To complain to the school because all of Y6 is being taken to a local private school for a "Taster Day"

[MimiSam]

My son has just come home from his state school with a letter saying all of Y6 is being taken on a "Taster Day" to a private school nearby. The purpose of it is, and I quote, to give the children "a taste of a few of the activities that our pupils enjoy on a daily basis". They will see the music, art and sport facilities and visit the school farm. The private school is providing transport and food on the day.
I thoroughly object to this - why show the children all the wonderful facilities that the vast majority of them will never be able to enjoy, as their parents can't afford it and/ or object to private education? I don't want to withdraw my son and make him stay behind, while everyone else goes on a fun day out (although I might), but I do think that if a private school is touting for business, then they should target parents, not children and state schools should not be going along with this. AIBU?

Yanbu. How weird!

YANBU I would be asking the school what the learning outcomes will be for that day.

Looking around facilities doesn't really seem very helpful. If the plans are actually joining with the other pupils to do some shared learning then yes maybe (it maybe something the private school needs to do engaging with the local community type thing).

Yr6 is an important yr and this seems a waste of time.

YANBU. How bizarre. Definitely the private school touting for business - if they want to provide a taster day for local state school children, make it optional, outside school hours. A taster day in a comp where the majority of the children will attend secondary would be completely different.

One of the things private schools are enjoined to do is to share their facilities. Could is be the start of a joint project?

I think it's pretty unlikely that a state school would send a whole year group to something that is essentially an open day. I think it's a good idea for to to ask our school about learning outcomes and future intentions.

The private school can offer to open up its facilities in any way it wants to. The responsibility for your DS's curriculm (and whether to accept the invitation) rests squarely with his school.

That's awful
Complain away. YANBU, not one bit.

I think you have a valid point and need to bring it up with the HT. I can't imagine you'll be the only parent having reservations about that. How weird. If it is a proper taster day the private school is going to be sold to them as so wonderful which implicitly castes aspersions on current school their at or the secondary they'll be going to. I can't imagine a private school would be so insensitive. Maybe it's just a visit without any slant on how wonderful we are and look what we provide. The kids might even think what's the big deal, it's not that great, not all of them are.

Might it be wanting to increase awareness about bursaries? In which case, the school is (in theory) open to all?

That sounds dreadfully ill thought through by the private school. If they made it about some of their facilities it would be defensible. At the end of Y5, DD's class went off to use the photography studio at the local private school. Of course we all knew what it was really about, but they had a great day out and a chance to use facilities that they don't have at her primary school.

Weird. I thought this was going to be about shared facilities with some kind of ongoing link. If it is, then acceptable. If its not, I would find a reason for your DS not to go on this trip.

YANBU at all. What a ridiculous idea.

Ds1s school do taster days/weeks in the holidays where chikdren with strong abilities in sciences etc can come and have a few lesson ( fun ones obviously). It's linked to scholarships and bursaries for local kids.

If its not that sort of thing but 'look at our lovly pool' I would complain too.

That's disgusting. Private schools are under pressure (probably quite rightly) to open their facilities to local communities in order to maintain their charitable status. It sounds like this school has decided on a completely insensitive way of "achieving" this. I would complain to your DC's school and refuse to send them. I'm really outraged on your behalf.

One of our local independent schools has selected yr 6 pupils in for g and t work, but not the whole year group.

Does seem a bit patronising.

Yanbu. Complain and don't allow your dc to attend.

They might have burseries. One private school near us does 50% burseries and if I had known I would have applied.

Visits for the children might not be the answer but perhaps they should write to local parents with more info?

Lots of privte schools do joint things with the local state schools. Did they actually use the word 'taster day'?

YANBU.

It's just not on. Many kids that age are just not going to understand at all about bursaries etc. They'll have all this waved under their noses and then be told - nope, sorry, you're not going there actually.

:(

If it truly is advertised as a taster day I would be cross about this. My DCs do go to a private school but I still would have been cross if when they were in state school as what if we couldn't send them etc and they wanted to go. I think it could end up a bit of a nightmare.

If it is a trip so they get the benefit of using the facilities then this is fine. We used to visit other infant schools when I was involved with a pre-school but not as 'taster days' but as an opportunity of using excellent facilities.

is maybe your sons school looking to perhaps use some of the amazing facilities of the private school so they are taking up the offer of the taster session that is what it sounds like to me, yanbu that is just weird and not really needed, the school is probably touting Is it a secondary school ?

That would hack me off, 'hey kids, check out what you can't have, and all these wealthier kids can'. I would speak to the school, find out what the heck they are thinking, if there really is any logic in their plan, but it does come across as a bit strange?

Completely weird (my dc are at a private secondary).

Does your HT have a death wish? Hard to imagine a more controversial day out. Perhaps you could suggest a day trip to a casino, or a convent?

Agree it is your school's responsibility - clunky and insensitive marketing by the secondary school that should have been firmly binned by the primary, whose duty is to its pupils.

If it as described this is nothing to do with community use or fulfilling the aims of the charity - touting to potential clients doesn't cut it. I am not even sure about taster days to local state schools - eg my son was taken to a girls' church school, so could not have gone there however much he liked it. I think it is probably best left till they have accepted a place at a school, unless everyone who wants a place gets one. Otherwise, again, you are dangling something that may not be available, and I think it should be up to parents to manage this tricky process, decide how much info to share with their kids etc

That's absolutely horrible. Definitely take it up with the school. Hideous.

How bizarre.

I have never heard of this before.

They can't be trying to drum up business, I wouldn't have thought. The target market can't be the children. Or if it is, it is incredibly naive of the school. I just can't see what they can hope to achieve by it.