Is a 16 year old allowed to miss school for induction days for a part-time job?

buyitall

Hello,
I originally posted this on the 'jobs' board, but then thought that there might be some school experts on here....
My son is 16 and started doing his A Levels at 6th form in September (the 6th form is part of the same school he went to from 11-16). He has successfully applied for a weekend job at M & S, which he is due to start at the beginning of November.
The only trouble is, in order to do the weekend job, he has to do 3 full days induction instore, which take place on a Mon,Tues and Wed in school time.
We have already asked M & S if he can do the days in half term, but that is not possible - if he wants the job, the scheduling of the induction days are non-negotiable.
Does anyone know what the regulations are about him missing school in order to do the induction?
Thanks for any advice

daisiegg

I think it is very unlikely that school will officially authorise it but that doesn't mean he can't do it.

tango

No idea, have you rung the school? . Three days is a lot of time off school. But your school may allow it if you say all work missed will done ?

claire16c

I'm shocked at m&s, nearly everyone I knew at school had weekend jobs and inductions for whatever store were always at weekends, I can't believe they're entertaining the idea.

I can't see the school authorising it but you could ask.

Soleil_lune

buyitall wrote: »

Hello,
I originally posted this on the 'jobs' board, but then thought that there might be some school experts on here....
My son is 16 and started doing his A Levels at 6th form in September (the 6th form is part of the same school he went to from 11-16). He has successfully applied for a weekend job at M & S, which he is due to start at the beginning of November.
The only trouble is, in order to do the weekend job, he has to do 3 full days induction instore, which take place on a Mon,Tues and Wed in school time.
We have already asked M & S if he can do the days in half term, but that is not possible - if he wants the job, the scheduling of the induction days are non-negotiable.
Does anyone know what the regulations are about him missing school in order to do the induction?
Thanks for any advice

Sixth form is not compulsory, and you cannot get fined or in trouble for bunking off it. However, any college - or sixth form in a school - can throw a student off the A-level courses if they have too many absences. If they do have a lot of time off, they will do very badly in their A levels, making the college/school look bad. I have known a few people whose kids have been booted out because of low attendance.

In addition, many college tutors/teachers/heads will tell you that putting employment above your A level study is a bad idea. The Head of our local college suggests that students should not work more than 8 to 12 hours a month, or it will affect their results.

So it depends on how good he wants his results to be.

Best to have a chat with him, find out what he wants to do with his life and what career he wants to do, and above all, have a chat with the school sixth form advisor.

buyitall

Thanks for your comments, to be honest I was reluctant to ask permission without seeking some opinions first - in case they say no! I don't want to lie, but was wondering about just emailing them on the first day of the induction.

lika_86

Don't ask the school, just have him phone in ill, it really won't put his studies back if he misses three days, he could have flu longer.

buyitall

I don't want him to have to lie about being ill, but he does want to do the job. The job itself is only 4 hours on a Sat afternoon and 4 hrs on a Sunday. Once he gets past the induction I don't think it will affect his studies. He only had 2 days off sick in the whole of his time at secondary school, his attendance is normally very good.

daisiegg

Soleil_lune wrote: »

In addition, many college tutors/teachers/heads will tell you that putting employment above your A level study is a bad idea. The Head of our local college suggests that students should not work more than 8 to 12 hours a month, or it will affect their results.

So it depends on how good he wants his results to be.
.

That REALLY is not necessarily true. My siblings and I all worked around 12 hours a WEEK whilst studying for A Levels, and all got straight As (before A*s existed) and went on to good universities and good careers (teacher, doctor and the third is still studying a rigorous academic degree at a top university).

I actually think having a job can be good for a student. It helps them to develop better time management skills, and teaches valuable life lessons about commitment and responsibility, as well as for some young people being the first time that they actually interact with adults who aren't older family members or teachers. Added to which, the job market even for graduates these days is dire. If a student doesn't work during sixth form, they will find it a lot more difficult to get a job if they want one while at university. Coming out of uni never having done a day's work cannot be a good thing for job hunting.

claire16c

Soleil_lune wrote: »

Sixth form is not compulsory, and you cannot get fined or in trouble for bunking off it. However, any college - or sixth form in a school - can throw a student off the courses if they have too many absences. If they do have a lot of time off, they will do very badly in their A levels, making the college/school look bad. I have know a few people whose kids have been booted out because of low attendance.

In addition, many college tutors/teachers/heads will tell you that putting employment above your A level study is a bad idea. The Head of our local college suggests that students should not work more than 8 to 12 hours a month, or it will affect their results.

So it depends on how good he wants his results to be.

Best to have a chat with him, find out what he wants to do with his life and what career he wants to do, and above all, have a chat with the school sixth form advisor.

My school had a line about that but to be honest I think it's rubbish I worked 9 hours a week in the 6th form and got AAB.

Someone else could have no job & do no revision, or have picked subjects they're not good at etc and do worse. Infact my friends parents encouraged her to quit her job, and she got B,C,D. She certainly didn't spend all day Saturday working on homework I can tell you!

It's all about time management & priorities. And also the luck of exam topics etc you could study 24/7 and still be flummoxed in an exam.

stormbreaker

I would tell the school the truth.

Both my sons worked from 14 and it did not effect their results. They both benefited from working with the public, money and weights and measures. The grew in confidence too.

A lot depends on the individual but if you and him think he will cope then I would encourage him to work. Life is not all about academic qualifications but also life experience. Qualifications can give you more choice and open doors but work experience can do exactly the same.

It also encourages them to manage their own finances and sets them of well should they continue on to further education.