Holidays abroad - or lack of them, impact on child

pollypenny

Homeownertobe wrote: »

Presumably 'this sort' of school (mainly middle class families) has brought untold benefits to your son, so it seems a little churlish to complain that you don't fit in with the norm when one downside turns up.

What?

Perhaps you could enlarge on this odd comment.

It's never right to make a child feel excluded!

tuffluv

Don't know what all the fuss is about just write about a place in uk you have been to or is that too simple an answer for most people , uk is a european country.

playaz

Can we start an online fundraiser and chip in £5 each.. they'll be off abroad in no time :-)

I hope this teacher gets the sack.. she seems like a proper sack of sh*t!

As for the OP, obviously a holidays abroad are good however with the internet and Google Maps, Google Earth, countless Youtube videos much can be learnt about foreign countries that way too..

I've never been to the States but feel I know more about that place then anywhere in the world! :-)

All the best....

Homeownertobe

pollypenny wrote: »

What?

Perhaps you could enlarge on this odd comment.

Schools like this are oversubscribed because they are successful. They're successful because generations of middle class parents have forced the school to become more successful. To have a wider net of activities for children, to give them different experiences and push them with good educational standards. Standards that are often far in excess of schools without middle class parents.

This is A Good Thing. Until someone who doesn't fit in/can't keep up with the rest is made to feel excluded, apparently.

I'd suggest the OP weighs up all the benefits (I'm sure there are many) to her child attending this school before deciding it's awful because she can't afford to take her child abroad like the others.

She needs to decide whether all the benefits of having her child in such an environment are worth the odd day of her child feeling out of place because his parents don't have as much money as the others.

pollypenny wrote: »

It's never right to make a child feel excluded!

Of course it's not - and I never said it was - but there needs to be a sense of proportion. The teacher shouldn't be fired anymore than the OP should remove her child from this school and put them in a school more befitting her socio-economic status.

At the end of the day, the OP can't afford to take her child abroad, that doesn't mean the rest of the school (who can) should have to change to make her feel better. The school is obviously trying to teach the children about other European countries and I'd wager the OP's child will learn a lot.

Holidays may not be a strict necessity but a weekend city break to Barcelona, Bruges, Stockholm etc wouldn't cost the Earth and I'd be skeptical of anyone who says they couldn't budget over a few years to fund one to give their child that experience.

FBaby

I would agree homeownertobe if OP has picked this school over their local ones to get the benefit that comes with a good ofsted reports, but from what I gathered, it is not the case. It is their local school.

So yes, you could wonder why they have chosen to live in this area, but there could be many reasons for this we don't know.

I personally wouldn't want my kids to go to such a school, even though we do go on foreign holidays every year, because it is important to me that my kids are brought up in a mixed school that gives them a proper experience of true diversity of our society as much as can be, so I probably would have looked at moving, but again, that's assuming it is possible.

I do agree with you though when the parents have made that choice. A new secondary independent school has opened in my catchment area (even though there were already two of them) and sold itself as offering all the benefit of a private school at no cost. Parents went for it and as a result, have destabilising the two other schools. Nevermind, not their problem, but so many now are complaining because the school is constantly asking for extra funds. I think they were very naive believing that they could indeed get their kids all the additional benefits that were sold to them within the budget of the school!

Regardless of the school though, a teacher should NEVER judge a pupil/parent on their financial status and regardless of what set up it follows, should always do their best to offer alternatives so that all the children in their class can participate in school work (as they do when they make father's day cards and some children don't have a dad to give it to).

duchy

FBaby wrote: »

Regardless of the school though, a teacher should NEVER judge a pupil/parent on their financial status and regardless of what set up it follows, should always do their best to offer alternatives so that all the children in their class can participate in school work (as they do when they make father's day cards and some children don't have a dad to give it to).

This is something that comes up time and time again with newly qualified middle class teachers who have gone straight from school to university to their first teaching job without living in the real world and little exposure to a more general society. It simply doesn't occur to them.

ciderwithrosie_2

Homeownertobe wrote: »

Holidays may not be a strict necessity but a weekend city break to Barcelona, Bruges, Stockholm etc wouldn't cost the Earth and I'd be skeptical of anyone who says they couldn't budget over a few years to fund one to give their child that experience.

Sorry, but that's just not the sort of holiday you'd take a junior school aged child on, unless it was just in case this topic ever came up in homework!! The majority of kids that age would much rather go somewhere with a beach to play on or some other sort of outdoor activity, not looking at museums and architecture in 2 days in a foreign city, it would be wasted money.

notanewuser

ciderwithrosie wrote: »

Sorry, but that's just not the sort of holiday you'd take a junior school aged child on, unless it was just in case this topic ever came up in homework!! The majority of kids that age would much rather go somewhere with a beach to play on or some other sort of outdoor activity, not looking at museums and architecture in 2 days in a foreign city, it would be wasted money.

DD is 4 and has been to Barcelona! (It has a beach - she was far more interested in museums and flamenco to be bothered with it).

notanewuser

I wouldn't waste hard earned money on beach holidays. They bore the Whatsit out of me. DD would much rather explore a place too.

warehouse

Going overseas does widen the children's outlook, but is it better for their general education than those that don't travel? No.