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Secondary education

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Original poster

Study leave for Year 11 has been banned

53 replies

BellaBear · 22/11/2007 19:21

SMT have just announced that study leave for GCSE year has been banned (by the government) and as such, there is no point having any for mocks in two weeks time.

On a personal note [noooooooo I am a year 11 tutir and was looking forward to two weeks of no registrations!)

I understand the reasons are exam results improving in schools where this has been trialled. I think that it has added to our workload and I'll bet nothing gets taken away!

Does anyone work in a school that doesn't have study leave? How do you manage lessons after the exams have occurred? Do you still teach planned lessons or do lessons become general revision sessions?

OP posts:
scienceteacher · 22/11/2007 20:08

I have always been very skeptical of study leave (thought grateful to have the free time as a teacher).

When I was at school, there was no such thing - we did our exams (in Scotland)straight after the Easter holidays, and then either started our next years' courses or did a leavers' programme.

I'm pretty sure that an awful lot of students have no idea what to do to revise during their time off. I am always happy to see those who voluntarily come into school during that time.

Blandmum · 22/11/2007 20:15

We stopped ours year before last. many of our students did next to no work during 'study leave' and it was seen as extra holiday by lots of them.

I run revision lessons. If there is a particular topic that they struggle with (the nitrogen cycle springs to mind) I do a revision lesson on it.

I also spend lessons going over past papers as group activities. I also use things like mind mapping of topics etc. Question loops, who wants to be a millionaire, getting them to set questions, this is the answer, what is the question, key word activities.

We teach right up to the start of the main block of GCSEs

brimfull · 22/11/2007 20:18

so do you mean there will be no study leave for any students in any school.

dd is in yr 11

I would delight in this decision

Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:21

Yes, I do completely understand that most students do nothing during study leave, which is why our study leave started at the same time as the main exams (ie not the orals or art practicals, but the bigger one).

But now they are going to be in lessons after the exams have started. So if the (say) maths exam has happened, what do we teach in maths lessons? And if before that, if they have an exam at 1.30 and we are teaching them just before lunch, they aren't going to want to revise maths, so will we just babysit them revising other subjects?

And when are we meant to do all the curriculum development that usually happens when your timetable is freed up?

OP posts:
Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:22

ggirl - yes

and I really do understand about students not using study leave (I did, but that's another story), it's the during exam bit, and the impact on our workloads that I am concerned about.

OP posts:
Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:24

I really hope that I am not coming across as workshy, I'm not I work very very hard! I'm just not sure how I can fit more work into a school year without something giving.

OP posts:
pointydog · 22/11/2007 20:24

you squeeze it in wherever you can.

Not ideal

brimfull · 22/11/2007 20:25

so will she still finish this school year early after taking all her gsce's?

was planning an early holiday this yr

Blandmum · 22/11/2007 20:25

What we did was to have a study area open to them, so that they could work in the library.

also if we hadn't had or first exam, and they were with us prior to another GCSE exam, we'd let them revise for that exam in our lesson (If that makes sense!)

Once the exams were over, they were out of school. So they had a longer summer holiday because of the time after the exams had finished, before the main school broke up.

We didn't start AS with them, because of timetabling constraints, and also they don't know exactly what they will study at AS because they haven't got their GCSE results.

Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:28

MB - that does make sense. So babysitting when I could be revising SoW. I think this needs to be sorted out very carefully so it doesn't just turn into an exercise in holding studnets in school.

I also worry about the students who do use during-exam-study-leave (ie only coming in when they have an exam) effectively.

OP posts:
Blandmum · 22/11/2007 20:30

TBH it wasn't quite as bad as I'd feared. The biggest extra load of work was for the form tutors.

Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:32

Yes, I am Year 11 tutor, followed them from Year 7!

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Blandmum · 22/11/2007 20:32

What was funny was the 'protest' some of the students staged when they realised that they were going to lose the study leave.

As you'd sort of expect it was led by the students least likely to actually do any study in study leave

they all accept it now.

Blandmum · 22/11/2007 20:32

ohh, do you get some 'babies' next year?

Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:34

And also, am on maternity leave from Jan, so will miss out anyway, but it the general idea of during exam study leave that is worrying me.

It does mean that the last two weeks of this term which were meant to be so nice (no reg, no Year 11 lessons) and a chance to sort things out for my maternity cover won't be nearly as nice. And it is crap to find that out two weeks before it happens when you have been looking forward to it. But I totally recognise that that is a very persnal complaint.

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Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:34

and selfish!

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TheQueenOfQuotes · 22/11/2007 20:35

so what happens to those students who's exams finish before other students do?

I remember at school some of us finished our exams about 1 1/2 weeks before the rest, just because of our choice of subjects.....do they just have to turn up to school and twiddle their thumbs?? ?

I can't remember if I had study leave......actually no I didn't (I think) but that was because my school day also included my music lessons and practice sessions LOL

Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:35

Yes, I would get year 7 if I was there next sept.

It is lovely to follow a form for five years!

OP posts:
Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:36

QoQ - that is a very good point. I wonder.

OP posts:
Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:38

TBH, I'm really not sure if it is workable to have registration and lessons for year 11 when the exams really get going (ie two weeks after may half term), but we'll se what happens.

Actually, I won't! I'll be at home thank goodness.

OP posts:
Blandmum · 22/11/2007 20:38

No, once they are done with their exams, they are done with school until they come back in the sixth form in the following sept..

In practice we didn't chase them up once the main body of the exams started.

the only thing that really changed was losing the period of study leave they used to have after Whitsun before the main body of the exams start. (not orals etc)

TheQueenOfQuotes · 22/11/2007 20:39

awww that's a bummer for those who have exams right at the end of the school term if all their friends finish a week (or more) before then

Original poster
BellaBear · 22/11/2007 20:40

There aren't any exams past end of june for GCSE

OP posts:
Blandmum · 22/11/2007 20:41

'life is unfair, learn it now!'

The same thing happened to me at O level, A level and during my degree. Mine was the last A level of the year, biology practical exam, and it was a week and a half after the last one. PITA but I survived

It was the same prior to getting rid of study leave though

brimfull · 22/11/2007 20:43

I think it is great that they are doing this.

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