too many GCSEs for too long

[lianath]

My son has been doing GCSE's now for at least 3 weeks and still has 8 more exams to go with his last one on 19th June. I find it cruel. I was brought up and educated in The Netherlands. We had all our exams in 2 weeks (max 2 per day). Over and done.
Does anyone agree with me that GCSEs are too many weeks of endless exams?

Why is the govt putting them in this situation - my Ds has been on study leave since 8 May. Choice of the school to put the pressure on.

The hype about the perils of not getting good results is probably more now than it ever was before. It's all part of our hyper-informed social media age.

The reality imho is that it doesn't matter more now than it used to how you do, but you'd never believe that from the angst-ness of some discussions.

It's a brave school that kicks its Y11 out at the start of May. The research shows they'd do better in school.

I agree. My dd is currently fast asleep after sobbing for half an hour earlier about how she just can't absorb any more revision but feels anxious about not revising.

She got A*s and As in her
Mocks so I am confident she will at least do well enough to get into college for A levels. In a year who is going to care whether she has got 9or 11 GCSEs?

She is knackered and still has 7 exams left.

My DC and their schoolmates seem to manage eleven with relative ease and the school has always opted for linear all in one go. Not all kids manage to avoid problems - no-one would expect that - but the vast majority do, which suggests there's more to it than simply exams. The eldest DC took hers in 2006 and that pattern hasn't shifted markedly, at least I'm pretty sure it's not out of line with the upwards national trend of mental health issues in children. Twelve full subjects (as opposed to twelve including two maths which is what my last two have done) is a bit more of a push which only the very organised and steady DC should attempt, as far as I can see. Only one of mine did that, because he was keen to join an after school initiative at school offering Latin. He found it do-able, but probably at the outer limits of do-able during revision and exam time. The merit of eleven or twelve in a school where all DC do triple science is that it leaves more options open and doesn't narrow education down at too early a stage. Admittedly this is a selective school so the kids are able by definition but able is by no means synonymous with immune to stress - arguably the opposite. I think the explosion of mental health issues nationally should look for answers elsewhere than exclusively in exams.

Bunbaker it doesn't wash over me exactly, but it is easier as a parent second and subsequent times round. But not for the DC! I just get meals, buy biros etc and affect not to fret. Anyhow, it all pales into insignificance when a DC does Finals :)

My DC's are in year 7 and 8 and their school have said that they will be focusing on fewer good quality GCSE's rather than getting as many as possible, which I'm pleased about. I don't know yet how many exams they will take, but DS has already taken 3 French exams as he is in the fast-tracked set. It seemed to me that his speaking exam was about learning the questions they were going to be asked and their answers, whereas when I did it, we had an idea of the sort of questions we'd be asked, but it was just a free-flowing conversation, no memorising involved.

my dd isn't even in yr 9 yet, and has been off school with severe anxiety for months. School work hasn't caused this, yet i fear the way in which the pressure to come will affect her.

I know that in dd's school there are 45 pupils in yr 11 referred to Camhs at the present time.

I've forgotten when mine started study leave for GCSEs (even though DC7's were only last year!) but I think from the day of their first exam. They have the option of going in if they want to and teachers are on hand to help if help is wanted but it's far more relaxed for the DC if they're not up early to get into school and can just do their own thing.

dollybird you're right about MFL but it's been in crisis for a number of years and needs a massive overhaul coupled with a bit of renewed respect for the value of learning languages other than English. I'm not sure you can generalise about relative difficulty using MFL as typical.

imjustahead 4 to 5 or 45? If the latter, that's crazy. And are you quite sure? How big is the cohort? I'm hoping you mean the former though, not the latter. 45 would be right off the scale, and therefore incredibly worrying.

Also, sorry about your DD :(

Yes, I've spent the weekend helping DS1 with his German revision (for yr9 tests)

I reckon I could now get full marks, despite not knowing a word of German 2 days ago. He has 8 questions to prepare answers for, parrot fashion. The same questions are used for the speaking and listening and the writing tests. We're hoping for a top 6 or maybe a 7

That said, I got a B in O-level French but there was no way anyone could have said I "spoke" French, even then.

There's 3 in my class of 30 so I suspect it's more like 45 than 4-5.

But noblegiraffe wouldn't your level of incidence imply the cohort at the school in question is 450? And no school in the country has cohorts of 450. It would amount to an epidemic - it's so far beyond even the alarming current rates that the authorities would or should be rushing in.

yes 45, i was speaking to student support and the year group is about 250 pupils. She may have included year 10 with that, so that would bring it down a bit i guess.

Most of them like my dd are probably still fucking waiting for help.

All tier 2 support has been taken out of Camhs in my area, and it's up to the schools to support them. Try convincing Camhs that your dc is above tier 2, whislt they fade away. Home edding is looking viable to me.

I'm not saying it's definitely 45, but given the post, it's more likely to be what was meant than 4-5, which would be exceptionally low.

my dd has a tutor group of 28, and there are 4 with Camhs, well waiting i should say.

Yes, some shocking stuff about the lack of support from CAMHS, though it's been that way for years - not that that helps. Yes, if it includes Y10 then that would be about the same incidence that noblegiraffe mentions. Still awful for those concerned but not as off the scale as I thought it might be when you said 45.

Excuse my ignorance, I don't know what CAMHS is, but sounds like MH support for school children? Are we really saying it's "normal" for 10% ish of a cohort to need such support?

yes it does change it. in dd's class there is dd, a self harmer, a depressed person, and someone with ocd.

age 13

Children and Adolescents Mental Health Support.

I hold the government responsible rather than individual schools because the gover meant initiated the vicious cycle these students are now stuck in. Schools live or die by league tables and OFSTED judgements, which are based, to a large extent (or completely, in the case of league tables) on GCSE results. Other measures - 5 A*-C inc English & Maths, EBacc, Progress 8 etc are all about results. Schools under pressure inevitably leads to students under pressure. Teachers' pay is based on results. It's too much of a risk to say to the kids "just get on with it - off you go" I can't guarantee that those kids in my yr 11 classes who have chaotic homes or parents who would see them off school and therefore use them as childcare or whatever will get any work done. Then there's the lazy kids, the ones who don't get it, the ones who need academic support, the ones who need help with organisation, the bright ones who need support with exam stress. Schools did not create this situation - the government did. Until league tables are abolished, nothing will change. School funding is dependent on student numbers, parents look at league tables, league tables report results.

In my school, GCSE routine includes providing breakfast and the attendance officer making calls to kids who haven't turned up. Those whose experiences are limited to independent schools need to realise that not all schools are the same and therefore chucking them out on study leave at the beginning of May is not always an appropriate option.

The latest WHO survey suggests that up to 20% of 15-16 year olds have self-harmed.

Where we live, the criteria for CAMHS is set so high, the numbers people are talking about here just couldn't happen.
CAMHS must be FAR better funded in your areas.

4 of my yr 11 class (of 23) are under CAMHS.