Just waved my Sixth Former off to school!

[Horsemad]

How on earth can he be in sixth form?! Doesn't seem five minutes ago since he started Reception and I was wondering if he'd cope as he is a July baby!

Good Luck DS1, work hard and enjoy!

mumslife. I told DS that he needs to change out of his suit when he gets home so he's been putting his pyjamas and dressing gown on at 4.30pm - DD1 says its like living with Hugh Hefner!

circular Perhaps they said that because Grade 6 is the last exam she passed? So her grade 6 pieces will be firmly under her belt? DD1 certainly won't be exhuming any old grade 6 pieces - too long ago in recorders flute and singing and frankly impossibly far in the future in piano (if she can just pass her grade 5 this term - actually, if she can just TAKE it - I'll deem that a triumph really). Her problem is her teacher really seriously doesn't want her to do her performances on recorders. His thing is, she's grade 8 standard on flute and at singing too, so why not go with one or other of them. Her thing is, she doesn't want to. Impasse. :(

We also have a looming issue with performing stuff she's been asked to do which the school may say no to. Not least because some of it classes with work experience week. Which is just ridiculous when you think that the performing is rather more relevant work experience than the placement she has lined up for that week. Ah well. One has to pick one's battles. And I think I might advise her, in the end, to give the lot of them a body swerve. An easy life might be a nice thing to try out for a change. After the nightmares of last year.

Russians no - the grade 6 was a general comment aimed at the group. DD not questioned it (yet). Wants to check the playing lengths of some of her pieces and see what fits well first.

What is it with GCSE /A level music teachers and this hatred / disrespect of recorders. No doubt DD will have a similar battle, but one I feel she can win quite easily as she is only grade 5 standard on second instrument., and lower on piano.

iIRC correctly, your DD is doing a different syllabus that either requires performance on 2 different instruments, or both solo and ensemble. Think ours can all be done on one, for AS at least.

I would have thought as your DD Has not changed schools, they would be used to her playing commitments by now? Quite unusual to have a weeks work experience in sixth form.

Circular Remember, she's only in Y11. That's when most work experience is, isn't it? Y10 too young.

DD can do all her performing on one instrument. It's just her teacher is a bit.......he made her do her performing on the flute for GCSE. But to be fair, it's not because he doesn't reckon the recorder, he says (and I might believe him) but he thinks the moderators might not. They don't have to do things on different instruments. Grade 5 is the minimum standard for AS, Grade 6 is the minimum for A2, on the syllabus they are doing, so to do a grade 6 piece for AS would be not that higher than the minimum standard..... But if your syllabus is more like GCSE (which gave an upper limit as well as a lower) then obviously that might change things.

God it's all so complex isn't it.

What's your DD's second study? Is she battling to get to the required level in piano too? It was all looking ok on that front for DD this time last year, but then she got burned in her ISA and then she broke her hand and it's completely set her back on the piano. :(

Circukar sorry, posted too soon......the worry over performing is to do with the new rules about time off school. Not about usual commitments. DD1 has been invited to perform in a couple of things which would require missing a bit of time (one day each) from school. I haven't tested it out yet, but I know a teacher at the school socially, and she was saying last night that she interprets the mention of concerts as now being not a good reason to be off school as including performing. I'd assumed the reference was to attending (you know, the annual trek (well, short drive, from here) to Glasto) and if you were playing in something, it would still be an approved education activity. And she is very about that which is worrying. And anecdotally, some of the kids in the Panto that Dd2 is in are having difficulty getting the school letter required for their performance license which again indicates a hardening of attitudes within schools. Which is already completely non evident when it comes to sport.

Russians Re work experience, DD did a fortnight in July of y10. School arranged some, but she sorted her own.Also did a few odd days in yr9 but most of those related to winning a competition.

Puzzled about the unauthorised absence thing, as if it's their work experience period, she won't be missing lessons. Thought performances, auditions , interviews and the like would all be authorised?
DD has been asked to do something next month that would mean a couple of days off school for rehearsals. Not asked, but not keen on her missing lessons at this stage, as has difficult subjects an not sure how well she will manage workload. Never occurred to me that school could refuse. Seems bizarre when they WILK be pulling them from lesons left right and centre for school Xmas performances.

