Invitation or Demand Poll?

I couldn't find anywhere else to post this, but I want to canvass some opinion on the wording of a letter received from my daughter's school. The thread may be copied into a word document to show the school, so please may I request that only your opinion is stated.

We received a letter with this exact wording in it:

It is important to ensure that your daughter takes every possible opportunity maximise her academic potential in preparation for her forthcoming GCSE examinations. A group of pupils that would benefit from receiving extra tuition have been identified. Your daughter is a member of this group and I expect her to attend an after school revision session this term.

Given the facts that the school has no right whatsoever to dictate what our daughter does or does not do outside of school, and the person who wrote this chose the wording carefully, would you interpret this sentence as an invitation to attend or a demand to attend?

Opinions welcomed as it may form a very small part of a bigger issue with the school.

Thank you.

[MissFM]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

Hi Labs!

Personally I would see it as a demand - even a veiled threat

[Inca]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

deleted

[gravytrain]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

I find it mystifying that a teacher would write this, it is bound to upset the parent guardian. It is saying that the decision making process of their child's education is solely a matter for the school, and any other opinion is neither welcome or will be entertained.

A charitable interpretation would be that the person involved did not mean it to come out the way it did, but it is very poorly written in my opinion and does not seek to elicit the good will of the parent.

[Eloise01]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

Possibly not a demand, but certainly more than an invitation. I have often been disappointed in my expectations.

[Celestine]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

Personally, receiving a letter such as this would make me focus only on ensuring my child maximized their potential by attending such a session. I would not read anything at all into the wording.

[labman]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

I agree Cel, and we will ensure she does her best. The problem is the sessions are not led by a qualified teacher, nor even a qualified support worker, just a keen amateur. Given my daughter has other options with qualified teachers and much support and high expectations from home (where one parent is certainly qualified to help), I question whether the school should have sent this letter knowing my desire for my daughter to access high quality, professional support elsewhere (not with me - I don't think that would work well!) The school made the decision to send it to us despite knowing the above. They want our daughter to attend specifically in their school, despite my having said we want her to access support elsewhere (the school is the reason she needs the support).

[PlanB]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

Oh how I would have loved to have received that letter from my daughter's school. They've identified yours as a brain-box :whoo: They are offering her extra tuition so she can reach her full potential and not be held back by a class full of nitwits. I don't see the problem.

Here's the bit where I boast about my daughter but I'm saying this for a reason. My kid's IQ blew the Mensa test out of the water. She was/is super-bright but her passion was for classical ballet. While her school was busy coaching her for Oxbridge she was busy performing with the National Youth Ballet, the Miami City Ballet and had a minor role in the Royal Ballet Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House (I went to watch her 17 times that particular December :okay. She then suffered from 2 years of bulimia due to the conflict. I backed her emotions and took her out of the hugely expensive school and let her 'be herself' which was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

My point is it's not about the school or you it's about HER. What does she want to do/achieve?

[gravytrain]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

Seems to me that the problem with the letter is not the information it relays but the way it relays it. Labmans description of the background to some extent explains the adversarial tone of the letter IMO

[labman]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

But surely it shouldn't be adversarial. It only became that way when the school started verbally demanding she attend the school sessions, and I said I'd rather her go elsewhere.

To answer Plan B, she wants to go elsewhere too, though would certainly rather go to the school than have her Dad!

[PlanB]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

To answer Plan B, she wants to go elsewhere too, though would certainly rather go to the school than have her Dad!

What's her particular area of talent? If she can get better coaching elsewhere for that then oviously that's the next step. Schools care obsessively about league tables and often seize the opportunity to grab bright kids to help them achieve targets when the child's time could be spent more usefully elsewhere. Head teachers' pay is usually performance based.

Why not go and see the Form/Year Teacher/Tutor for a sensible discussion, preferably without your daughter so you can have a cards-on-the-table discussion.

It's hell being a parent but if I got one thing right (and everything else wrong according to my now 27 year old) it was to tune into her feelings. She subsequently abandoned the Royal Ballet and became a music agent for a bunch of hoodies from Hackney. She's retained her musicality talent and can pay her own rent and mobile phone bill so the £thousands invested in school fees and tutus was not completely wasted :music:

[labman]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

What's her particular area of talent? If she can get better coaching elsewhere for that then oviously that's the next step. Schools care obsessively about league tables and often seize the opportunity to grab bright kids to help them achieve targets when the child's time could be spent more usefully elsewhere. Head teachers' pay is usually performance based.

Why not go and see the Form/Year Teacher/Tutor for a sensible discussion, preferably without your daughter so you can have a cards-on-the-table discussion.

My fault that this has erred so quickly from the question, sorry. However, the discussion is VERY relevant.

One point of accuracy, a Headteacher's salary is only partially related to academic achievement in the school through the Performance Management system. Even then, it is not performance related as people in industry would recognise it.

As for the rest, I agree we're overly concerned with league tables, and certainly where my daughter is concerned, I believe I have every right to choose an alternative to her school out of school hours, if I think she would benefit more elsewhere and she would rather go elsewhere. The school will get the credit eventually as it will be reflected in her examination results, so I can't see a problem. It is possible the school gets some ring fenced funding for certain groups of pupils, and stand to risk losing this if they don't get 'bums on seats' for it. That aside, the only thing to my mind that should be considered when looking at any child and its education is what is best for that child. If that means accessing resources the school cannot provide, then access them elsewhere.

It seems common sense to me, but at least one school disagrees with me.

[MissFM]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

Well I agree with you Labs, in Spades, FWIW x

[IanM]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

An Invitation? A Demand?,......or a downright INSULT?


""A group of pupils that would benefit from receiving extra tuition have been identified""

Is basically saying that your daughter requires extra tuition to maximise her potential in the upcoming exams meaning that without the extra tuition she will not do as well as everyone else despite having the same tuition and time as others in her class to learn and prepare for the exams.

I would go with your instincts and find somewhere else for her extra tuition as obviously her current tuition is insufficient.

I couldn't find anywhere else to post this, but I want to canvass some opinion on the wording of a letter received from my daughter's school. The thread may be copied into a word document to show the school, so please may I request that only your opinion is stated.

We received a letter with this exact wording in it:

It is important to ensure that your daughter takes every possible opportunity maximise her academic potential in preparation for her forthcoming GCSE examinations. A group of pupils that would benefit from receiving extra tuition have been identified. Your daughter is a member of this group and I expect her to attend an after school revision session this term.

Given the facts that the school has no right whatsoever to dictate what our daughter does or does not do outside of school, and the person who wrote this chose the wording carefully, would you interpret this sentence as an invitation to attend or a demand to attend?

Opinions welcomed as it may form a very small part of a bigger issue with the school.

Thank you.

[gravytrain]

Re: Invitation or Demand Poll?

Dear parent.
We have identified a number of students who appear to require extra tuition in order to ensue optimum performance at the upcoming examinations. We consider that your child may benefit from these, we propose to enter her into extra tuition which will take place outside the schools normal operating times, please contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.