To think my son should not have been put on special measures because he suffers injurys during sport? Help - Worcestershire

[littlemoominmamma]

My son is a top flight athelete. He runs for the County plays tennis, golf, basketball, etc... won lots of trophys medals etc...

His main love in life is RUGBY.

He plays and trains all year round. Playing for his school, local club, county, regional, acadamy for top club and an elite training group. He is passionate about it training 2-3 times a week along with his running and playing games at the weekend - it is very hard work but we support him and run him around everywhere.

Along with this he is doing brilliantly at school, in top set for maths 3rd in county math challenge, english, science etc.. taking some exams a year early next year. He is also on the school council. All this despite being dyslexic.

He suffers with injurys (as you would expect) and is laid up with them, missing some (not a lot) of school. I have been in and spoken to his head of year, p.e teacher and class teacher and they were happy that as long as he stayed on top of his school work he should stay at home until any injury was properly healed (he has phyisio's who advise us and attends a&e if x-rays etc. are needed)

Today I recieved a letter from the familys dept. threatning legal action as his attendance was, although not at the level were they would call him a persistant absconder, it was not high enough. He will now be made to report with all the druggies and idiots who skive school (which he is very upset about and dreading) and will be appraised weekly. If his attendance does not improve action will be taken. ??? All this has been confirmed to me on the phone by a completely unsypathetic woman who seemed to think he should play less sport (this is his chosen career)

The woman at the familys Dept. said there was no leyway and once the childs attendance dropped below a level they would have to intervene.

The School was closed today so I could not phone them.

My son is not just doing well at school - he is excelling against the odds (refused use of a laptop in class which was advised for his dyslexia - given no help or special treatment as school had lost all notes on his special needs, his teachers were not even aware!!!)

AIBU - To think that a state school is failing my son because he is gifted at sport? He feels like he has let us down and got us into trouble - which is so not the case.

Please can anyone tell me if he would be elligable for a bursury (we have no money and live in an ex-council house) at a private school ( we are in Worcestershire )

Any advice on what to do next will be so, so appreciated - sorry for rambling

School Attendance is a legal requirement unless HE.

Sport is not.

Thanks lou! what is HE???

Just up the road from us is a brand new SPORTS acadamy, cost a fortune!!!! They are trying to attract top sports men and women into a state school. Maybe I should warn all parents of children with sporting ability what will happen to them if they come to Worcestershire?

His attendance was just above 80% maninly due to a back injury caused at a schools tournement when he was illegally dump tackled.

No wonder state schools will be sending very few contenders to the olympics!!!

I know in some counties there is massive support for those who excell in sport, really cant go on like this, it is like tall poppies syndrome when someone dares to try to do well people want to cut them down..

You won't like what I think but you did ask....
If my son were missing a lot of school through injuries I would have to look at cutting back on his sport. I also think you'll find that the others who have missed school are not all druggies and idiots...

I have to point out that he does not miss any school work - has completed all assignments and all homework.

School and teachers very pleased with him excellent school report and parents evening. Head of year said she was proud of him and could she have tickets to twickenham if he played there.

I know it is hard for people to understand that I let my son play a sport where he will be injured but he plays at the highest level possible and wants to play for england, without this level of commitment he would not stand a chance. We have no support - he is one of very few state school boys that play at this level and until today was very proud of that.

Did Daniel Radcliff (he of Harry Potter) get put in special measures when he missed school due to filming commitments? Do children who appear in soaps or compete at Olympic level (the diving boy, the 14 year old girl who won medals at the Para-Olympics) get treated like this? No. Of course they don't.

If he is genuinely too unwell to be in school (and the cause of that was a sporting injury - ie an accident) and you and the school are co-operating then I think it is a complete over-reaction.

If someone was signed off work because they had injured themselves playing sport they would be treated the same as someone who had had any other type of accident, like a car/diy accident.

YADNBU.

Is this anything to do with the school though?

I know schools have to submit attendance figures to county and all below a certain percentage get flagged/followed up but I think it is out of their hands.

I think I would go in and discuss it with the Head. Try to keep calm! Remember the person on the phone knows nothing about your son and his school work, she only works on attendance figures.

