Children Blocked from Dance Exams?

[dancertaxi]

8 minutes ago, Busymum said:

Yes I will. Thankfully we only have a term left now. 

My DS has had such trouble with the boys in his class that his teacher last year suggested home schooling him. Totally different topic to what we are discussing of course but I am so thankful Primary school is almost finished for him. 

Aw I m glad hes moving on to a school with like minded peers ( I read your post above). Dd is off to a performing arts school too and though doesn't have any social or academic difficulties at school now, is really looking forward to being surrounded by others who randomly break out in song, tap under the table and jete down corridors.

Edited March 31, 2018 by dancertaxi
Multiple repeated words

[hoglett]

1 hour ago, youngatheart said:

 

 

Anyway there is obviously no way any of you are going to see it from my point of view - you clearly do not have a problem with giving your children the message that "some things DO justify skipping school" 

But some things DO justify missing school.  Education is so much more than just being in the classroom. Think of the friendships,  memories and experiences on offer through dance and similarly the exams. 

[dancertaxi]

2 minutes ago, hoglett said:

But some things DO justify missing school.  Education is so much more than just being in the classroom. Think of the friendships,  memories and experiences on offer through dance and similarly the exams. 

Completely agree hoglett

Infact so does the government where the arts and supporting talent in these ( via absence if required)  is clearly stated in all educational gifted and talented documentation/policies. 

Holistic approaches to education is the way we prepare a well rounded society for the future

 

[meadowblythe]

Does taking a ballet or piano exam automatically make you gifted and talented?  Probably not.  

 

Also I believe the current terminology is Academically More Able so not sure how ballet would fit the latest criteria.

 

 

[Billyelliott]

15 minutes ago, dancertaxi said:

Completely agree hoglett

Infact so does the government where the arts and supporting talent in these ( via absence if required)  is clearly stated in all educational gifted and talented documentation/policies. 

Holistic approaches to education is the way we prepare a well rounded society for the future

 

You took the words out of my mouth!

Dance and music exams ARE part of a well rounded education - why else would the government be funding children who are gifted via MDS and DADA schemes in both full time vocational and part time CAT schemes .....it is well recognised that even those who don’t go on to a career in the arts have an excellent base to continue to further education in many fields and music and dance are scientifically shown to enhance learning!

I would love to see anyone show that time out of school for such exams and auditions are actually detrimental to any child’s educational progress.

the only thing it might affect apart from our bank ballence are the schools statistics, which could easily be rectified if such exams were recognised universally as education off site!

[dancertaxi]

12 minutes ago, meadowblythe said:

Does taking a ballet or piano exam automatically make you gifted and talented?  Probably not.  

 

Also I believe the current terminology is Academically More Able so not sure how ballet would fit the latest criteria.

 

 

The current terminology advises of MAGT - encompassing those More Able, as well as the Gifted and Talented.  As dance/drama comes under the arts - students requesting to be on the schools register fall under G&T. 

I guess the real issue is the differing perceptions of success in fulfilling potential and the value we individually or school establishments place on the value of the arts vs academia ( not that these are exclusive of each other) 

Edited March 31, 2018 by dancertaxi
Addition

[Picturesinthefirelight]

The reason I asked was that your posts came across as not having children. 

 

I had all all sorts of Idealistic views before I became a parent. Then I realised just how ridiculous most of them were & that the well-being & happiness is my children came before anything. 

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Not all schools have g & t or whatever they are called now registers. 

[Pixiewoo]

My children attend a high school with a specialism for performing arts ... all music exams are taken within the school day, in the music centre. Dance exams (apart from GCSE) are not offered through school ; I would suggest it, but I suspect that the only suitable space is used for teaching throughout the day, so school would find it hard to reschedule those classes. Drama exams are not offered (apart from GCSE) either. However, DD attends these at a local private school.

Their high school also places a VERY high value on academic subjects.

 

I have never asked for permission for DD to attend exams, I tell school that that is when she will be absent for exam purposes. They put it down as educated off site.

 

My son has almost perfect attendance ...due to only doing music exams within school and being a generally well, fit & healthy individual. DD on the other hand  is out of school for dance & drama exams, hospital appointments and the like, none of which I can do anything about! If only hospital appointments could be classed as 'educated offsite' !!!!

Edited April 1, 2018 by Pixiewoo

[Piccolo]

And what about regular Orthodontist appointments? Treatment can go on for a couple of years... The waiting room is inevitably packed full of teenagers between the hours of 8.30am and 4.00pm on week days during term time. 

 

If my message is that YES, some things do justify skipping school, then so be it!

[Harwel]

13 hours ago, Busymum said:

Yes I will. Thankfully we only have a term left now. 

My DS has had such trouble with the boys in his class that his teacher last year suggested home schooling him. Totally different topic to what we are discussing of course but I am so thankful Primary school is almost finished for him. 

