Holiday in year 11

[NC4now]

Possibly dim question here.

We usually take our family holiday over Spring Bank Holiday in May, to keep the cost down a bit. DS is in Year 11 so will be doing his exams next year.
Is May a REALLY bad time for a holiday?

Err yes - the most important part of their education.

We've been told no extensive holiday over Easter - I think May would definitely be out!!

Yeah, I say so. DS will be stressed.

The way the GCSE timetable usually falls there will be exams both before and after that half term week. Check with the school but they're usually all finished by the end of June so it could be possible to go away in early July before the main school holidays start.

Terrible idea.
(but you know that already really)

Although there are no exams during half term many schools run extra revision sessions (usually voluntary) during the week.
If you were thinking of endJune/early July then check any end of term/year activities eg prom and also induction days at sixth form.

Worst possible time. Also avoid Easter.
We had to skip our spring holidays for years when one or another DC was in year 10,11,12 or 13.
The good news is they finish school before the summer holidays so you can go away late June / early July at term time prices.

We're going away over Christmas and have no holidays booked after that. However DS is trying to convince me that he and DH could go on holiday at Easter whilst i supervise DD's revision at home

Alternatively, you could take work away with you and have an enforced quiet/revision time each day. That's what my parents did with me when I was pre-GSCE. Every morning I would sit down for 2 hours and do a past papers under timed conditions and once that was done we went out and did something nice. But it depends what kind of holiday you had in mind. A villa would work for that, a hotel room or activity holiday wouldn't.

Right in the middle of gcses! How focussed on revision would dc be?

Possibly dim question here.

No possibly about it...

Dreadful time. Please don't do this to your child.

Definitely do not do, especially if looking to go abroad. It is very possible that he might have an exam on his first day back. What would happen if you are delayed and can't get back the day before?

That fear would be enough to ruin the holiday for most GCSE students.

Exams start mid may but there are often practical exams and language orals before that. There'll be revision sessions at Easter and half term. Is your holiday more important ?

Good point about being delayed on the way home. Several years ago we went away May half-term, returning on the Sunday. Mid air we were told that for operational reasons, our flight was now not going to Gatwick but to Manchester! We were bussed from Manchester back to Gatwick and instead of arriving home about 7 p.m., it was after midnight. A GCSE student on our coach was not going to get home until about 3 a.m. and had an exam the next morning!

Ok. Pretty conclusive then. I thought that would be the case. I haven't done this before and school haven't told us about exam timings, revision etc yet.
DS is a very reluctant student as it is, so I wouldn't get any work out of him on holiday.
Something cheaper in the summer it is then. (I have a younger DS so term time post exams is out too).

@Anasnake of course our holiday isn't more important. That's why I'm asking.

Apart from it being rather pointless for your son to be on holiday, it won't be much of a holiday for you if you have to make sure he is doing plenty of revision.

Exam timings are currently unknown but a start date of 14may is a good working date until you get things confirmed.

• a holiday in April or may would be an awful thing to do to your dc

Just been through GCSEs and I'd say it's a bad idea. We had the chance to go away during the exams, originally DD was all for it but as we got nearer and needed to firm it up, the thought totally stressed her out.

Exams here involved getting up early to try and cram a few more facts in, do the exam and then start all over again. Even having half term didn't seem to reduce this constant rollercoaster.

I know the weather won't be so great, but possibly consider Easter or immediately after the last exam around 26 June.

Not Easter. Revision should be in full swing by then.

We usually like to go away in May, but have had to put it on hold for GCSEs and AS exams, and next year it will be A levels. Why would you jeopardise your children's chances of success?

We like to go away in May too. We can still go in year 10 because year 10 exams are immediately after Easter but year 11 is definitely out.

check any end of term/year activities eg prom

I asked ds if he'd prefer a family holiday or a prom and he said a holiday without hesitation. I don't know about sixth form induction dates though. But a local friend with older dc went away in early July so it can't be impossible to work around unless something changes.

As for Easter, there are 2 weeks, I'm sure a short break at some point would be possible and even advisable in some cases. For example, if they are doing a language, you could spend a long weekend in the country they are doing the language of? But it depends if the school is doing revision sessions.

PS this is not AIBU so there's no need for sanctimonious comments. There's no need for them anyway, but especially not here.

Dd is in Year 11. We will be going away for a few days to the theatre in London) in February half term (along with several of her schoolfriends & teachers - same show 😁) also probably at Easter, this country though, not abroad although Dd may do an Easter dance residential instead.

I wouldn't go away abroad May half term but a long weekend in the U.K. would be fine I reckon.

Could you go somewhere over xmas or in the february half term week instead?

Obviously you dont get the same weather, but ive been to tenerife in the winter and had great weather, and also had good weather in malta, although thats probably not as reliable