I can see why your annoyed when he excels at school but I can also see the schools point of view it can't be one rule for one kids and another for all others.
Have you thought about enrolling him in an online school for him to take his exams? So that he could continue to do both.

Ruby- He was refused his request to use a laptop, he has never recived or been offered any help with his dyslexia.

He is 14 - once he is 16 he will be attending a college half day being picked up by his club and training with them the other half.

His injurys have been, groin injurys, pulled muscles and ligaments, concussion, broken wrist, knee injurys, migrane headaches caused by the damage done to his sinus due to his broken nose (many occasions) broken and bruised toes, bruised ribs, bruised liver etc.. all quite normal in Rugby.

He does want to play at an international level and in on the pathway to doing just that. As high a level as he can play at this age.

Rainbow - we live in a small town and yes he will be with the local druggies and skivers - they are well known

I'm a teacher at a school in another county. It would not necessarily be the school who are making this decision, we have an Education Welfare officer who comes in regularly to school to check attendance figures and below a certain percentage steps in regardless.

I would say that when your son's school reopens it would be worth ringing them for their advice and help, they may be able to some extent intervene on your behalf.

Yes YABU you should know that schools are forced to operate a tick box policy with no discretion.

However, don't worry about it. So what if they take further action? You have documentary evidence that all his absences have been for legitimate causes - he was suffering injuries. Let them take you to court - they have to prove that he is deliberately truanting and since that is not the case and you can prove it, it would be thrown out. The LEA legal dept should know that so it shouldn't get that far.

Don't get angry, don't bother phoning, just keep putting everything in writing and do what they do - cover your arse and tick the boxes.

Daniel Radcliffe and children who miss school thought filming or sports tournaments will have been granted a special licence by the LEA Education Welfare Officer detailing how many performances/filming etc they can do and how many hours of private tutoring they should get during that time from a registered tutor. There is also a limit per academic year of how many days a child can have off. It is a totally different thing than being off because of illness.

That said I do think it is riduculous that children with genuine illness/injuroes are treated the same as skivers.

Congrats on his level of dedication.

the school isn't failing him. He's not attending the school - it's totally different.

hocus - I am not sure the school knows anything about this, but as the lady on the phone said once they have been brought to their attention that was that. This is the first time his attendance has been low.

In my job (chaperone for children who perform) I have dealings with EWO's. I really can't think they will be too concerned if he is keeping up.

YANBU

Not sure what you can do about it tohugh as it is policy and box ticking.

I see you're point Ruby, and agree that any regular absence from work needs to be looked at... but only if it is effecting their ability to do their job - which it does in most instances but not all. However, the OP says here son is doing well and that it is one bout of injury that is accounting for most of the absence.

I used to have an HR remit and we couldn't treat people who had damaged backs/broken legs whilst drunk any differently from people who have had heart attacks because they are obese or those with regular bouts of bronchitus because they are smokers or those who had got injured from falls/car accidents or people who had picked up bugs from other people. And we didn't discriminated against people who had got their injuries in the gym/playiing sport.

I think in this instance special measures sounds like a waste of time for everyone. The school and the OP are managing this well and that should be it. Much in the same way as if I had a member of staff who needed to take lots of time off for hospital appointments - I'd expect them to make up the time/do all the tasks and we'd just manage it without any other intevention unless there was a problem we could not resolve like unperformance as a result of those absences.

Lewis - he is attending the school, and completing all work even homework. He does not skive I work from home so I am here when he is laid up. He loves his school !!!!! and misses his friends.

He is 14yrs old, the last thing he wants is to be laid up on the sofa with his mum.

In which case littlemoominmamma as you work from home and can supervise him I would seriosuly consider home educating. You don't even have to follow school hours then or you could do what vocational performing schools do, lessons in the morning then coaching in the afternoons.

unperformance? Underperformance

Interesting about the performers islandofsodor though I do think it odd to give children a licence to go to work but special measures for genuine and managed sickness

Ruby - they have opened a sports acadamy just up the road from us and are trying to recrute boys and girls with sport talent but it is in the same county so dont know if the same rules would apply.

Might go and stand outside with a banner telling people what to expect.