Study leave or not? that is the question! There is always some debate at this time of year about how different schools structure their study leave and lots of schools now run a “revision timetable” once the exam season starts; I have recollections of having my last day at school where shirts got signed and there may have been some shenanigans with eggs and flour (don’t ask!! but my hair felt lovely for days as egg is apparently a great conditioner!) and then the exams started – most of the time I spent revising whilst sunbathing in my garden … but I genuinely can’t remember attending school for what seemed like days between exams. Maybe I have just glossed over those memories!
During last Wednesdays #mathschat on Twitter it was mentioned that attendance at the revision sessions can be a bit hit and miss and I know from experience students will think twice about attending school just for one lesson in a whole day – especially towards the end of the exams. Where a school is reliant on buses to get students to site this also impacts on attendance – for some students the time and effort outweighs the impact and it is barriers such as this, that sometimes get missed. Anyway, we’re moving to an “alternative timetable” for year 11 where their time is directed all day just like a normal school day … basically they attend normal timetabled lessons (or a revision session tailored to an imminent exam or an actual exam) until they are signed off from specific subjects and they then get directed to other subjects. The logistics ain’t pretty but it will ensure that we get direct contact right until the end. Some schools are using “dis-incentives” such as losing their place at the prom or post-exams rewards trip if the students don’t attend revision sessions … for us its just business as normal (with a twist!).
Additionally most schools will also have some form of card that the students get signed off to prove that they have finished every subject and we’re doing exactly the same … or are we? I’ve put together a “golden ticket” style card as shown below that we’ve agreed will get printed onto gold card and put into envelopes for each student to get completed and to mark the point that they “leave school”. I “get” that we need processes that are functional and work but I also don’t see any harm in making sure that we do it with “a twist” … this is after all a “milestone” event and wouldn’t it be great to have a little memento to mark the occasion?
And here is the finished article:
