Year 10 to 11 summer break work
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fairyelephant
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Year 10 to 11 summer break work
I am rather shocked and a bit worried about the amount of work DD has been set to do over the summer holidays. Every subject has set both general revision - look over your notes type work and also specific things like a maths booklet of questions, Biology questions and a past paper, quote banks to make for English and the text to read. Also History - to finish the Russian Revolution by reading the text book and making notes as they are behind, Latin there are videos to watch and vocab exercises, Spanish a total of six practice essays to write and vocab exercises.
None of my friends' DC at other schools have this much to do. Her grades in the summer year 10 exams were fantastic, I'm struggling to understand the rationale behind this. It just seems rather excessive, many teachers have been telling the children they are slightly behind with the syllabus (I did suggest to the school that they try and not pass on their stress to the students on this front) so perhaps its that. It could be that they are tring to avoid the "summer slip" with the new GCSEs in mind, perhaps this cohort is a bit duff, I don't know.
What worries me is that DD will start year 11 not refreshed and slightly stressed. I have been through the work set with her and she is focussing on stuff that has to be handed in, reading the English text (which I have no problem with of course), the rest I may tell her to leave, am I being irresponsible? She works really hard in term time and gets great grades, this seems a bit bonkers. I have thought about emailing the school but not sure that will achieve anything now.
Any experience/pearls of wisdom gratefully received.
None of my friends' DC at other schools have this much to do. Her grades in the summer year 10 exams were fantastic, I'm struggling to understand the rationale behind this. It just seems rather excessive, many teachers have been telling the children they are slightly behind with the syllabus (I did suggest to the school that they try and not pass on their stress to the students on this front) so perhaps its that. It could be that they are tring to avoid the "summer slip" with the new GCSEs in mind, perhaps this cohort is a bit duff, I don't know.
What worries me is that DD will start year 11 not refreshed and slightly stressed. I have been through the work set with her and she is focussing on stuff that has to be handed in, reading the English text (which I have no problem with of course), the rest I may tell her to leave, am I being irresponsible? She works really hard in term time and gets great grades, this seems a bit bonkers. I have thought about emailing the school but not sure that will achieve anything now.
Any experience/pearls of wisdom gratefully received.
Re: Year 10 to 11 summer break work
I'd be tempted to give her a good three week break then spend a few hours a day prioritising what she feels is most urgent. It sounds as if the school feel they have got behind with the new specs and are panicking a bit.
They should have written home and explained why they have set this work ...
They should have written home and explained why they have set this work ...
Re: Year 10 to 11 summer break work
Agree but maybe a two week break and then some time off again just before they go back.
At least she'll get a proper break after June next year!
At least she'll get a proper break after June next year!
Re: Year 10 to 11 summer break work
None of my 3 have ever been set any work over the summer - not that I know of, anyway! 
scary mum
Re: Year 10 to 11 summer break work
Ds2 has a very little summer holiday work, but it's negligible, maybe half a morning.
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad !
Re: Year 10 to 11 summer break work
Fairyelephant, isn't your DD at a selective indie? (Or is this a different DD?). Forgive me, but I'm intrigued as to how the school could have 'fallen behind' with the curriculum content?
As far as I can remember (and admittedly, this was 'old spec'), neither of our two who have gone through GCSEs at local grammars had much compulsory work between year 10 and year 11 - certainly nothing on this scale. DS1's school did hold its hand up to a timetabling error in one year, which left one subject 'undertimetabled', but they dealt with this by fitting in lunchtime sessions during the academic year.
As far as I can remember (and admittedly, this was 'old spec'), neither of our two who have gone through GCSEs at local grammars had much compulsory work between year 10 and year 11 - certainly nothing on this scale. DS1's school did hold its hand up to a timetabling error in one year, which left one subject 'undertimetabled', but they dealt with this by fitting in lunchtime sessions during the academic year.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Re: Year 10 to 11 summer break work
How can any school justify setting work that will entail the 'few hours' suggested above? G55 I know you have suggested a sympathetic and sensible way to do it I'm not criticising that. I am absolutely outraged that it is needed. Some of these pupils will be 14, not even 15 and to expect them to spend their holidays, after beiong pressed and stressed all year, doing a few hours work per day for even a week???? What are we doing to our children. I am absolutely horrified. And terrified to think this may be necessary a) to cover the syllabus or b) to stay on a level pegging with the rest of the cohort they are in effect competing with, such that unless a nationwide refusal to do this extra work takes place, anyone who refuses risks being at a distinct disadvantage in the new school year. Our current middle aged doctors, lawyers, nurses, accountants, teachers, etc etc were all in a group that were not required to do this (I never did and was earning £70k by age 30 - a decade ago now and log since gone, by choice believe it or not!!) but what has happened to the world. I'm so so sad and angry about this.Guest55 wrote:I'd be tempted to give her a good three week break then spend a few hours a day prioritising what she feels is most urgent. It sounds as if the school feel they have got behind with the new specs and are panicking a bit.
Sorry, no help at all. I just despair but there is no way out.
Re: Year 10 to 11 summer break work
DD has also just finished year 10 and has no set summer homework. She has just had a week away in Iceland with us. (So some geography was revised, but that certainly wasn't the intention ). We have a week at home together then she has a week of musical theatre summer school.
She wants to do some of her textiles coursework over the summer, but that's purely her choice and because it's something she will actually enjoy doing, rather than she has to. How much will actually happen is yet to be seen...
Some of her friends are away most of the holiday, so they would possibly struggle to do a huge amount of homework if any had been set.
). We have a week at home together then she has a week of musical theatre summer school. She wants to do some of her textiles coursework over the summer, but that's purely her choice and because it's something she will actually enjoy doing, rather than she has to. How much will actually happen is yet to be seen...
Some of her friends are away most of the holiday, so they would possibly struggle to do a huge amount of homework if any had been set.
Re: Year 10 to 11 summer break work
As per scary's post. Certainly no one ever did any, and I think I would have known if any had been set. I would be very unhappy about this; even more so if it were a school I was paying for.
Re: Year 10 to 11 summer break work
My DCs did GCSEs in the days of course work and there was certainly a fair amount of this to get done over the summer break but not so as to impinge on family holiday. Also, it was work that they were supposed to do independently not a question of catching up with teaching.
It was accepted though that once the GCSE course started you didn't get the same amount of holiday as before. In lower years it was a no-no to set holiday homework.
It was the same year 12/13 when UCAS prep, project work and various essays/ problem sheets were undertaken. This was in the days of January modules do perhaps different.
It was accepted though that once the GCSE course started you didn't get the same amount of holiday as before. In lower years it was a no-no to set holiday homework.
It was the same year 12/13 when UCAS prep, project work and various essays/ problem sheets were undertaken. This was in the days of January modules do perhaps different.
