School Vs parents - who is being unreasonable ?

[Mumof3bringwine]

DC is in year 6 and there has been non stop drama in the lead up to them leaving mainly surrounding the parents which is affecting the kids.

new drama is the end of year production. Back story
this has been an annual thing for many years although it’s called the end of year production it I suppose has always been assumed as the year6 leavers production / play. It is a big production with a lot that goes in to it and lots is little parts and singing. To fill the stage they require 2 classes so it has aways been year 5 and 6 combined but for example last year the lead part was a year 6 and then the other main parts sort of shared between year 6 and most of year 5 ( our year at the time ) had the supporting roles or background singers and a couple had bigger roles.
there is auditions and every child has the chance to audition and every child has a part and is included.
it has kicked off because they announced the casting and the main parts apart from one were given to the current year 5 students and the supporting roles to our year 6 class.
this led to around 4 very upset year 6 parents who believed as it’s their end of leavers production ( not called that ) and their last chance that it should have been the main parts shared amongst the year 6 class and the supporting roles to year 5.
they sent a to school on behalf of the whole year 6 - which was not the case at all, about the injustice of it and after reading the letter it was very heavy handed about the head teacher and was also sent to the governors.
the school responded with a letter to all parents saying they work hard to put the production on using their own time and effort. Without the support of the parents it would not work and they are considering whether the production will now go ahead.

which side do you think is being reasonable ?

If the main parts are chosen on the basis of who performs best in the audition, then that’s the criteria. It’s a shame that the year 6 children apparently didn’t audition as well and there might usefully have been some adjustment to ensure the leavers had some decent roles.

The role of a governor is strategic, not operational and this is an operational issue.

The school could have arranged things better, but productions take up so much time and effort, particularly when everyone is tired towards the end of the summer term. I wouldn’t be surprised that, if it goes ahead, this will be the last one of its kind, so the parents might have scuppered it for future years.

If every single year bar this one, the main parts have gone to year 6 then that’s the way it should have been this year. Who cares if the year 6 aren’t as good- they’re 11. It’s a primary school play not the west end.

i do agree with pps that it’s a bit of a confusing thing though for it to be considered the year 6 leaving play but year 5 are in it too. They should maybe do a smaller just year 6 thing from now on. Is the school small?

Agreed. It's unfair on the year 6 kids. The year 5 will gave another chance next year.

This. In a primary school production how bloody 'good' the kids are shouldn't matter they should all get their opportunity to shine.
This happened at our school - randomly yr5 children were given lead roles leaving some year 6 kids, who'd waited 7 years for their chance of a bit more of a role, crushed.
Teachers need to understand - nobody expects the show to be any good these are 10year olds!!! Be fair, as that's all the parents care about.

the school are being disingenuous

The year 6 parents who are upset should just arrange a fun leaving thing for their kids to do and boycott the production.

It does sound a bit over the top, but i imagine the Y6 kids have been looking forward to this, and the school (the teachers are pretty thick if they can't work this out for themselves) are wrong to brush it aside like that.

Are you a teacher, op, or one of the Y5s with a kid with a leading role?

If it's a mixed year production it should be based on who performa best at audition. Are they sure it's always been y6 who had the parts or are the aggrieved parents assuming that/making up history to suit their agenda?

It’s a primary school play not the west end.

People aways say this, but for the children performing, it will the biggest thing many of them will have ever done. Would you like to be the child who has spent ages learning his/her lines, whose Granny has come specially to watch, or whose Dad has taken the day off, who is desperate to put on a good show, only to find that in their big scene, the other person has forgotten their lines (or had never learned them) or can't speak above a whisper, or forgets an important bit of business, and the whole thing falls flat.

I’m a parent

Sometimes things don’t go the way you perceive to be fair. You brush yourself down and crack on with the task. A really good lesson for kids going to high school in September.

I think the school is wrong here, but the parents went in too heavy.

Yes, it may have been year 5 and 6, but year 6 would get the better parts. Year 5 get their chance next year.

We had 3 plays a year in year 5 and 6. It was always the case that year 6 got the good parts and year 5 the smaller ones.
We were really excited as a form to do the bigger parts having had the smaller ones the year before.

Then we were told that because the form below was so badly behaved (they were- teachers left rather than teaching them) that the school had made the decision that they were too much to handle in a large group so the play would be just year 5. As year 6 we would be spread among the other years for backstage or walk on parts for Christmas and wouldn't get the other two terms.
I still feel a sense of injustice about that 40 years later. 😀 We 'd looked forward to that for 6 years, the plays were a big thing in our school.