 

So sorry to hear that your lovely ds has had trouble at school.  Very happy he is off to vocational school, I am sure he will thrive. 

[Tatasmum]

2 hours ago, Piccolo said:

And what about regular Orthodontist appointments? Treatment can go on for a couple of years... The waiting room is inevitably packed full of teenagers between the hours of 8.30am and 4.00pm on week days during term time. 

 

If my message is that YES, some things do justify skipping school, then so be it!

My eldest was born with a cleft lip and palate and had an underbite which is associated with having the palate closed as a baby as it can restrict growth of the upper jaw.

 

She had to miss Monday afternoons every 5 or 6 weeks to have her braces adjusted, we tried to get the latest appointments and she often had to miss Maths(which was her weakest subject ) but the Orthodontic clinic was only held on Monday afternoons. She had braces on and off from yr 8 up to yr13. 

 

School were ok about it but at the same time children who have 100% attendance from year 7 to 11 are invited to breakfast with the head teacher on their last day.

 

It's good to offer  incentives but there have been a couple of students who have lost siblings in the past couple of years and obviously needed time off. It seems very unfair that their attendance record is 'tarnished' because of a death in the family.

 

Edited April 1, 2018 by Tatasmum

[meadowblythe]

My point is that whether all children should, or should not be allowed to attend exams, this is a separate issue from whether the are "most able," which is based around the school curriculum.  And taking exams does not mean you are by definition "more able," "gifted and talented," or whichever label you care to chose.

 

Yes, it's great if our children have the opportunity to take music and dance exams but these in themselves do not produce rounded  children,or those most likely to succeed in a career in this field.    If exams were that essential, our ballet and vocational music schools would be putting their students through far more.  Students at musical vocational schools seem to only take one or two exams, if any at all - they are no more necessary for conservatoire than ballet exams are for Upper School.  

 

Children miss school for a host of reasons, but I would assume they are more likely to be marked as  "educated off site," if the school has been asked in advance, and is aware of the reason for the absence rather than "told" by a parent arriving unexpected at reception.    As the original topic was whether time should be allowed off for exams, I would have thought a dialogue with the school is the key point.

[Paleblueleotard]

I think that's a pretty wishy-washy reply from the head of the Ed Dept to be honest and just goes to show the lack of trust from the Govt in regards to parents making correct parenting decisions for their own children nowadays. IMO the current education system has many faults and incorrect priorities. Not all children are academic, and sadly the national curriculum is squeezing out a lot of arts (and PE and practical skills) content from schools which is such a shame and presents an unbalanced education. There are far more important things than school in life, and the fact that children learn at times other than within school hours or indeed at places other than school, often seems to be ignored by schools.

 

Ballet exams are not just about ballet and are valuable experiences in their own right. They are about managing a situation than may be daunting and learning to overcome fears/nervousness when presenting oneself without a parent/teacher helping. Exams are about showing one's skills to the best of one's ability to somebody unfamiliar, remembering steps/sequences without prompting from a teacher, being professional and not panicking if the music is wrong or a shoe flies off mid dance or whatever - it's all really good experience for job interviews, presentations and so forth in the real world! It also means that when children hear the word exam in secondary school, the dancers and musicians having done exams already have the experience of knowing that if you work hard and practise, then you will hopefully do ok and (in theory) may be less inclined to panic.

 

I don't 'ask' for permission to take my child out of school. I tell the school my child won't be there for a music/ballet exam and it's up to the school what code they choose to record in their attendance records. As a parent I feel it's my call to parent my child my way and if that means taking them out for half day twice a year of thereabouts for an arts related exam then so be it. Thankfully thus far we have had a supportive primary school and I'm assuming the secondary (sadly not a vocational one at this point, but one that nevertheless has a lot of dance as part of the PE curriculum and clubs) will support this.

 

As for 100% attendance certificates or whatever - they are a load of rubbish and terribly unfair to children with long term health issues who will never, ever be illegible for a certificate. I have a child who has needs regular medical appointments every couple of months if not more often, and there is no way that these can be scheduled in school hours and they often involve waiting ages for availability, so I'm unlikely to prioritise school over health! Some appointments involve 1.5 hours travel one way (so 3 hours return trip not including rail delays etc) before we even include the hospital waiting time (can be a couple of hours) and the actual clinic time (has been up to 3 hours seeing several specialists in one afternoon)!

[balletbean]

17 hours ago, hoglett said:

But some things DO justify missing school.  Education is so much more than just being in the classroom. Think of the friendships,  memories and experiences on offer through dance and similarly the exams. 

My DD’s academic head of year has often made a clear point of separating her dancing pupils to those that don’t. Work ethic, time management, organisation etc after all not all careers come about from subjects taught on the academic curriculum.   Even Universities now look at a prospective Students outside school activities rather than just their academic exam results. Exams taken within a school day a few times a year is hardly going to impact on their overall grades. These are planned absences which can be prepared for.