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Exam....and school sports day.


Pups_mum

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My DD has her grade 8 exam tomorrow afternoon. I asked for her to be scheduled late on in the day so that she didn't have to miss any school as she's already had a few dance related days off this year and I don't want to push my luck. Now I am kicking myself as I have just realised that it's school sports day in the afternoon - something that I would be very happy for DD to miss. Now I am getting in a tizz about it. At best she'll be tired and sweaty when she gets home and she'll be running on a grass track so the worst could be a significant injury. I'm not sure what to do. My husband thinks I'm over reacting and even DD has rolled her eyes a bit but I'm thinking of asking her to be excused from sports day. Unfortunately I'm not sure that her PE teacher really understands how important dancing is to her or how incompatible it is with many kinds of sport.

Arrgh.....what a nuisance! Pray for rain tommorow afternoon please everyone!

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If dd wants to participate in her school sports day I think you just have to go with it and hope for the best (these things often aren't the huge problem we anticipate) but if she would rather not could you tell the school that her exam time is earlier (or even that it has been brought forward) and take her out for the afternoon so she can relax at home.

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I would take your DD out of the Sports Day and I would inform (rather than ask for permission) the head of year/middle school or whoever that your DD is doing her GRADE 8 ballet exam and cannot attend Sports Day for that reason. Don't speak to the PE teacher as you are unlikely to get a sympathetic response. Don't specify the time of the exam and do collect your DD from school before the start of the afternoon (I'm assuming that it is an afternoon rather than a whole day). I would do the same thing if it was a higher music exam as well. Sports Days are just not that important!

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Best of luck to DD for grade 8 - a lovely grade :)

 

With DD1 and a "NonDD2 sports fiend", luckily we have had no conflict...

 

BUT NonDD2 gets huge conflicts within the PE dept at school to be at netball training, sprinting, field training and football,.,all at the same time... Usually in her 1hr lunch "break". Luckily her form tutor is sympathetic & let's her eat her packed lunch in form time, after break, but the PE dept all want first dibs on my daughter and tell her not to go to the other training as their's is more important!

She's 13 and at borough level in a competitive school..but I feel the school is pulling her unfairly in too many directions?

Any similar experiences? Though I appreciate this maybe should be in "not dance!"

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Unfortunately I'm not sure that her PE teacher really understands how important dancing is to her

 

Our school just didn't 'get' it either until I pointed out that grades 6 and upwards give you UCAS points and are on a par with the dance A-level.

 

They seem to understand things better if you give them something they can actually relate to.

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I must admit that now when I have to ask for time off for exams, I copy the accreditation info from the RAD website into the letter. For Inter Foundation (and I assume for dd's upcoming G6) the school put the absence as "educational activity" or something like that.

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Thanks for the good luck wishes. She's very nervous. Not sure why, she's usually reasonably relaxed about these things but she was like a cat on a hot tin roof this morning - I don't think she was this nervous before Intermediate.

 

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Hi all just to add a good reason to keep them off !!!

DD had sports day today and has heard her ankle !!!! Luckly her grade 3 exam is not for three weeks but she will have to miss at least a weeks traning aaarrrrrrggggggggghhhhhh not happy but it's done now !!!!!!!! So I def recomend an absence from sports day ballet/dance exams are near !!!!!

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Oh dear Maisie Lou - I hope your DD is feeling better soon.

I'm pleased to report that my DD's PE teacher was actually very understanding about her not participating in sports day and put her to use setting equipment up instead, so she wasn't too bored.

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Goodness that reminds me of dd's sport's day a few years ago when she was doing the hurdles, hit one and went absolutely flying and landed on her knees!! Needless to say dancing was out of the question for a few days...this year she is hoping to go for high jump again-as usual my heart will be in my mouth. I don't have the heart to stop her but I do think it would be wise!

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I think that sports days are more hazardous for the parents than the children. I've heard of so many parents injuring themselves during the parents' races. One mother at my DD's school fell over and couldn't get up and an ambulance had to be called. I have a clear image in my mind of it driving slowly across the cricket green at one of the local independent schools. The mother had broken a bone in her foot. She had to cancel her holiday to Spain and it took months for the injury to heal.

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My daughter recently sustained a severe ankle injury from sitting in assembly for too long - I don't think it pays to be too cautious about sports, accidents can happen at any time. Common sense required and a request to dance teachers not to hold exams at the end of summer term ;-). Good luck to everyone taking exams this term xx

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I suppose the teachers' exam timetables are dictated by the RAD, ISTD etc and their session dates. Personally, I prefer dd to take her dance exams in the summer term, as she's always ill in the run up to Christmas.

 

Mind you, our school seems to have more than its fair share of broken limbs during PE lessons, so I'm actually quite glad that dd doesn't have to do hurdles etc. :-/

 

How did your dd feel her Grade 8 went, pups_mum?

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