Does anyone else’s DC not really have any GCSE study leave? Ours is finishing so late!

[FedUpOfThisGCSEmalarkey]

My DC’s school made the decision this year that they’re keeping them in school until 12th June!! Their last exam is 15th!

I can see pros and cons of this approach tbh, so I’m not necessarily adverse to it, but I’ve yet to hear of another school doing this?

Definitely not true, ours is a state grammar school and GCSE students finished yesterday, now only in for exams although they can choose to go in to study, and there are a couple of optional maths cramming sessions.

I stopped going to school around Easter, our official last day was when the school broke up for spring bank holiday, got1 invited to the dining room for a lukewarm cup of orange squash, was escorted out of school by 11.10, signed on the Dole by 12.00pm so I got my card to use the council sports facilities free for the summer (really just the outdoor pool at the local park)

Ds old school are insisting pupils are in school right up to the end of their exams, must be in for 8.30am tutor time even if they only have an afternoon exam, in full uniform & must have their equipment checked & signed off before they leave their tutor. They are also having to attend compulsory period 7 every day after school, if they miss any they can't attend prom.

No study leave at our school. It’s been like that for a few years as 18yo DD didn’t get any either. Our year 11s leave after the physics exam on the 15th June. Even year 13 aren’t getting any study leave this year - if they’ve still got exams to go in any of their subjects, they have to come in for that subject right up until the exam.

I don't understand this. Our school has given parents clear info months ago on when study leave starts (yesterday), details for prom and last day arrangements- shirt signing, silly games followed by nice lunch together plus photos. Of course parents need to know this stuff so they can plan life. Eg I buy a custom train season ticket for the dates we need. Also avoided prom date when booking holiday.

I can't see why keeping this info from students and parents has any benefit at all.

It would be very unusual to not have some sort of provision for students using a school only bus who need to be in school all day. I'd question that as a parent.

As for the rest, half term ends on 1st June, almost a month away. Shove some nuggets and chips in the freezer, plus a few noodles in the cupboards and he won't starve.

None of the issues are insurmountable. I'm sure school will be in touch soon.

À lot depends on the demographic of the school.

I've worked in one school that didn't tell parents or children until the day the students left. This was to avoid a gang war with another school and was absolutely necessary.

DS finishes at half term but then he only has 3 exams left to go back for.

My son’s school doesn’t offer study leave and I’m really pleased as he’s not a very motivated person and simply wouldn’t study at home. They finish on the 12th and the last exam is on the 15th.

I work in a private school and the kids are all on study leave now. I personally would have done much worse in both GCSEs and A Levels if I hadn’t had a decent chunk of study leave as I revise so much better by myself. I think most kids learn better when it’s just them and they can commit things to memory properly. But lots of kids don’t have the motivation for it.

That’s interesting. I feel the opposite. I’ve taught the syllabus, done past papers and I’m struggling to help them any more now. They really just need to sit with their notes and memorise them!

Another one here with no study leave. He's in school until his last exam on 15th June. I'm glad to be honest. If he was off he'd rot in bed all morning but then I dont have a very mature or focused child. Scraping the grades he needs is the best we can hope for!

Thankful to see your post. My son is the same. Feeling a bit down reading about all the really focused kids who are going to get amazing grades

PPs don't worry, most are unmotivated and need the routine of school. It's better to let the self studiers opt out than leave the unmotivated with no support. Your kids will be fine and hopefully do enough to get to their next step.

The school vs home debate kind of sidesteps the real issue — whether the student actually has a clear system to follow at home.

Most kids who aren't productive on study leave aren't lazy; they're just overwhelmed. They sit down to revise, open their notes, feel like there's too much to cover, and end up going back to topics they already know because it feels like progress.

What I see consistently with the GCSE students I work with is that the ones who thrive at home have three things: they know which topics to prioritise for their specific exam board, they have fresh past papers they haven't done yet (not ones the teacher already used in class), and they have something to track their weak areas so they're not just circling comfortable content.

Once that structure is in place, home study can be genuinely more effective than sitting in a noisy classroom with a supply teacher.

If your DC is about to get time at home and you're worried they won't use it well, worth getting that structure sorted before they're left to it. I build personalised revision hubs for GCSE students — happy to chat if it would help.

