Study leave and exam timetables

[Glassesalwaysneeded]

Just looking for views and experience, please.

Is it unusual to NOT have study leave from just before the start of the GCSEs?

And

Are individual pupil exam time tables issued by the school normally expected?

Background

Older children attended a different school (one is just doing A Levels). Both had study leave (parents informed about it before Easter) and prior to that both received individual time tables to check they’d been entered correctly and to plan for any clashes.

Third DS is taking his GCSEs at different school. Study leave not communicated with parents.*.

Friday 9 May parents received an email giving a timetable of all of the exams being sat across the year group.

The email also outlined an “immersion” timetable. This immersion timetable was a mixture of regular lessons at regular times with a change the day of or the day before an exam to do a two period immersion session on the exam coming up. This will continue until something like 13 June (not the end of the exam period but towards the end).

To be honest, it’s hard to keep up with (I don’t think helped by the layout of the time table as a word document). For example, they sit an exam at 9am until 10.30am. They are then expected in the remaining part of a lesson until 10.45. Break time then into a period and a 1/4 before an early lunch ( to accommodate those with 1pm exams). In the afternoon possibly into an immersion session ready for the exam the next day or into normal lessons (which aren’t normal as lunch has been brought forward).

On Friday we received an email to say they’d had some kids not going to lessons and immersions and only coming in for exams. It wasn’t the usual attendance is key message but clearly wanting everyone in.

*There was an assembly that week in which the kids were told, no study leave yet.

Fwiw, DS is going in all of time albeit a little confused about where he needs to be (no temporary lesson timetable has been given out). He’s just frustrated as immersions seem to involve past papers where he wants to be looking at specific topics that he thinks he could be doing better at home. He also hates the constant chatter about papers just sat which he can’t get away from being in school.

I’m interested if his experience is common (no study leave and no individual timetable). Thanks

DD took GCSEs last year. No exam leave at her school, expected in normal lessons if she didn’t have an exam until May half term. After half term only needed to be in lessons for subjects she still had an exam in so increasingly didn’t need to be in school. She did get a personalised exam timetable though, I think she had that before the Easter holidays.

Neither of mine had it for GCSEs and I don’t know anyone who did have it. My dc had to be in school all day every day during the exam period ans went to the exams as a part of the school day.

Now my dd is doing A levels at sixth form college. Her lessons for each subject didn’t stop until the timetabled lesson before each exam. She doesn’t have to go in when she hasn’t got an exam but the teachers are there for drop in sessions during the normal time they would have a lesson. They can go in and get things marked, get feedback etc.

An individual exam timetable is standard and should be issued so that children can check they have been entered for the right exams and that their name on the exam entry is correct.

Increasingly schools are moving away from study leave for GCSEs.

Some still do from after the half term but a lot will expect their Y11 in for the full day.

Unfortunately it is because of the proportion of students who will mess about at home, not study and perform poorly in exams. Most children can be trusted to revise but schools can't say some children need to be in and not others.

DS is doing GCSEs this year, he doesn't have study leave. The school has changed the timetable so that instead of the usual lessons there are revision sessions for that day or the next days exam subjects. DS has got an individual timetable showing his exams & revision sessions, it seems very well organised.

Ex secondary teacher.

in the time I’ve been in teaching it’s become normal for fewer and fewer schools to offer study leave.

when I began everywhere had it.

my own school went through a transition period where students who were on target in mocks were allowed study leave and the rest weren’t.

then after a couple of years they moved to no study leave.

so many kids just don’t revise at all. If you keep them in school they do better on the exams.