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School stuff!


MrsMoo2

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Hi guys,

just wondered how you get on with taking your DC out of school for things. 

Primary school were ok with us, but now in HS, year 7, they seem to be a bit funny about us taking odd short days here and there for auditions etc. There’s a chance that in year 8, we may have to finish early two days a week for dance stuff, and I’m wondering how to approach them.

Also, how do your kids get by in HS without getting injured in sports stuff? My DS school play a lot of contact rugby, it’s a very sporting school. DS hates it, but they have to do it. I honestly can’t watch! 🙈

xx 

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13 minutes ago, MrsMoo2 said:

Hi guys,

just wondered how you get on with taking your DC out of school for things. 

Primary school were ok with us, but now in HS, year 7, they seem to be a bit funny about us taking odd short days here and there for auditions etc. There’s a chance that in year 8, we may have to finish early two days a week for dance stuff, and I’m wondering how to approach them.

Also, how do your kids get by in HS without getting injured in sports stuff? My DS school play a lot of contact rugby, it’s a very sporting school. DS hates it, but they have to do it. I honestly can’t watch! 🙈

xx 

 Having just survived senior school with my DD who is now at US I totally sympathise with you. Fortunately my DD was at my old school and I knew so many staff still there. I used to send emails to a ‘selected/supportive and very understanding teacher ’ who then passed it on to the Head. The email would kindly ‘inform’ them of the absence finishing off with the line ‘I will ensure that ***** will make contact with the teaching staff for work she may have missed’. 

‘Thank you for your ongoing support’. 

 

Worked a treat. Could hardly say no. Lol. 

 

Final prize giving at the end of yr11 they presented my DD with a special trophy for her endeavours . Surprising how you can suck up to teachers. Oops. Did I really say that. 

 

Ps. Dental appointments ie orthodontics were conveniently timed around sports events 😉

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DS's senior school have been really good. Let him leave early on a Friday for NBT, exams fine. Rugby he doesn't do, and it's a very sporty school also. A chat with the school and a follow up letter explaining why. His head of PE is very supportive , always asks how he's getting on and calls him Billy (Elliott)! It was primary that we had the major problems with!!!

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We were really lucky with our primary school headteacher regarding our DS !! He never questioned leaving slightly early for classes, time out for exams and was even fine about missing a good number of whole school days to take part in English Youth Ballet & Midland Theatre ballet productions. It helped that his own daughter is a dancer & he is very pro children taking part in the arts alongside the academic subjects. 

He very robustly dealt with serious bullying issues suffered by our DS and was very proud of him when he gained a place at vocational school. It’s fantastic when headteachers recognise that some students have a dream to pursue slightly alternative career pathways. We count ourselves very lucky that he was so supportive in every way.

We did however work really hard to always make sure he caught up with missed lessons & always completed his homework to a high standard & always in on time !!

Good Luck with your DS’s school - I think to explain everything fully to your headteacher may help things and also explain your DS will always catch up on missed lessons. 

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My DD is in year 7. They are very relaxed about time off for exams - I just phone in on the morning. I did email her Head of House (who also happens to be her PE teacher) to alert her that DD was thinking of vocational training and might need extra time off and she was very supportive. It turns out that this teacher's sister went to Northern Ballet School! I also asked how we could make sure that she kept up with what she misses but again they seem relaxed about this. And this is an academic quite high-pressure comprehensive school. We haven't, so far, had to deal with a regular early-leaving situation though.

 

All schools are different of course, but I think if you take the "conscientious parent" approach that can only help.

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I should add on from my previous about regular senior schools. If your DC can maintain or even improve their academic standards along with homework/projects submitted on time then there’s very little leeway for teachers to decline a request. They lose the argument about that missed lessons will impact on their grades. Nobody said it would be easy but a DC tends to rise to the challenge as dance is their true love and will do anything to ensure they follow their dream. They are very aware of time management. Better than the average teenager. They would rather sacrifice the odd party or social gathering in exchange for catching up on school work if it means they can live and breath dance at all other times. 

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