Off school but not inset days - is it normal?

daisiegg

Yes, this is normal. This September we will have Monday and Tuesday as CPD days ('inset' I guess although they are not called that anymore), as well as Y12 induction on those days too, and Wednesday is just Y7 and Y12 and then the rest of the school are back on Thursday.

Fosterdog

My old comp and all the other local ones around here do the same thing, although they also have the 6th form in as a support network for the yr7s. they are sometimes intimidated by the teachers in a comp compared to primary so can go to older students for any help.

Locally it's only two days though not four, that seems a bit excessive.

GwylimT

Yes its normal, your daughter isn't starting back late, the year sevens are starting early just as she did last year.

daisiegg

princessdon wrote: »

Is this normal? Just feeling a bit sour as I requested 4 days holiday for her to attend what would have been a great experience and was refused as school time is sooooo important, yet they allow them to finish at lunch time on Thursday and then start back late.
Norm for a high school?

The difference is, no one is missing school during this time when 'they start back late' (the school will still be making sure they do the right number of days over the whole year even if it feels like a late start to you- they have no choice). If a pupil takes 4 days off, they are missing out on lessons that other pupils are benefitting from.

In practice, you could have still taken the 4 days even if the school 'refused' on paper - unless they threatened to fine you? I don't know if many schools would implement a fine for just 4 days if the pupil has an otherwise good attendance record (my school has never fined anyone so I don't really know how common it is). As a form tutor I often get copied on on communication with parents where they are being refused authorisation to take their child out of school - if they don't meet the criteria, the school has to refuse and it will go down as unauthorised absence, but in practice they still take their child out and the school knows they will, they just have to go through the motions.

daisiegg

GwylimT wrote: »

Yes its normal, your daughter isn't starting back late, the year sevens are starting early just as she did last year.

Exactly

princessdon

GwylimT wrote: »

Yes its normal, your daughter isn't starting back late, the year sevens are starting early just as she did last year.

No, she has the same inset days as her siblings, so 2.5 days less over the year.

I don't mind, just wanted to know if it was normal.

princessdon

daisiegg wrote: »

The difference is, no one is missing school during this time when 'they start back late' (the school will still be making sure they do the right number of days over the whole year even if it feels like a late start to you- they have no choice). If a pupil takes 4 days off, they are missing out on lessons that other pupils are benefitting from.

In practice, you could have still taken the 4 days even if the school 'refused' on paper - unless they threatened to fine you? I don't know if many schools would implement a fine for just 4 days if the pupil has an otherwise good attendance record (my school has never fined anyone so I don't really know how common it is). As a form tutor I often get copied on on communication with parents where they are being refused authorisation to take their child out of school - if they don't meet the criteria, the school has to refuse and it will go down as unauthorised absence, but in practice they still take their child out and the school knows they will, they just have to go through the motions.

They were very forceful (no fine, but clear as it was lead up to GCSE, it wasn't acceptable). She was offered the chance to do some support work/fundraising for transplant patients and film a documentary but the school were adamant.

She can do over the holidays the documentary, but not the visits to hospitals to help other young ones.

They are not doing the same amount of days, 2.5 less over the year as they still have other inset days.

GwylimT

princessdon wrote: »

No, she has the same inset days as her siblings, so 2.5 days less over the year.

I don't mind, just wanted to know if it was normal.

She isn't having any less days the year sevens simply have more, there aren't teachers teaching lessons to imaginary year eights/nines/tens/elevens when the sevens have their extra days to settle.

daisiegg

princessdon wrote: »

They were very forceful (no fine, but clear as it was lead up to GCSE, it wasn't acceptable). She was offered the chance to do some support work/fundraising for transplant patients and film a documentary but the school were adamant.

She can do over the holidays the documentary, but not the visits to hospitals to help other young ones.

They are not doing the same amount of days, 2.5 less over the year as they still have other inset days.

Lead up to GCSEs?! At the beginning of Y8?! That is slightly obsessive of the school!

I didn't mean they are doing the same number of days as the Y7, but that they will be doing the number of days that is required by law. It's not that the rest of the school are doing fewer days than they should - it is that Y7 are doing MORE days than they should.

Tbh, even as a teacher, I would have advised you to take your daughter out of school to do what she had been offered - it sounds really good. It's a shame they had to word their reply in such a harsh way

peachyprice

Janepig wrote: »

The schools around here take the approach of having year six attend two full "taster" days (year six at Elinor's primary school went last Thursday and Friday) to get used to life at a larger comp. That seems to me a much more sensible idea.

Jx

We have that as well as, not instead of.