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?

We have a counsellor in school one day each week. She absolutely does not have enough time to see everyone - the SENCO sorts out appointments based on need at that particular time. It's a disgrace that provision is so lacking.

The kids in my class are being medicated for depression and anxiety. I don't know what the criteria are, but if it's higher in other areas then that's appalling as these kids do not have minor issues.

Many years ago when I was working in SEN the Warnock Report suggested that 20% of children, at any given time, could have special needs. This took into account stress at exam time and the fact that children can develop a need, but not have an obvious problem before. Children being stressed over a divorce would be a other case. I think it is grossly unfair for schools to pile on the pressure for exam success when lots of children do this themselves.

Parents are also at fault for agreeing to children doing more than 10 GCSEs. It is not necessary - ever! So why does anyone do it? Say "No" to any child or school that suggests it. The schools are only concerned with Best 8 anyway! Although English and Maths are obviously important, it is a waste of time to load a young person up with subjects they do not need, only for additional stress at exam time. Up thread, a list of academic exams included Media - why was this necessary? The exams without this were more than enough.

I think lots of young people will find the pressure of A levels and degrees too challenging. Never mind applying for jobs. A sensible approach to exams really is required or the future is just fraught with angst and stress.

I know three parents whose children have just dropped out of school. One is so anxious, he's just been diagnosed with ADHD and ASD. He was destroyed by a teacher in our local primary school and has struggle since early days in secondary. He's now being tutored at home. A second has just stopped attending due to depression and severe anxiety resulting in panic attacks and fainting. A third hasn't completely ducked out, but has periods where she doesn't attend. I feel lucky that my dd just feels anxious and inadequate, but manages to turn up every day for school. Mind you, it's only year 9 and she's got 1 GCSE and 2 short course GCSEs this year. Next year's similar. God help us in Year 11.

The number of times I've told her to talk to someone at school and she's told me there is no-one. I've said of course there is, but guess what? There isn't. The main SENCO woman left and the vacancy hasn't been filled. CAMHs is used for those children who affect the attendance figures. If you can turn up, you're clearly mentally o.k.

As My Chemical Romance would say 'Trust me. I'm not o.k.'.

I think the pressures were different 30 years ago. I did 8 o levels and 9 or 10 exams. I think I got a lot of my revision done in the days between my exams.

DD is doing 9 GCSEs (did 2 last year) and has about 20 exams, including 4 for history and 4 for Latin. It is just relentless.

I think part of the problem for my conscientious DD is that her school did not give them study leave. Up until half term she was expected to be in lessons when she wasn't in exams, and really she just wanted to be home revising. They were told that anyone missing school would be excluded from the prom.

Now presumably this strategy is going to help the school get some borderline C/D kids through their exams and improve the stats, but it is a nightmare for perfectionist kids chasing a full hand of As and A*s.

badasahatter - why is it necessary for your child to do 1 GCSE in yr 9 and two more in yr 10? That's ludicrous.

And I'm not expert but really, I don't think that anxiety can result in ASD. I am happy to be corrected, but I don't think a chikd can be so stressed that they develop autism.

noblegiraffe,

the criteria for meds in our area is self harming or suicidal thoughts.
dd is very ill but is months away from seeing anyone able to prescribe meds.

only psychiatrists can prescribe, something i have learnt along the way. i have wanted meds to be considered for my dd for months, but she's not self harming or about to commit suicide--yet

EvilTwins every one of my DC have gone or go to state school. I'm simply expressing the view that it can take the pressure off kids to give them study leave. I'm coming at it from the pov of the DCs' mental health whereas you seem to be coming at it (understandably, as a teacher) from the pov of results and league tables. I tend to value health above results.

bad try not to despair: my DD was in a bad way in year 10, cutting herself etc. She point blank refused to go into one of her science ISAs, had a bit of a breakdown. CAHMS were rubbish and insisted she was OK. She wasn't; she's just a bright girl who said what they wanted to here.

I was dreading these exams: we have been careful to put no pressure on her. Unfortunately she puts it on herself, and some of her friends are competitive high achievers.

Amazingly she seems okay so far though, better than we could have imagined. We are just focussing on all the nice stuff we'll do when it's all over.

