Time off School

[winston]

I really feel like having a good moan about my daughter's school. It is a normal state secondary school but happens to have a performing arts status. This isn't why she goes there, it is our local secondary school and it gets very good results. My daughter is very bright and in the top class for every subject. What annoys me is she is never allowed time off to attend horse shows or dressage competitions. What really upsets me, is there are kids who get offered acting and dance roles which require time off, and they not only get permission but are actively encouraged to put themselves forward. The school newsletter is full of their achievements, for example a year 8 girl recently appeared in one episode of a children's drama, for which she had 8 weeks off! But my daughter gets sent home with a letter drawing our attention to her attendance record.

[ruftytuftyrider]

Does attendances to go to horse shows or take part in drama etc fall under a request for holiday during term time? If it does, the school should have a policy on how they deal with it and what is acceptable. If they are not following their guidelines you could raise the issue with the headteacher.

If you know any of the parent governors of the school you could ask them to raise the issue at the next governing body meeting.

It may be worth asking your local education authority whether they have any guidance that they give to schools on the subject or that they could offer you.

I have to say that it does seem unfair that they allow children time off to take part in a drama but not at a horse show or dressage competition as I would have thought such shows/competitions would support PE.

[leevale]

Ask about their gifted and talented policy. If you go down this route, I think it should be possible to be granted time off to take part in regional and national competitions. It's definitely worth looking into.

[winston]

Thank you everyone for your support. I am going to write to the local education authority as I understand you can have time off for 'sporting activities'. I think the school is being particulary strict as a recent offsted report commented on their attendance record.

[showingfanatic]

My school does this too, it really aggravates me as although our school specialised in modern foreign languages, there are lots of girls who get acting roles and have a lot of time off with permission from the school. However, they won't allow me the time off and therefore my attendance percentages are really low my dad is going to write to the headmaster and board of governers about it.

[phibbles]

We are very lucky, my daughter does goes to a private school and thankfully they think that competing in shows enriches her education. They just like to know ahead of time and adjust her homework and give her a schedule to catch up with work. They also announce any achievements.
I do know someone that goes to a state school and they managed to apply for a school scholarship and this then allowed them to get time off. Think having a talk with the head might help, to see what is available and sometimes being upfront and honest can help. Have always done this with my daughters schools.

[thecremellosociety]

Im sure if it were a sporting acadamy then they would encourage it !!! Shouldnt be one rule for one one for others, but i would try and do weekend shows mainly to miss as little school as possible

[hs]

I imagine if it is a performing arts school "drama" is probably offered as an A level or GSCE and having time off school to attend auditions or star in plays is seen as educational and this experience could help the children gain a better mark in their drama or performing arts qualifications. Better marks in exams makes head teachers happy! Also if a school has a pupil starting in a film or national play this raises the profile of the school.

Equestrian competitions are often not well understood by teachers, governors or the general public. Showing societies which hold classes for children should be aware that it is difficult for children to get time off school to compete and try and schedule the classes for weekends or school holidays. If this is not possible maybe the showing society could provide some sort of letter or pack that could be given to teachers to help them understand why the child would miss out on an educational/sporting experience by not attending as I imagine this could be a common problem and it would raise the profile of equine sports.

I would also say that mid week competitions are sometimes tricky for adults too to get time off work.

[tabbyx]

my school are fine so long as we write a letter,have always written back granting permssion and wishing us luck. i'm doing a gcse in pe so competing will help me gain a better mark in my horse riding assesment.
i would definitely speak to the head about it.
what year is your duaghter in ? if she is in a gcse year is she taking pe as a gcse,if she is she can select horse riding to do performance and coaching in,so therefore having time off to compete will help her achieve a better mark in her pe horse riding performance.
if she is in year 9 and taking options i woul strongly suggest that she takes pe IF she enjoys it as it is a very good option and also provides a break once a week to do some sports and let her hair down a bit during school.it is also a very interestingcourse and i am throughly enjoying it.
best of luck xx

[snowflake]

My school is fine as long as we write a letter and don't have more than 10 days off a full school year. It doesn't even effect our attendance as it goes down as a sporting event (which it should) just like having time off to go and play football. Tabbyx i might do pe as an option then...lolx

[Louise Dixon]

Nov 30, 2010 19:12:39 GMT leevale said:

Ask about their gifted and talented policy. If you go down this route, I think it should be possible to be granted time off to take part in regional and national competitions. It's definitely worth looking into.

yep, i was allowed time off for this, and it went in the school newsletter - rather embarrassing as i am a teacher (don't worry, the time off was unpaid, but school were very supportive). even if they won't do this, a child can have up to 10 days holiday in term time - this does need to be approved by the school, but i would just put 'family holiday'.
the best route would be to try to get them to recognise your daughter's achievements and what she gains from competing - i am assuming you are in England, but if you are in Scotland, point out the Curriculum for Excellence phrase 'confident individuals'.

[chiefgroom]

As a governor, I know that the Local Authority dictates that schools should not approve applications for holidays in term time in any circumstances. Pressure is placed on schools to achieve high attendance levels - one of the criteria used in Ofsted inspections. Whilst governors often recognise the need for children to experience challenges and experiences outside the school's curriculum, schools must place emphasis on academic performance - not necessarily for the best interests of the children but for results, league tablets that affect the popularity of the school, demand for places and ultimately the budget!!

[GrumpyPony]

It irritates me that my school let people go off in school to compete in school sporting events, holidays etc yet I know they would have made a fuss if I had told them that I missed 2 days of school due to my pony being pts
I also know that its highly unlikely that I would be allowed a day off to compete, despite being an A student with a good academic and behaviour record.
Guess I will just have to be ill....

[laurajazmine]

My school was never supportive of my competing, I always used the 'sick' excuse.

My college on the other hand, have authorised all my days off to compete, they are really supportive.