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.

I would speak to the school. They will have provision for children being ill so may let her sit it when you get back (please don’t lie, the tan will be obvious that you’ve been away).
Normally, I would say that you’re an idiot (sorry), but I feel it was a genuine mistake and you feel awful. They may even let her sit it the day before, if she doesn’t contact any of her friends for 24 hrs - suggest this to the school, you could keep her phone to be on the safe side.

Former teacher here.

It's one mock exam - not the end of the world if they miss it if they are a good student and work hard the rest of the time. What is their attendance usually like? If they miss just 2 days out of the whole year it's really not an issue. It would be a big no for me for the real thing, but missing a single mock paper is not that big a deal.

Go and let her enjoy time with her grandparents.

Can your child fly out on their own a couple of days later?

The whole point of mock exams is to 'mock-up' the exam - the paper, the exam rules. Even if the school allow a child to re-take, it won't be the same as doing it in a room, with everybody else, under exam conditions.

Move the flight.

I've worked as an invigilator. We had a child fall asleep in an actual GCSE exam because they had been to a concert the night before.

Speak to the school and be honest. If the travel is to see an elderly family member they will probably be sympathetic.
They won't necessarily be able to change anything but I would expect to be able to have a reasonable conversation with the school about the best thing to do.

they dose up and go in anyway, unless in hospital incapacitated.

exam years are important. mocks as well as they are the fall back should a child not be able to sit the final exams.

To add we had a similar situation in that we had a family wedding to attend abroad (family lives abroad) during mocks and although it wasn't ideal we talked to the school and they were understanding.

You don’t take kids out of school in Year 11.

Honestly it's no wonder some kids are stressed to shit with this level of drama, it's one mock exam. Not ideal but hardly the end of the world.

Hold on they are spreading them out rather than all in one block - because that actually doesn’t particularly follow how the actual exams will be - and will it be in the hall or a classroom

what subject as well

DS school did one set of mocks only in November straight after 1/2 term break .

I'm sure it can be resolved with school.

Not sure where you are going in Spain and obviously it varies but all the places we usually go to are dearer for return flights in half term than when we went at end June last year just after GCSEs finished

My son missed a few mocks due to illness and retook them. However I wouldn't have been booking holidays term time in year 11.

When Covid hit mocks were used to go towards CAG and TAG grades. Is it a core subject?

SLT will say they'll re-arrange it. The reality is the teacher will be expected to give up their time to sort this. Or your dd will be sat at the back of a class trying to concentrate on a mock paper.

I’m an invigilator. Every mock exam session we have students who have missed exams. Our mocks are taken over eight days and at the end of the session we always have students catching up on exams and I sometimes have five different exams running in my room. We still run the exam under strict exam conditions so the experience for the student is exactly the same albeit with a few more disruptions if we have several different finish times.
I would check with the school re their arrangements and catching up.

Be prepared to move the flight but talk to the school.

The school do not have to do anything but they can.

Most teachers are in school long after 3.30 so could she do the mock the afternoon / evening before you fly?

Can you take a sealed copy of the paper with you?

Could they email the paper to your DD at the time and date the others are in the hall? It can be set up early to send at that time and date.

Obviously you have to try to simulate exam conditions which might not be easy.

Can she stay with a friend and fly out a day later?

Surely there’s a difference between “things happen” like a car accident and “things happen” like I booked a holiday? If this child is the only one that ends up missing it you’re impacting on teaching staff that should be supporting the whole of year 11.

Even if the date of this exam was unexpected I'm surprised that you booked a holiday just before a period of mocks. Also I imagine that there are lots of extra lessons in half term that really help that you are also missing out on.

Extra lessons in half-term? Doubt it!

You wanted advice, not judgement.

My advice would be to change the flight, either for her, or all of you.

and presumably the rest of the Thursday. and do they have school on the Friday? In year 11, of all years, you are taking her out of school...

The school will probably go over that exam straight after half term, and she won't have done it so won't learn anything.

I'd be even more concerned about what else she is going to miss on the Thursday and the Friday. Will they be going through the other mocks that she's already done, which is valuable time to be at school?

Can you move her flight and that of one parent? The rest of the family go early if that makes sense?

Thanks again for the helpful replies to this. (And the judgemental, gnarly responses well, I suppose I can see those as free entertainment! 😫😂)
We decided to just avoid stress and book two extra flights. It was another £200 quid so it was manageable and we can stress less on the trip. 😅
But it's genuinely love this space for your helpful tips. I haven't been using it in recent years. So much since the kids grew older and Mumsnet does get a bad name in the public sphere for being gladiatorial!😂But for the good eggs amongst you, you are amazing! 🥰🥰🥰

Glad you got it sorted. A reminder that there is a reserve date for the real GCSE’s at the end of June which is used in the event of a leak/issue in any paper. Don’t book flights for a Summer holiday before that date!