Big city comp here.
Kids are in. Exams have started.
Shirt signing is 22/5 so we assume optional attendance after 1/2 term.
no official note yet.. will be last min to save issues with behaviours.
our school puts onus on the kids and then will confirm to parents.
no idea when year books come out and hoodies and barely any prom info
@Lemonthyme you seem to be very involved in issues our school would expect Yr7 to sort themselves never mind end Yr11s

I also think people forget that yr11 can be unmotivated, overwhelmed, stressed etc and a lot at home don’t have printers to print out past papers, quiet area to study, own bedrooms, a library to use, parents to support and assist etc etc

I’d say outside of Mumsnet that pretty common. My yr9 DS is bright but completely lazy. He only works if supervised. Luckily we are home based workers but otherwise he’d have to be in school to do a thing when gets to Yr11

Thank you for organising my life for me. But in the meantime with your "he won't starve" it's just another thing for me to do. Thanks. Also while not being sure on if I can accept work.

It has zero benefit. Also other parents pay for taxis to and from school and while I'm sure you're right they will probably allow the kids into school if they get a bus outside of those times, they still haven't given us any information on this. GCSEs at my son's school start today.

My son's doing ok so far but some kids might want to offload after some exams and I have no idea if my son will need to. Chances are he'll be on his own for up to 8 hours with nobody to offload to.

I know you're here defending school policy for some reason but my point is zero thought has gone into home situations where there's not one parent who doesn't work or shared custody. Absolutely zero. And last year they didn't do this, there were no problems. So why now and why so late? It's utterly inconsiderate of kids and parents. Especially kids who are anxious about their preparation. At this stage I don't even know (and neither does my son) if the in school revision "lessons" will be led or self taught. So how can he plan?

Not sure what you mean with that? Just trying to make sure that my son can get to and from school for his exams and organise my own life around it. When you're in a coparenting relationship it's a lot more complex, especially when he doesn't get to and from school the same way for both houses.

Some of his friends share taxis to and from school because we live in a rural area. It's complex and considering I've been asking since the start of April, some information would be great. There's still be nothing "official"

It feels like the DfE are guiding schools away from study leave. My DDs school still does it, but I know they have spent time making sure they can justify this if asked to prove that it is the best thing for their students and that none are disadvantaged by this. Y11 have finished this week, Y13 next week. They do some extra sessions over Easter for those who need or want them, which maybe helps to balance things out.

my son’s school has done the same. I’m letting him stay home and he’s getting a lot done.

It is ridiculous that he’s expected to attend classes as per his normal timetable with interruptions and he can’t get up, go to the toilet when he wants, snack when he wants and he can’t even use the study aids he would at home (iPad and PC). So absolutely not.

as far as I am concerned it is a “lowest common denominator” approach. Great for the kids who won’t study. Not for those that will.

Schools don’t have those things either. They can’t afford to print, class sizes are over crowded and pupils behaviour is getting worse.

Belive me, plenty ot thought goes into it. Absolutely loads with communication with outside agencies, consideration for all sorts of children with all sorts of circumstances.

If a school is providing revision sessions, I'd assume they'd be teacher led. If a school is offering self study space, I'd assume that to be student led but supervised.

I do understand that it makes life slightly more difficult for you. In the nicest possible way, you and his dad have known he'd have GCSEs at this time for the past 16 years. It can't come as a big shock now that he might need someone around to offload to. The exam timetable has been available since September.

As for "it worked last year".... You won't know the minuate or ins and outs of every child in the year group. If the school shared the information last year, there will be a reason they aren't sharing this year. Every cohort is different.

My point is, and presumably you're on an SLT in a school @Happytaytos that communication with parents would be easy and have made very little difference to the school.

OUR SCHOOL STILL HASN'T TOLD US WHAT'S GOING ON!

And have repeatedly been thoughtless about communication over the past 5 years. I'm sure you mean well but the kind of messages you're returning are exactly the kind of crap I get off the school, if I get anything at all. So far, STILL nothing official. STILL I cannot plan.

I'm sure you mean well but you're irritating the hell out of me. So please just leave it.

But if they communicated last year, and aren't this year, there will be a reason. It's likely a reason they can't share. I know it's shit for you, but you can plan to some extent. Even if your working assumption is he's in school every day until 15th June.