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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Two tier education within state schools?

81 replies

Katapolt · 27/05/2016 22:34

DD is starting state secondary in September.

We are not well off, I'm a single parent of three DC.

The school is very big on drama and performing arts, which DD loves.

Reading through the welcome pack today there is a performing arts school during school hours. Pupils attend during normal lesson hours.

Most of the pupils attend, it has lots of benefits apparently, extra ucas points being one and getting further ahead in the subject being another.

The problem is it is £300 a year...

I just feel it's giving pupils of wealthier families a distinct advantage in the subject. fair enough having a club after school, but this is during the school day.

Aibu?

OP posts:
NewLife4Me · 28/05/2016 14:29

This sounds like LAMDA, I'm sure these are the only board exams that offer UCAS points, similar to Drama and Music at certain levels.
The cost is on a par with those lessons too, I know it's expensive but the same for them all.
Would they let you pay on a weekly or monthly basis, it might not be such a lot spread out over the year.
You need to speak to the school, explain your situation and ask if there is any support available.

NewLife4Me · 28/05/2016 14:38

There are some horrible replies on here, I'm glad i didn't post when we were looking into funding.
OP, if it isn't to be at school you may receive funding from other schools for Drama.
My area is music but I'll look for you and pm if I find anything.
Can you tell us what area you are in as this will help.
Obviously don't want your address Grin

Balletgirlmum · 28/05/2016 14:41

It could be lamda, trinity or Arts Award, they all accrue UCAS points v

MariaSklodowska · 28/05/2016 14:46

some seriously cunty answers here.

At my children's secondary there was a two tier system right from the start, with only those children recommended from local primary schools offered musical instrument lessons....

In Year 8 the only school trip was a skiing trip to America...

PP certainly was not used to benefit pupils directly.

I expect that was my fault as well according to some of these posters.

BackforGood · 28/05/2016 14:47

The OP has explained that her dc are singles, not triplets, so it's pretty unlikely that all the dc will be wanting to do this activity at the same time.
I'm afraid that is what budgeting looks like to most families though - nobody can do everything they'd like to do. As a parent, you make decisions about extra activities based on your budget and being fair to however many dc you have. Like most posters, I suspect, throughout their lives my dc have 'not had' what others of their friends have had, at certain times, and, no doubt will have had things that others of their friends don't. Some parents will have been able to pay more easily, some will have had to budget. Some families are prepared to scrimp on one thing that another family aren't.

I'm stunned at some threads on here, what people pay out for things that I'd never dream of coughing up that kind of money for, (phone contracts, clothing, makeup and 'beautifying' products and services, etc. and yet, I'm sure I spend on some things for my dc that others say they "can't afford". When there are threads asking how folk can get the weekly shop down to under £150, people then get ridiculed if they regularly feed their family for under £50 a week, or the person that asks the question says 'I'm not prepared to compromise on X,Y,Z'. Fair enough, but this, to me is one of those decisions. I buy clothes in charity shops, I eat well for less money, and I am usually able to pay for out of school activities when the dc want them. Others can choose as they wish, but I completely disagree with saying school shouldn't offer something if all dc can't afford it. I reiterate, my dc have not done lots of things their schools have offered as I'm not paying those prices.

KondosSecretJunkRoom · 28/05/2016 15:10

I agree with the OP, I think it is unfair that some children are not able to access these drama lessons because their parents are too poor to afford it.

Unlike music lessons, which are usually one to one lessons that last 20 mins, this sounds like a group activity where poorer children will be conspicuous by their absence and an activity that occurs in school time and which the school prides itself on.

What is PP for, if not to enable poorer children to participate in school in the same manner as their peers?

AngieBolen · 28/05/2016 15:20

It's only £8 per week op, is there nothing you can cut back on to fund this yourself? Perhaps look to retrain or increase your earning potential for the future years when your other kids start?

AngieBolen · 28/05/2016 15:24

Posted too soon!

Hmm My face is like this because the op has probably already considered how she might make her financial situation more comfortable. there's always one

But OP, this does sound like the system if music lessons in my a DCs school, and probably most schools. They tell you music improves your brain then if you want lessons it's £400 per year!

