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A Level Study Leave- Do you get it?

Poll

Do you get study leave?

This thread is for the discussion of study leave! Does your school offer it?
How long do you get? Do you think it is a good idea? How do you think it can be best implemented?

My school called ours study leave, but in reality it was just that you didn't have to go to a lesson after you'd finished the exams for it. You weren't allowed to go home if you had just done AS Levels, and it was up to the teachers whether you had to go to the lesson during the exam season. Once most of the exams were done we had to go back to lessons, even though I'd not finished all my exams!

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Reply 1
As a cheeky bump, I'll add that I personally would have benefited from proper study leave. I'm a fairly self organised person, and especially by A level I was able to handle myself. I didn't need my teachers breathing down my back to get me to study.

I will say that I did appreciate having to be in for English Literature, as we finished the content very close to exams. I think it should be the teacher's choice. I know some teachers who would have been happy to manage distance learning for the final few weeks before exams, and others who needed to have their students in for reasons rather beyond their control.
We did for GCSEs, 4 weeks before exams started. For AS/A2 (the rules changed just as my year went to sixth form) we did get it, and lessons ended, but we still had to go to our timetabled rooms each lesson, just with revision materials, and the teachers enforced silent revision. Silence makes me really anxious, so this was awful for me, and I'd have made much better use of my time at home.
nope... although it depends on your definition of study leave.
Reply 4
Original post by xoxAngel_Kxox
We did for GCSEs, 4 weeks before exams started. For AS/A2 (the rules changed just as my year went to sixth form) we did get it, and lessons ended, but we still had to go to our timetabled rooms each lesson, just with revision materials, and the teachers enforced silent revision. Silence makes me really anxious, so this was awful for me, and I'd have made much better use of my time at home.

Awful, honestly. Did your school see any improvement in results? I can't imagine treating 18 year olds in that fashion!
Reply 5
Original post by 1st superstar
nope... although it depends on your definition of study leave.

What was the arrangement?
Original post by vicvic38
What was the arrangement?

In my old school they had these things call "warm up sessions" so they had no study leave.
In my current school you only come in when you have an exam is that study leave?
Reply 7
Original post by 1st superstar
In my old school they had these things call "warm up sessions" so they had no study leave.
In my current school you only come in when you have an exam is that study leave?

Yeah I'd call that second one study leave.
Yeah our study leave starts on the 6th May and my first exam is on 2nd June which almost gives me a full month of revision before exams start which is quite nice
Reply 9
Original post by bluemuffin
Yeah our study leave starts on the 6th May and my first exam is on 2nd June which almost gives me a full month of revision before exams start which is quite nice

Gosh I wish I got that.
I finished my A-Levels back in 2016 and I received study leave. However, with hindsight, I think I would've performed better with "enforced" revision at Sixth Form. At the time I wasn't incredibly self-motivating and easily distracted at home. Solved this issue for Uni by physically leaving the house and revising at public libraries :P
Original post by vicvic38
Awful, honestly. Did your school see any improvement in results? I can't imagine treating 18 year olds in that fashion!


I don't know, to be honest. I think it might be a reasonable idea for the Y11s (not sitting in silence, but access to study space, computers, library etc), but it's overkill for sixth form. Sure, they might not revise, but as adults that's their call.
Reply 12
Original post by CTLeafez
I finished my A-Levels back in 2016 and I received study leave. However, with hindsight, I think I would've performed better with "enforced" revision at Sixth Form. At the time I wasn't incredibly self-motivating and easily distracted at home. Solved this issue for Uni by physically leaving the house and revising at public libraries :P

That I think was the worry my school had. I'm personally of the opinion that one should be able to self motivate themselves once they get to A Level, but I get that not everyone has worked that out.
Reply 13
Original post by xoxAngel_Kxox
I don't know, to be honest. I think it might be a reasonable idea for the Y11s (not sitting in silence, but access to study space, computers, library etc), but it's overkill for sixth form. Sure, they might not revise, but as adults that's their call.

Oh yeah, I mean for 16 year olds I can completely see why they kept us in. I personally would have liked study leave, but I know a lot of people who would have just not tried if they weren't in school.

