Snow and school closures.

The only answer (imho) is that school places are awarded on the basis of those living closest get first offer of places, gradually moving outwards. This would solve the situation my DGC have travelling miles to/from school everyday. The primaries in their area are certainly no better than the one they attend but they are the GOLDEN TICKET into the very sought after secondary school which is why parents travel miles to get them there.

None of my family or friends are taking gillybob's GC's school places. My GC was taken out of a Durham county council school because they were not fulfilling their commitment to educating the child. In her final year at the primary school GD had five different teachers.
You are missing the point, as usual, dj. Those of us who pay for private education actually make the classes smaller for state educated children and also don't forget we pay twice.
Insult me all you like but the fact remains that people will do whatever it takes to give their children the education they deserve.
Do not quote Melissa Benn to me either, Holland Park school is not quite the same as our schools in Tyne and Wear or County Durham.

there are no above average children, just children with pushy middle class parents

I disagree with this comment made by a headteacher M0nica my second DGD (10) who's primary is slap bang in the middle of a large council estate, has been described by her head as extremely gifted. Her teacher said "X is not just on the top table..... she IS the top table". She is the kind of delightful child that seems to be good at everything from Maths, English and Science to Art, drama and sports too.

She most definitely doesn't have pushy parents, just average working class and none of us know where she has gotten her brains and talents from !

Of course some children are cleverer than others, just as some adults are.

Make the classes smaller for state educated children?
What?
Tell that to the teachers of my grandchildren who are in classes of up to 40.
That's the weirdest jusification for sending your children to private school that I've yet heard.
In fact the most common reason for sending children to private schools is so that your children are in smaller classes, nothing to do with altruism.

I live in County Durham by the way, with grandkids going through school here, and my two eldest granddaughters were taught in schools in Heaton.

The problem is though, there are oversubscribed schools with 35+ children per class and under subscribed schools where the class sizes are much smaller, usually because they are not in a good area or don't feed into a golden secondary.

When people complain about schools closing because of the snow, it's because of this ability to choose schools out of your local area and not being able to get children or teachers to school.
We definitely went to the local primary when we were at school, and quite often a local secondary. My brother and sisters could all bike to school, or walk in the snow.

It's madness.

My eldest DGD could get to school (its only a few minutes walk) but it was closed as the majority of of pupils are bussed in from miles away.

My younger DGC's school was open but they couldn't physically get there as its miles away

Isn’t your grandson educated by you at home dj?
Isn’t that choice?
No one should have to defend their reasons for whatever type of education they choose, or for whatever reasons they choose it.

Exactly, gillybob, madness.
If harrigran didn't want to defend her grandchildren's education she shouldn't put it on the thread.

Yes, I teach my grandson at home now because he has autism, and cannot cope in a school of 1500 pupils. He did go to the nearest secondary school, within walking distance, for a year, but had tears in his eyes every day.
It costs us. We get no financial help to buy equipment and materials.

Saying Melissa Benn has no right to talk about community schooling as Holland Park is different to community schools in the North East is like saying I have no right as I went to a private school and I homeschool my grandson - both equally ridiculous.

So what Gillybob ? My grandchildren could have got to school too but you don’t hear me moaning on, and on, and on, ad nauseam about it.

Whats your problem OldMeg ?

I was simply pointing out the sheer madness of children unable to get to open schools because they live too damned far away and can't get into local schools and children able to get to schools that are closed to children on their doorstep because the majority are bussed in.

How does that make any sense at all?

The point being that if children were able to attend the schools on their doorstep half the problem would be solved. Maybe that's too complicated for some people though eh?

Oh and if you can't bear my "moaning on and on", I would suggest you don't read my posts in future. Problem solved.

My comments have nothing at all to do with harrigran's grandchildren either. I have never once suggested or implied that they were stealing a place from any of mine!

As happened in Heaton, gillybob.
No schools closed because everybody could get there.

Which is the way it always used to be and worked just fine dj

No schools closed because everybody could get there.

I've never heard of Heaton and I would think it is quite an unusual place then if everybody could get into school, pupils and teachers. Presumably there are no children coming in to those schools from the surrounding rural areas and all teachers live in the town.

Most places aren't like that, however, people travel miles to the nearest village schools because that is the catchment and those village may feed in to a comprehensive in the nearest town - so even further to travel.
And it's not always possible for teachers and staff to get a job at their local schools even if they wanted to.

As for teachers working locally, I don't think a single one at our village school lives locally but several still managed to get there only to find the school was shut by the HT an hour later.

Isn’t that choice?
No one should have to defend their reasons for whatever type of education they choose, or for whatever reasons they choose it.
I agree.

But not all schools have the “feeder primary” admissions policy, I would suggest it’s a small minority, most schools do have siblings, then catchment area policy. The mish mash of different regimes, academies, demise of local authorities, and the privatisation of state education to various trusts and bodies has led to there being different admissions policies which appear unchallengeable, and if you live in one of the areas where the admissions policy doesn’t work in your favour you will feel aggrieved.

The schools in our LEA operate a feeder system suzied followed by sibling link (hard lines for the eldest child) . Very little chance of getting into the best secondaries if you don’t make it into the right feeder .

Our area (well, the area where DGD live) operates a 'catchment area' but they are 'in the process of reviewing them' so it's anybody's guess where they will have to travel to school when they go on to secondary.
Perhaps we should downsize and apply to the local excellent independent schools on their behalf.

*dj In rural areas the local school can be 10 or 15 miles away and no alternative school within 25 miles or more. It is rural areas that are most likely to have local roads blocked by snow. 12 feet deep in places barely 20 miles from us.

All the secondary children in our village are bussed to secondary school as the nearest is over 4 miles away - and that is in south Oxfordshire.

It wasn't just schools closed. Many companies had to close down because people couldn't get to work. Buses weren't running and trains were cancelled. Electricity was cut off for some people.

And I’m simply saying change the record Gilly - you were moaning about this the other day. You’ve done it to death. Let it go.

You ask about my problem?

Ok. People who go on and on long after the subject has been well aired. Probably because I’ve had to chair too many meeting with people like that.

Sorry, but you did ask.

"All the teachers tripped gaily off to the pub" ? Are you sure Hellsbella. Have you got any proof? Don't you think the staff would be anxious to get home safely, rather than sit in a local pub.

I’m sorry to upset you OldMeg but this is a free forum . Where everyone has the same rights to post . Just because the subject bores you. Well don’t read my posts . It really is that simple . Post something interesting . Go on . Start an interesting thread. Go on.