A 16 year old girl at Hurworth School near Darlington has been stopped from going on school trips, playing for school sports teams and from going to her end of year Prom, and generally ostracised because her parents have refused to sign her up for compulsory after-hour lessons each week. She's a prefect, has flawless attendance and behaviour records and is so good academically that she's taken some GCSEs a year early and got A *s for them. In other words she doesn't need extra lessons and therefore her parents have taken the logical step of refusing to put her up for them.
Because of her treatment at the hands of her school (she emerged shaking from an 'interview' with the Head), she's lost a stone, has developed a rash and now has anxiety attacks.
My daughter's own school hasn't gone quite as far as this yet but it's well on the way, in an effort to top league tables, and parents seem to be able to do nothing about it.
Democracy? My a***

a change from parents pushing kids that have no ability

all schools cheat the system to reach the top spot

Yeah, you're right, It IS cheating, or at least trying to gain an unfair advantage.
And what's in it for the kids? When I was that age I was down at the Rainbow in Seaton every other night, yet I still got my exams. Nowadays they're set work for all hours including weekends and holidays. The message is : be obsessive and you too can have 2 extra percent

They probably only get the extra funding if they fully subscribe the extra lessons, however, if they fully subscribe the lessons and then performance per capita/study hour lessens, they'll have a reduced budget next round.

Welcome to New Labour. For common sense read target.

Well, if I'd known in time what was going to happen I'd have tried to get her into a group of home educators or whatever they're called. As I see it kids are just being institutionalised and they don't even realise it's happening because they've never known any different . It's all a bit bloody

It's not just schools, the entire public sector spends all it's working days massaging statistics just to eat. It's Whitehalls new take on efficiency. Your NHS waiting lists are now only ten weeks because they cancel your appointment on the 71st day and put you back at the end.

it's the old divide and rule, isn't it? So many state-induced catastrophes happen to individuals that one person can't fight all of them and in the end you just get apathetic. If we had Citizens' Unions we might get the schools, health care and football grounds we deserve!

from the offset, I am a dimwit! so i did wonder why our kids get soooomuch homework and they're only primary school too........

thanks for the enlightenment!!!

There's no credible alternative.

Apparently.

I've been doing a lot of reading on immigration, for obvious reasons, and you wouldn't believe the cock up being currently made of the immigration system.

For instance: In Zimbabwe the average income is 9 million whatevers a year. To qualify for a visa you have to show them 173 million whatevers in the bank with three months history, ergo, they've priced everyone out. Even the skilled workers/technicians etc that we need. This is typical of everyone except obviously the First World countries who are busy stealing all our brains.

Oh and the helpline for the UK Embassy here in China has a premium rate telephone number 5 yuen a minute when the minimum wage here is 7.5 yuen an hour.

Salty, you are NOT a dimwit, right.
But you should join ranks with other parents and complain. In Wales they managed to get rid of SATS altogether. Don't know how, but they did.

na, I am!!!

I am completely against homework in primary school and I've had this argument with teachers before. Kids have enough work to do in school and by four they are getting weary. When the bell rings its time to go home and play for a bit before tea, bath and bed time. Forcing them to do homework at that age is achieving nothing but turning them off learning.

Secondary schools are a different thing all together but when my little lad came home with homework at the age of five I wrote a letter to the school castigating them for this action and advising them that he would not be doing it.

Plenty of new research suggests homework (and parents hassling children to do homework) produces tension at home and prevents different and just as important interraction with children.
My son got homework aged three.
If he didnt do it then he might have felt left out.

losing a stone sounds ok but i dont like the idea of a rash

Aren't kids allowed to play anymore? Fecking teachers! best paid part time job in the world.

Start at 9 finish at 3:30
53 weeks a year holiday.

But they have to do lesson planning, oh hang on i'm going to burst into tears.

how many times have we heard of some schools allowing kids to view exam papers before the exams or even tutoring them in the valid questions just before the exam
after getting exposed they claim everyone is doing it

Extra Study Time out of School Time should be voluntary!!!!

Our Daughter is at Primary School and she gets Homework at least 2/3 times a week....she should be playing at that time!!!!

I hate this country....and I hate New Labour even more!!!!

To be fair it's usually not the class teachers behind all this, it's the Heads.
The only people who apply for headships these days are the ones who are quite happy to carry out Blair's policies. Say no more.

But the main problem is that other parents won't back you up to take a stand. I think Kev (for instance) is too optimistic about the possibilities of mobilising people. Most people just want to be told what to do and won't stick their necks out

just got in from work, and jack and his mam are in the garden.........................REVISING!!!!!!!!!! re-f ucking-vising!!!!!!!!