VIC Compulsory Assessment Outside School Hours?

[Jodie Stoter]

Hi,

My child attends a semi independent school and has been advised that she must attend an activity outside of school hours as it forms part of her assessment. Her teacher was very rude to her when she advised her last night during parent teacher interviews that it may interfere with her sporting commitments in which she is part of a team and will let the team down if she is not there.

My question is, can the school make something compulsory if it is outside school hours?

 

[hlly]

What is a semi-independent school? Is it administered by a public authority or a private one?

'School hours' is generally a matter for the school. Public schools may have afternoon or morning classes, excursions, or other compulsory activities outside 'school hours'. This is even more true of private schools.

If your school has an assessment manual, you could consult it for guidance. Ideally the school will have identified rules governing assessments. (This is compulsory in all NSW schools, for instance).

Those policies
(a) may have provisions governing when assessment tasks may be scheduled, or
(b) may allow students to apply for a rescheduled or alternate assessment task in certain cases, such as those of illness or misadventure, caring or family responsibilities, or where there is a pre-existing religious, cultural or sporting commitment. Often the sporting commitment will need to be a major one.

Ask the school where you can find these policies. It is advisable in any case to contact a head teacher, deputy principal, or principal, especially if the class teacher is being uncooperative.