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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

Study leave?

40 replies

Idontmeanto · 29/04/2018 19:16

Are anyone else’s year 11s having to stay in school for the duration of the GCSE exams with no study leave, with compulsory, structured revision?
Dd is very frustrated with this, and to be honest I understand that she’d fare better with some autonomy over her revision.
New head teacher is insisting this is becoming common and is beneficial. I’ve not come across it before. Just wanted a straw poll before I start trying to compose a stroppy letter.

OP posts:

HuckfromScandal · 29/04/2018 19:19

Why does she think that she would do better?
I wasn’t ever given study leave
We revised in class and had teachers on hand to help us.

Please explain why you think that it’s not a good thing?
I would suggest you pick your battles,

titchy · 29/04/2018 19:19

Mine both had choice of study leave. One I allowed one, other I didn't! Tbh if you genuinely think she'll be better off at home just keep her home. Phone in sick if necessary.

titchy · 29/04/2018 19:21

Revising in class means you're going over the topics the teacher thinks will be most beneficial to the class as a whole. If you've mastered that topic and want to spend the time more productively on another topic you're a bit stuck.

user1467232073 · 29/04/2018 19:23

Yes, we have a similar situation. I can understand this to a degree. However, there are no classes booked over the May holiday and we have been advised that we should not go in holiday during this time. The curriculum on one of my child’s subject is still being taught 😳

Original poster

Idontmeanto · 29/04/2018 19:25

I’m rather sad to see my daughter a)stressed and b) bitching about teachers she’s held in great esteem and affection for the last several years. She’s a dedicated student who knows what she needs to focus on. This isn’t always what the teacher has in mind.

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 29/04/2018 19:25

Yes my school does this, it’s because a large proportion of kids would do sod all left at home to their own devices.

That said, it’s crap for the kids who would work and who need to learn independent study skills, and who get distracted by their mates. Some students are phoned in ‘sick’ around exam time.

Original poster

Idontmeanto · 29/04/2018 19:28

Yes, we have that, too. Fortunately the subject in question is also the one I teach.

OP posts:

Furrycushion · 29/04/2018 19:31

I've heard that a lot of schools are moving away from study leave. Ours are allowed it if they hit their targets, or nearly, in mocks. My DS did very little for his A levels & would have been better off in school, rather than watching Netflix

BoneyBackJefferson · 29/04/2018 19:32

As a teacher you would know that very few schools do "study leave" now and as a teacher you will also know that many parents allow their children to vote with their feet when exams start.

in the end the choice is yours and hers.

Original poster

Idontmeanto · 29/04/2018 19:38

“My” school still grants it, some of the more...intesting characters were dispatched early. This is the first year dcs school has not given it.

OP posts:

Original poster

Idontmeanto · 29/04/2018 19:38

I’m trying to get a sense of what is happening nationally

OP posts:

AlexanderHamilton · 29/04/2018 19:41

Dd doesn’t have study leave but she goes to a vocational school & still has a timetable of performing arts every day when not in exams or academic classes.

Olivo · 29/04/2018 19:59

We do the same as your DD's school.

bookmum08 · 29/04/2018 20:06

Looking back I would of much prefered and benefited from not having study leave when I did my GCSEs (waaaay back in the early 90s).I basically watched TV all day.

TeenTimesTwo · 30/04/2018 12:39

3 years ago DDs school kept them in full time until half term.
Then after half term they had/were meant to keep going in for lessons in subjects they hadn't yet had.
However maths & science didn't complain when DD didn't go in, as their teachers had had enough of me knew I was helping DD revise at home.

I think schools should have a system

green - decide for yourself whether to come in
amber - we think you would benefit from coming in
red - you are too disruptive and we don't want you in unless you behave

TeresasGreen · 30/04/2018 12:42

DD has study leave from the week exams start. During exams there will be structured revision sessions in school at the same time the usual lesson would be. Attendance is optional though.

PiggyPlumPie · 30/04/2018 12:46

Day one of study leave here and DS has gone into school all day for Maths revision. (NE Scotland)

funmummy48 · 30/04/2018 12:50

My daughter's school did this last year but after a couple of weeks I emailed school and asked if she could study at home instead. She was very organised and found that the revision sessions in school were often focused on areas that she was already confident about. School agreed and within the next few weeks had a change of heart and allowed children to revise at home where it suited them better. This worked really well and the school are allowing study leave this year alongside revision sessions at home. They dropped the May half-term revision classes altogether due to low uptake in previous years. They had amazing exam results so this decision was obviously a good one.

InMySpareTime · 30/04/2018 12:59

DS's school had study leave until last year.
Last year they had students in school until the start of exams, and got the best results ever, so this year they're keeping them for revision between exams too, in hopes they can get even better results through this.
DS is frustrated, as he finds it difficult to revise in the classroom, with disruptive students and noise.

Original poster

Idontmeanto · 30/04/2018 16:15

Good to know some places have reconsidered

OP posts:

titchy · 30/04/2018 16:20

DS is frustrated, as he finds it difficult to revise in the classroom, with disruptive students and noise.

So why aren't you telling him to stay home?

InMySpareTime · 30/04/2018 19:48

I've had 12 years of driving home the message "every day at school is important - go in unless you've got limbs hanging off".
Turning that into "it's ok to skive if you work better at home, despite the corporate line" is no mean feat with a rule-focused teen.
I've told him to get all his Y11 friends to challenge the decision with HOY and the Head. We'll see if that does any good.

greathat · 30/04/2018 19:52

Kids tend to think revision is colouring things in, despite ya explaining that it's not useful and they are much better with structured tasks and past paper questions. If your daughters revision is going to be good quality and effective then just call and tell the school you're keeping her off. Lots do it now.

Would rather not have a stroppy teen there so we could focus on the ones that want to get something out of it

marl · 30/04/2018 20:21

I am sure that my DS is better revising at home with quiet and all his books and papers around him For him,some teachers are not teaching very well in a couple of subjects anyway. In others he is working well above the standard of the others and at this point they aren't differentiating particularly.. I work in this field so feel clear about what is going on for my own child. I would just pull her out with 'illness' before he exams - what can they do at this stage as they won't not want her to take the exams ( as I did today when DS pointed out that the curriculum involved 2 non lessons ( learning to learn which by now he knows the ropes of), 1 PE practice for the practical moderation he is not involved in, and one revision lesson doing a paper. He did 5 hours revision at home which I'm sure served him better. ) Though during the exams it is more tricky to keep her back as she is already there. I would write and then go for a meeting.

JustDanceAddict · 30/04/2018 21:31

Not in DD’s but I have heard of it happening. I wouldn’t like it and agree that autonomous revision is better for most children who revise well.

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