A strict father-of-one who says he is forcing his son to revise for his GSCEs on Christmas Day has been slammed over the decision. Matt Privet has confessed that he knows his parenting style is a little controversial but claims it is his responsibility to make sure his son gets good grades in his exams next year.
The 38-year-old, from Devon, explained that the revision period in the morning will be a family affair to encourage the teen to study and will take place once their presents have been opened. The building surveyor has organised an hour of revision every day over the Christmas holidays where his son will use the time to study, Wales Online reports.
The tough-love father says he has his child's best interests at heart as he wants to see him doing well so he is being cruel to be kind. He told the Mirror: "It's important for my son to keep his eye on his schoolwork as it's very easy for kids to switch off for weeks at a time over the holidays, meaning they go back having to relearn everything from before the break.
"I'm sure some parents won't agree with me but it's my job to make sure he's prepared for his first major exams and a little work over the coming weeks will make a big difference in the New Year." A survey commissioned by Save My Exams revealed that Matt is not alone in his strict parenting techniques as it was discovered that out of 1000 parents, a third of them (32%) are planning to make their child study over the Christmas period.
It also found that 1 in 10 are making their kids revise on Christmas day with some parents expecting their child to study for up to six hours on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Jenna Quinn, head of revision resources at Save My Exams has criticised these results as she believes children need a well deserved rest over the Christmas break and that forcing them to study during the holidays may do 'more harm than good'.
She said: "We were surprised by the number of parents who are looking to make their children revise on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. It's understandable that parents might want to encourage their children to revise over the Christmas holidays, however there is a fine line between quantity and quality of revision.
"The Christmas holidays are a time for seeing family and friends, relaxing and enjoying yourself. Children have more than enough on their plate and a three-day break from their revision on Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day won't do any harm.
"In fact, making children revise excessively may do more harm than good and may well cause friction between families. Our advice is to sit down with your children and work out a revision plan where you can agree on time off for them to enjoy themselves but also decide on set dates and times where they can get stuck into their revision."
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