OTT) but it has served us very well. Lots of our friends in blended families have far more arguments with their DCs/DSCs other family than we do about how to fit all that stuff in.

We did go away at Easter this year and DS1 took piles of revision guides which he ignored because of a holiday romance. In his case it was probably a little early to start intensive revision but DS2 will be different.

wordfactory yes my DH has had the same idea. He is already retired, though not yet in his dotage.
So next year it will be Early July or October.
Not this October though, as DS is doing full A level Maths in Year 12 which means he sits the AS in early December I think?

the public exams finish before the end of June so for GCSE and Alevel you could go away before everyone else goes off, though not for AS level because they have to go back in after exams