How to manage sports scholar demands for elite athletes

[BigSmiles34]

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!

My son is now a professional player in Premier league football Club & plays for the national team.
I suggest you speak to the football clubs education department, the clubs pastoral & welfare officer and maybe the clubs enrichment psychologist too. They could then support negotiations with the school.
It would have been the clubs education department who negotiate the day release, time off school for tournaments etc.
a lot of clubs have “partner schools” often independent schools they use to educate their Acadamy players and to deliver the further education to the scholars at year 11&12.
my child has been in the football academy system for 12 years, he is now a professional player, it’s hard work to get the balance, he got amazing GCSE’s is doing Alevels, the club are supporting higher education & enrichment opportunities too.
its not one of the other, it’s healthy for the player / pupil to excel and be supported in both facets of their life.
It’s blinking hard work for DS and the wider family. I’m sorry you are in this situation with your school, it seem very short sighted of them to add this pressure to you instead of encouraging what could be an amazing experience. Xx

the football clubs education team, pastoral care and welfare psychologist will be able to negotiate time off school. They can provide back fill tutors for missed education.
football clubs have links with partner schools to provide education to some of their Acadamy player and all of their scholor players (to offer A levels), most big clubs also have links with local uni’s too for higher education.
it’s not all or nothing the poster can rectify this situation to support DS, school & club. It seems the school haven’t been guided correctly by the club’s education department.

Football Acadamy’s have an agreement with independent schools and education authorities for time off site. It’s reported as educated off site.
They back fill education with one to one subject tuition, plus provide education enrichment activities (such as history projects, language development, cultural experiences etc, this is often in the evenings / weekends / school holidays) It’s part of the premier league EPPP.

the club will have safeguarding to ensure school and educational attendance, they will have a education department whom monitor education attainment (plotting expected grades - seeing if the player is on target), deliver education sessions in the club, negotiate tutors, liaise with the school for curriculum info, timetable info and discuss with the school time required off site for day release/ overseas tournaments etc. the club will also have pastoral care and psychologist, whom may be useful in this situation given the extra layer of stress the school are orchestrating, the player will be demonstrating resilience throughout this, a trait that is required for elite athletes.

football clubs have partner schools (where they move kids in to if they relocate) they also have to negotiate with potentially hundreds of primary and secondary schools, most premier league clubs also have a fair share of ex players off spring in the system, so they are use to negotiating with various prestigious independent schools, modern independent schools, grammar, comps right through to the special needs and PRU facilities.