Secondary Considerations

[Texaco Shirley]

We’ve just started leaving A at home on his own. It was for about an hour and a half in a Saturday morning while we were at puppy school. He has a phone and plenty of neighbours to call on in an emergency. I feel better about it having been daylight for some reason.

[Cerise]

Yes, it’s the dark that bothers me.

[Ruby]

In retrospect it was the push I needed though because he was ready.

Yes. I need a shove with these things as I am slightly over-attached and I've always hated leaving them.

I am more worried really about them fighting or being mean to each other - or not eating if I leave them over a mealtime. When we leave N, with instructions for making his own lunch, he always takes himself to the co-op to buy a meal deal.

The SAM has been to Manchester on the train a few times now with his friends. I had to have a word with myself about that. Although I did make him install What 3 Words before he went.

[Texaco Shirley]

Last summer MrTex dropped L on his bike to let him cycle home. It was 45km

[Jupiter]

I started leaving A in the house on her own from when she was about 10 while I ran to the shop or did the 10 min round trip to creche to drop or pick up E jnr. She's fairly mature and turns 13 in May so we have started leaving her with E jnr who is five in May for about 30 minutes during the day at the weekends if we have to go to a "boring" DIY shop etc. I wouldn't leave them alone at night time for at least another year.

[olive]

We’ve just been debating this as we have a morning of parent teacher conferences coming up and the boys have the day off school. We have been thinking of leaving them home while we go but it’ll be around 1.5 hours which feels too much of a leap.

T is 11 (12 in April) and he’s stayed at home alone for around 10-20 mins a handful of times.

He and M (9) have been left 3 or 4 times but for no longer 20 minutes if we’ve nipped out to collect a takeaway when the other parent has been out/ away.

[Kleio]

I’ve just had to sit through Death by Powerpoint at the school re: the changes the new* Academy are making.

They spoke at us for 45 minutes without telling us anything and the only think I’ve taken home from it is worra whole load of shit Beliefs and Values are. She waffled on about the children having to keep a record of the things they’ve done in a leaflet and I wondered if she’d ever met a teenager.

*they took over a year ago and have made small changes but from September it’ll be the Academy way or nothing.

[Pippedydeadeye]

SLANT & SHAPE?

[Kleio]

No, it’s these 4 sub sections like spirituality etc (it’s not a religious school) with sections within those. If a teacher tells them they’ve been respectful or whatever they are meant to keep a record of it in a pretty leaflet full of emojis.

She talked about how it’ll be useful when children go to college or get a job. I laughed and recalled my National Record of Achievement.

[Ruby]

Oh honestly it's all such bullshit. "Values" and "character" are a thing at the moment. Even better if they spell out some bullshit word like "Inspire" At Wankstain Academy we are Important, Noble, Successful, Professional, Imaginative, Respectful and ... er ... Eager.

Slant is a terrible acronym but the idea is sound.

[Ruby]

At the SAM's school their values are "The 5 pillars" which is, frankly, blasphemous and if they had run it past just one Humanities teacher first...

Which reminds me of a very thick Deputy at my last school who came up with the incredible slogan, "Learn Like A Viking". I had to have a chat with him about the raping and blinding habits of the Vikings and he scrapped it.

[Elya]

Learn like a Viking

[Ruby]

"Can I be clear, Bob? I have to teach the Vikings in Year 11, and we cover a particularly nasty invasion, and I'm not sure they were a positive role model for our young people?" *head tilt*

[Kleio]

Learn like a Viking

[Kleio]

At the SAM's school their values are "The 5 pillars" which is, frankly, blasphemous and if they had run it past just one Humanities teacher first...

Actually this might’ve been 5 actually. I’ve looked on the school website and the academy website and can’t bloody find it.

The idea of ‘British Values’ being pushed on schools to teach makes me wonder how far away we are from the children swearing to the Union Flag every day a la the Yanks.

[Ruby]

Oh honestly, don't worry about that. For example, I'm in charge of most British Values delivery at my school. 🫠 The values are inarguably "good" although obviously not exclusively British by any measure; democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths.

[Texaco Shirley]

No, it’s these 4 sub sections like spirituality etc (it’s not a religious school) with sections within those. If a teacher tells them they’ve been respectful or whatever they are meant to keep a record of it in a pretty leaflet full of emojis.

She talked about how it’ll be useful when children go to college or get a job. I laughed and recalled my National Record of Achievement.

They know there are apps for this sort of thing?

[Kleio]

Everything else they do is done on apps. I can’t really understand this!

[Texaco Shirley]

My boys’ school runs all of this through the class charts app. They get SPIRIT points (self control, positivity, initiative, teamwork, 2 others I can’t remember) but they have realised they are dealing with teenagers and gone for straightforward bribery rather than pretty leaflets. Every 10 points is worth a raffle ticket for a draw at the end of term. A got an amazon voucher at Easter.

[Ruby]

They get SPIRIT points (self control, positivity, initiative, teamwork, 2 others I can’t remember)

Lol