Molio - if you yhink I value results above mental health I suggest you actually READ my posts.

Molio, I don't agree that revision classes add pressure.

I know 3 students doing GCSEs ATM. The one who feels supported because her teachers are offering revision classes is faring much better than the ones who feel their schools have deserted them in their hour of need - having stopped all lessons and almost all contact a month ago.

Milly independent schools cut down on the numbers of GCSE exams taken on average years ago, to maximise grades. Many sold this to parents by way of persuading them (falsely) that IGCSEs were tougher and of inherently more worth. That argument was actually only sustainable against a background of modular exams, but where GCSEs were being taken as linear then those exams were/ are the harder, overall. The value of keeping up eleven subjects is to give DC a good broadish spread of education before they narrow down to four subjects at AS/ A2/ Pre-U. It also has a value in a more oblique sense of enabling DC to juggle a workload, but obviously needs to be tempered at the lower end of the ability range if the government is insisting on one type of qualification for all.

I think eight O levels was very narrow. I'd have much preferred to take eleven subjects myself and I'm glad my DC have had the chance.

I think compulsory revision classes add pressure. Many kids are able to decide for themselves that they would achieve more by studying from home.

The routine of school during exams has certainly been of benefit to my ds (who has ASD), I imagine different personalities suit different arrangements though.

Many kids would not attend if the classes were optional.

I don't know if this has any bearing or not on which schools decide to have compulsory revision classes but schools are now judged also on how well students that attract pupil premium do relative to the rest of their cohort. Students that attract pupil premium may not have the same home environment for private study.

EvilTwins it was your post of 20:04:39 where you seem to be prioritizing league tables that I was thinking of, although you're admittedly blaming the government. That same post referred rather disparagingly to what you see as the limited experience of indie parents who might think study leave is the panacea to all ills. I'm simply observing that extended study leave in my exclusively state school experience can be very helpful in reducing pressure at a pressurized time. I think optional extended study leave must be the best option, since schools are able to identify those for whom it would be a disaster and refuse it for them. I can't see the problem, at least not where some imagination is deployed by the SLT.

I was blaming results and league tables for the pressure put on students. Schools are simply not in the position to allow extended study leave to all when there is so much pressure on them to get results - it's too much of a risk.

It needs to be the rule rather than the exception in most schools I think. IME, where revision classes are optional (and we've run optional classes at weekends and in holidays), it's the students who are probably perfectly capable of organising their own revision who turn up, and those who could do with the extra help who do not. For some, in-school revision classes can act as a bit of a security blanket and actually help alleviate the pressure.

My school gives study leave after half term to most and requires those with poor attendance/lack of progress/chaotic lives to continue to attend school. They are supervised in a classroom and are supposed to get on with independent study. Unfortunately they are usually the least likely to manage this and it ends up being a bit of a waste of time. If their peers had all been in, in proper lessons they might have got something out of it.

Stress? Stress? You want to try marking the sodding things!

DD did 13 subjects last summer - all linear
DS will do 11 next summer - all linear

I did 8
times have changed
we must not compare what we went through umpteen years ago with what happens now.

Last year, my DD started GCSE study leave on 7 May, and didn't have to go in for any revision sessions, compulsory or otherwise, although I believe the teachers were available to answer questions during the time their lesson was normally timetabled, iyswim. It worked for DD because she is a self starter who wants to organise her own time, and can do so effectively. I do think some other DC need the school routine though.

By the way.

Children are brighter than they were 30 years ago - by around 5 IQ points on average.
Because Lead has been removed from petrol and paint and the environment and exposure to lead has a well documented impact on cognitive ability.

But noble it's not the job of those other kids to boost the rest. If those other kids would do better by staying at home, then the teachers have to do their best by the rest. It's their responsibility primarily, and to be honest, they should be up to it, even if (especially if?) they only have half a class.

Molio The value of keeping up eleven subjects is to give DC a good broadish spread of education before they narrow down to four subjects at AS/ A2/ Pre-U.. Not sure why it should be obligatory for all taught subjects to be examined though.
It also has a value in a more oblique sense of enabling DC to juggle a workload that is true but a lot of that workload is fairly pointless as a real education in its present format.