To think the school can allow one week out of the timetable

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Ds is year 9 at state secondary. The school is in an area with some difficult issues and works hard to give kids a decent education to try to break the cycle.
I appreciate all this very much but I think they are taking it too far.

Since ds started at the school he has not been on a single school trip or activity. Every June, once the exams are all over, pupils are told that they have now moved into the next year and will begin the new work accordingly. So e.g. at the end of year 7 they will start year 8 work and timetable and then carry on in September.

Ds's friend also yr 9 goes to a different state secondary, one of the 'top-performing' in the area. He has been on a number of trips throughout his time there. Additionally, at the end of June every year they hold an 'Enrichment Week' where pupils can choose from a range of activities from expensive residential trips to free in-house activities such as film-making/sports/music/drama etc etc

I have asked a few times at ds' school if they could also do an Enrichment Week and each time met with the response that there's not enough time in the curriculum to allow it. I think it is excessive not to allow the pupils one week away from the timetable - AIBU?

The devil makes work for idle hands - some kids can't handle a break from routine as well as others, and these kinds of things are notorious skive-fests. If they want children to succeed against the odds, it may be that they don't want to run the risk of children getting unauthorised absences over it.

I'm on the fence with this one.

Similar to you I live in an area with both extremes of schools.

One cannot afford the time out of the time table as the pupils are of low literacy and numeracy.

Day trips are nice but that's what parents and weekends are for I'm afraid.

School is there to educate - although there are educational visits.

I certainly don't hold with the big end of term whoopee to Alton Towers or Chessington.

Do you have any idea how much organisation goes into a week of various activities. I've helped with it - it is a year long task, risk assessments have to be done, money collected, coaches booked, disabled access checked, the route undertaken across trains and tubes , staffing sorted out - its not just a case of ringing London Zoo and getting 200 tickets

I think that it's more beneficial that they use those dead weeks from June til end of term actually! We do it here. In fact we do it earlier.

September comes and they are straight into it with no faffing with new teachers/timetables/lockers etc

Well, but, if the kids are going to a residential centre then surely all the school has to do is collect the money and organise transport? For in-house stuff that wouldn't be an issue. It just seems a bit of a grim attitude - just endless work work work.

At least he's getting a decent education out of it.

Perhaps they know that a sufficient proportion of parents would have difficulty paying for trips or activities with external providers, and also haven't had much luck with PTA-type fundraising?

well, my school didn't do trips either. we had them in primary, but from year 7 upwards, we didn't have any unless they took place on the weekend (so lessons weren't missed). all other trips were during the holidays or on bank holiday weekends so that students didn't miss timetabled lessons.

i know it's nice to have kids going on trips, but they're very expensive and involve a whole lot of organisation, and for kids that benefit from structure and timetabling, it's probably a lot more hassle than it's worth.

Then don't bother with external providers. Just do in-house - they have a theatre, a dance group, sports facilities, art rooms, computers etc etc

Op it's your responsibility to organise 'fun' for your children - not that of the school.

If you want to go on trips, pack a lunch and get a train to where ever takes your fancy.

The problem is as well that these trips cost money - I work at a secondary in an affluent area and we still get lots of children who commit to these things and don't pay, leaving the school to pay a huge shortfall. The ones who are left at school doing free activities don't take it seriously either.

Well, but, if the kids are going to a residential centre then surely all the school has to do is collect the money and organise transport?

If you had any idea how hard it is to get all the payments in for a trip like that....

Education shouldn't be just about the academics - there is more that the children can learn - teamwork, independence, self esteem, interest in things like the arts, the environment, history etc, outside of to classroom.

And I do think that, by the end of the summer term, the children can be very tired, and tired of the classroom-based subjects, so an Enrichment Week like the one the OP describes could help keep the children from becoming demotivated and disheartened.

have you passed your lovely attitude to work onto your son

isn't school for working, learning etc?

I can see what your saying but you've pointed out the reason for this is the school in an area with issues

so they seem to have decided to do this for a reason

Op it's your responsibility to organise 'fun' for your children - not that of the school

Blah. I'm not talking about fun, I'm talking about 'enrichment' - giving those kids, who as the school knows don't get much chance of enrichment at home, a chance to do something different, creative, in a setting where such things are valued. In such an area that is even more important I would have thought, not less.

