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Secondary education

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Original poster

Dilemma about elite sports camp weekend before GCSE exam.

40 replies

moneyboxlive · 13/04/2019 12:46

DD is in year 10 but doing short-course RE GCSE a year early. The exam is on a Monday morning. She also plays a team sport at national level and has been invited to a squad camp the weekend before the exam. She wants to go, especially as it may influence her selection for the team in upcoming competitions, but I'm nervous about it.

She says she will have 2-3 hours free time for study on the Saturday evening, plus 2 hours in the car at each end of the trip. It sounds enough but I'm concerned she won't use the time as effectively as she might at home. She is bright, with a target grade of an 8 (and capable of a 9 on a good day), but tends to be complacent about how much revision is needed and got a 7 in her mock. She is often distracted by long phonecalls and messaging with friends. At the camp I won't be there to take the phone away.

WWYD?

OP posts:
TheFrendo · 13/04/2019 12:49

If she has done plenty of work and is on top of things before that last weekend, then the sport camp should be fine.

DinkyDaisy · 13/04/2019 12:51

Mmm- maybe take revision flashcards with her [or the on phone equivalent?].
Perhaps accept little will be done on the weekend and just do more the week before?
She may well not be in the frame of mind to revise if unable to go to this weekend anyway.

Heratnumber7 · 13/04/2019 13:02

If she's really talented I'd send her on the sports camp. A grade up or down isn't the end of the world in the long run, although nice to have at the time.

Yotam · 13/04/2019 13:06

I would encourage her to work consistently up until the weekend away and by the weekend she should just be reviewing material anyway - easy to do in the evening or on the car journeys.

If she does badly it will be a useful lesson for next year. I’m not really sure anyone actually cares about the result of a short course GCSE in RE, whereas the sporting opportunity might actually have an impact for the next few years.

Undies1990 · 13/04/2019 13:19

If she's taking it a year early and that's the only exam she has coming up, then let her go. A 7 in her mock is good! Make sure she is keeping up with revision between now and the weekend and let her go. She'll enjoy it and get so much out of it! If she messes up her GCSE, there is always next year I guess?

MiniMum97 · 13/04/2019 13:27

Its short course RE. So largely irrelevant. I would let her go. The camp sounds more important.

titchy · 13/04/2019 13:41

What is going to have more impact on her life - sports camp and possible selection, or a grade 8/9 in half a GCSE? That's your answer.

Comefromaway · 13/04/2019 13:42

No contest. Do the sports camp.

reefedsail · 13/04/2019 13:46

A random short course GCSE is NOT worth missing a national camp for.

BigSandyBalls2015 · 13/04/2019 13:49

sports camp, no brainer
GCSE RE isn't that difficult and she sounds very bright. My DD passed and she did sod all revision and she's not particularly academic to be fair.

daisypond · 13/04/2019 13:51

Sports camp.

clary · 13/04/2019 15:39

Deffo go to the sports camp. I put my foot down about ds2 wanting to do a three day camp over May half term - but he is in yr 11 and not at a national level in his sport!

It sounds like a great opportunity for yr dd. And short course RE in yr 10 is hardly the be all and end all. It's the work she's done up to then that counts, not what she does the day before!

eurochick · 13/04/2019 15:53

Can she use the car journeys to have someone test her?

Debenhamshandtowel · 13/04/2019 15:54

I would say sports camp too. My concern would be that she’d be tired out though. I’d prefer her to try and get some rest on the Saturday evening and certainly on the Sunday journey back in the car. The most revision I’d expect on that last weekend is looking through flash card notes.

Panicmode1 · 13/04/2019 15:58

A friend of ours has a child who competes at a national level. She was on training camps and competing throughout her GCSEs and As and got great grades as well as now having a shot at Tokyo because she studied in the car, or on rest breaks etc.

I would let her do the camp. Unless she needs a 9 because she's going to study Theology later, I would trust she's done enough. They can't study all the time (I keep telling my Yr 10 son this - he's taking maths early and they 'expect them all to get 9s'. No pressure!)

TonTonMacoute · 13/04/2019 17:08

Agree a weekend of sport will be no problem if she has done plenty of work beforehand, in fact having a weekend focussing on something else will most likely be a benefit.

Physical activity is as good for the brain as sitting in front of books.

TooStressyTooMessy · 13/04/2019 17:09

Sports camp, without a doubt. It sounds like a very important opportunity for her.

MarchingFrogs · 13/04/2019 19:34

Unless she needs a 9 because she's going to study Theology later

But she just won't, seriously? Even if the school requires GCSE RS to do the A level, it really won't require a 9 - but equally, it would presumably require the full GCSE, not the short course?

(I'm perfectly open to the OP coming back to say - yes, DD intends to read Theology, the school does require both GCSE for the A level and a 9 in it, but is happy with the short course - naturallySmile. It just seems very unlikely?).

Comefromaway · 13/04/2019 19:36

Dd is studying RS A Level & indeed got a 9 in the full gcse but I’d have still said sports camp (I personally think early entry is stupid but that’s beside the point).

BackforGood · 13/04/2019 19:42

I would let her go. Partly because a grade up or down in a short course exam taken a year early is never going to be career changing, but also because, if she is well prepared, those last hours won't make that much difference and if she isn't, they won't either.
However, it sounds like her presence at the sports thing will make a difference.

Userplusnumbers · 13/04/2019 19:44

No one is going to care what she got in an RE GCSE in three years time - if she's not prepared for it by the weekend, there's very little that's going to change that. I'd let her go.

booellesmum · 13/04/2019 19:50

Definitely sports camp.
They need have something outside of revision and exams.
For my DD it was concerts.
She knew she had to work damn hard at other times so she was allowed to have evenings off to see bands.
She went to a band the night before a Spanish exam and we got home around midnight. Seeing them was important to her as they are a small band that she'd liked for a long time and they had never toured England before.
She put the work in before and got an A*.
This year is A levels and she has concerts between exams.
It works for my DD and she needs the downtime.
You know your DD best though.

GlacindaTheTroll · 13/04/2019 20:04

Definitely the sports camp this year.

Not least so she can learn how to balance revision programme around a weekend off for sport (as this is bound to come up next year too)

The odd couple of days off for important events should always be allowed for when planning revision. Cramming in the immediate run-up isn't necessarily the best thing to do, and isn't needed if most of the work is done over the several weeks before

GeorgeTheFirst · 13/04/2019 20:06

My kids are past the exam years. I say let her go.

MarchingFrogs · 13/04/2019 20:19

We've got a GCSE one and an A level one this year and I would still say go. I respect DS2's decision not to spend the day before his first exam with me at an event related to one of his main out of school interests- but I still asked hom whether he wanted to come.