It was never said that the year 6 got the bigger parts, but everyone knew that was the case.

The other thing I wonder about is whether the year 5 teacher did the casting, and didn't normally.
Reason why is for my d's year 6 play (5 form entry) the children asked one of the teachers who had done the casting. Let's say this was the teacher from 6B. I did the casting the teacher replied. "So is that why most of the big parts are from 6B" one of the children asked. "Yes," replied the teacher. "I wanted m form to have as many as they could"
I was rather taken aback that not only the teacher thought this was reasonable, but that they were prepared to admit it. I was backstage helping and I then had to deal with those from 6B who then felt they hadn't deserved the parts (so crumbled in confidence), and the upset of those not from 6B who felt they'd been unfairly treated.

As a parent I’d probably think that some preference should be given to the year 6 kids. But no way would I put my name or support to any letter protesting the audition process. I’m embarrassed for the parents. It’s not that big of a deal.

If, last year, they were told that the Yr5 class gets the small parts and the Yr6 class the bigger parts, then they should honour it.

If it was "who is best at audition" then its fine to keep going with that

The letter situation is blowing things out of proportion.

In terms of my own view as a parent I can see both sides. I only know as far as last year that the main parts were year 6 I can’t remember further back.
it was hinted that the head teacher favours certain families or situations which I know stems from the last year production. Last years was year 6 and 100 percent not chosen because of “ skill “
however that was a unique situation.
I think everyone just assumed it was a year 6 end of school production with help from year 5 ( one form entry ) so I see both sides - I did not put my name to any letter though.

Oh boy, these parents would have an aneurysm over our school play situation. We have a Jehovah’s witness in our school who can’t do any Christmas related activities. That means one of my dc has never been in a nativity play because they have cancelled it the past 4 years because of the JW child.

This year, the solution to the problem was to have the Y5/6’s do the nativity play and the traditional Y6 leaver’s play has become a KS1 end of year play. So none of the Y6s got to have their play and got stuck playing Mary and Joseph instead. I don’t have a Y6 child, so not in that circle, but there has definitely been some discreet grumbling.

Best if the school cancel it and don't bother again.

Sadly teachers and heads do seem to have families they favour. Same old kids get acting roles/prizes for Easter bonnets /winning talent shows etc.

to write an email purporting to be from the whole of year 6 and being rude about the head teacher and sending to the governors is absolutely insane and inappropriate and childish and unreasonable.

Absolutely.

Imagine how the head and staff feel reading that email and thinking that all of the year 6 parents up in arms against them. No wonder they don't want to do the damn thing now
Performances aren't part of the curriculum and they're extremely hard work and tone consuming, so why bother if half the audience is going to be sorting they're with a face on, is what they're going to think.

Not something I could get worked up about but same sort waves happened in dc primary
As you say usually parts of given to class that is leaving then year below take any spaces left and choir. 1 main part was given to younger kids and all hell broke lose

It’s a primary school play, not the west end. It will be bad regardless.

I wouldn’t have made a fuss as a parent. But I do think the school are wrong.

My child is a good actor- she does it professionally. She would likely be better than some of the year 6s when she’s in year 5. But it wouldn’t be her turn.

I would prefer it if a quiet year 6 child who had waited years was given a few more lines than a confident year 5 who has another year to shine

Im also a primary school teacher. You can fairly distribute roles so the whole play doesn’t go to pot while keeping it fair for year 6.

Because not all schools have a big enough Y6 to put on a show? You buy a script from one of several companies that specialise in school plays, which all have a minimum cast size of 30 and often more like 45+. Small rural schools often have all of KS2 involved, with the main parts going to Y6.

Edit: typo

This happened when I was at school. I was in year 5 and given the main part. 25 years on I still remember the bitterness from year 6 pupils, which no doubt came from their parents.

If its auditions based then that will be why year 5 got the bigger role.

This sounds very dramatic (aptly)

I just wonder if this year 6 group of parents have been problematic all the way through.

On the surface, yes, obviously the sixes should have been prioritised for parts.

It should be just a year 6 production with year 5 just doing back up chorus.

they year 6's are getting a filler lesson - as they no longer are taught post sats.

I would not be happy as a year 5 parent.

Year 6 play is a rite of passage. Very unfair on the part of the school. Parent that wrote in sounds batshit but very mean of the teachers to not think of how this would make the yr 6’s feel.