Parents of students at Launceston College have been expressing their frustration with some of the new policies which have been put in place.  

In a recent letter sent out to parents, the school announced that it would be introducing a ‘period six’ to Year 11 pupils come January.  

In the letter, the school said: “We are committed to ensuring that your child is fully supported with their preparation for these life changing qualifications and have a number of strategies in place to allow them to be as successful as possible. 

“Period six lessons are timetabled lessons for all Year 11 students that take place with teachers to increase the amount of time students are with a subject specialist and to provide more revision opportunities, so we can increase students’ chances of success.”  

However, the biggest issue parents have taken with the introduction of this new policy is the school’s statement that students who do not retain 100 per cent attendance, without valid reason, will not be attending the end of year prom or celebratory Thorpe Park trip.  

It continues: “Students who do not show 100 per cent commitment to their studies and school life throughout the academic year, including attendance at period six (unless there is a valid and authorised reason), will not be permitted to attend our end of year celebrations including a trip to Thorpe Park and prom.  

“We recognise that it is a big transition from Year 10 to Year 11 and that the introduction of period six is a significant change for some students. 

“With this in mind, those who attend school every day, including period six (unless they have a valid reason not to), from January 2024, will be welcome to join us at Thorpe Park and prom.”  

Following the announcement, parents have reacted to the news with a mixture of frustration and criticism, with some parents stating that in their view, the rules were ‘unfair’.

One parent described the school as a ‘joke’ for their approach to period six, while others have called the new policy ‘ridiculous’, and another simply stated: “It’s not on and it’s not fair”.

The Post contacted Athena Learning Trust, the group which Launceston College is a part of, regarding the introduction of period six and the parental response, however no comment was provided prior to going to print.

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