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Please can I have a moan about expectations about school clubs?

104 replies

TheGruffalo2 · 10/05/2014 08:59

After school clubs and activities does not automatically mean high quality teaching and learning; it means knackered teachers after they've taught clubs until 4.30/5pm, then have to clear up their classroom, mark, plan, etc. Or teachers that don't eat lunch and have a disorganised classroom for the afternoon session.

Sorry - being a bit ranting as we've had a spate of parents complaining we don't run enough clubs, so we are a crap school. Every night, except staff meeting nights, there are at least three clubs running and every lunchtime at least two, all staffed by teachers working unpaid. We have a spread of types, so not all sports clubs. We have a spread sheet to ensure we have a reasonable number for each year group, rather than just the older children.

But apparently we are lazy teachers, have poor standards of teaching(despite above national standards of attainment and progress) and (most hurtfully) don't care about the children.

We are doing the best we can; we can't change the gymnastics club to the night X wants as the hall is already being used for a dance club; we can't run a free Chinese club if no staff have that language skill; we can't run a club on Wednesdays to suit your childcare as we all have to attend the staff meeting; and most amusingly, we can't run a swimming club if we don't have a swimming pool.

Sorry, rant over (triggered by just opening another work email from a parent about it saying they were making an appointment to see the HT to complain that my cookery club is ending at half term so I can lead a different gardening one - we usually run clubs on a half termly rotation so we can give variety). I am really annoyed by the assumption of a large number of very vocal parents that a variety of clubs, staffed by teachers equates to outstanding teaching and learning.

Now breathe, Gruffalo, and return to your report writing!

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MunsterMunch · 10/05/2014 17:05

Homework, chess, board games, IT.

Craft club is always great if you have the time to prepare. Art club too.

They love drama club too.

Rounders is easy but you'll need enough children which is where behaviour management might be a problem. If you're good at that then go for it!

Panzee · 10/05/2014 17:11

If you have a field, running club.

Thatssofunny · 10/05/2014 17:50

I've run clubs at all the schools I have worked at. It's never been an expectation to do so, though.

My current school is comparatively small. However, we've got after school clubs on every day of the week. Most of these are free and run by teachers or parents. In addition to that, we have sports coaches and a science club, which need to be paid for.
Lunchtime clubs are run by teachers most days and are free.
Nobody has to run a club.

I think we are quite lucky, where I am at the moment. I run several after school sports clubs and parents pick up on time...and say thank you every time they pick up their children. They help out with fixtures, kit, transport, etc. and understand that we are giving up our own time. It means I am much more likely to help them out, and will drop children off at home or take them to fixtures, when needed.

(At my previous - much more posh - school, I had a parent complain that his child didn't get 'enough playing time' during a fixture. That, after having spent the entire day out in the rain on the pitch, while trying to contain 12 very excited boys - being the only adult, because none of the parents could be bothered to help out. Needless to say, I didn't pick this child for fixtures anymore.)

Chocovore · 10/05/2014 19:58

We have quite a few clubs on offer, all free. I was surprised and mentioned it to one of the teachers and she told me it was in their contracts that they all had to do a club.

mrz · 10/05/2014 20:01

Is it a private school or an academy?

BridgeOfWhys · 10/05/2014 20:08

I don't run clubs as a teacher. The head asked once and I said no. End of conversation.

Its a thankless task and I have enough to do already.

teacherwith2kids · 10/05/2014 20:18

I don't 'have to' run a club. It is a 'communal expectation' that everyone runs a club, and the model for that is set right from the top of the school, with the head and deputy running weekly clubs throughout the year. Much is made to the children and parents of how lucky they are to have a wide choice of clubs after school every day, and over every lunchtime, and I have had no negative, and lots of positive, feedback. I have had to move the timing of my club this term, due to something immovable turning up on the same evening, and have had nothing but support - and a few regrets from children that they now can't attend due to other commitments.