My favourite quote is that there is "the heroism of a relaxed grip." I always got the impression that my school was terrified that if we were given any sort of freedom we'd go absolutely mad. It was why they introduced a ridiculous business dress code, because they felt an incessant urge to control. It's why they didn't allow us to leave during our free periods. It's why they constantly breathed down our necks regarding everything.

The problem with this thinking is that when you don't allow students to have any sort of chance to structure their own study, when they are suddenly given that freedom, they go mad. Study leave at GCSE should be a low pressure introduction to self study, and a chance for people to try their own things in an environment where the consequences are generally minimal. More and more students are getting to A Level without ever actually having studied properly, making it more stressful than necessary.
Original post by xoxAngel_Kxox
I don't know, to be honest. I think it might be a reasonable idea for the Y11s (not sitting in silence, but access to study space, computers, library etc), but it's overkill for sixth form. Sure, they might not revise, but as adults that's their call.

realises i will not be an adult when i do my A-level exams but i agree with you in my opinion they should have proper revision sessions instead (during the exams season before exams) or simply let the students study at home independently.. sitting in silence is a no
Reply 15
Original post by 1st superstar
realises i will not be an adult when i do my A-level exams but i agree with you in my opinion they should have proper revision sessions instead (during the exams season before exams) or simply let the students study at home independently.. sitting in silence is a no

Honestly I was lucky enough that I was such a valuable candidate (not to boast) so I could do what I wanted. They weren't going to kick out their first chance at an Oxford student.
Original post by vicvic38
Oh yeah, I mean for 16 year olds I can completely see why they kept us in. I personally would have liked study leave, but I know a lot of people who would have just not tried if they weren't in school.

My favourite quote is that there is "the heroism of a relaxed grip." I always got the impression that my school was terrified that if we were given any sort of freedom we'd go absolutely mad. It was why they introduced a ridiculous business dress code, because they felt an incessant urge to control. It's why they didn't allow us to leave during our free periods. It's why they constantly breathed down our necks regarding everything.

The problem with this thinking is that when you don't allow students to have any sort of chance to structure their own study, when they are suddenly given that freedom, they go mad. Study leave at GCSE should be a low pressure introduction to self study, and a chance for people to try their own things in an environment where the consequences are generally minimal. More and more students are getting to A Level without ever actually having studied properly, making it more stressful than necessary.

lol what you said in bold somewhat describes my sixth form. I don't get to wear stuff like jeans, hoodies, trainers etc, you have to be in school at 8:30 regardless if you have a lesson 1st period or not (meaning i gotta leave the house a 7:00am every god damn day) and only year 13 get to go home if after 10:30 they have no lessons. They "punish" you if you do "nonsense" in your frees, they do folder checks, and "constantly breath down our necks regarding everything" etc. i had waaay more freedom in year 11... but at least i go to a good sixth form and i procrastinate too much lol
Absolutely hated my school and I'm a very self-driven person in general so I'd have been fuming if they tried to keep me in.
Original post by vicvic38
I always got the impression that my school was terrified that if we were given any sort of freedom we'd go absolutely mad. It was why they introduced a ridiculous business dress code, because they felt an incessant urge to control. It's why they didn't allow us to leave during our free periods. It's why they constantly breathed down our necks regarding everything.

lol yeah - some teachers are manchildren in this regard to be honest. I wouldn't be bothered to chase after people who didn't care about their future, though I commend their attitude, just not their implementation. Because once they leave, there won't be anyone to hold their hand, and the sooner they have to face that the better.
Reply 19
Original post by 1st superstar
lol what you said in bold somewhat describes my sixth form. I don't get to wear stuff like jeans, hoodies, trainers etc, you have to be in school at 8:30 regardless if you have a lesson 1st period or not (meaning i gotta leave the house a 7:00am every god damn day) and only year 13 get to go home if after 10:30 they have no lessons. They "punish" you if you do "nonsense" in your frees, they do folder checks, and "constantly breath down our necks regarding everything" etc. i had waaay more freedom in year 11... but at least i go to a good sixth form and i procrastinate too much lol

Honestly my school was rubbish so they couldn't even justify it by saying it got results. Luckily most of the teachers didn't care so much so you weren't too bothered by them. L

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