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

Pagwatch - thanks for the advice, we try to keep an eye on his training workload and took him out for two weeks in the summer, for a break. Have cut back on the running due to the weather - but if he feels like it he will take himself off for a run round the forest (end of our road) His injurys are mostly during matches and not training and due to poor play.

Last year some idiot put sand on the pitch for a schools tournament, every time he scored his legs were shredded, he came home looking like his legs were burnt and bleeding and it took a couple of weeks to heal. We cannot foresee this kind of thing - but we advise him to stop playing in these circumstances.

sure.

The problem is though that injuries rarely occur during trainning. None of DS1s have. But over trainning will exacerbate strain etc which, in the flurry and adrenelin of matches, result in the injury.
Of course with rugby they are usually contact injuries. But the over trainning can make them more prone in the match situation.

I know it is not your choice which is why I say you sometimes have to save them from themselves.
DS1s school is highly regarded rugby school doing well in Daily Mail cup etc and having many many county and several international players. They ENFORCE rested games on players sometimes to ensure breaks and to prevent injuries which again nearly always happen during games..

Some of the boys train at premiership clubs and are part of their youth teams. They work with the school to ensure players are rested.
I am trying to make the pointthat the boys can't just this well themselves

Pagwatch -

You are very right, we do not have a very joined up approach to his training - we have been doing this on our own, not really knowing what is for the best most of the time. When you have someone with a talent sometimes everyone wants a piece of them IYKWIM. Our son loves to please everyone, and is maybe at risk of over training.

Will look into rugby schools, although he already trains with a premiership club so he may want to keep that up, restricting where we can send him should anyone be interested.

He learnt to play rugby in New Zealand with Joe Rocofocos best mate from the pacific islands who worked with my husband, so he has an unusual style! Hope one day he will get a cap for England.