Teachers:how disastrous would it be to go on holiday for the whole of the xmas holiday in year 12

[bourboncreme]

We may have the opportunety to visit my brother and family in africa over xmas next year ,we haven't been before for various reasons and db and dsil are very keen for us to go out,the boys would love it and it would be great for them to spend some time with their cousins etc.We can't go in summer times becaiuse that is db's busy work season plus sil is from USA and always goes home for a month.We can't go at easter because that would be too difficult given ds1s exam schedule.

Ds1 will be in year 12 hopefully doing 4 subjects (GCSEs allowing)english,history,philosophy and RE he will have exams in the January,are we being foolish to even consider it?We would probably go the day they break up 17/12 nad back at NYear.Hopefully spend sometime with db at their house but also fit in safari and possibly Vic Fals .It just feels very sad if we can't go becasue of exams for ds but i wouldn't want to spoil things for him.

Realistically how much do you expect them to work over the xmas break?

I'm a science teacher, and my heart always drops when students tell me they'll be away for the whole of the holidays. It handicaps them considerably. The exams start nearly as soon as term does, and ours are worth 30% of their final mark - a huge amount if you do badly. I (and my coleagues) expect the students to do a lot of work over the holidays, revision and i set practice papers/specimen questions as well. We tend to say to them things along the lines of it's 2 years without proper christmas/easter breaks - the benefits are for the rest of their lives as the grades will determine who does medicine/law/gets into a decent uni etc.

I would go in the summer after the exams
can't sil just for once move the time she goes to her family's ?

Not a teacher but dd1(yr13) spent the whole of Christmas 2008 studying. Exams were pretty much straight after term started.

Sorry no advice - but I read the thread title as 'How disastrous would it be to go on holiday at Christmas WITH THE WHOLE OF YEAR 12'

Are you sure he will have exams in the Jan? - for subjects like English and History schools normally wait in till the June as its difficult to cover enough material and get exam technique sorted out in time for Jan. In fact I know for the board that DD2 does for History they have stated that the Jan session should be for resits only. I would check first as the "arts" students at DD2's sixth form haven't taken any exams yet but the science/maths people have.

cant go in summer as db will be out on site,he is a geologist,one reason why sil goes home.Good point about arts subjects.will check that out.

Agree with webwiz re checking whether his chosen subjects do so exams in Jan - we do in geography but it's a 'skills' paper based on fieldwork so minimal revision needed. I know that history at our place don't sit a module but Sciences definately do as does English Lang and Maths.

am v envious on 2 counts 1. Africa! and 2. your db's job as a geologist!

riven, not being funny but how do you know your ds did fine - results aren't out yet.

Yes, am of Riven's crystal ball - my Yr 11s sat a module in Jan and we don't get their results until March!

Have a peek, Riven, and let me know how they did

Not all schools do January modules in all subjects. It would be a good idea to collect this info so that you can make an informed decision. If he does have modules, they start pretty much the first full week of term.

I don't think that it is fatal to go on holiday, but your DS will need to take work with him and set up a study schedule and stick to it.

Not all schools will do science modules in January. My school doesn't, nor does DS's.

As has been said for other subjects, it is hard to cover the material in time, and get exam practice in.

But to add, even if they don't do January modules, teachers will expect the students to do a significant amount of work during the holidays, especially background reading.

For his Philosophy AS Level, he will not be doing an exam in Jan - quite simply they do not offer it. As for RE, well that depends on the board. They can't really do it will RS EDEXCEL (except perhaps the investigations / coursework module), but many schools do with OCR.

Incidentally, I'm a specialist 'A' level teacher, and I expect my students to have a break over the Christmas hols. They work bloody hard for me all year round (weekly multiple choice tests, end of module tests, timed essays in class for every module, and regular concept / key word tests), that I find they need the holidays to relax, otherwise I find they come back stressed and don't work to their full capacity.

But the only way you're going to know is if you ask your child's teachers. Each teacher has a different way of doing things.

I think with dd she also needed to show she had started work on her extended project. I think she spent a month just getting the title right!

I think I'd go but make sure at least two hours per day were set aside for revision, plus maybe an hour or so in the evening.

Realistically, how many hours a day do A level students normally do in the holidays bearing in mind the fact that most don't emerge till lunchtime and spend at least an hour a day on FB and more generally pissing about.

I advise my students to split their holiday revision days into three sections (basically morning, afternoon and evening) and to do revision during two of these sessions (realistically 2 x 2 hours). I am under no illusions that many days go by with no revision at all, obviously Christmas Day, Boxing Day etc.

It's a lot easier for them to revise for May/June modules, because there are no obvious days off or parties.

I remember when I revised for my exams almost 30 years ago, I split my days into the school timetable, and would revise the subjects I would be studying at that time. I was not the teenager who lay in bed until noon, unlike my own boys. I don't think this strategy would work with safaris and family events.

Lots of useful info,Ellokitty thhanks for your advice on my earlier thread,he decided to go for the RE and the philosophy ,edexcel and AQA .I am going to have a chat to his teachers before we do anything.Finances are going to be difficult anyway but just feel if we don't go soon we never will and various things have happened recently that have just made us realise the importance of family etc.

To be honest if it was me I'd just go for it! Even if your DS has exams he can do some revision while you're away and the exams this year started on Jan 11th which would give some time when he got back as well. DD2's friend ended up with flu for over a week in the xmas holidays so even staying at home doesn't make for perfect revision. We had a houseful of visitors for most of the time and I'm sure DD2 said she was revising just so she could escape from everyone.

Will you have internet access when you are there. Lots of students like to discuss what they are revising and if he can email friends to discuss ideas this may help.

I don't see why he couldn't take some work with him and set up a study schedule while you are there, which gets some work done but also allows a holiday. It might actually be easier to get on with work in a fresh setting.

I teach under-graduates rather than school children and i think it actually could be a good idea as it might force him to do more of the work during the term (when it is fresh in his mind) and to try to understand everything as he goes along. Then he could just take a few practice papers and do one every couple of days or so. Fresh and rested brains think better

i think that i would take the holiday- he is old enough to understand that in return for this he will have to keep on top of everything and plan into the holiday when it will be possible for him to study. We have done lots of family hols in the past where various neices and nephews have arrived with school bags full of books and revision timetables. there are so many kids over such a wide age span that we would never have got together as a family otherwise.

usually said student bags the best table- sticks on their ipod and gets on with it for a few hours each day. It actually works really well- they get mucho praise from everyone for doing it- it sets a good example to the younger ones and no excuses for being stuck! there is always someone who can help.

if you are staying with family, you can let them know in advance and use the safari at the end of the holiday as an incentive to get it all done!

Just a warning re. taking school work away. Try and put all notes in hand luggage, only put replaceable text books in hold. A friend's children lost their luggage for a condiderable time and this caused alot of stress.