Reception: Favouritism & Lead Roles

[Momadream]

Am I being unreasonable? I know I am somewhat projecting my own childhood feelings but:

DD is in reception, they had two shows in s year for the parents to see and in both shows the exact same kids had lead roles in them and all other kids just a line. Is this normal? Shouldn’t they rotate and give everyone a chance?
I know it’s only two shows in a year but how will that be objective?
Why not rotate for the second show?

Did not tell DD anything of course and do not plan to but it made me feel upset. My first instinct was to just get her and do homeschooling, help her as much as I ca by pampering her with attention, lol. But I felt upset, at the first show I put logic first and thought it’s not always possible to have 60 kids in lead roles. But at the second show, I was like how is that objective? Same kids out of 60 lead roles again. Why is that? Why don’t they allow all kids to experience this?

DD is shy but nevertheless does it matter. And not just for my DD but how about the other kids that did not get this chance before...

Ranting here...

Yeah, that'll happen pretty much every year and even more so in secondary. Some kids just have more confidence and in secondary, more interest in drama and therefore better relationships with the staff that run the shows. It doesn't mean your child isn't getting attention and care on a day to day basis.

Thank you argumentativefeminist, I can understand the secondary School especially where they have auditions, but Reception? They haven’t even learnt to read and write properly... thinking even if putting my child in theatre classes to boost her confidence... isn’t it unfair to decide just like that you will be always our lead and you not? Isn’t school about giving everyone the chance to learn? They are not aiming for BAFTAs standards, are they?

I can see what you're saying, but does your daughter actually mind? She probably won't see the unfairness until she's older, and then she might not really mind if she's not into drama.

In my sons primary nepotism exists with all the best parts and awards foing to the spwcial few. Governors and teachers kids. It stinks

She did with the first show actually and I made her feel better telling her that a storyteller is just as important as Mary the mother of Jesus because without storytellers you can’t have a story. She came home crying she was a nobody in the show and I calmed her down.
This time she did not say anything... but I did not ask her and was not expecting a big show...
Guess I may mind because I studied theatre myself and feel I would like her to have the choice to explore it if she wanted to...not being decided against it by a predefined system... choices are good

Add a reception teacher, from my perspective, there are usually only a few children in the class who actually want to take on lead roles, a lot of children flat out refuse, don't want the attention, would rather be pretty of a group singing for example.

A few times for nativities, children were happy at first having solo parts and practicing in class, but the minute we went to practice on stage, even with no audience, they burst into tears and don't want to do it anymore. At that point you then choose the confident child willing to perform on public.

Don't assume all children would love, or benefit, from being lead roles or even having speaking parts in reception performances, of that they miss out by not.

Does your DD actually want a large role?

Also, DS1 is in Y1, and they do auditions for school productions in his school. Apparently the teacher asks the class who wants to do which role, and if more than one child puts their hand up, the children have to audition and the child who did best in the audition gets the role.

DS1 got a good speaking part this way, despite being a child who would not be considered a safe bet for performing well in front of a crowd.

overmydeadbody DD is not a crier on stage, she was not even asked to take part in lead role iykwim. But I get it that not everyone wants a lead role.
Apparently though girl in lead role was stressed about it and in tears in the first performance. Her mom was talking about it. But she still did it so I don’t think tears is what they base their selection on...

They are in reception. If you actually want to watch a show that is intelligible to all, school will pick the strongest kids for the parts. Some kids at this age will still be incapable of reading and learning more than a line to say. Others who are shy, will just not be comfortable performing and may get very stressed about the whole thing. There will be plenty more chances as your DD goes through school. The main parts in DS year 6 production were not all taken by those that were the stars in reception. Some were, yes, but why would you not pick the best actors- and its also not the child's fault they are an excellent actor and dad is a governor, that one kid in particular is really talented! But what i did see in the year 6 show were some kids who were rabbits in headlights at reception nativity who then as year 6 had really blossomed and took on roles with gusto and performed well. Not all 5 year olds are ready for the stage. To consider putting on two shows a year with 60 young kids is no mean achievement. I think you are being unreasonable and miffed that your child is not the star.

DD1 was the only reception child with a speaking part in her school nativity, and was narrator in both productions they've done this year in Y1. She just has a incredibly loud but clear voice doesn't shut up and a terrifying memory for scripts. Yes I get on well with her current class teacher and I'm on the PTA committee - but nowt more sinister and conspiratorial than that.

DD2 has been a sheep and a chicken this year in reception in comparison. She has a speech defect so I was just bawling my eyes out anyway when she managed her one sheepy line clear enough to be understood and loud in the nativity. Like I say -regular classroom volunteer, PTA committee etc... just different kids being suited for the parts they were given at least in our school.

She probably won't see the unfairness until she's older

This is quite unlikely, fairness is surprisingly innate, dogs, monkeys, rats, apes, crows have all been shown to recognise it. That a 5 year old couldn't simply because it's about a part of a show would be quite surprising.

There are lots of KS1 productions that don't have big parts - single line for everyone, some which can be said in groups if some kids want support etc. That's the way to go, and has been how all of DD's school have been done, other than one where one kid was the only one to "act" and had 3 lines rather than 1, but it still wasn't that much bigger a part. I'd say that is a sensible approach.

You don't need a show that's intelligible, the audience is the rest of the school and parents, supporting the anxious kids through the event is appropriate, not hiding them away. It's been great watching a kid with bad anxiety go from not being able to stand there, to acting his lines with aplomb through various stages. Whilst I'm sure his support to get there wasn't just in the productions, I'm also sure his successes at each stage were part of it.

