What is it with this Marines Visibility Team?

[Jux]

They're coming to dd's school to spend the day/afternoon? doing stuff. There are cadets at the school, but dd is not one, and not interested in becoming one, joining up or anything at all to do with the forces. DH and I support her in that (though quite a high ratio of my relatives are or have been - depending upon generation - career soldiers).

Furthermore, we have a form to sign from the Marines, not a normal school consent form. It requires a witness signature too (not a family member). It asks for info which is none of their business; as they are not providing food, I don't see why they want to know dd's dietary requirements, for instance.

If we don't sign the form, do you think she'll be excused? What is the actual point of this day? She has a huge amount of work to do due to her GCSE choices - far more homework these Easter holidays than any of her friends, entirely down to her chosen subjects. She would actually be better employed using the time academically, she would enjoy it far more too.

[GnomeDePlume]

What is the stuff she would be doing? Ignoring the organisation hosting it are they things she would enjoy doing?

What year is she in?

[Jux]

Y10. It's a lot of running about physical stuff. She will hate every moment.

[VikingVolva]

"What is the actual point of this day?"

I know it's stating the blimmin obvious, but have you asked the school? Because they're the ones who invited this team in.

[fourcorneredcircle]

If your daughter wants to, let her. If she doesn't then contact the school and find out whether it's an option to not do it. It might not all be a physical a lot of the military out reach teams do problems solving and team work activities too which your daughter would probably get a lot out of - as any teenager would :) The food thing is I imagine because although they are not providing food they may do a ration pack cooking session and then encourage the kids to have a taste - or heck, do a parachute egg drop or marshmallow tower contest.

[Jux]

Thanks, fourcorneredcircle. Yes, she would enjoy the things you have mentioned. The form seems to mainly focus on physical activities which she won't enjoy. Don't get me wrong, she's actually pretty fit, but she's not interested in PE, or actual sport. Swimming, weight training, yes; tennis, football and cross country sort of stuff, no.

VikingVolva, I would phone the school, but we're not really in very good odour with them right now as I did ring up and question something a couple of months ago, and I don't really think it's helpful to dd if I get the reputation of being one of those parents . i'd rather lie low and find out another way, if I can.

Can I take it that this is not something which happens as a matter of course in every state school?

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Have you thought of contacting the Marines and asking them? I'm guessing they'd be perfectly happy to discuss the sorts of activities that they do on such visits, even if they couldn't tell you the exact programme for your dd's school.

[Jux]

I think I'm a complete idiot, SDTG! I hadn't considered that at all, not a jot, not in passing, not at all!

Mind you, I imagine that the last thing they want is a load of parents ringing up and asking stupid questions...

[Nocomet]

If it's an outreach community thing, the Marines will have someone who's job it is to organise it and answer parents questions. They will undoubtably be far more use than the school.

IME by Y10 DCs get so little off timetable stuff they really enjoy it, even if it's not their usual kind of thing.

[fourcorneredcircle]

They could have a generic form - or indeed your daughter night signing up for a day of extreme physicality! Could your daughter ask the school? If you trust her not to twist the answer to her own advantage ;) ...

[fourcorneredcircle]

Just did a quick google.

www.royalmarines.co.uk/threads/royal-marine-visibility-teams.54128/

www.serlbyparkacademy.org.uk/news/royal_marines_visibility_team

m.youtube.com/watch?v=xR4BWcFwOKI

Sort they aren't linked properly, it's a faff on the commute!

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I'm glad I could help - and you are not an idiot in the slightest! It's often so much easier to see something when you're on the outside of the situation than when you are embroiled in it.

[Jux]

Thanks everyone. Fourcorneredcircle, why didn't I google? I google everything!

I shall phone them, and tell them that dd has a bad hip and if it starts hurting then she must sit (on a chair, not the floor) and rest it. Her PE teachers have not been able to comprehend this, but I imagine the Marines are brighter.

[2Retts]

Not wishing to state the obvious but girls are excluded from joining the marines (apart from the RM Band Service). So, unless she is musically inclined, I can't much see the point of even including girls in this exercise.

I'd never heard of the Marines Visibility Team but clicked on the link and had a look around and it is clearly an awareness/recruitment programme for the Royal Marines.

I'd probably request exclusion from the day simply because the time could be better spent investing in things that your DD is actually able to achieve (i.e. GCSEs).

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

That's a fair point, 2Retts, if the purpose of the visit is to recruit people to the Marines - but I suspect it is more about team building and confidence building, and doing activities that involve physical and mental exertion, and problem solving - all of which are just as valuable for a girl as for a boy. Plus, if the day does spark an interest in the Armed Forces in one of the girls taking part, they could join one of the other branches of the Forces.

And if it was purely recruitment-focused, they wouldn't be inviting girls to take part, would they?

[TheCraicDealer]

If girls didn't have the option to take part there'd be plenty of threads in AIBU about it. As PP said it might spark an interest in another arm of the services, helps educate kids what the marines do, bit of a break from school/revision...my friends and I went to a few army recruitment days at this age and some of my fondest memories from that time are from those trips. Mostly because we got to perve on servicemen.

[GnomeDePlume]

I think these sorts of activities are an excellent opportunity for the students who are normally locked away with their books to get out and do something in practice rather than in theory.

So what if the participants arent planning to join the armed forces? I think it is very narrow and limiting to say that a student shouldnt be encouraged to take part as their focus should be exclusively on academic study.

Far better that an activity like this is run by an organisation whose bread and butter this is than organising a watered down version by the school.