(Warning judgeypants well and truly applied) to think that missing school because of a pop concert is totally out of order

[Northernlurker]

Dd has just mentioned in passing that one of her friends wasn't at school today because she went to the Summertime Ball concert in London. Apparently she missed the train this morning and so didn't make it to school. I have a number of v judgey issues with this:

1. Attending a concert on a school night
2. Missing a train that is needed to get her to school - she is 13. She hasn't missed the train, the adults she was with have failed to ensure she caught it.
3. Missing a full day of school - there are lots of trains - why on earth didn't she get a later one and still make it to school.

If an employee did this I would be hugely pissed off with them. Where on earth have this girl's parents got the idea that missing the whole day because of this is at all ok?

Or am I being a miserable sourpuss judgeypants cow?

I am so judging all you Take-That concert goers.

Do you want to borrow my pants Max?

I don't get it. He looks like the aristocrat that owns Longleat

I skived school to get Bros tickets!

When will I, will I be FAMOUS??

They owed you nothing

I went to see the Smiths the night before my mock O level maths exam and phoned in sick the next day ( had to resit it with a different paper) I have never regretted my decision as the split up soon afterwards and I might never have seen them playing live so YABU!

WTcompleteF Pinot?

you don't know who Robert Plant is?

Can I just say, I was talking about 1974 snake hipped sex god Robert Plant, not 2011 old guy Robert Plant (no offence Rob, if you're mumsnetting )

I did/do know who Robert Plant is/was but just googling now I see he lost a son at 5 yrs old . I didn't know that.

YABU. Fuck school man.

The Arts are one of this countries more successful industries at present, so she's probably learning more useful stuff at the concert.

ooh me neither Northern. Thats sad.

Ooh theres alot of Robert Plant fans in the house tonight
I must know his songs, and I haven't seen his moves
I blame my fucking parents! Stupid Neil Diamond fanatics!

I would make an exception for the Smiths but last night's bash featured JLo and Nicole Scherzinger.....

The flyingonion - would this be the Robert Plant you're thinking of?

Northern in that pic he looks gorgeous. Woah. Yummy.

I think of school more as playing a role, in partnership with the parents and wider community, in raising and educating our children. Actually I think the parents have the primary responsibility for this and they choose schools for their children to support them in this task.
I don't see school nearly so much as a model for later work (as the OP appears to), though obviously it does fulfill this function too to some degree ( as part of children's development and "understanding of the world")
Personally I'm quite sympathetic to the occasional day off school in a good cause, though have hardly ever done so myself - My DD wouldn't let me - she covets a shiny 100% attendance certificate ( I don't approve of those really, because unfair on sickly children, and puts too much pressure on everyone )

Well DS1 who turned 14 today had to sit a maths exam this afternoon - this exam is 27% towards his maths GCSE. He has been doing tests over the last few weeks for various subjects so there is no way I would be letting him have time off school.

YABU, I think the lesson that you should work hard but not put work before everything else is an important one for chilfren to learn. Missing one day of school for something special won't condem her to a life of mediocrity.

15 of us went to a Blur concert in 1995 (I was 13). I had my parent's permission and they wrote a note explaining my afternoon off school as an "appointment". I had never missed school for a doctor or dentist appointment so my parents let it slip that once. We travelled with a friend's parent but got found out by the school. They tried to give us detentions but all the parents (2 of them were teachers at the school) complained as all of us had parental consent. The detention was cancelled and it caused a huge argument within the staff at school.

I didn't suffer because of the missed Art and IT lessons and went on to leave school with great grades and a good job.

Anyway, more to the point, what on earth has it got to do with you?! It's between the child and the parent, not the nosey friend's mum! Your life must be very dull.

well i had time off as a teen to travel to manchester to see take that

and last year i took three of my boys out of school for three days [schock] to take them to the cornbury music festival! the school were fine about it actually.

we would have done it again this year but needing a new car meant we didnt have the money.

they did have a day of recently tho as dp took the elder three boys to camp at santapod and watch motorbikes and drag cars and all manner of super fast vehicles. these things dont happen all that often and a couple of days isnt going to hurt. we always write and ask permission, explaining the benefits of the time off and school have been fine with it and if they werent they would be 'ill'.

Oh lordy the erosion of respect for the importance of being where you are supposed to be?? they are some super tight fitting judgey pants that appear to be in a bit of a twist.

I had a ton of days off school for gigs - my mum took me to donington monsters of rock (think she liked it even more than me ) and other adventures i will never forget. It was my mums way of a special treat.

I came out with straight A*s and have a very healthy respect for work/fun balance.

Go on OP pull a sickie and go to the funfair or something. Its called living . All work and no play makes Northernlurker a grumpy judgey pants!

Although why on earth they planned a JLS concert at 4pm on a friday knowing that children would be going is beyond me.
Btw my dd is 7 and it's her birthday present.