Choosing a primary school - would you be concerned if the head teacher had said...

[Pheebe]

...we only allow the best pupils to take part in the end of year plays etc...

We have the option of expressing a preference of 3 primary schools in our area. Everything else about this particular school seemed great and would otherwise be our first choice - but this really bugged me. I was excluded from things at school for being 'not quite good enough' and its affected my whole life. I don't want this for my kids.

Am I making too much of this?? I probably am

ps. am very aware of how lucky I am to be able to have any choice at all

harpo - he's not an arsehole of quite such an epic scale as Mr C

Do you think maybe I should go back and talk to him about this a bit more? The school seemed so good in other ways - facilities, pastoral care etc. Bit worried about labeling DS as having a 'trouble maker' for a mum before he even gets there!

it does sound bizarre, to tell the truth.

I think the head's attitude is very important in informing the way that the school works. Why did he raise this anyway, was it to boast about the high standard of their productions, or what?

Walk away and do not look back ...

I do think that all children can be included - lots of angels/shepherds in nativities etc. and there's always room for more in the choir. At dd's school though, they had, eg, 5 kids playing guitars, none of whom could even strum and the guitars were out of tune. They played 2 songs. There was a group of kids playing recorders - 3 were good, 1 was outstanding, and the other 10 or so hadn't a clue what they were doing. Why couldn't they just say "these 3 will play this year and maybe you can next year ((when you've learnt to hold the bloody thing properly))". Talent and ability were there, but constantly obscured by crap. Don't give kids who have just picked up an instrument a piece to play which is about Grade V. It shows them up and makes the school look almost bereft of teaching facility.

The music teachers are no longer there by the way.

Run

I actually mentioned school plays at my meeting the the deputy (head was off) as she used to be my teacher and I remember the plays we used to do - they are a big deal and the school hire the theatre and everything.

EVERY child who wants a part gets a part. they write the plays themselves (the teachers and older children) so they write for the cast, not cast for the parts.

And true as she said, last year Ds1 had a speaking part (and hehas a speech delay so not VERY clear), a little girl with autism had a part where she was required to wander around not attending to the play (she was a rabbit), and a lots and lots of flower and tree and rabbits were choreographed into cute dances .... and as they were 4 and 5 year olds, quite a few of the children sat down at the side with their teacher as she narrated and just watched.

So any school who cares only about the very best being the only visible part is not a school I wish to send my child to, whether he is average or indeed the best of the best - as it's not an attitude I luike.

Smug, Jux, I absolutely agree with both of you. I do think there are ways of being inclusive while still celebrating achievement and talent.

That wasn't the impression I got from him though. It is really bugging me so I think I may just go back and have another chat with the head.