TBH I'm not sure I'd want my DC missing regular lessons anyway.

KondosSecretJunkRoom · 28/05/2016 15:30

Like you say, maybe you could have paid for one child but not three. Your choice

What a shitty fucking attitude. Even if you genuinely believe it and it's not just a crutch you use to feel significant/ superior, what choice did the child have? Will you follow that same logic when the NHS is eroded?

andintothefire · 28/05/2016 17:26

It's only £8 a week OP. Do you really need to eat? If you just have one meal a day it will be amazing how the pennies add up..

Confused
andintothefire · 28/05/2016 17:27

Or maybe you could give up one of your other children for adoption so that you only have two sets of potential fees to worry about..?

GoblinLittleOwl · 28/05/2016 17:53

I didn't think children could be excluded from educational activities within school hours if they couldn't afford to pay. I have never heard of anything like this before. Check with the school, and check with the Department for Education. Is this an Academy?

Frrrrrrippery · 28/05/2016 18:01

It sounds like a three tier education. Presumably my non-religious DC wouldn't even get a place at the school at all.

I find it awful that any state school excludes students be it by faith, grammar or 'top ups'

BertrandRussell · 28/05/2016 19:03

I would imagine it's not actually part of the curriculum, but an extra. Lots of schools do this for music. If that's what iit is that's fine. So long as it really is completely separate.

Teacherontherun · 28/05/2016 22:51

To clarify, PP funding is not spent based on parental requests. HOWEVER there is always 'wiggle room' we have had parents request help for all sorts of things -uniform, maths tuition, Spanish lessons equipment. In every case we consider the request and its IMPACT on that child if they go without and a judgement is made. they rarely get 100% of the request but we do try to because generous as poss. but if parents don't ask we don't know!

MariaSklodowska · 29/05/2016 05:51

" if parents don't ask we don't know! "

Really? So PP IS spent at parents' request then?

When my children were receiving PP there was nothing 'extra' for them at all;

bustraintram · 29/05/2016 08:51

YABVU. You can't afford it. We get that. So your DC can't do it. If the programme didn't exist, your DC still wouldn't be able to do it - and neither would anybody else's. So what you're saying is that because you can't afford it, either they should scrap the programme altogether to the detriment of all other participants or somebody else should pay for you (and PP isn't some magic pot of money in the sky, it clearly comes out of taxes)

BoGrainger · 29/05/2016 09:01

So what do you think the op's pp SHOULD be spent on? It has to be something that they benefit from. It is ime ill-used a lot of the time. This is a perfect opportunity to use a % of it on something the dc are interested in and can benefit from.

CalleighDoodle · 29/05/2016 09:15

We spend pp some pp money on revision guides for pp students that they can have for free, rather than pay the £6-9 other children pay. Thats one example.

Balletgirlmum · 29/05/2016 09:17

Kids have to pay for revision guides? I mean yes if they choose to go out & buy particular ones to help them (I bought one for ds as he finds his science teacher's teaching methods hard to understand) but I thought teachers provided revision material. That's appalling.

CalleighDoodle · 29/05/2016 09:21

You think teachers provide exam board revision guides for maybe 120 children out of their wages?! Really?!

AllPowerfulLizardPerson · 29/05/2016 09:27

'So what do you think the op's pp SHOULD be spent on? It has to be something that they benefit from.'

Right now, we can't possibly know and nor can the school as the DD has not yet joined. Buying a course of LAMBDA lessons (or whatever add-on these are) might not be the best thing for this pupil.

Balletgirlmum · 29/05/2016 09:28

My children are expected to revise from their class notes/revision pack/lists put together by their teachers.

Balletgirlmum · 29/05/2016 09:29

Dss school subscribes to something called ten ticks & dds to my maths as well - they are given lists of topics in the syllabus & use those.

BoGrainger · 29/05/2016 09:30

Well the school wouldn't promote them to this extent if they didn't believe they were beneficial!

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