GCSE Exams for Year 11 students are a month away. And (coincidentally) for the students at ICHS, our so-called "study leave" is also a month away. The absurdity in this may seem unreal yet it is the harsh reality that we, Year 11 students of this school, are facing. Whilst local schools in the borough appear to be getting weeks off to gain a competitive advantage in their exams, our school feel it's not in our interest that we should utilise our time in the most productive way. Rather, they feel its better to force us to attend school, wasting valuable time attending lessons rather than getting on with our own personal revision. And their excuse? "You can't be trusted to revise at home." Yet again, the school put the interest of the few ahead of the interest of the overwhelming majority of hard-working people in our year. Why should I, along with the rest of my peers, suffer due to a tiny minority? It is, as on so many occasions, a sign of neglect from our school. These aren't some petty irrelevant tests, but examinations that are, increasingly, going to shape our future. And, as so many people will agree, even a week of additional study leave can have a huge impact on our results.

So, I plead with the leadership team at ICHS, to address this issue directly, and offer the students in our year one additional week of study leave. This is not a matter that should be neglected, its a matter regarding the future of the lives of over a hundred students. I urge you, therefore, to pick the option that serves the interest of these students.