Music lessons in q state primary.

[seeker]

if your child has music lessons in a state primary school, what happens about missing other lessons? do them have their music lesson at lunchtime? Or what?

They are taken out in a rota, so they miss a different time every week, though it has to be on the same day, because the tutor only comes once per week.

It was the same at their previous primary. Both times lucky though because a fair number of children played the same sort of instrument. At both schools, pupils on more unusual instruments (basoon eg) miss the same time, because there are only 1 or 2.

Hmmmm. I assumed that 's what would happen, but I've just discovered that ds has been missing 50% of his science lessons since September. Grrrrrrr.

DD1s lessons are at fixed times (9am and 1pm on Friday). So she misses a little of group reading and then whatever they do after lunch. Doesn't seem to be an issue because the lesson is pretty short (20 mins).

How long are/should the music lessons be?

Ours are fixed time. But we were told that when we signed up so we could check that they were missing something that was relatively easy to catch up.

Ours missed science also - hence my girls now do piano with a tutor - outside school

DD misses half an hour of her lunch hour which suits us and the school and the visiting tutor :)

My elder DSs have learnt the violin at primary school and secondary school.The older DSs had lessons during group reading which suited us because that was very easy to catch up.

The twins (10) are on rota system so miss something different every week. Their teacher is very good though and tells them what they've missed and they then write it down in their school journal.

A secondary school it is also rota system but when they miss a lesson they really miss a lesson iykwim? DS2 still plays and he has lessons with the same tutor he had at primary school now out of school which works much better for us.

I have several pianists whom I rarely see in my RE lessons. If OfSTED or the SIAS inspector find out, I, as subject leader, will be found wanting ... and yet I really don't feel like spending my unpaid and already busy lunch time helping them catch up. It is a problem.

Most of our secondary schools operate a 2 week timetable, so by rotating music pupils carefully, you can avoid missing the same classroom lessons. Primaries though are harder to organise.