Every year the dses senior school has something called 'Activities Week' for all the pupils in S1, S2 and S2 (the Scottish equivalent of years 8, 9 and 10). This is actually three days of activities of various sorts - some residential, including foreign trips, and other activities that are either day trips out or activities in the school. The costs of these activities range from nothing to several hundred pounds, but there is plenty of choice at the lower end, imo.
The children opt for one or other of the various activity packages, each package lasting the three days of Activity week.
Ds3, who is in S2, has come home and said that a number of the activity packages have been cancelled - either because not enough children have signed up for them, or because they can't get teachers to supervise them.
There were some vacancies for other activity packages (the less popular ones, I assume), but the children in S3 were given priority for these, as it was their last 'go' at activity week, and there are now no vacancies on any of the activities, so there are some tens of children who have nothing planned for them in those three days.
None of this has been communicated directly to the parents - a letter would have been nice, and this lack of communication is one of my complaints, but the main issue is what the school is planning to do for these children who are, through no fault of their own, being excluded from Activities Week - which is sweet FA!!
The children have been told it is a normal school day, and they will be expected to be in school as usual, where they will be sent to a classroom to revise or to do nothing at all. The only other time that children spend days like this is if they are in internal exclusion - basically all-day detention!!
So am I being unreasonable to think that this is bloody unfair on the children involved? It isn't their fault that they haven't got an activity for those three days, and basically it feels as if they are being punished.
Three days of sitting in a classroom either revising or doing nothing, when the rest of your year, and all of the year above and below are going to Barcelona, Italy, Villareal or London, or on outdoor activities like climbing, dry-slope skiing, horseriding, fishing or golf, or Theatre Production, or Accessorize (beading, jewellery making, silk painting and a photography day based on their creations).
So would I be unreasonable to write to the school and complain about this unfairness?
Tbh, I am seriously considering letting him stay home for those three days, and telling the school he is sick.