GCSE dates 2018

[NotThrowAwayMyShot]

I want to try & book tickets for something next year. Dd will be doing by GCSE's. Which months will I need to avoid? I assume May/June but what about half term?

The main exams are from early May until the end of June. If your dd is taking a subject with practical exams e.g. Art then these exams may be earlier.
Although there are no exams during the May half term, many schools run revision sessions for pupils then (some have revision sessions at Easter as well) which it would be helpful for pupils to attend.

There won't be exams in half term, but you really don't want to go away then. Your DC will need to be revising for quite a bit of half term, and there may be revision sessions at school too. Even if they could revise whilst on holiday the chances are they will do less.

Similarly the Easter holidays. School will be running revision sessions for some of the time. If DD is doing drama they may well want to rehearse then.

Some people do take a 1 week holiday over Easter hols to refresh and recuperate. We took a 4 day break over the Easter weekend itself as we knew no revision sessions would be being missed then. DD needed a break, but she was a steady paced reviser who just needed to keep going as she couldn't do long days.

I would say Feb half term, or July. Or 1 week max at start of Easter holidays.

When are mocks? DD's were at the start of Jan, so most of Christmas break was used up with revision except for 5 days solid off over Xmas itself.

There will be no holiday revision sessions. It's a boarding school & the boarding accommodation is in use by others during holiday times, at Easter they run performing arts residentials for example. Dd will herself likely go on a week's residential elsewhere during the Easter holidays.

The only practical subject is music.

It's only an overnight stay I'm talking about - it's too far to get there & back in one day but it will be tiring hence I want to avoid it being during the actual exams themselves.

Half term should be fine then.