Starting on the 13th May, study leave will start for the majority of year 11’s attending schools within Buckinghamshire; this consists of the students no longer needing to be present at school for the lead up to their exams. This allows them to revise at home with no interruptions, but how many will use this time wisely?

For some people, study leave will be a great help, giving them time to concentrate on their studies and allowing them to prepare themselves thoroughly for their exams in order to achieve the best results possible. However, for others this is seen as merely a time for sleeping in late and catching up on missed TV and wasting time that would better spent in school. In addition, the students can be seen to be missing out on valuable time that could be spent with a teacher present and willing to answer any questions and queries the students have.

One year 11 I spoke to told me ‘although study leave will be helpful, I’m concerned I don’t have enough time at school for learning content and I’ll have to teach myself’. Another student I spoke to mentioned having to ‘teach content’ to themselves; this is clearly a common worry amongst the year 11’s, but no matter how much time is spent at school or at home it is vital the students prepare!

However, study leave can be a nuisance for parents with a hectic life and no time due to work and other commitments, as it can be hard for them to schedule lifts to school in time for exams. Therefore some adults may feel they are imposing on others by asking for a lift for their child to school and feel they are in debt. The only other alternative available to them may be to take time off work, which could be a strain on the families’ income which could be detrimental especially in the current economic state.

So it can be seen that there are many contrasting views about study leave. Ultimately, I think study leave is a good idea if it’s used correctly because I know that I and many other students need to listen to music when revising for the information to go in, which is a luxury that isn’t offered and can’t be offered at school.