To be late for school once a week?

If the school isn't bothered then neither would I.

If the school is bothered (not because "school starts at 8" but because it's disrupting the class etc), then I would intervene and ask my child to be on time.

Not in the UK, but when I was in secondary school we had to justify any lateness to the school assistant and they would report to the parents on a monthly basis. It made a lot harder to do what your child is doing.

I think the phrase that springs to mind here is: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

The 1 late per week allowance was presumably designed to allow for unavoidable lateness rather than deliberate.
Is tutor time not used for the tutor to pass on any important messages from the school/college? (Or is this all done online now?)

I think I’m in a minority here but I support the OP.
Life can be hard, full of hurdles and constraints that often appear unnecessary & nonsensical. If there is a way to circumnavigate the rules whilst staying within pre-determined boundaries, then why not? Surely the ability to think outside the box, identify short-cuts and generally seek advantageous opportunities should be encouraged? We’re talking about a 13 year old missing assembly once a week. I say go for it!

Mine was at a school sixth form. I went to a sixth form college which would have suited dc better and been better transition to uni but school was only option in our town.
It was a focus on absence and all common sense out of window.
Most of her peers ended up at local ish unis and I do wonder if the attitude played a part - they wouldn’t ok time off to travel to uni open days a plane ride or several hours away on train.

I mean they're taking advantage of the system and if you're okay with it you do you. However its just going to be one of those things where your kid is just looked at a bit disfavourably because they are playing the system and the form tutor will probably find it rude, frustrating and a bad example (if everyone does it chances are they'll just change the rules if it becomes a disruption)

I think the rule is probably there to help people who sometimes struggle to get in on time, because shit happens, however purposefully being late will just reflect a bit badly on her.

As someone who trains adults in software I do really hate it when people turn up late as I do end up having to explain things twice plus I feel like my time isn't respected. So yeah its not something I would encourage, especially if it's been brought up as an issue by the form tutor.

But they are also arrogant and think that being a volunteer affords them special privileges.

It doesn't. It's not part of the 'job'.

I cannot believe this post it real but if it is you will go far in life definitely a leader not a follower 😂

I don’t see the point of getting in on time just to sit around in form time or to go to an assembly.

Form time is when announcements are read out or a teacher may need to see you for some reason.

Assemblies are there for a reason too.

You can't decide to cherry pick which parts of the school day you want to participate in when they are compulsory.

A sloppy attitude? Entitlement? Meh. The kid is the second most active volunteer in the school, has a perfect behaviour record, works weekends. If that's what sloppy and entitled looks like then many would people would be grateful to have such sloppy and entitled kids.

YABU. School hours are set hours. The policy not to penalise is there to offer some leeway not to be taken advantage of.

If it is abused, they could take it away and then everyone suffers because of your child's inability to comply or your inability to make them comply.

Whatever they do or don't volunteering wise etc is not relevant. They are abusing a system that was put in place to be helpful.

The sense of entitlement is just amazing. I would not support my DC to behave like this.

Dear Year 13 Child

You are taking the Micky (to be polite.)

The 'once a week late' is so that the school appears reasonable not Draconian.
They are making an allowance so that if the unforeseen happens, maybe out of your control, you aren't punished.

To use this leniency as a reason to turn up late (as if that's the norm), is missing the point.

It's the same as someone taking X days of sick leave before they have to prove they are ill - ie using the days off as a holiday!

Taking this into account the one day a week lateness is not something I would challenge. I’m curious if they choose to arrive later on Fridays so as to avoid a double lateness and punishment?

This is a perfect example of why in life the PTB end up taking the good things away from us. We can’t be trusted to used them in the way that is intended.

Obviously the school expect pupils to start and finish on time. That should be the intention of every pupil on every day. They are acknowledging that if you are late they aren’t going to make a song and dance about it on every occasion. You will be trusted to fix or address the problem without someone telling you off and what to do.

That is what your child needs to understand. When high trust environments are abused they cease to become high trust environments. They become controlled and limiting.

It is a sloppy attitude, rather like those who treat contractual sick days as additional annual leave allocation. Just because there is leeway, presumably to allow for travel delays or one off emergencies, does not mean you should take advantage.

I understand his point of view. However, as an retired teacher who has had to write many references for university and work, you should warn him that many employers etc have sections for referees to complete with attendance and punctuality. It is quite likely in the future that he will have disadvantaged himself from getting a place/job by doing this.

This is a generationally thing. Young peoole are not going to be slaves to their jobs like us in our 40s have been. My son had exactly the same attitude to sitting in form at the end of the day couldn’t see why they couldn’t come home. As he says work smarter not harder.

I have the second highest voluntary service hours in the school (this is for things like helping younger students, doing clubs etc) + I’ve never had any detentions for behaviour etc.

These two things are relevant IMO (the grades not so much). Hope you carry on your voluntary service beyond school and good luck with your studies.

Being part of a school is being part of a community. ‘Sitting around’ in form time or assembly is part of being a community. That’s where you notice that someone looks upset, or that the group vibe has changed, or you hear about something important. Go to school on time.

I get where DC comes from, because assembly and "tutor time" as we called it back when I was young, was so boring. But my mum ensured we turned up for the school bus to take us to school and we were funnelled in like robots. As an adult, I've had to go to plenty of meetings and training courses that could have been an email, so I realised you have to suck these things up. Even now, my mind wanders and I think of anything else but what's being discussed. My team assume because I'm quiet, I'm still listening. Hm, no.

And? It’s just the same question worded differently. If they’d come on and said it the way you suggested, it could still have been used in the same manner.

The young person is unreasonable and should get to school on time. They will probably be the cause of a tightening in policy that harms following students who actually have a reason for being occasionally late - “this is why we can’t have nice things”.

The school should have noticed this ridiculous pattern and done something about their unusually lax policy to differentiate between occasional unavoidable lateness and students taking the proverbial.

By y13/age 17 I think it’s between the school and the young person to sort out and not the parent, assuming the lateness is not impacting YP’s education or causing harm or inconvenience to anyone else.

The British education system should really rethink the necessity of “assembly” and the like for young people studying A-levels not going to primary school.

I disagree with playing the system.

If the college realises the late system is being played then they may well adjust it and go with a no late tolerance. This could and likely would impact students who have a genuine reason for being late.

It’s not a hill I’d die on. My dd is at uni now but was similar at sixth form eg they had no teacher for 1 subject all yr13 and she preferred to self study not be babysat by a pe teacher sometimes. Tues morning form she missed when they were only doing uni applications and she had already applied early entry. They were also awkward re attending uni open days and additional exam for uni. They also reported her absent when she was on a trip abroad she’d won a place on through school. I had a call about her attendance with her head of year in yr13, at this point she was 18 and I felt it was her responsibility. It’s the presentism versus best use of time argument. She also did lots of school volunteering, was AStar predicted and outside volunteering and paid work. She’s coped well at uni managing own time.

If schools stopped treating 6th formers as little children and gave them some freedom like colleges do, then pupils wouldn't have to do this.

If the school is to write a reference for you in the future, they may include the number of days that you were late. You will have shot yourself in the foot!

You sound a bit arrogant and immature. Arriving late is disruptive for everyone else who has arrived on time.