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Secondary education

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Original poster

Holidaying before GCSE's?

52 replies

TreacherousPissFlap · 26/10/2019 11:15

Yay or nay?
Thinking of possibly Easter holidays or May half term for a few days. DS is adamant that it needs to be revision only (school is very academic and quite rightly are pressing home the importance of exams)

I feel that a break would do him good. He can revise either morning or afternoon and we can go out in the other half. It will obviously be a very different holiday to what we normally have but it's only a one off. OTOH, it seems a bit harsh to drag him off on a holiday he doesn't want to go on Shock

OP posts:
southofmanc · 26/10/2019 19:29

What Berthatydfil said.

He doesn’t want to go away. Don’t go. Exam season is stressful enough without making it more difficult for him

sansou · 26/10/2019 21:00

Some families have taken Oct half term as the best time to get away. Mocks for DS are straight after Christmas so apart from 3 days' visiting the GPs, we're home for him to revise.

We've decided not to go skiing at Feb HT either - DS needs some downtime as well as doing some work which I cannot see being done daily on a ski holiday.

Same for Easter - I expect that Easter weekend to visit GPs or have them visit us will be the only proper short break. DS has a practice DoE expedition one weekend too with school. Otherwise even the school Easter ski trip is closed to Y11 & Y13's!

May HT is a definite no-no for practically everyone. We normally go away at Feb HT & one week at Easter - instead, we'll have a bigger budget for our summer holiday instead.

sansou · 26/10/2019 21:08

DS is not the type to revise all hours - this week, he's managed 2/3 hours on the days that he has made some effort - so, certainly not every day. Better than nowt. I comfort myself with the thought that it's a marathon, not a sprint!

ChocolateTea · 26/10/2019 21:11

Please please please dont book a may half term holiday. There's usually intense sessions and I've had students in tears because their parents are taking them away and they want to stay home.

Easter for a week of the 2 week break could work, but please don't the May half term

Starlight456 · 26/10/2019 21:15

GCSE year for me is the one year I think home is the best place to be .

Shakirasma · 26/10/2019 21:15

I've had 2 children go through GCSEs now, most recently this summer.

Please dont do it. It is a slog for them but they really do need to remain focused. They have a lovely long summer holiday afterwards to recover. In the run up and in the midst of it all a holiday would be an unwelcome distraction, even though it seems a nice idea right now.

RedskyToNight · 26/10/2019 21:20

DC's school has one set of mocks 2 weeks after October half term and a second set 2 weeks after February half term.

And then revision sessions through a fair part of the Easter holidays.
They also start DofE in Year 9, so that students should have finished their silver well before GCSEs.

I get the impression they are not really keen on Year 11 students taking holidays :) (We are going away for a short break between Christmas and New Year!)

pointythings · 26/10/2019 22:28

shakirasma but you can't say that. I have also had two children go through GCSEs and my experience has been the exact opposite of yours. Parents have to decide these things in collaboration with their DCs - there isn't a single right answer to the question.

ChicCauldron · 26/10/2019 22:33

No. Surprised you would even entertain the idea.

Wheat2Harvest · 26/10/2019 22:37

Definitely not. When I saw the title I thought it would be a DC putting pressure on a parent to allow said DC to go on holiday before their exams - not the other way around.

Your DS is focused on what he should be doing and you are upsetting the applecart by trying to change his admirable focus. He now has not only his studying to do but has to contend with possibly going on a holiday that he doesn't want at this time, feeling guilty if you don't go because of his studying, not enjoying it because his mind is elsewhere if you do go, and so on.

I am appalled. Your poor DS.

Original poster
TreacherousPissFlap · 26/10/2019 23:17

wheat Grin

In all likelihood we won't go (based on what I've been advised here actually) I genuinely thought it would be a good opportunity to kick back, and I'm aware that DS's school are exceptionally militant about revision etc. Most kids would probably take that with a pinch of salt, DS is extremely diligent and I fear may be in danger of burning himself out unlike his mother

OP posts:
blueshoes · 26/10/2019 23:45

Respect his choice.