Or you can stump up what I'm currently paying for - a trip to The Gambia, apparently needed for his Geography A level. Yes, they forgot to mention the cost of the poxy injections at the parental talk didn't they, and the mozzie nets etc ..... costing me the thick end of 2 grand for a week instead of £1,100 when you factor in clothing etc.

face of immense irritation<

Before someone tells me I'm mental and to cancel it - I've already paid for the bloody trip - I've just been caught for the bloody injections.

This is on the back of a fortnight in China last year.

So thank your lucky stars they don't go on any trips.

It maybe the top performing school is able to deliver its curriculum in a shorter time span and operates at a faster pace then the more challenged school you describe who value every minute they get in front of the kids to try and deliver.

All school have to deliver enterprise and careers but it's very grey, and many do so though such enrichment weeks. But also integrated into lessons. It maybe that staff are unwilling to organise such activities due to red tape really.

It's sad really, I re,member taking my sixth formers out for a meal at the end of year, one group who I taught for 8 hours per week, I still have pics. Wouldn't dare do that now. I also took kids out on many trips in one school I worked at but not my last as they just made it difficult, I'm afraid it is easy for staff to switch off.

snice and err has any parents hosted a sleepover, well times that by 30 or more!

Friggen hell hollybush

Residential trips are a nightmare to organize. I am helping organise this years and never again. We started this over a year ago, because these places are booked at least a year in advance.

We had to go to the place and visit. So it meant time away from the school, so cover had to be arranged. We had to go and do a risk assessment. One thing we are aware of is places say yes we have disabled access, for example, and it is a toilet with rail, which is no good for us. We visited a few residential centres, the usual one was no longer fit for our purposes. We also have to ensure that no other group is using the centre at the same time, which increases costs. We have to ensure that all staff at the centre are trained to meet our needs.

We have to organise transport, send letters home, chase parents for money. Have to sort out staffing issues. Find money within the budget to pay for staff that were going and also arrange staff to cover back in school. Arrange parent days so parents can come into school and talk about whatever issues they might have, and again arrange cover for staff.

Then there is insurance that needs arranging.

Plus other issues we are having. So as you can see, it's not just a case of find a centre, book and get payment.

Even inhouse activities can be pita to organise.

I think the need for educational trips is even greater in less affulent areas tbh.

Talk about Gradgrind education!!!!

My school does an enrichment week but our results are good. I can imagine if results were poor it would be the first thing to go. Apart from taking a week off timetable, it's an enormous amount of work to organise and coordinate what everyone is doing all week.

It's a bit shortsighted of the school. These 'enrichment' activities often look to the outside world as a bit of a 'waste of time' but actually they are invaluable to pupils.

Going 'off timetable' isn't a bad thing and are often used to enable the children to stretch their wings a little bit, or to apply their learning to different situations. It also benefits the children who find sitting in lessons dry and dull. It also gives the opportunity for children to learn other skills, work together in different ways and problem solve. Schools aren't fact factories, they are where children learn to work with others, resolve conflict, broaden their horizons etc. and, I would argue, in an area where children aren't likely to be offered these opportunities/experiences outside school for whatever reason, then it is even more important, not less that they have them.

The problem is that the logistics of organising this sort of thing are hugely prohibitive. If you are in an area/school with difficulties then you have the problem of parents not being able/willing to pay compounded with the problem of often not having a well supported PTA so there isn't even a pot of money into which the school can dip to pay for them.

Oh I'm lucky - he didn't want to go on the rugby tour to Fiji, NZ and South Africa - to include all manner of rugby associated things like ostrich riding and shark fishing (Two and a half grand)

Nor the cricket tour (5 grand) three weeks in St Lucia teaching West Indians how to play cricket I'm sure West Indians really need a lesson in cricket and a bit of doo-goodering in a school

Nor the ski trip, nor the German trip - endless bastard trips

I suppose I should be grateful he didn't take any of the sciences and need to go and live in a semi vacant volcano in Venezuela (5 grand) pratting around in a rain forest for a month.

Small mercies really.

I don't doubt things take a lot of organising but is that a valid reason not to have them? If it's important to impart to kids the value of learning it's also important to impart to them the value of developing their creative side or maybe uncovering a previously undiscovered skill. It could make all the difference to how they view their lives and opportunities.

If the school held it completely in-house they wouldn't need funding or to have to get money from parents. They are an Academy school with some wealthy sponsors so if money was an issue they might well be able to interest them in funding something outside the norm.

Although DS's school is a bit like HollyBush's at times.

Actually, I don't fancy paying £2,200 so that he can spend a long weekend trekking in India.