England world cup at school

[AddingUp]

DC is in primary school and they do not care much for football anyway. As a family, we are boycotting the World Cup as a boycott due to their human right abuses.

We received this email late on Friday from the head:

"I am aware that a number of children will want to watch the England world cup game on Monday. Therefore we will be screening the game in one classroom per year group for those who wish to watch the game and those who do not wish to watch it will undertake alternative activities in the other year group classroom."

So basically they are stopping all teaching for the football.

AIBU to email the head and inform him that I will be picking up DC early if school is not going to teach him anyway?

I was suggesting any reasons why your school should. Just responding to the OP, like everyone else.

Wasn’t *

I would not want to be your child!! Boycott as much as you like (although it sounds like you’re virtue signalling), but don’t expect schools not to show the World Cup. It’s an
important event that only comes around every 4 years. Since most matches will occur within school time then it’s only
natural that schools will allow pupils to watch. Dont trip on the way down from your pedestal OP.

Your last sentence makes sense.I was all ready to disagree but yeah, let's be honest it's for the teachers not the kids

All this, "it's an important event that only comes around every four years" is nonsense. For starters, I bet these are the same schools who were happy to cancel lessons for the European Championships. It's all highly subjective. You might (as my husband does) think that this is the most important event of in any four year period. I happen to think there are a whole myriad of things out there that are equally important/once in a lifetime. Do schools stop lessons for Mars landings, to show coverage of the war in Ukraine or of COP27? These events are likely to have far more educational value going forward as well as being 'historic moments'. I say all this as a football mum who spends 4-5 hours a week cheering on her kids. I like football, I enjoy watching it but what it boils down to is that it isn't educational (nor historic in the true sense of the word) and we could be using the time far better to fill these young minds with things that will serve some purpose in their future lives. In fact as teachers, we are employed to do just that - as I say all these arguments for showing the football in schools simply reinforce the public perception that we are lazy and workshy.

Some schools are letting them watch it to cut down on non attendance. It's better to have the kids in for a full day and miss a couple of lessons then to have them bunking off for the whole day.

Yes, this is what it boils down to.

So because a minority of people think that watching 11 men chase a ball around a pitch is so historically important that they will let their children miss a day's education for it, we should just abandon all teaching that afternoon? Do we suddenly scrap speed limits on motorways because some people are in a bit of a hurry?

Deal with non-attendance as you would any other day and to be fair if children want to skive and parents want to let them, then on their own heads be it - I'm not sure why others need to be punished for the actions of a minority. I think the numbers would be far smaller than you'd think - it's a group game against Iran not England vs Germany in the final.

The European Championships are a different tournament to the World Cup. It's held in Europe so the games tend to be shown at better times for us. At last years tournament England had no games during school hours. If in future Euros there happens to be one England game shown during school hours, I'd be surprised if they didn't let kids watch that. The next World Cup is in USA, Mexico and Canada so the games will be later in the day so this issue probably won't come up again for a while. It's one game. Two hours. Why people are making such a big deal of it. I have no idea.

Deal with non-attendance as you would any other day and to be fair if children want to skive and parents want to let them, then on their own heads be it

It won't be on their own heads, though. Or not solely. Because that's not the system we have. Schools are under considerable pressure to get attendance up. An event that leads to a load of kids not turning up has the potential to impact on more than those kids and parents. Headteachers are reacting to those constraints.

DC’s school are showing it at lunchtime in the hall for those that would like to watch. It’s £1 entrance fee, donated to charity. I’m happy with that.

Just to add, I did ask DS (13) when he asked for his £1, if he understood why this World Cup is controversial and he said ‘yes mum, because lots of people died building the stadium, they have unacceptable views about sexuality and women which isn’t OK. But please can I go because all my mates are’. I’m sure I’ll get flamed, but I’m at least thankful he does at least appreciate the issues.

That's just it though surely. Schools are under so much pressure to get results and to improve attendance. Allowing the kids to watch the football undermines all those conversations we have with parents about attendance and every lesson counts. Why is this match more important than a parent who wants to take their child out of school early to travel for a concert or foreign holiday?

This starts from a premise that schools are actually the ones doing the allowing here, that it's within their control. It isn't.

Lots of children are going to watch the match, regardless of whether people who aren't their parents think this is a good thing. The only part that schools get to choose is whether in doing so, those kids take a full day off and tank the attendance figures or not. The idea that they're allowing anything overstates the level of control involved.

Because not every parent wants to take every child out of school for 2 hours on one day to travel for a concert or go on holiday?

On the same day.

The match is 1pm though isn’t it? My DC’s go to lunch at 1pm. So their staff actually get a break tomorrow for once.

Well the ones that saw it, got to see a good game.

YABU.
They are providing an alternative for those who don’t want to take part.
I have great memories of watching some of the 1998 World Cup at school with all my friends and teachers.

@GrapesAreMyJam i remember watching those early morning games with my dad before school…got a tad over excited whilst holding his cereal in his lap and the living room carpet ended up covered in Frosties 🙈😂😂

I feel sorry for any kids who weren't able to watch the match today, they missed a truly momentous occasion.

So you’re going to be that parent. There’s always one 🙄

It’s a football match, a first stage one even, not a final. It’s hardly a “momentous occasion” 🤣🤣