AIBU NOT taking DC out of school early for a theatre trip

[cloudybay27]

Just that really, my Mum wants to take us to see a performance at the end of the year (child friendly west end number) that is on tour at our local (ish) theatre. All weekend dates are already fully booked. Still available are weekday matinees or weekday evenings. DC is 6 and would love to go I know, we can't afford to do this without my Mum's generosity (£80 per ticket!!) but I have declined the offer as it means I would have to take DD out of school for the last 1.5hrs (school finishes at 3.30pm)

My mum (ex teacher) thinks I am completely crazy and that I should just take DD out of school. Should I? DD does love all things singing and dancing / acing so this will be a big deal to her but I just wonder what what others would do. An evening performance is possible but means a very late night and travel on the train late at night which is obviously not ideal for a 6yr old. Just wondering if I am overthinking this and what others would do?

How ridiculous. It's an hour and a half and your child is six.
I'd do it (in fact I'd pick mine up at noon and do lunch too).

Yes, do it. Lovely experience.

Glad you are going to take your DC out for this trip. At that age, I would take a kid out for a whole day if something good came up. The obsession with attendance is ridiculous (and I know it's rough on the schools, because most primary teachers and HTs know perfectly well that there are plenty of things more important than one or two days in the classroom for DC of that age, but the Government and Ofsted fixate on attendance as a way of ensuring all the proles know their place and obey authority).

Glad you've decided to go for it - I'm a teacher and I'd do it.

Totally overthinking it. I would take mine out in a heartbeat for something like this if I could.

Mine are taken out regularly yo perform in professional productions. We see lots of children in the audiences that are of school age.

I am Mean Mummy personified, and even I would take your DD out of school, aged 6, for this one...

Teacher here.
DC will get their afternoon mark. Collect them early.

who said it was end of term?

anyway co9urse you should forf a one off show that u might never catch again-thats alot btw for a tour production

I would take them. Schools never do any proper work at the end of the year anyway!

I would, I booked a weekday performance for something recently planning an afternoon off of school, I didn't realise until after the tickets arrived that it's actually the Easter holiday.

She’s six. What’s she going to miss - trigonometry?

Honestly it is 90 minutes just say we have been gifted tickets to x so will be taking them out on z afternoon.

Take her out.

Is it Matilda. It’s amazing but parts are quite dark.

@GabsAlot OP does in her first sentence 'at the end of the year'. We can assume this either means at the end of the academic year, or the calendar year, either of which will be end of a term.

Do it! Make happy memories with your DC. I still remember the day my mum and nanna took me out of school a couple of hours early to go and see Beauty and the Beast at the cinema when I was a similar age.

I would, it's an educational experience, the school will be able to register her as present for registration (so will loose no brownie points for Ofsted ratings) and it's an amazing experience for your kids, aside from which if it is the last week or two of term they won't exactly be doing anything too constructive to worry about missing.

Can’t believe you’d consider not going.

Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty!

Slightly baffled that you couldn't work this one out for yourself. It's not something many (in fact any of us going from the replies) would have given a second thought to.
Your DH was for it, so was your teacher- mother. What was your reasoning to refuse in the first place. ? Did you feel in some way unable to make these sought of decisions , (which would clearly be in your child's best interests.) without some form of validation. ?

I don't mean this harshly at all OP. I ask in a spirit of suggesting you look at a bit of assertiveness self help or maybe a workshop. Dd is 6 and you will have to make much harder choices for her for the next 12 years minimum. It might help to have some more self confidence.

Glad you're doing IT OP.

At 6 years old at the end of the year (so I'm guessing it's close to Christmas) I'd definitely take them out for a one off. They won't miss much in half an afternoon at school but will remember going somewhere special for a lifetime.

If she has a good attendance record and you have a good attitude then you'd have my blessing to go with a request for a few photos and her to share her experience with the class.