To think many schools value sporting and academic achievements and the arts are still often ignored?

[WhyCantTheyJustBeKids]

My daughter is in the lower end of primary school. She's very academically able, working about 1-2 years ahead according to her teacher on parents' evening. She isn't remotely sporty: she tried trampolining, gymnastics, ballet, and although she enjoyed them all, she didn't get the hang of them so she got frustrated. It took her a while to learn to ride a bike. She can swim well. Her talents lie in music and performing. She plays piano, sings, and she's in a theatre group. She also loves to write stories, and draws.

Her school celebrates hugely (and rightly so) when a child has a sporting achievement. For instance, recently a child got through to the finals in a BMX competition. It was great to see that being celebrated. The school also puts teams in to various sports competitions as one of the teachers is hugely into sport. That gets celebrated. Academic achievements aren't celebrated as it seems to be expected that all children will achieve well within their own ability- fair enough.

My daughter has, in the last year, had a number of achievements within her hobby. Grading on the piano for instance. And last week she was fortunate enough to sing on stage with a famous popular opera band, at their concert. She has done what she always does - enthusiastically told her teacher all about it. She just loves to share what she's been up to. But they never really seem to make much of it. I know another parent has experienced similar, as their child is also musical. The school doesn't have music teachers come in, and they say it's because it's quite a small school so it doesn't work. The after school clubs are either construction and craft clubs, sports clubs, or there is a choir but it's off more than it's on and they don't do any shows or anything.

I am just so passionate that all children should have their achievements celebrated by the people around them. There shouldn't be a heavy focus on one type of achievement. I go into a lot of schools professionally, and I wouldn't say this is a blanket approach, but I would say that more often than not sporting and academic achievements are given higher priority than the arts. I'm trying to convince myself it is just that and not just that they have favourite children.

I wonder if it's that if it's a topic they don't know about personally ,they don't actually understand how significant it is.

My DC are all grown up now, but none of the state schools they went to celebrated out of school talents or achievement unless you were DC of staff
They only remotely acknowledged them when the DC were awarded scholarships to indies where the out of school activities were a huge contributing factor in the award.
I remember one teacher telling my son that he 'had hidden his light under a bushell' and I replied with 'hardly, you just weren't interested' on his final day of primary.

They probably don't understand it. .I used to sail competitively, no matter what I achieved it was never celebrated whereas little Billy scoring a hat trick was. Does she have anything she can take in like a certificate or a photo of her on stage to show the teacher?

When you say grading, do you mean she took and passed a grade exam eg trinity or abrsm? In which case i agree with you, my dc is similar and i find they do not acknowledge this the way they do sporting achievements.

However if you mean her teacher has "graded" her and she hasn't actually passed the exam, yabu as this is nowhere near the same, and it really diminishes the work the kids who take the real exams put in and how they overcome the nerves on the day if we accept a teachers opinion as being the same.

Also private music lessons are very expensive and it tends to be academically able middle class children who do well in music exams, so generally celebrating passing these is yet another celebration that excludes poorer children.

I suspect schools love to celebrate the local footie team, inexpensive dance classes, scout awards etc as they are accessible to more children. It reads better in the headteachers letter than "little jemima has passed her grade 3 harp".

Where does it get celebrated? Our school puts a bit in the newsletter if someone has done something out of school, but they only know about it if the parent sends it in (usually with a photo) - so in theory it’s open to anyone to submit a picture (although it is usually the same parents who always do!)

My kids primary used to celebrate everyone and I agree that passing music grades is something DC have to work hard at in their own time, as much as being good at BMX riding or swimming. Could you send an email to the head asking if they could also celebrate DC's achievements in areas other than sport? I'm sure your DD isn't the only one who is quietly beavering away in her own time to achieve things in the arts and it's only fair that those things are celebrated too. I'm afraid I don't accept that it's 'only middle class children' that do music. And why should middle class DC's achievements be seen as less than anyway? What an unpleasant comment @PerditaLaChien

It has always been like this I’m afraid. I suspect that it depends on the interests of the SLT at the school.

i also think that more kids and teachers and parents are invested in sports than the arts, so they are just more interested in that.

When I was at school (big standard comp) a group of us won a very prestigious National music competition. We had beaten numerous private schools, travelled all around the country and ended up winning the final in that there London. We had had some staff support but had done most of the work ourselves. It was a huge deal
The next assembly at school was got a quick ‘Well done, Musos’ and then then head waxed lyrical about the 3rd year hockey team making it through to the next round in the district league.
it was so ridiculous that you just had to laugh.

My DCs go to a school where the arts are really celebrated; lots of recognition on social media, awards in school etc.
But this attitude has been purposely grown by the school; they made the conscious decision to value the arts.
Don’t get me wrong, the rugby/ hockey kids are still the coolest. But the school’s reputation for the arts has blossomed and it has been very positive.

My DDs are at Secondary now but their primary school happily celebrated any success the children brought in during the celebration assembly.. their swimming certificate, player of the match trophy, music exam certificates, programmes from plays they had been in, even badges from Cubs or Brownies.

At secondary, the School Musical is the highlight of the autumn term, and the cast even gets a party thrown for them with cakes from M&S the day after the final performance (and allowed a lie in and arriving at 10.30!)

Thankfully this hasn't been our experience at all. My daughter's school were just as likely to make a fuss about someone coming first in a singing competition, or maths competition (didn't know that was a thing until I saw the congratulations) as they are sports. YANBU to want the same from your child's primary school. I'd make a point of raising it with the school formally.

