To be late for school once a week?

Dear teenager

What do you think would happen if everyone at your school did the same? Or does that not matter because you’re so special?

If you want to spend your life peeing everyone off by pushing everything to the absolute limit of what is allowed, just to make a point or because it suits you better, feel free. See how far it gets you in the real world and whether people will respect you for it or just think you’re an immature idiot.

Why are you encouraging this? I'd drag mine into school in my pyjamas to embarrass them if they pulled this with me. Do as you're told.

Read about teenager circadian rhythms. Its not necessarily to do with going to bed earlier.

Bit young to be turning into a jobsworth!
Go on time. Being late is not respecting someone else’s time, and cause unnecessary headaches in this case and wasting adults time having to deal with it/ talk about it.
its immature, but perhaps you are just immature for your age.

Should’ve gone to college if they didn’t want to follow school rules any more. The policy is there to cut students some slack if they’re running late. It’s not there for students to take the piss. Turning up late is disruptive to everyone else. It doesn’t matter how much homework is done and how great expected grades are, regularly turning up late is rude and gives a very bad impression, which has been pointed out at parent’s evening. When it comes to references will this student be happy if the school includes continual lateness?

It is a bit rude.

The issue really isn't what op thinks of it; it's the fact the tutor has raised it.

None of us can dictate what the school feel about it, and they provide the UCAS report so I'd be playing safe.

If a person needs “more time in bed” then they can go to bed earlier, so getting their extra bed time without inconveniencing other people. Because someone coming in late to school does unconvenience other people, for example the person has to be registered at reception or they may miss important announcements or information.

Just because you think you are more entitled to special treatment than everyone else doesn’t mean you are.

Have you considered a career in the Civil Service? Looks like you’d fit in admirably! 😀

Would you regularly miss a weekly staff update? It sounds like the young person in question regularly misses assembly which is rude and would be equivalent to staff not bothering to turn up to a staff update or meeting.

I think it's just damn rude. Teachers and support staff go above and beyond to support students to do well in exams, especially with UCAS applications etc. They then need to keep track of your child and whether they've made it in or not on top.

The school should have escalating sanctions for students who are late every week.

This.

I would point out that it doesn't leave her any slack in case she's accidentally late one day.

Then I'd let her crack on.

I won't lie, I'd probably do the same if I was in school and they had that as a policy. If it's not affecting them negatively in any way (i.e. the school's policy is genuine and they truly don't hold it against students) then I don't see the harm.

@tripleginandtonic Why should this matter in the world of work?

I am trusted by my manager because I perform well and deliver results, because of this I am able to take a few hours here and there/ be late/ leave early if I need to for other commitments (appointments, childcare issues). My manager knows I will make the time up/get things done as needed, so they don’t bother with enforcing my contracted hours as that would be petty and unnecessary.

But this child is already working as well, and has no punctuality issues.

I hope this attitude doesn't seep into their UCAS statement.

How would this happen?

How can people get worked up about this?!

only you know OP your child’s personality and whether this is a trait you don’t think will have any negative consequences in the future. My feeling from the rest of your post about voluntary work in the school and grades etc is that doing this will have any future impact on his earning potential, respect for others etc.

It is a bit entitled. It is all part of ‘working with others’ skills. Most students in 6th form turn up on time. Someone prepares an assembly (quite often other 6th form students) so it shows a level of respect to actually turn up and support them. When work experience opportunities come up, teachers generally recommend the more reliable students. My daughter asked her form tutor to provide a work reference which was really helpful for getting her first job. She wouldn’t have been able to ask him if she had been late every week.

Yes, that will go down well in the world of work

I did a supply contract at a school where the policy was a demerit (or whatever it was called) if you were five or more minutes late for class. So one student told me he was going to be 4 minutes 49 seconds late for class every day and I should get used to it. The issue is with the rule here.

Not sure you understood the point of my post.

I’ll probably go against the majority here but I say carry on.

My eldest was doing similar in his last 2 years/sixth form. He had realised the assemblies were on a rotation and he’d heard all of them many times over. He deliberately arrived at school after assembly had started - he wasn’t allowed to go into it late. He would go to his first lesson and wait there.
Assembly often overran, so he would end up having a private lesson with the teacher while waiting for everyone else to turn up.
His grades were excellent, he took part in/helped run an afterschool activity, he was not in trouble for anything else.

He did receive detentions for being repeatedly late. School put them on after school on a Friday when he had no other commitments, so he happily stayed at school and did homework, freeing his weekend.

We repeatedly told him that punctuality is important but he was never late for anything else. Arrived in school perfectly on time on non-assembly days, etc.

If school had made it more painful, like detentions on his afterschool club day, I’m sure he would have re-evaluated, but he found a way to work the system than not only didn’t hurt him, but actually helped him.

He’s since joined the Navy, has completed officer training, and is sponsored at uni studying a science with the plan to go back to the Navy as a submarine officer afterwards.

Those detentions and missed assemblies have done him no harm, and the alternative approach to thinking/problem solving have probably sorted his life out.

If it works for you, carry on.

PS he also hated PE (haha as he now has to do really strict Phys Ed in the navy) and worked out the maximum number of times he could ‘forget’ his PE kit without resulting in a severe punishment. He planned his ‘forgetfulness’ around their structures.

Missing assembly is also irrelevant to getting in to university.

I don't think this is smart or clever. Yes, technically within the rules but reeks of lack of respect and discipline, not a team player, and a real smart alec - none of which are pleasant qualities. Volunteer hours are irrelevant for getting into uni.

The overall tone doesn't bode well with me as a future employer. Yes, they are young now but if this attitude remains it will only harm them and their future prospects in the long run.

I hope this attitude doesn't seep into their UCAS statement.

I find it fascinating how many people have assumed it's a son not a daughter

I used to do something really similar to this in sixth form. I now hold down a good job and am a responsible member of society..

I have always been someone who would only do what they see the point in. I didn't see the point in assemblies at school and had a whole array of ways to get out of them. Am still the same way with big work meetings TBH. I'll do these things when I have to but not when I don't - what's the matter with that?

Totally agree that if the school changed the rules and punished people for having a disability, medical condition, or just a routine GP appointment, they’d be in the wrong. But I don’t think they would do that, I assume the once a week rule currently doesn’t apply to medical appointments.

If the school don’t like it, they just need to introduce a max number of late days a term, as well as a week. Nor more than once a week, and no more than three times a term.

But if I was this child’s parent, then given what’s been said about them always being on time for their part time job, always being on time the rest of the days, working hard at school etc, I wouldn’t be too worried about them.