What’s the point of Enrichment in schools?

[Fusedspur]

My children’s school has enrichment week and on the face of it there are lots of interesting things to do but actually, lots of the kids hate the break in the routines. What is the point of it?

Your thread title is "What’s the point of Enrichment in schools?"

but actually, despite complaining to the school about it and discussing with other parents on WhatsApp how to get your kids out of it, you're actually merely 'questioning' and are actually neutral on the topic?

So now “feedback” which was given carefully and constructively (and not read by you) is a complaint. The projection continues. Is it really so hard to ingest that not all your personal efforts hit the spot with everyone?

You're complaining about it on MN, yes? But your feedback to the school was actually positive? A thanks to the teachers who worked hard to organise it?

Of course it was positive and framed in such a way that it hopefully didn’t piss anyone off. But it certainly wasn’t “thanks tons for doing this thing which has made our kids nervous wrecks and reduced them to tears/school refusal.”

My point is that it is usually visits to the one museum in town that most of the kids would’ve visited while they were at primary school.

Obviously the school should give students a test to determine if they have benefited from the enrichment activities. They will of course need a mock test beforehand and some revision sessions, maybe including breakfast. That will provide valuable feedback for the school and parents and conveniently fill up the last week of the summer term.

Was there any need for that?

It isn't the school's fault that your child couldn't cope with the activities on offer.

I've honestly never read a more miserable OP.

In the OP’s defence, it sounds like she posted in a dark moment while dealing with her struggling ND child. I have an autistic son and it’s not always easy to be rational and positive when he’s in distress mode.

Whose is it? Hardly his. But in any case, if he can’t manage it, instead of minimising the distress, or forcing him, an alternative including doing nothing would be great, rather than stern emails about attendance.

You have led a charmed life.

Thankyou, it’s been a really tough time actually. He hasn’t slept through for days which means I haven’t. I’m knackered. But NobleGiraffe’s assertion that we should all button it and be grateful has helped no end.

I think that possibly, it’s a lack of preparation and support that makes enrichment activities difficult for dc who might struggle out of routine.

my ds has ASD. he is at a fantastic school, with a very high percentage of dc with SEN. he has an enrichment week at the end of term, and is very much looking forward to it (4 days, a different trip each day). He knows what will be happening, which smaller group he is allocated to for each day, which teacher he will be with in that group, has had the opportunity to ask questions about various aspects of the trips, and there has been a lot of talking it all through in form time already (and there’s still over a month to go!)

Being out of routine can be difficult (I have 3 dc with ASD, believe me I KNOW the value of routine!) but being able to start learning to compromise, and flex a little is invaluable. It really is.

It is in a way - the school has the duty for reasonable adjustments for SEN children.

DD's school had all SEN children on a register incl. triggers. A crowded room with no idea what to do and how to get the most out of it - that's something the school could and should have managed to avoid.

Giving the SEN pupils an hour on their own, doing prep work with them, providing parents with information to work with their children at home - all this was done by DD's school.

The same with trips - knowing triggers is vital. We had one incident where the teacher dismissed the Y11 pupils after a workshop in Central London - on a day of train strike and they should have known (and later admitted that it was in their record when we complained) that DD would struggle with the change of the usual routine of going to the tried and tested train station and home from there, something they did all the time for various trips, and instead trying to find a way to come home on her own. We didn't walk her through the scenarios as the school didn't tell us that they would be dismissed instead of brought back to school.

Saying enrichment is pointless for SEN - that's not right. It's about ensuring the school has plans for SEN.

What an odd perspective to have about a museum... We visited this 7 years ago, so no need to visit again...

You are allowed to visit museums more than once you know...

They'll have different exhibitions/focus/talks... They do tend to be quite varied...

And you'll get something different out of it at 8 as you would 15.

Once again, you are completely ignoring the fact that I have said multiple times that it is entirely reasonable for you to raise with the school a request that SEN children who cannot cope with the activities should be able to spend time in the SEN base or similar instead.

I’m not denying the educational merit of museums, of course you can visit multiple times! But why not visit somewhere different - that is my point.

At my DCs secondary school, they’d have a few days towards the end of summer term for enrichment activities. My DC never particularly enjoyed them, they found them pointless because they went to the same places or had to do the same (sports) activities. There wasn’t much variety. I’m only talking about their experience of it - other schools will be different.

And I’m not blaming the teachers!

I guess it depends on what you consider ‘enrichment’.

School is not just about reading and writing. Seems a good idea to let the students have some enjoyable experiences too.
Many kids will never do these things with their families and those that are lucky enough to already do enriching activities will enjoy doing more.
Win win.

But for the majority it isn’t. I assume you are at a mainstream school. Your posts suggest that those without special needs should not have enrichment in order to cater for those with SEN.
Have you considered how much effort teachers put in arranging these sorts of activities?

What a strange question. Can you seriously not understand the point of a careers day or a theatre trip?

Christ they’re better than enrichment day in my dd high school, they do go karting (in school) paper crafts and Lego

I have this problem from the poorer people's point of view. I had to say no to my kid going to an amusement park this year, he will be playing video games instead....