In many aspects of my job I have 'enough to do already'. I have 'enough to do' without offering additional support to particular pupils, without meeting or phoning parents after school, without going on residential etc etc. When I worked in industry, I had 'enough to do already' before additional work landed on my desk that it was an expectation I would complete because the business required it. I know nobody in any kind of work nowadays who does not have 'enough to do already', who does not do a little more than they are formally required to do.

BridgeOfWhys · 10/05/2014 20:25

Me.

mrz · 10/05/2014 20:29

There is no expectation in my school that staff run clubs

Parliamo · 10/05/2014 20:32

Teacher- you're in danger of sounding a tad martyrish. If you want to do unpaid work, that's one thing, but please accept it is entirely possible to say no if you don't want to [shrugs]

I sometimes do extra, but only if I want to. And I repeat, colluding with the culture that you describe only makes it more difficult for others to go against the grain.

teacherwith2kids · 10/05/2014 20:33

Mrz, I am not saying that every school should have the expectation that staff run clubs - what I am saying is that I haven't come across anyone, in any kind of work, recently who genuinely only does exactly what is in the formal letter of their contract.

I know that in your school, a lot of individual and small group interventions are done by your staff in what would, in other schools, be 'free' break or lunch times. I had always assumed - I may be wrong - that that is something you do voluntarily, because it is a school expectation, not something that you are separately contracted and paid to do. Clubs function similarly in my current school.

teacherwith2kids · 10/05/2014 20:37

Apologies for coming across as martyrish. I get to design / choose my club, and I run one that I enjoy, as do others ... While I DO think clubs are important to bridge gaps between 'haves' and 'have nots' in some areas, my own is just something that I enjoy, and the children enjoy, and in which children of all abilities an mix and have fun. I see it as part of my job, I suppose is all I'm saying, not as an 'extra'.

mrz · 10/05/2014 20:37

I didn't suggest that you were saying that teacherwith2kids

teacherwith2kids · 10/05/2014 20:39

Apologies mrz, my fault for reading something into the sequence of posts that wasn't really there.

mrz · 10/05/2014 20:40

I'm running a cookery club because the children asked for it not because I am expected to.

intheenddotcom · 10/05/2014 21:08

You can never please some people.

For six months I gave up pretty much every lunchtime and all but one evening a week to help my exam students prepare. All I wanted was one evening a week where I could leave before 5 to do something for myself. Yet find out this week a student has complained that I didn't stay back on one evening, the one day a week I told them I couldn't do, and that therefore makes me the worst teacher ever. This is of course a student who had never attended before and didn't speak to me about it.

PassTheSherry · 10/05/2014 21:30

I'm so grateful for the opportunities that my dcs' school has given them through after school clubs. My eldest has taken part in three.

Through the Dance club she got the chance to perform in a professional venue and gained so much confidence from that experience - at the beginning of the year she barely spoke a word to anyone when she started. Her creativity is being nurtured now, by learning all sorts of things in Art club, about painters, various artists etc and exploring different techniques. She is also learning another language which I'm sure gets the grey matter going too.

What's lovely is she's able to have that space to learn with friends who share a particular interest, but also in a group that is still quite small and personal. She has opportunities from these clubs, that she would not have in the same way, at home with me and her sister.

The other thing is, we could never afford to pay for all these activities otherwise.

It makes me sad to think that my kids won't get as decent an education as some, just because of their parents' financial status. We do our best but have to make tough choices about the activities we can let them try - after school clubs help. It's not so much what they learn in the year or so, they do the club, but having the chance to have a taster, try out things and maybe find that spark, or talent/interest that one day may blossom into something special. We can help with that, but right now at this age, (primary) - it's great they can try lots of things. It's giving kids opportunities outside the tick-boxing and conformity that is all too prevalent. Nurturing creativity.

I can hardly believe that it's all provided freely, by the hardworking and dedicated teachers, and absolutely appreciate the efforts they make.

