If your secondary child does something pretty amazing in an extra curricular activity

[BertrandRussell]

Do you tell the school? Particularly if it might be quite good publicity for a school that could do with it?

I tell them for purely selfish reasons because at some point in the future he might need absence in the school day for that extracurricular activity. I'd rather they know he's a special case in advance of me asking for time off. I think that in the past they've asked him if he would mind being called out in assembly/appearing on the website and he has always declined.

Depends if your dc wants them to.
My eldest was in the Youth Theatre, and used to invite (selected!) teachers to buy tickets for his performances , but dc2 would be mortified if I did anything "so embarrassing" as to contact school to let them know of her achievements. Mind, her school are very poor at communicating generally, so they don't ask for such information and there isn't a casual opportunity, so you'd have to specifically contact them to tell them - and she'd rather I didn't

What kind of things do you mean? 400m swimming? or Grade 8 violin in Y8 and touring with national youth orchestra?

Definitely not unless your child is OK with it!

My teenager doesn't do anything especially exceptional that I would tell the school about anyway, but she does write and play original music and gets regular gigs in local venues, and she would kill me if I even mentioned this in passing to her teachers or her friends.

The word has got round now (she's leaving and she's a bit less private about it) but she is still very discreet and had to have her arm twisted to play in the end of year concert. A lot of teenagers hate feeling that they stand out from the crowd, blending in is very important.

I told the school when DD did something amazing and they put it in the newsletter.

We had to tell school (primary) when dd got into professional panto/musical theatre/dance parts as the head had to sign a form for the licences.

Ds got an extract from one of his book reviews published inside the new edition of a best selling childrens author but another parent told school not us.

As dd's secondary is a specislist school extra curricular doesn't really exist it's all incorporated into the curriculum. Ds hasn't started sevondsry yet.

My DD's school newletter includes news such as this and parents are invited to send in details of achievement outsdie of school. There seems to be one girl who is in each month.

Nope.

It depends. We told the school about something that DS achieved: the school were delighted and bragged about their excellence. However his expletive-deleted PE teacher, who was the sort to have favourites, did not appreciate someone else telling him which were the star pupils and had it in for DS thereafter.

There are levels of amazing national development squad for sport or part in professional theatre or show - yes and I would and have asked school for concessions be it extra time for homework or even dropping a subject.
Achieved high mark in dancing exams, beating sporting PB no I wouldn't.

No - my DS would be mortified, but another parent mentioned it (team event) and they all got their picture in the school newsletter and DS received a congratulatory letter from the Head.

Hmm, I think it does depend on whether you mean amazing for them or totally amazing for anyone.

So if you're bowled over that they've managed to get their grade 1 in piano getting 101 (pass mark 100), then possibly mention it to the music teacher who supported them having a go when they were clearly non-musical (or that told them they'd never do anything musical in their first week), but not inform the head.

If they've been invited to tour with a world famous orchestra over the summer. Then yes, they'd like to know.

Obviously that's quite a gap So I think you slightly play it by ear depending on otherer stuff that goes in newsletters or how many other pupils there are type of thing.
So roughly at secondary, I would say:
Don't tell: personal bests, club teams, exam marks, general awards, performing in local am dram.
Possibly tell: County teams, big (at least intercounty) sporting results (probably only gold/silver), grade 8 music, (particularly lower years), the main part in auditioned am dram.
Do tell: England squad, national results, national youth orchestra, professional part (they'll need a licence anyway)

That's roughly what I see in the newsletter. Very big comp though, I suspect a smaller school may have more interest in the possibly tell category because they can aford the space.

I've not felt the need to tell primary or secondary of such stuff at all unless it's effected the school, but maybe I'm wrong, although dd1 would certainly sink through the floor if I did.

As a drama teacher in a seconcert school, I like to know even my students are doing other things. Apart from anything else, if it's related to their Performing Arts BTEC/GCSE then I can go and watch them, write a review and put it in their coursework folder. This year I have seen 4 youth theatre productions & a large dance show, and have coached three students for national youth theatre auditions (one got in!!) and have taken 50 students to see one other in a professional play. It's great to see what they're up to!

My Dd does a very minority sport and managed to get from complete beginner to national age group qualification level within 18months, a feat which has never been achieved before. We did tell the school but they don't understand the sport at all, and although she has received colours awards for it, they don't ask any questions.

Yes, but only when we had to to get time off school for it. DD kept it as quiet as possible - she liked to keep school and her private life very separate.

If the child is happy for me to do so, DS is a bit shy. This is primary. The school have a slot in Friday assembly where these achievements are mentioned and the children get to show trophies, certificates etc. It can work the other way too, DS and several of his classmates had to miss Scouts the last weekend before Christmas for the school Christmas production and the Scout leader awarded them all their drama badge for it.

Sorry, missed seeing the word secondary in the title. Ignore me!

Late, but yes when it requires licences, not usually when it doesn't. (Sometimes I do, if it shows the licences and time off school is worth it - depends what it's for - sometimes I mention things when asking for permission for more time off school).

They don't generally pay much attention tbh, but did make ds2 student of the week after a big professional acting tour he was on (and for keeping up with school work). Which made me laugh because there was a whole mass of confusion at the time - they forgot they'd already given permission months before and got very funny when he needed to go to rehearsals. 2 hours before rehearsals were due to start I still didn't have a leave of absence form approved. Asked me whether the rehearsals could be rearranged around him. I was trying to explain to them that West End directors and producers don't rearrange rehearsals around a 12 year old kid . And anyway his role was one of the main parts - he couldn't rehearse at weekends only. They really didn't seem to understand what he was in at all. We got there eventually....

Yes because she needs days off for matches. They have put her photo on the special board in the PE department, which she moaned about but secretly quite likes! School have been really good about time off