School life, between the linesBy Eleven Plus Diary
School stories, admissions adventures, and the things parents talk about on the way home.
School life · School cookery, from classroom to kitchen
A York school newsletter hoped Year 7’s cookery had reached families. A page later, it knew where one flapjack had gone.
School life · Reception home visits
Before Reception, the teacher visits your house. One of you is preparing for an inspection. The other is looking for somewhere to park.
School portraits · Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire
St Chris in Letchworth has a pupil democracy over a hundred years old. My house has a whiteboard, and as of last month a family council.
School portraits · Boston, Lincolnshire
Every December a Lincolnshire grammar school reopens a cattle market that moved out in the 19th century. The cattle are not invited.
School portraits · Sleaford, Lincolnshire
A grammar school in Sleaford runs a Warhammer club and hands out a trophy for good manners in battle. In our house, the war has been going less graciously.
School portraits · Edinburgh
In 1956 the radio club at George Watson’s College could reach the far side of the world. Its own former pupils were proving harder to raise, and so is my son, who is upstairs.
School culture · Wales
Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy’s 2015 eisteddfod began with a prize for noise and ended with a poet nobody could identify until the name was read out.
School life · Holy Island and Lowick, Northumberland
In 2004 a seven-year-old on Holy Island gave Tes the best exit line in British education. I have been using it ever since, and I live nowhere near the sea.
School life · Parents’ evenings; Kingsway School
Online parents’ evenings come with a countdown clock that hangs up for you. I had prepared nine questions for the maths teacher. Here is how the five minutes went.
School life · School open evenings
I was choosing a secondary school. My ten-year-old was running a separate inspection, and his had a points system.
School portraits · Bristol
Badminton School’s science outreach girls explain physics to audiences from infants to physics teachers. Our daughter tried it on the kitchen table.
School portraits · Bath, Somerset
A head near Bath had pupils write their own school reports. I read the idea aloud at supper to mock it, and by pudding we had adopted it.