For all those who give their time and effort to make these things happen - THANK YOU. Thanks

libertytrainers · 10/05/2014 21:34

i used to run an after school club with the playwork principles (let kids just be kids and take control) was great we all had fun, no need to involve teachers, kids had fun, school made extra money out of hiring out the venue and it was subsidised by the local council, so we we all qualified and experienced. all got cut after the election though so we're all in differnent jobs now, such a shame

lionheart · 10/05/2014 22:40

I have really appreciated the fact that teachers put in the extra time and effort to run the clubs.

Not an easy commitment on top of the zillion other demands made on a teacher.

Not surprised you needed to vent, Gruffolo, some of those parents sound bloody awful.

MidniteScribbler · 11/05/2014 01:57

After spending the early years of my teaching doing the 'right thing' and running a whole bunch of clubs and activities, I did learn to say 'no'. If a parent feels so strongly about a cooking club, or whatever club, then they are welcome to run it. I will only run a club that is of interest to me, and is run on my terms. I do coordinate the rock eisteddfod every year, the schools spectacular, as well as the big end of year performance. Those are the activities that I enjoy, and they are also very time consuming, so I won't run a cooking/rounders/soccer club just so that parents can have free childcare after school. There is a fee paying after school clubs that parents can use which is run by outside contractors on our school grounds. Children who are not collected on time from any of the clubs that are run after school are taken to the after school care and the parent billed accordingly.

PastSellByDate · 11/05/2014 08:18

Gruffalo2:

I absolutely understand your frustration but am a little surprised your school isn't interested (commercially) in exploring opening its doors to host children's clubs run by other people:

Our school takes a percentage from varoius clubs run after school:

language clubs: le club francais, el club espanol and for a while mandarin

dance clubs: a local dance teacher runs 'street dance' at the school one afternoon a week all year

music clubs: two local nursery teachers ran a YR/ Y1 music club which was about rhythm & movement. Children learned to play the recorder and did a lot of drumming/ dancing/ stomping about.

Our school heavily uses the perapetic music service for musci lessons (during school day) and various local youth orchestra opportunities (run after school for free for about 4-5 schools hosted in a large hall at one of the local schools).

sports clubs: our school have got in various sport coaches for before/ after school sports clubs (judo, kick boxing, fencing, football, cricket, net ball, etc...)

DD2 is at a new school and they have had a code club and a craft club - again external people who are given a percentage to the school.

-----

If as a group the staff feel they don't have the time/ patience to be inventing/ supporting clubs themselves - then why not explore options which provide clubs (satisfying parental demand) but don't involve yourselves and do result in some extra income for the school.

HTH

PastSellByDate · 11/05/2014 08:19

sorry should have been peripatetic music service

PastSellByDate · 11/05/2014 08:20

by code club - I mean computer code club. Using things like scratch to make little video games/ short animations.

mrz · 11/05/2014 08:24

If our clubs weren't free most children wouldn't have the oportunity to attend.

DwellsUndertheSink · 11/05/2014 08:39

Please allow me to rant.

I find after school clubs frustrating in the estreme - as a parent! and its not because of the teachers, its because of the other parents. After school clubs are used a free childcare, so there are kids doing activities and clubs in which they have no interest.

By contrast, my DS wanted to do hockey - for 3 years he wanted to join hockey club, but it was oversubscribed and so he could not do it. I know from at least 2 parents that their children do hockey because they are busy on a Tuesday so need the child to be in childcare.

WHat is more frustrating is that the school runs an afterschool club, but it would cost the parents £10 to use it. SO little jonny does 5 days of clubs, and effectively blocks access to those clubs to kids that genuinely want to do them.

Id like the school to ration club access, so every child gets to do one or two clubs that they would like to do. Id also like the decision to be child driven, rather than parent driven, so that there is a genuine aptitute/interest in the club.

Well done all those teachers who run clubs. Our school charges a flat rate per term, (£20) no matter how many clubs the children do - bargain basement childcare. I do hope that the money goes to the teacher's christmas party fund or summer BBQ fund.