Permission to visit a Grammar?

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petit-pois
Posts: 216
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:27 pm

Permission to visit a Grammar?

Post by petit-pois »

Hello, I'm new here and new to the whole Grammar system! :?

My daughter is currently year 5 and the Grammar school we are most interested in has a series of open mornings all on school days, coming up. My daughter would very much like to come with us and as she will be the one going there, I am in agreement. The problem is that she would have to take the morning off school in order to do so.

We are applying out of county and catchment, although within the radius that previous children have historically been offered places. Should I ask permission from her headteacher or do you think it would be automatically refused and I should invent some kind of appointment that she needs to attend. I would prefer to be honest!
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Permission to visit a Grammar?

Post by Tinkers »

The school should allow you permission to visit other schools. It shouldn't be a problem.

Btw we have another forum user called petitpois (very similar name to you) so you may want to change your user name to avoid confusion. If you wish to let us know and the programmer can do that for you.
loobylou
Posts: 2032
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:04 pm

Re: Permission to visit a Grammar?

Post by loobylou »

We always sent in letters to primary school saying that X would not be in school until lunchtime (or whatever) because they were going to an open morning. No one batted an eyelid...
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: Permission to visit a Grammar?

Post by PettswoodFiona »

Essential to take your child to the school IMO. For our DD it gave her extra reason to study hard as she liked the school, identified with girls showing her round and so she was invested in the hard work to get to the school of her choice. In our area it is quite normal to do this. We had a lot of choices (6 grammars, a few independents and a few comprehensives) so we only took DD to the top choices in Y4, mopped up a few we couldn't make due to either timetable clashes or not wanting to miss too much in Y5 and saw a few on our own without her.
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Permission to visit a Grammar?

Post by mystery »

Yes, your school should authorise the absence. But even it were not the case that they had to, I don't know why one would feel the need to invent an excuse. An unauthorised absence of this nature is their problem, not yours!

Enjoy the open mornings.
petit-pois
Posts: 216
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:27 pm

Re: Permission to visit a Grammar?

Post by petit-pois »

Thank you very much for the replys. I will bravely request permission then, although I have a niggling feeling it will be refused. If it is, do I need to reply to the Head, letting her know DD will be going anyway?
PettswoodFiona wrote:Essential to take your child to the school IMO. For our DD it gave her extra reason to study hard as she liked the school, identified with girls showing her round and so she was invested in the hard work to get to the school of her choice.

Yes, PettswoodFiona, this is exactly why I would like her to come, and she is excited to anyway! :)
Manon
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2016 12:29 pm

Re: Permission to visit a Grammar?

Post by Manon »

Like Loobylou, I just advised school that we were going to an open morning at x school and DS wouldn't be in until x o'clock - in effect treated it as a medical/ dentist appointment. School were fine with that, emailed back to say they hoped it went well and asked us how we had got one when I dropped him off.
petit-pois
Posts: 216
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:27 pm

Re: Permission to visit a Grammar?

Post by petit-pois »

Well, we were refused permission.

The Head stated that as my dd is in year 5 it is not necessary to visit schools for another year. Of course we went anyway, and loved the school!

Thanks for the advice all.
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Permission to visit a Grammar?

Post by Tinkers »

Our primary actively encouraged us to visit schools in year 5, though saying that very very few around here have open mornings (usually just the ones you wouldn't necessarily want to send your child to), so they didn't entail time off school. However the view point is it's a big decision and you need time. I don't know about anyone else but after the third school I was 'schooled' out too. It gives you a year to mull over what you've seen, and able to go back when in year 6 to ask all the questions you forgot to ask in year 5 and the ones you have thought up since.
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