Edexcel GCSE, was told Grade 3 min, but no advantage for playing anything above Grade 5. She did recorders for both solo and ensemble (duet) but had a bit of trouble getting the duet recognised as a more difficult piece as not graded As far as we could see from results (full UMS) moderators never downgraded.

Thought as AS was minimum Grade 5, Grade 7 would be a more difficult piece, but school are saying Grade 6. Edexcel again.
Hope music school can advise further before she choses her pieces.

Agree, a minefield. She's very concerned about the composition element, as not creative.
Feel for your DD doing it all a year earlier.

DDs second instrument is violin, she doesn't practice enough to get the techniques she needs to progress further. Never taken grades, just enjoys playing at the level she is at - school orchestra and music school string ensemble. Not intending to have a second study at University.
Yes - wants to get Grade 5 piano prior to UCAS, only been playing a couple of years, has Grade 3.

Is your DD all healed now?

Hope we are not taking over the thread with music stuff.
Do you think we need a separate thread for A level music?

DS1 did his WE in Yr10, he did a week and loved it. DS2 has just started Yr10 but there is a rumour that WE is now changing to Yr 11, so will wait and see what happens.

You're not allowed to be absent on work experience week unless you are sick. I don't know why, I don't make the rules! I don't think the WE issue is related to the new rules though, it might just be her school, for all I know - she's my oldest child.

I think that doing WE when you're in Y10 and doing GCSEs in Y11 is a bit different from doing it in Y10 when you're doing your GCSEs in Y10! And Y9 would be way too young.

But it is really annoying. :( I do hope you are right about the other performance stuff. She was a runner up in a thing last year, and she has been offered some brilliant workshop stuff as a result, I haven't asked permission yet because the dates are a bit vague - but it'll be in term time. I'd've said 'approved educational activity' for sure until my conversation last night. Now, I'm concerned.

Russians The W/E DD did in yr10 was early/mid July, so after GCSE time. although appreciate they are exhausted by then if they've done all their exams in May/June.

I remember being told early in yr10 that funding for W/E had been cut so many state schools were stopping it. Her old school took the decision to continue for the next yr10s as recently turned academy.

Primary school that DD2 (yr6) goes to recently announced that they are clamping down on unauthorised absences because of some ruling change. Something about school cannot authorise them without LA seeing details now? So possibly a general thing, but took that to mean holidays etc. not a change in what would be considered as authorised.

Circular Your DD did her GCSEs in Y11 though, didn't she? I'm confused now. All this Y10 Y11 stuff - I will never get used to it!

I have no idea who is funding the WE or even what possible point it could have - ours is not to reason why! It seems nuts to me but there you go - so do lots of things but I seem to be perpetually in a minority.

The rule change was about exceptional circumstances, which was the 'category' under which term time holidays fell. There was a statutory instrument back in the Spring. The problem is that in the guidance they specifically mention going to concerts. Not performing. Going to. Which I had assumed was yer Glasto trip or similar. (I remember being off school for one morning in the 6th form because I'd gone to see the Cocteau Twins in Chelmsford the night before, spent the night at a friends and then headed back to London in the morning. Oh what a rebel I was! ) I hadn't been at all worried until this person I know suggested that performing was now banned (it isn't AFAICS) and at the same time, I heard some worrying rumours that some of the local schools were being difficult with the panto kids. No problem for DD2 though either for the panto or the other thing. Her head has given permission for both.

It is slightly worrying - to me - though, that there is one category of 'allowable absence' which is 'approved educational activity' (which while in theory good because of it's potential flexibility is in practice dodgy because it's up to the head's discretion) there is another one for 'approved sport'. Why should sport get special treatment?

Russians DD did Eng Lang in yr10, and a module for Geog and each of the sciences, then more CAs before W/E. Maths in Feb of yr11, rest at end of yr11.

I only mentioned funding as timing may be linked to it if they had to postpone while funding agreed. But it seems schools choose different times - if all did it at the same time of year would be harder to find placements.

I fully agree with you that sport shouldn't be given treatment over and above the performing arts. I also think its wrong when schools are allowed to let you miss lessons for their internal performances, and then won't authorise for external ones.
But wouldn't mind betting the discretion is also on a child by child basis, depending in how well they are keeping up with their school work, and catching up with what they miss - which does seem fair.