Study Leave

[John Simkin]

I see David Miliband (school standards minister) has suggested that schools should consider banning study leave in the run-up to GCSE and A level exams. According to Miliband, boys often spend this time playing computer games instead of studying.

Miliband quotes the example of Kemnal Technology College who replaced study leave with structured revision. In its first year GCSEs at grade A*-C increased from 35% to 56%.

[Guest]

I tend to agree with Millipede on this one - we have found that our students are far more likely to engage in meaningful revision in school than they are out of school. Schools should however retain the right for selective extended study leave for seriously troublesome students.

[Maggie Jarvis]

Our Year 11 and Year 13 students are still in school! Other local schools have let theirs out to 'go and study'!! Ha!

I am quite gratified that there is (relatively) little complaining from the students. In fact they are even e mailing questions during the evenings and weekend so they must be taking the revision seriously.

Do I work in an education hothouse filled with the intellectual 'cream of the crop'? No, far from it! The 'cream' has all been skimmed off by the local grammar schools and City Technology College (remember those? - another 'brilliant' government scheme!).

I work in a girls, non-selective school. Is this focussed, supported revision a girl thing? Are girls taking notice of the frequently mentioned research showing that they 'out perform boys' and believing that (regardless of inate ability) they can achieve good grades through hard work?

How are the boys doing colleagues?

[Jean Walker]

I worked in the only state non-selective all-girls high school in out town the last 2 years, and I think it is mainly the "girl thing". It converted me to single sex high schools - I know what the research says about boys being beter off with girls, but those girls by themselves were just fantastic. Uninhibited, work oriented, focused, nurturing of each other, generally pleasantly competitive, and their results and achievements were/are the best in our city. I loved it!!

[Guest]

Uninhibited, work oriented, focused, nurturing of each other, generally pleasantly competitive, and their results and achievements were/are the best in our city. I loved it!!

I have taught in both single sex and co-educational situations.

I'm not sure that the social education of girls is best served in a single sex environment. I cannot dispute that they tend to do slightly "better" in terms of exam results when compared to girls educated in mixed schools, but they seem to emerge from the system crassly socially immature when compared to girls taught in a co-educational environment.

I am also convinced that the gender bias on a typical girls schools teaching staff does absolutely nothing to prepare the pupils for the real world (which still tends to be mixed ).

Boys do far worse on both counts in single sex schools.

I guess it really depends on what your success criteria and priorities are.

Regarding study leave - I believe Maggie is being a little complacent - we have a week to go yet and there is still time for a riot

[Maggie Jarvis]

Well Andy, no riot! Oh Ye of little faith!!

[Guest]

Well Andy, no riot!  Oh Ye of little faith!! 

Happily no, but I still carry the scars of 2 years ago

There is also the issue of the strain on staff of having Year 11 students in school rather than on study leave to discuss. I have no doubt that structured revision classes in the place of study leave will improve the exam grades of many students, but it does represent a serious increase in the workload of our teachers when compared to colleagues in other schools - this at a time when workload is supposed to being reduced and "wellbeing" to the forefront of our thinking.