Holiday booked during mock exam 😫!!

[claudib]

Feeling very foolish. We booked a trip (to see the Grandparent who lives abroad) and decided this time to be a bit naughty and book it on the Thursday before half term starts to get a bit of a discount. And we have just found out that my year 11 child's school have booked the mocks earlier than expected!! On the Thursday that we are flying..
Bugger!! Sod's law ect..😫
Just wondering if we just have to book a later flight.. or is there a chance we could make an excuse to school which we were obviously going to do anyway but how do they deal with missed mock exams? Do they always give another opportunity?
She is an incredibly diligent student and has a good relationship with her school and we have never done this before. But I don't know if anyone has had experience of this..
Thanks.

OP decided to "be naughty" "this time"?

I think it could be better put as 'be selfish' 'at as near as damnit the worst time possible'?

This

Oh god, I asked for advice, not judgement. Reading some of the replies you'd think I posted in AIBU.. anyway, thanks to those who held back the judgment And just gave sage advice, their experience or what they would do. It's much appreciated (and imo people like you are making the world a better place In general with your kind attitude 🥰)
So it's not a regular holiday but a visit to a grandparent to Spain ( too hot/expensive in Summer) and we don't have a lot of money hence the temptation to book the earlier flight.
And we were told initially that mocks were going to be held in December but turns out they've decided to spread them across the year.

Don't listen to previous posters. It's not ideal but not the end of the world. Former head of year 11 here and it's honestly going to be fine. Have a lovely time

Mocks aren’t entirely just about sitting the papers. They’re about mimicking the whole exam experience. Sitting them at another time means she will miss out on that key practice. It’s also not a given that she can sit them at another time and it’s frankly unreasonable if you to expect school to facilitate this. You’re necessarily expecting teachers to find the time to mark your child’s outside of the time they’ve already allocated for everyone else’s. You knew the term dates. You should never assume they won’t be doing much in the last few days, particularly in Year 11 when every lesson counts. Change the flight.

How many exams is she missing?
Does she need the mock grades for her next step - external Sixth Form, apprenticeship, etc?
If you were posting "should I book this flight?" I would say no, but you have, so I think I would probably go.

How many days of mock exams will she be having? We usually do catch-up sessions for pupils who miss exams but your school might not do this or not for those who have been on holiday.

Thanks for your replies.👍
It's just 1 exam that she'd miss.

Then go ahead and have the holiday. Pay the fine or whatever. Nobody will die.

Mocks can usually be taken at a later date, but in my experience (as a teacher) they might not get the true experience, or the full time as it may have to be done in a normal lesson slot. If your child didn't take the mock the teacher would just make their best guess for a predicted grade based on whatever other data they had. Most schools now do three sets of mocks. It probably matters more if your child is on the cusp of doing either foundation or higher tier papers. Missing a mock is not the end of the world basically, but it is unfortunate.

Year 11 is not the ideal time to be missing any school though and I say that as someone firmly of the belief that most years term time holidays are fine. That being said, I suppose if they are missing mocks at least they aren't missing any or as much teaching which is more important. The trip is booked now so unless it could be changed with minimal expense or inconvenience I would probably just go. In the grand scheme of things it's not a major issue.

If it makes you feel any better I've booked a concert in another city (our favourite artist) which also falls right in the middle of mocks. We're going to leave for the concert straight after the exam, but will return very late at night so DD will attend an exam the next day with very little sleep

Many schools won't schedule extra dates for mocks that have been missed, and most won't in the circumstances of a holiday, as the idea is that they replicate the real experience where you would not get a second chance at the exam.

Assume you’ve no choice now if the flight is booked as pretty sure most flights don’t just let you change them. I guess you’re going to have to lie then and say she’s sick or you booked the holiday as we’re informed December was mocks. Not a lot you can do now but booking a holiday in term time in year 11 isn’t advisable as there’s so many tests and exams. My DD wouldn’t even go away for 2 days in the Easter holidays

Just one exam? I'm firmly in the "attendance counts" camp, but it's already done. Go see the grandparents, unless missing the mock will stress her out, at which point would she fly alone? Or if 2 adults are going, split the family and Y12 child plus one parent follow on later.
PS I have a current Y11.

Have you got holiday insurance in place? Check the t’s and c’s in case you are covered for the cost of a flight change in these circumstances.

The school aren't going to move a mock because you've chosen to take unauthorised absence.

You made the choice you have to own it. You decided that that flight was worth more than one day's education so that's it. That's the choice. Get on with it.

Holiday insurance isn't going to cover this!

Choosing to miss two days in y11 was a bit daft anyway.move the flight.

They will have a catch up session for children who have missed a mock exam. It will be after the half term though so will be hanging over her while she is away.

Most schools have catch up days at the end. She can sit them then. Things happen!

Mocks can be caught up with but most mock exam periods run for one or two weeks. I am assuming that if the mocks are starting on the Thursday before half-term (weird day to start them) then presumably there will be some happening immediately after half term too? Will she have time to revise for these during the holiday?

There will be a catch up session where missed mocks are sat. So should be ok.

I'm an invigilator, we always have a catch up for missed mock exams.

My school doesn't do catch up mocks. If. Student was sick I might give up my own time to sit with them. However, the questions will be known so I won't view it as being a genuine unseen exam.

One exam? I'd miss it. But I would make sure they bring revision on holiday, which I'm assuming you're doing anyway.

Even if these were the exams they base the predictions on for 6th form applications one exam won't change much. Which subject is it?