Private school refusing to authorise leave

[Springhare76]

DS2 is 15 and just started year 11 at a private school. He has just been offered an 8 week trial at a premier league football academy which would involve him missing 2 mornings of school a week. I have emailed the school for approval. Not heard back yet but I think they are going to decline it which means that he will miss out on a massive opportunity. He lives and breathes football so this is huge for him. What are my options if they do refuse leave?

He can take his GCSEs anytime, but he won’t get another premier league opportunity again. I would just accept the football club, tell (don’t ask) the private school that he’s going for 2 days a week, and let them tell you what the next steps are. In the meantime look at either private exam providers (if he’s ready to sit exams now) or adult education colleges for next year. The club can also put you in touch with homeschool providers.

Why is the sector relevant?

Private schools tend to be a lot more lenient about term-time absences than state schools

It's 8 weeks - schools typically do most of their academic teaching in the mornings, and it's Year 11 (so 8 weeks is about a third of the teaching time available)

if it made no difference to his academics, I would wonder what on earth OP was paying for.

No he really can’t! I fully expect Max Dowman is working on his GCSEs right now to take alongside actually playing football.

It needs a proper discussion on both sides including a realistic assessment of what he wants for his future, what he wants to get out of this because the chances of it leading to a premier league football career is less than 1%

@XelaM what does made the premier league mean though? And yes they can make it but realistically the chances are so so very low even if you have been in a premier league team academy for years. It is a brutal world and not all as amazing as sometimes they think it is

@Finallybreathingout Completely untrue. This would be an authorised absence in line with the government’s attendance policy which allows for absences to compete in sport. You’re spreading misinformation

I’m not sure it’s that cut and dried as he isn’t competing, he’s training/trying out. This could be why the school hasn’t come back to clear it yet. I hope you’re right though.

It seems to me pretty irresponsible for any premier football club to incentivise a child to miss effectively a full day of school every week for eight weeks during his GCSE year - particularly given that the chances of any child attending these trials going into professional football are really very low. If I were the school I would also worry about this affecting his other school work, because he will inevitably be tired on the days he goes to football and his mind will be more on football than his work.

OP, when you asked for this time out, did you accompany your request with proposals for how he would make up the learning he misses?

Training would count in the same way as competing at this level. It would fall under 'participating in a sporting activity' and the only specification for this is the activity be of an educational nature (high level sport is seen as educational and would be coded as an absence to take part in an educational activity) and:

"the activity is supervised by a person considered by the school to have the appropriate skills, training, experience and knowledge to ensure that the activity takes place safely and fulfils the educational purpose for which the pupil’s attendance has been approved. Supervision means the pupil is physically supervised by someone who meets this definition."

The key thing will be a plan to catch up on any missed work as others have said. The school does have discretion but would not say no on the basis of attendance reporting.

Still not true. The very obvious example is Jamie.Vardy.

Talksport stated this monies gthat in the last season 265 academy kids ‘crossed the line to professional football’.

And yes once scholar is done they can make this money.

Your need to be so negative isn’t helpful. The kid has a dream. He has been recognised as good enough - in fact it’s harder to get a trial at that age as they would have to have enough quality to potentially sign as scholar.

Perhaps you can share your actual experience of current cat 1 academy football - otherwise you really don’t know what you are talking about.

@Springhare76 It’s y11. However at our old school, the tennis scholars were on a reduced curriculum anyway due to training. What lessons did Tom Daly do at Brighton College? Many young sports people do reduced timetable. I guess mornings are the issue! Maths and English?

Private schools can make up their own rules about attendance! This isn’t a state school. Often schools hand pick sports dc. Has he not got a sport scholarship?

Not true anymore- it changed last year and new mandatory attendance guidelines came in that apply to all schools including independents.

That said, high level/elite sports stuff would normally be approved in a state or independent because it’s seen as educational.

First professional contract is 17 Rio Ngumoha would just be signing one now - they tend not to overdo it at that age

you can make it a harder way Lookman/Eze did

bit realistically he is just going it for the amazing experience and that is ok and that is what needs to be worked around with the school how to ensure his education is prioritised too. And do in with that mindset

I did a work experience when I was his age at the local radio station it was an absolutely amazing week and I wouldn’t change it but it wasn’t a career path I ended up following

quite a few do programs with high schools Fulham do near us where the odd one every now and then may get picked up but the majority just do it for the experience and play football

No they won’t just take another kid. There aren’t loads of kids with that ability at that age to trial. In the last year we have had about 5 and only one made it.

Liverpool have a specific policy about not overpaying and only allow them to earn £40k for example. It is exactly as you say to not overload them with money. They also have rules on the engine size of the car you can drive for example.

It's football - not fencing or some other niche sport with very few high ability kids. It's totally cut-throat and there are MANY MANY high-ability young footballers to pick from

They haven’t refused, they just haven’t answered yet.

Most private schools are hyper fixated on results. That’s because results are the key factor in most parents’ decisions regarding which school to choose and thus pay. So if you haven’t already explained to the school how he intends to catch up with the time he misses (2 mornings a week for 8 weeks is not an negligible amount of time in GCSE year) then chase for a response and in that email set out the lan for catching up with the work.

If they refuse it’s up to you as to whether you risk unauthorised absences (which might mean they ask him to leave) take him out of the school altogether and try to find one that is more flexible, or let the opportunity go. I don’t envy you such a decision; obviously making it in football would be fabulous, but so few young footballers make it into premiership teams (both due to competition and unexpected injuries) that a good education is vital as a back up. Very rock and a hard place situation and I wish you the best of luck.

So you’re saying that if the likes of Rooney hadn’t taken up one club’s offer due to school… he would never have been picked up? 😆

People saying to prioritise school in these circumstances are giving very poor advice. Especially as I said ip thread, we personally know someone who made the Premier League at 15.

Your DD being a classmate of a kid picked up by PL at 15 doesn’t make you in any way more expert on this than any of the rest of us!

@BitzeeDidnt know that had changed but private schools do agree Non attendance for sports dc. It’s normal. The law attached.

Rooney was a household name at 16. This boy's situation is in no way comparable.

Exactly!

So if he hasn’t been picked before and he’s 15
and the Op thinks they will walk away if he doesn’t do this
it makes this actually coming to anything tangible in the future somewhat unlikely

Now!

Of course not, but advising to prioritise GCSEs which can be taken at any time anywhere over this once in a lifetime opportunity is just bad advice!

I know a number of young elite athletes in showjumping, dressage, fencing and skiing. They all get time off to do their sports and most are actually very bright students aiming for top grades.

How is he doing academically ?
If he is strong , your chances are a lot better than for an academically weak child.
My son is off one afternoon a week for training, but its very much under the condition that his grades stay up (which makes sense to me - i wouldn’t allow it otherwise either)