To think mandatory school time should involve some education?

[Educationaldramatics]

At the start of this week about 50% of dd's Y6 class went on a residential trip for the week with pupils from nearby schools as a 'secondary school transition' bonding trip. DD, for financial and other reasons was one of the ones that didn't go, no problem - off to school as normal. Except talking to her through the week it turns out they've been doing no normal lessons, they've been doing things like a colouring competition, watching videos (cartoon ones, not documentaries), sorting class supplies - things I'd expect a YR/Y1 class to do to pass the time. I didn't have to grill dd to find this out, she's a chatterbox and just asking what she got up to is enough to start a blow-by-blow of the day so I'm pretty sure I've got the right idea of what they've been doing for the majority of the time.

AIBU to think this is a ridiculous waste of time, especially for an older class that's going to be starting secondary in a few weeks? Can understand the last week of the year being about films etc, it's not ideal but when the teachers and the kids are shattered I can completely understand it but they've still got over a fortnight left. If it's so important for dd to be in school, hence not being able to take her out for a week to watch films at home or go on holiday, then shouldn't they actually be doing some education? Feel like they've decided to only teach the ones away and just 'childmind' the ones still at school.

Let her have some fun whilst she still can. Do you think the residential trip is all educational?

YABU IMHO

As there's 50% of the year there, I would have expected more suitable activities. With 50% away, then you are obviously off the NC, but this is time perhaps for teachers to give the lessons in things they are passionate about but can't usually fit in (on the hoof, IYSWIM, not NC planned, just better alternative to colouring competition).

I would also have expected more thought in choice of DVD too.

I'd wonder why the school can't devise a transition programme themselves, e.g. colour coding a folder for separate subjects; organising a school bag for a fantasy timetable.

Filo - I can't vouch for how accurate it is but according to the letter we got about the trip it will be pretty packed with educational stuff, and I'm not against dd having fun at all but she can do that just as well out of school, I thought school was about education first and then fun alongside (if they're doing it right), not just one or other.

Auntie - said it much better than I could, I wasn't expecting to hear they'd carried on exactly as normal but 'off NC' lessons would have been great, and even if the teacher didn't have a clue what to do with them one morning just sticking on a Horrible Histories dvd or similar would have been absolutely fine IMO.

echt - that would have been good!

We do a transition program at my school, but not a week. Far too long. It's three morning or afternoon sessions, so the kids get time to mentally de-brief.

The bonding is when they start in year 7: a three-day overnight camp, but then this is Australia, home of the yearly camp, and they are so very good, especially for transition years.

Don't get me started on the subject. My daughter is in year 6 and the past 2 weeks have been nothing but a fundraising exercise by the school.

Little to no 'school work' has been done (i've asked my daughter every day and she's old enough to relay back to me what her day is consisting of).

Most days she is either practising for her leavers concert, watching films, supervising the younger classes whilst teacher is out doing other things, colouring, reading, selling cakes (we were asked to donate cakes then the kids had to buy them back!) we've been asked to send in money for that, armed forces day, non uniform day, prom, 2 trips, 2 outfits for carnival and leavers assembly, items for the tombola in the carnival etc. - I totted it all up and its come to way over 100 in the past few weeks.

We have scrimped and save this year to make sure we take the children away in the school holidays not to encroach on the teaching time and it appears they are doing naff all!

And to add insult to injury I've just had a mail to say they are on strike next Thursday!!!

pingufan the strike has nothing to do with the rest of the money raising activities. Send the list you've made here to the HT and governors, see what they make of it. You've nothing to lose.

The head will be well aware of the demands placed upon us recently - its a very small school. Trouble is we all complain privately but when I suggest we need to all complain everyone ducks and hides.
Its something like this

Prom - Ticket 20, Outfit - 20
Trip 1 - 28.75
Trip 2 - 25.00
Non Uniform day - 1
Carnival Outfit (they needed to be a person from Holland) - 12
Leavers Assembly Outfit (they need to be a convict) - 10
Armed Forces day picnic - 2
Donation of cakes
Buying said cakes back - 1
Donation to the carnival Tombola - Bottle of wine

Its absolutely ridiculous to be honest. Moreso when around all of this they don't appear to be doing any meaningful work either. I'd have been better off taking them out of school to go abroad on holiday - miss all the above money taking & paid 1k less for my holiday into the bargain.

YANBU.

Our last week or two of school didn't involve much education but they also didn't demand any money from us and it was perfectly ok if you wanted to take your kids out of school.

My son didn't do anything after the sats. Musical rehearsal, trip, residential trip...

A lot of schools have the policy with year 6 that the kids have to work so hard until the SATs are done, that after the SATs the last few weeks are to remind them that school is still something enjoyable and to give them a break and some of the downtime and more enjoyable activities they missed during the SATS work and run up, and as they handle the next big stress just a few weeks away of transition to another school and the next run of hard academic work. So yes, a lot of drama, music, residentials, etc.

YABU. They're going to secondary school in a couple of months. Let them have a lazy time for a few weeks.

pingufan better still send that list to Mr Gove and ask him to explain why you can't take your DC out of school in term time at the end of the school year!

When they fine parents who take their children out of school they claim that every day of school is vital to their future. That parents who do that are guilty of neglect. Then when it suits them to stop teaching for a bit they shrug it off as not important.

I'd be ok with one or the other, but they should make up their mind which is true and which is the lie.

I imagine the school doesn't want to make the ones whose parents/carers couldn't afford to send them feel 'punished' by having to do schoolwork. Which I think is fine.

I'm happy for DD2 to do v little at the moment. Life is going to restart with a vengeance in September.

YAB - the SATS are done now, let them wind down, she isn't going to miss any life shattering education. Nothing constructive ever happens after the SATS in year 6 so she may as well do something she enjoys rather than meaningless boring stuff that means bugger all.

I agree with you; if they don't go on school trips they should receive a normal education. I was annoyed some years ago when, working part-time, part of my class went on a trip; I planned all sorts of different activities for the remaining children only to find on day one I was assigned to cover other teachers for non-contact time and the children were split up between other classes and given 'self-maintaining tasks' for three days. Not acceptable.

So if your parents can't pay for something that is at least in part a jolly, you should be condemned to normal lessons? Such fun.

Take the Gradgrind/Gove hat off and let them chill. Shades of the prison house* will close around them soon enough.

(*Actually my older daughter has hugely enjoyed secondary, but it's still work.)

Anyway they've thoroughly outgrown primary by now.