This.

If you organise a holiday against his wish, you are doing it for your benefit, not his. That is an extremely selfish decision.

Fredericaca · 27/10/2019 19:40

Please don't. They don't need a holiday at Easter or in May half term. They need their own bed, fully functioning WiFi, the chance to hang out with friends if they want to and all their books to hand.

clary · 27/10/2019 20:41

All three of my DC have done their GCSEs now, and one thing that people who haven't gone through this may not realise is that half term in May Is bang in the middle...so there will be things they totally leave till half term to revise (final stages anyway). For Ds2 for example this was history, which he didn't look at after Easter hold until May holiday, ditto a good deal of science and Eng language. He was really focused on the earlier ones - eng lit, comp Sci, PE for him - then when they were done and gone, he turned to the others. Does that make sense? it's kind of hard to explain how it works, but the actual exam period is so intense, he had seven exams in the first week. A holiday in half term would have put the kybosh on this method tbh.

Mumto2two · 28/10/2019 13:03

Easter possibly, but surely this should be your child's decision? It wasn't something we would ever have suggested when our daughter did her exams, but if we were hell bent on going somewhere, and she wanted to stay at home and revise, we would 100% have respected that.

Lara53 · 28/10/2019 14:12

We did 3 days away over Easter weekend and the same in half term last year. DS really need a Break as he’d been working so hard

ealingwestmum · 28/10/2019 19:52

it seems a bit harsh to drag him off on a holiday he doesn't want to go on

That's the key bit OP, all DC work differently. We're away this xmas with the plan to work a few hours then relax, ahead of mocks in Jan (I know they're not as important as the real ones), DD is happy with this. Her choice too to also maintain attendance on the Easter 7 days sports camp, with the hours set aside by coaches to study, alongside the others sitting exams. It's what she knows, experienced with others in past years and seen them come out the other end, and understands the value of balance. But I know this would not work for everyone, so it's down to individual judgement.

paddlingwhenIshouldbeworking · 28/10/2019 21:18

If he's said he doesn't want to go and this is one of the critical points in his education, why would want to sabotage that for a quickly forgotten holiday?

paddlingwhenIshouldbeworking · 28/10/2019 21:22

Agree some children need a break, but some find the idea of being away hard.

I know I would have found it much more stressful being away and having to study when everyone else was on holiday.

Not all would, but he's said what he thinks and it would be so unfair not to consider him at this point.

DrDeluxe · 28/10/2019 21:28

I wouldn't book anything. Just stay at home but take some days off work and then you can go for a local treats to help break up the tedium of revision. My DS enjoyed things like going out for lunch or a walk somewhere or going to see a film in the evening. If you go away he will need to bring a load of books, laptop, have reliable internet blah blah. Just not worth the hassle.

mistressiggi · 28/10/2019 21:53

I am impressed. We have parents taking their dc on holiday in termtime during the exam year!

CalleighDoodle · 28/10/2019 22:01

Year 11 is not the time to kick back.

Book for july.

BeardedMum · 28/10/2019 22:04

Depends on the child, but I am in the a break will do him good brigade. We always go away at Easter both GCSE and A level years. Only for max 5 days. I think it relaxes them and their results have not suffered.

StanleySteamer · 28/10/2019 23:26

I used to teach in a school near a big seaside resort. We used to dread the results whenever Easter had fine warm weather, kids would go to the beach "to revise" (not). As other PPs have said, if he don't wanna do it then don't stress him by taking him away and absolutely deffo not during May half-term. Again I would underline, he is about to have the longest summer holiday possibly of his life. Look forward to that.

ForeverbyJudyBlume · 29/10/2019 13:31

DD was furious when we went away at May half term in yr 8 and yr 9, she is another diligent type ad wanted to revise for school exams. She spent all the time (we had to go on both for extended family reasons) revising and fuming at missing out on beach time/fun etc. We're now in yr 10 and I have promised her it won't happen again in May and certainly not Easter before big exams. Respect his wishes, as everyone says.