To be late for school once a week?

[Latelateshowz]

(Writing this from DC POV.)

I am in year 13 at school. My school’s late policy is that you can be late once a week without any penalty. If you get two lates you get put on a report and have to turn up early for 2 weeks.

I don’t see the point of getting in on time just to sit around in form time or to go to an assembly. So I choose to make the most of the system that is in place and deliberately go in late once a week.

In case it is relevant, I have the second highest voluntary service hours in the school (this is for things like helping younger students, doing clubs etc) and I am predicted the highest grades. I’ve never had any detentions for behaviour etc.

My form tutor mentioned my punctuality in a recent parents meeting and my parents think I should just be on time. My view is that I am just making the most of the system the school has set up.

YABU: get yourself to school on time
YANBU: fair enough, be late if you want

A sloppy attitude? Entitlement? Meh. The kid is the second most active volunteer in the school, has a perfect behaviour record, works weekends. If that's what sloppy and entitled looks like then many would people would be grateful to have such sloppy and entitled kids.

I don’t see the point of getting in on time just to sit around in form time or to go to an assembly.

Form time is when announcements are read out or a teacher may need to see you for some reason.

Assemblies are there for a reason too.

You can't decide to cherry pick which parts of the school day you want to participate in when they are compulsory.

I cannot believe this post it real but if it is you will go far in life definitely a leader not a follower 😂

But they are also arrogant and think that being a volunteer affords them special privileges.

It doesn't. It's not part of the 'job'.

I mean they're taking advantage of the system and if you're okay with it you do you. However its just going to be one of those things where your kid is just looked at a bit disfavourably because they are playing the system and the form tutor will probably find it rude, frustrating and a bad example (if everyone does it chances are they'll just change the rules if it becomes a disruption)

I think the rule is probably there to help people who sometimes struggle to get in on time, because shit happens, however purposefully being late will just reflect a bit badly on her.

As someone who trains adults in software I do really hate it when people turn up late as I do end up having to explain things twice plus I feel like my time isn't respected. So yeah its not something I would encourage, especially if it's been brought up as an issue by the form tutor.

Mine was at a school sixth form. I went to a sixth form college which would have suited dc better and been better transition to uni but school was only option in our town.
It was a focus on absence and all common sense out of window.
Most of her peers ended up at local ish unis and I do wonder if the attitude played a part - they wouldn’t ok time off to travel to uni open days a plane ride or several hours away on train.

I think I’m in a minority here but I support the OP.
Life can be hard, full of hurdles and constraints that often appear unnecessary & nonsensical. If there is a way to circumnavigate the rules whilst staying within pre-determined boundaries, then why not? Surely the ability to think outside the box, identify short-cuts and generally seek advantageous opportunities should be encouraged? We’re talking about a 13 year old missing assembly once a week. I say go for it!

I think the phrase that springs to mind here is: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

The 1 late per week allowance was presumably designed to allow for unavoidable lateness rather than deliberate.
Is tutor time not used for the tutor to pass on any important messages from the school/college? (Or is this all done online now?)

If the school isn't bothered then neither would I.

If the school is bothered (not because "school starts at 8" but because it's disrupting the class etc), then I would intervene and ask my child to be on time.

Not in the UK, but when I was in secondary school we had to justify any lateness to the school assistant and they would report to the parents on a monthly basis. It made a lot harder to do what your child is doing.

Is anybody being inconvenienced by her being late? If not, then there is no point in my view in being punctual just for the sake of following an arbitrary rule. In which case make the most of any loopholes.

So if all of Year 13 decided to follow suit, there could be dozens of students not turning up for assembly or form time.
Is that good?

School needs to change the rules if it bothers them. Eg lateness more than once a week or three times a term leads to punishment, or something similar.

Written to DC

Because you are only 13, I know these sorts of attitudes seem like a good idea - or quite clever.

But when you are older, you realise they essentially achieve very little other than, mostly, rubbing people up the wrong way. The dispensation was meant to excuse pupils who had a genuine problem making them late and , as such, is a kind gesture by the school; it wasn't meant for people to intentionally take advantage of, and as you get older, you will realise that the intention behind things is an important thing to respect. Otherwise you'll come across as a smart arse, which may be (just) tolerable at 13, but becomes obnoxious in a few years time.

Year 13 - so 17 or 18 years old.

Yanbu from the POV that i wouldnt be getting myself involved with a school discipline issue; if the school are failing to discipline effectively then that's their problem.

I have no idea what assembly is or form time, so if showing up late is disrupting these rituals, then of course she is inconveniencing people and shouldn't do it.

Most year 13s only have to be in school for their lessons.

Ah - I wish people wouldn't use year instead of years. It's not the first time I've mis-read when skimming. In that case, op, I think it's already encroaching on smart arse territory.

Fair enough.

The school sets rules and the student works within them and produces good results.

It is a good approach for life, much healthier than being anxious about the possibility of being late.

There is no moral value in punctuality when an institution is on the other side, we do it for practical reasons and the child is able to get to work on time when it matters.

I'd say ignore, don't let it become something "interesting" about them.

I don’t think that makes it any better if they had covertly sought opinion to tell their child what Mumsnet thinks…

I don’t really see the point in us discussing my response though. You’re as welcome to your input as I am.

The poster IS the child. And destined to become a pretty bad employee, probably.

No, the poster says she's writing it as IF she were the child (she's the mum.)

(Writing this from DC POV.)

Learning respect for rules which make up the basis on which a community (the school being the community) operates is an important part of preparation for adult life, unless you’ve got a future Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk on your hands. Latitude as to whether or not lateness once a week is sanctioned does not equate to the requirement to be present being waived.

If this were my child, my concern would be about how they are going to function in working adult life, where they will probably have to be employed and follow rules they may think are stupid.

Shitty attitude.
Smart arse entitlement writ large 😂

Did you read the rest of the post? They’re not doing the bare minimum, they’re exceeding across the board. They’re just exercising their own discretion in line with what’s allowed under the current framework.

I think this is ok @Latelateshowz provided you keep up performance in other areas. If I were your mum/dad wouldn’t pick a battle about it and would let school manage it if they wished to.