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Secondary education

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Original poster

How to manage sports scholar demands for elite athletes

103 replies

BigSmiles34 · 10/01/2023 20:26

My DS is in year 7 of an independent school in which he is a sports scholar (partially funded). He is also an academy footballer at a good club.

The school were aware of his ongoing football activities before starting the school, although he has started a new club since attending the school.

There were no policies, specific documents given when we accepted the scholarship, although I was aware that my DS would be involved in sport- presumably football and possibly others.

There are sometimes timetable clashes with school sports and academy training and I have been trying to manage that. The expectation is generally that my DS must prioritise school games and must always attend Saturday sport.

The academy that he is attending trains 3 times a week. 1 of the days is a “day release” from school where the boys do both education and football training.

The school has refused to give permission to “day release” - either part time or full time and have not been supportive or reasonable and only seem to be interested in my son’s contribution to school games.

I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place as my DS is very concerned that he is missing out by not attending his academy programme and feels powerless.

Any advice on how to approach this would be most helpful!

OP posts:
sailingsunshine · 10/01/2023 20:46

I think you will have to choose between the school and scholarship and the academy. Your ds is not the only ds in this situation and I think you will find it's not possible to have day release from school, it will be counted as absence. It's the same with acting, dc are not allowed to star in west end productions and have day release from school for matinees etc.
I would ask the football club for guidance of what has previously happened in this situation.

lilacclementine · 10/01/2023 21:01

Tbh I'm surprised at the school. Private schools are usually more sympathetic to outside commitments for sports- 2 of DDs friends are now playing tennis and football professionally (football in a very well known club) and the school used to let them manage their timetable around sport commitments. For example school didn't offer football but allowed the football lad to do "general fitness" instead of rugby in case he got injured. His legs are now worth quite a bit!

It might be worth looking at what the sport scholarship is worth if this is why they are demanding he play for the school.

Drfosters · 10/01/2023 21:01

Look at it from the school’s POV though, you will be be getting reduced fees I assume? That is essentially paying you for your son to prioritise the school sports. Other children would have wanted the scholarship and prioritised it. I’m not saying you should necessarily put the school sports first, as clearly your son is brilliant at it, but maybe you need to relinquish the scholarship and would have more leverage? It is really tough knowing where the balance is sometimes.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 10/01/2023 21:04

We ended up giving up the sports scholarship, it was too stressful.

MrsMikeHeck · 10/01/2023 21:06

Find another school. Lots of top indies will work hard to make things work for families in your situation.

PatriciaHolm · 10/01/2023 21:07

It's the same with acting, dc are not allowed to star in west end productions and have day release from school for matinees etc.

This is perfectly possible. As is the day release for sports. It is up to the individual school to approve, both state and private. Plenty of state schools will authorise such activity if discussed in advance - it can be coded as such on the attendance register.

Did you not talk to the school about the day release before taking the place? Normally boys attending such schemes would attend a small selection of schools, all of which had signed up to the academy plan in advance.

Thelondonone · 10/01/2023 21:08

Of course kids can star in west end musicals and have day release (and could 30years ago). It isn’t counted as absence and everywhere I’ve worked has made it happen. However, they want their money’s worth and you may have to pay/remove.

Original poster
BigSmiles34 · 10/01/2023 21:12

My DS plays for the school football team which he loves. He is expected to play rugby, hockey and cricket too. Football is not a major sport at the school and the other sports are.

I have been contemplating whether giving up the sports scholarship is the only way out of this situation. Sacrifices would have to be made to do this as I cannot afford the full fees. I cannot imagine this going down well with the school and strongly feel that my DS would still have to prioritise Saturday sports even if he is not a sports scholar and worry that they may make life difficult for him.

OP posts:
Bellie99 · 10/01/2023 21:15

Usually even without a scholarship independent school expect pupils to attend Saturday sport and is usually very clear in all joining meetings and part of parental contract? Certainly been our experience and neither of my children are anywhere near academy or elite level.

