Year 10 exams (UK)

[learntojive]

We've gone and booked a holiday next year and it's smack bang in the middle of my daughters year 10 exams.
I had a couple of schedules last year for her GCSE exams and the ones with an exam showed them to be in June, I wrongly presumed they were all in June.
I don't take the kids out of school ever but this is a holiday of a lifetime for us and we simply can't afford to go in the school holidays this time.
I know we're at fault but the school are really messing us about, everybody seems to be telling us something different ..she can reschedule, she can't reschedule, it's only a mock, it's not a mock etc etc.
If we'd had the exam list earlier this would never have happened but although the date on was June 08 it wasn't sent out until the end of September, we always had a years notice for the SATs so I don't know why they don't do it for these exams.
When we were booking it I did ask my nephew who was in year 10 last year (different school) and he didn't have any exams end april/beg may.
Does anyone know if these exams are part of the GSCE's or are they likely to be mock exams, I'm not sure if they are the same countrywide or would they vary from school to school.

[mrs_overall]

The school my daughter goes to rarely grants holiday leave in term time for year 10 & 11 students. This is becoming more and more common.
Some of the year 10 exams are GCSE's - you will have to ask your daughter's school.
Have you actually applied to the school for holiday leave? If they refuse your application you can be either issued with a Fixed Penalty Ticket or taken to court and fined. The school can also send you an invoice for the cost of the missed exams(s). This happened to an aquaintance of mine and the cost of each exam was �75.
If you decide to go anyway and tell them your daughter was ill, the school will demand a note from your GP. You will also have a hard time explaining a suntan on an allegedly sick child.
Not good news for you I'm afraid.

[learntojive]

Hi, thanks for that. The school have already said that because it is during exam time it will have to be unauthorised absence ...but because my daughter is a good student and has always had full attendance that they won't take it any further. They can also see that I have tried to change the holiday dates.
I just can't seem to get out of them which exams are the ones which are part of the GCSE's and which are the schools internal exams.
We know art is a biggy but the art dept have been very good and said if she's willing to put in the time to prep they'll let her sit the exam at a later date. It's history and science I'm not sure about.

[mrs_overall]

A further note - if the exams are to do with GCSE's it may not be the schools fault if they are appearing vague about the dates. The schools aren't notified of the exact dates by the exam boards until around January.

[mrs_overall]

Also, if she is sitting an actual GCSE or mock GCSE the school will have no leeway on the dates. If she misses them, she's had it until the following year.

[Lil O'lady]

Plus, art GCSE can be 'bitty' in that it involves finishing a piece of work done to a schedule of time and a specific theme, displaying one's portfolio for visiting examiners to view and hopefully also helping teacher demount and give back the work - otherwise your work has to be stored by school and there is LOTS usually from all the various students.

[factor-fiction]

Maybe this is putting your daughter in an uncomfortable position now and may cause her stress/pressure. Perhaps the best bet is to reschedule/cancel the holiday.

[meltoadhall]

Personally I think you were daft to even think of booking a holiday at that time of year - exam time.

I have a daughter in yr 10 and even if the exams themselves are not at that time surely you dont want to take her out during all the prep time and study she should be doing for the exams.

If I were you I'd cancel it and change it to a different date.

[learntojive]

Thanks everyone, we've sorted it out and the school have been really good. The only real problem is science which is the second part of a 33% coursework assessment - she's got to work hard for the first part in January and then won't need to do the May one is she gets a good enough mark.
As I said earlier I wouldn't have considered booking it had I known, I thought the exams were in June.