I will say though, we may have a different cultural aspect because my children attend Welsh medium education. Eisteddfod culture is huge in the Welsh speaking community so all talents are celebrated, there's even cooking competitions!

Individual schools might celebrate successes outside of school in celebration assemblies or newsletters, and I'd think it fairly unusual to not at all. Have you asked it is included?

But, it terms of the primary curriculumn the arts are massively underplayed/resources.

The SATs don't include arts so they are a poor relation and there isn't an arts equivalent of sports premium. This is a sum of money, ring fenced for schools to spend on creating a legacy of sports. Schools have to publish a strategy on ther website how it is spent.and the impact. some schools actually struggle to spend it all as there is only so much you can spend on sport. Staff training is a popular one. (For some bizarre reason, swimming lessons are not allowed)

It's a tricky one. We had a child at my DDs primary school whose parents could afford for her to go to all kinds of activities after school. Every assembly we were clapping that child for something. Or listening to her playing yet another piano recital.

Watching the faces of the children whose parents couldn't afford to send them to even one extra activity wasn't good. Yes, children's achievements should be celebrated but to constantly praise one particular child was galling.

All children should be praised but I think it should only for things done in school. I'm sure a child who plays in a band or sings in a choir has already had applause.

Having said that, the school should be making sure that all children are recognised for whatever they're good at. Whether that's music, art or football.

On the last day of primary school my DD turned to me and said, in the whole 7 years I was here I didn't win a single thing or get chosen to be in anything. She was right. And I'd had to sit through umpteen assemblies and clap and praise the same kids over and over again.

@JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn in the case of that one DC you mention, the school has discretion. I agree that one privileged DC's achievements shouldn't dominate school assemblies for things that their parents are paying for them to do outside school. But there is a balance surely?

Look it might be unpleasant and i don't agree with it, my own DC do music

But honestly its how it comes across to people.

@justgottokeeponkeepingon Has it right - some of these achievements reflect in part parents ability to pay for them. I say this as a parent with DC doing music - their lessons, books & exam fees have cost me over £1000 this term, without the cost of buying instruments. That is out of reach to all but the better off.

Private music lessons cost £20 for one half hour lesson, and few schools subsidise them any more. I look at my DS class and the children who do piano & violin etc are the same high achieving affluent kids. My own DC included! I can see why they want to ensure that the kid who struggles academically but made the county cricket team gets a mention. A lot of the sports activities are done in large groups and are much cheaper

What are you expecting the school to do to ‘make something of it’? I’m sure the teacher was kind and said nice things when your dd told them about her achievements but if they made a big deal out of every certificate a child got for a hobby out of school they’d never get any teaching done.

A child that is good at performing will get their glory when they’re on stage performing, which is more than the kid whose talent is maths will get.

Yes - but you can guarantee there will be a picture of children playing instruments all over the school prospectus / website - drive me mad!

Why the constant need for external "celebration". There's another thread in a similar vein about a player of the training lesson. I've been out of the UK system for too long clearly, but why should all this stuff be bragged about to school? There's no school matches etc where my DC go to school and no assembly or newsletter. Nobody knows what goes on out of school unless DC mentions it in class. Yes, our families and friends know and support DC, why isn't this enough? Why can't we teach our DC to be happy with what they've achieved for themselves?

Our primary celebrated any and everything. Each week an assembly where kids would bring in their achievements, plus the weekly teachers awards (of which there were a few each week for each class) like writing or reading - so the academic stuff. It was also the time to celebrate that weeks birthdays. All were called up and celebrated. There might be badge at Scouts or Guides, a swimming certificate, and triathlon, riding, music - all sorts of niche stuff. There might be a sports competition that week, so those kids would go up and tell the rest of the school about it. If it was very niche, the parent (or child) would write a brief explanation that the teacher could read out and understand.

Point being it certainly wasn't just those with money who went up with expensive achievements, but many others. It was though a very small school, so perhaps that made things easier.

But why can't they celebrate both? Music lessons are expensive (my ds has weekly lessons) but that doesn't mean we should exclude children who enjoy/achieve in the arts, just because the activities MAY (not always) be more costly.

In my experience, they will celebrate music achievement when it's more school based/inclusive. So the school choir sang at a bit event in london - this gets celebrated.

The year 4 class who all learn an instrument together as part of school music will be asked to play something during the Christmas fayre.

At our school only children who have instrumental lessons via school are asked to perform in concerts. So because my DC started at 6 before the school offered lessons, they go to a teacher outside school. School know they play but never ever ask them if they'd like to play in a concert.

Bbq1 ps i am slightly giving the opposing view here, i do find it sad for my DC that the work they put in simply gets no recognition at school.

While music lessons are expensive... sports can be as well. A child competing at a high level probably has well off parents paying for the travel, kit, extra coaching etc.

My daughters primary school bends over backwards with “growth mindset” for academic achievement. Achieving in academics is ignored.

However, they have no trouble at all putting up competitive football and theatre sides.

DD is very bookish and feels like she’s bad at everything. Growth mindset gone wrong.

my DCs' primary school used to announce all music exam results in assembly. However they did have a teacher who only taught music and drama.

In secondary school, my DCs used to get fed up over the fact that badly-behaved kids often had more house points than them - they used to get them for doing things that my DCs did routinely like not talking in class and handing homework in on time . But these systems can never be perfect.