Original poster
BigSmiles34 · 10/01/2023 21:16

I did not speak to the school about day release before. I was not aware of when exactly this would start. I did ask about how supportive the school is for academy players and the answer was very vague in that they “have had many academy players attend the school in which they support…” but nothing detailed or in writing.

OP posts:
SafelySoftly · 10/01/2023 21:19

I do think you’ve been a bit naive and these are all things you should have bottomed out before agreeing to either of them. It sounds like some schools may like the reflected glory of a top sportsman but I am ultimately not surprised if the school want the money’s worth of your son being in the school. If the academy is that important (but is he really going to be a professional footballer, very few are!) I’d move schools, perhaps state sector?

jtaeapa · 10/01/2023 21:25

I would simply tell them that he will be doing the day release (if that is your choice). What exactly can they do about it? Don't let them push you around. Plenty of kids have ££££ off fees and plenty of parents simply state what will be happening and that if there is a problem, they will move schools. You have to be bolshy. I've learnt that being nice and abiding by the rules gets you nowhere.

Original poster
BigSmiles34 · 10/01/2023 21:38

I was very much led to believe that there are many boys in the same situation as my DS and are supported by the school to balance school life with academy life. I may have been naive in taking this for face value, especially with the absence of written policies etc. Perhaps the lack of policy/ descriptive contract is deliberate.

I am fully aware that only a small percentage of academy boys become professional footballers, but would expect a school who know that he was an elite athlete to at least engage in conversation as to how my DS be involved in both and not be disadvantaged. I have asked for a meeting, which has been arranged, however, they have made it very clear that they do not support day release. They have not said it is because he is a sports scholar…and could turn around and say even without the scholarship they will not approve! In which case I would have to find another school. I just feel for my DS who has just started the school, made friends and may have to be uprooted.

OP posts:
Fluffygoon · 10/01/2023 21:40

DS is sporty but didn’t have a sport scholarship. He then went on to play high level hockey and we then discovered the ‘policy’ (nothing in writing!) - school sport took priority over everything else, unless there’s a national game which is then great PR for the school. Totally understand school not giving day release as that would be an absence and agree with another poster about academy football - so few boys make the cut, is he a brilliant player and passionate? If not I’d consider fading that out and focusing on school life.

Original poster
BigSmiles34 · 10/01/2023 21:49

My DS is indeed very talented and passionate and is a key member of his academy team and school football and rugby team.

Being in a top academy is an achievement within itself and football is a sport thy he has been playing since age 4. Of course very few make it as a footballer, this is besides the point. We should be nurturing talents and helping kids to grow, not stifling them. I should point out that my DS is doing very academically and a good education is the upmost priority.

OP posts:
OhCrumbsWhereNow · 10/01/2023 22:13

sailingsunshine · 10/01/2023 20:46

I think you will have to choose between the school and scholarship and the academy. Your ds is not the only ds in this situation and I think you will find it's not possible to have day release from school, it will be counted as absence. It's the same with acting, dc are not allowed to star in west end productions and have day release from school for matinees etc.
I would ask the football club for guidance of what has previously happened in this situation.

Incorrect - children can easily have time off school for this kind of thing.

My DD missed a fair bit of school for West End matinees, and some shows require almost every afternoon off for months for rehearsals. The children are regarded as 'educated offsite' and there is a specific code for it so that attendance figures are not affected.

OP you may find you need to change school. I know of DC who are doing similar things with football where the schools actively support the club training.

When I looked round secondaries, I made a point of asking every school, state and private, what their policies were regarding time out of school for professional commitments. The range of answers was huge - from 'go for it, this is how we have managed that exact situation in the past', to 'hmmm, never thought about that, but sure something could be worked out', to 'absolutely not, school holidays only'.

And these were all schools that were interested in DD for the same thing that we wanted time out for. I eliminated any school that wasn't actively enthusiastic from the list.