With all due respect your child is in reception and there have been two "shows". If there are thirty children in the class then that is a lot of other children who also haven't been plucked from the chorus line to headline on Broadway!

Maybe at the moment your child doesn't speak up clearly or confidently enough when faced with an audience, maybe your child finds it hard to follow or remember instructions, or maintain concentration . nothing to fret about, lots of reception children don't manage to do those things, but you can't blame the teacher for choosing the classmates who are clear confident speakers, with good concentration skills, who listen to and remember instructions.

I'm sure your child's time will come.

Dgs is in Reception, if there is a whole class award to be collected etc, it is always my dgs and girl X. Neither child has a parent involved with the PTA or Governors and none of the parents are teachers. The favouratism is somewhat embarrassing for my dd as others have smirked or commented (she is friends with these parents so it is lighthearted - mainly)
Nativity play: girl X was Mary, dgs had one line in a group - until the day of the play which was held after 2 days off for snow and whilst chickenpox was decimating attendance in Nursery/Reception. With less than 90 minutes to learn the lines he became Joseph - the teacher said she was so glad when he walked in because he was literally the only child who would have been able/willing to take on the part. Lots of roles were changed and 3 childern who had originally been angels/shepherds/animals had solo speaking parts and all 3 had meltdowns in at least one performance. The Reception Teacher deserved a medal for managing to get that play on - only about half the children were in school and the head had extended the day start time by half an hour as some families would have been affected by the road conditions so she didn't know which children would be there until an hour before the perfomance was due to start.

At a recent Assembly, girl X again had the only speaking part. It was clear why she was chosen - she had to read about 6 lines of multi-syllabled words and I'm pretty certain she was the only one who could have done so at aged 5. She did amazingly well. That the same two children always get chosen to represent the class does seem to be favouratism but the children who read/say the most lines in plays and assemblies seems based on ability and confidence.

In reception shows it is generally about who wants to do it and we can rely on to learn their words, say them at the right time, speak clearly and loudly, not mess around, be in school on time for every practice, actually turn up on the day, have a costume sorted, not need a wee midway through the performance and not burst into tears/freeze due to stage fright. It's really not favouritism.

In reception they pick the dc who are most likely not to cry, to remember their lines and speak loudly enough for everyone to hear. Most kids that age can't do this.
My DD gets picked for everything for this reason- she's reliable for her age! My DS was picked for nothing because he wasn't!
I wouldn't worry too much at that age they do get picked more as they get older and more confident.

I think some teachers are really bad at this and some are brilliant at getting everyone involved. We’ve had teachers who’ve picked the same old reliable few for everything and a few teachers who’ve really involved the shyer children and encouraged those with less confidence.

Tbh though if it’s a bit of a nuisance using same ones over and over as the others will never learn to do it.
Tbh, yes, this is sadly life in a primary school. It seems sometimes in our school if you have older siblings you seem to be picked more too.
This year (year one) it was mostly same kids getting gold merits that got them in reception. Feel like it will be Groundhog Day all the way through.

My kids' school does what sirfred talks about - in KS2 we had a music performance where one really talented young musician in year 3 had a solo spot and others who were more into music had bigger roles, but even then everyone had a little bit of involvement and most just had that.

I worry that instead of getting favouritism DS2 gets compared to DS1 and they're disappointed that he's not another DS1. It's a difference in attitude to learning not intelligence or ability I think, but I have said I think it's unfair to DS2 to compare them as students so directly to teachers at parents' evenings.

At DS's school all the parts were pretty much equal (not sure further up the school but certainly in Nursery/YR/Y1). It worked well because everyone just had one line (if they forgot or froze the teacher read it out for them). It was really good especially for this less confident kids.

I don’t get the issue - this is one show out of loads of opportunities she’ll have throughout her school life. Sometimes you miss out, other times you don’t. If she fancies a turn at the next show then help her with how to ask a teacher if she can audition or volunteer for a role. Or encourage her interests outside of school if you don’t feel she’s getting enough opportunity there. School is only a fraction of life and it’s never going to be able to cater for everybody’s interests all of the time.

Having watche the palaver that was my DS’s reception Christmas show this school year I can imagine it would be a nightmare getting 4/5yr olds to learn two versions/two sets of lines etc to rotate parts!

Main requirements at that age are:
1.want to do it (and no matter how much they cry at home,at school some kids are adamant they don't).
2.loud and clear voice
3.ability to follow instructions
4.a fair bit of confidence.

It’s annoying and it’s avoidable at a young age. It’s not exactly Broadway and more important for children to be involved than it is for it to be a slick and flawless production.

(Can you tell me child is one of the voiceless background every year while two of his friends are always speaking parts?!)

It’s poor teaching and I’ve seen it in a few teachers when at work over the years, including ones only ever putting up the same perfect work of the same perfect children instead of accepting that their dipslays were, likewise, not the Louvre.

In reception s lot of the kids would just stand up and burst into tears/ forget what they were meant to be doing/ or do what ever they felt like just for fun.

They pick the ones who they think will be able to cope with what is asked of them, that's all. I'm sure her time will come.

Our reception also paired them up for speaking parts for the nativity to reduce the factor of kids getting freaked out speaking on their own (meant they could do things like scaffold DD2's poor speech by pairing her with a clearly spoken kid too so she didn't stand out as much). That worked nicely.

Like I say - one of mine seems eternally destined to be a narrator - one is heading for a glorious career as 3rd sheep on the right. I'm not bothered as long as they're not bothered.

The large roles tend to go to the children best at learning lines. DD was an early reader, so she was a narrator in yr1. DS2's a late reader, so he tended to get 1 short line.