1sttodie · 10/01/2023 22:23

It's interesting that your contract with the school is vague about the conditions of the scholarship. Expected contribution to school matches would surely be much less if you gave up your scholarship. But I guess the Day Release issue would remain, particularly if the reputation of the school heavily depends on outstanding academic results Perhaps you could suggest to the school that, if they allow your son weekly Day Release, then you will commit to maintaining a certain academic level If your son cannot, then you will enrol him for his GCSE/A-level exams as an external candidate rather than as part of the school. If that's feasible! Best of luck.

Cileymyrus · 10/01/2023 22:23

Ime this is how sports scholarships for private schools work.

school sport comes first. I’ve seen many kids have to drop extra curricular sport - as they are naturally sporty they usually end up on all the school teams, so after school is taken up with hockey matches, school swimming gala’s, athletics meets. Winning a school comp
is important to the school, and they are funding the school place, so outside sport comes second.

we ended up turning down the place. Dc’s state school is very supportive, has arranged timetable so on mornings or afternoons where she has PE, or tutor group, or other non academic lesson she can leave early or arrive late to fit in an extra training session, time off for comps etc.

generally from what I’ve seen private schools are very inflexible. The kids I’ve seen who succeed are the ones where the sport flexes around the private school.

Fluffygoon · 10/01/2023 22:39

What are the Academy expectations- reading your opening post do they need him all day for the day release if it’s education/football training or could he attend just the training part. , what lessons would this clash with.

They probably have experience of independent school requirements- how have they managed this and could they give a statement to the school if he’s talented and a key member of the team? This may help you negotiate with the school.

snowtrees · 10/01/2023 23:18

I know the system well. The academy will expect them to do day release. It's part of their programme. Football comes first regardless of what they say. This is why Man City pay the fees for the lads to go to one school so they are all at city on a Weds.
The school give you free / discount fees to represent them at sport.
It's two different agendas.
Arrange a mtg with both. Discuss. Decide on which you run with.
My DC is an academy player & excellent at other sports.
But academy matches are Sat as are school ones ... we never applied for sports scholarships for that reason

Original poster
BigSmiles34 · 10/01/2023 23:19

The academy have been very supportive. They called a meeting with the school to present their day release programme as the school first suggested that no academy could compete with their education and that my DS would not under any circumstance miss 20% of his education . It turns out that the academy education programme is outstanding- one of the best in the country. The 20% figure is also inaccurate as my DS would carry out a combination of work pre-set by his school along with work at the academy.
The meeting was held without me present and I was updated by the school basically saying that they told the club that they will not support day release and that was their stance. The academy said they will try to have the conversation again in the spring and will try to build a relationship with the school in the meantime.

I suggested half day, missing just one lesson and a sports lesson and this was also denied. At this point I called the meeting which is pending.

The Saturday school games do not currently clash with academy football and so this has not presented itself as s problem. It is the day release. I need to understand why or what is the basis for refusal and if they will budge on this if I forfeit the scholarship. Then I can make a decision.

OP posts:
snowtrees · 10/01/2023 23:22

I'm very surprised no Sat clashes. Academy games are often Sat and Sun and away abroad all weekend.
My friends child gave up a too too club as he didn't want all weekends to be football

snowtrees · 10/01/2023 23:24

Top top rather. Was training 4 nights a week and matches every weekend but any where. My own child's matches take up most of Sat with travel etc

Original poster
BigSmiles34 · 10/01/2023 23:28

Games are on Sundays, but there could be the odd tournament or perhaps need to travel on a Saturday. My DS had to travel to abroad for the weekend as a one off and was permitted.

OP posts:
PlusLaMeme · 10/01/2023 23:32

A colleague's child was in exactly this situation. Sports scholarship clashed with his football academy training and the school would not budge. The scholarship was held against him. I was shocked, and I know my colleague and his wife were blindsided by the inflexibility because they were assured that their son would be "well taken care of".

They tried giving up the scholarship and the school actually became even more inflexible!! They ended up moving their son out of that school and into another private school. They had the good sense this time to thrash all the details out with the new school, explaining about the day release and that he couldn't play in all Saturday matches, but would attend all that he could. The new school was excellent. Story had a happy ending yayy for the little boy (who is now 15 and he may very well be well known in a few years time)