The Deputy Head Writes...

Anything that doesn't fit anywhere else, but that's still CH related.

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sejintenej
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by sejintenej »

gneuss wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 10:15 am

She doesn't actually say top universities IN THIS COUNTRY. Obviously there are international students at CH who probably return to their own countries for further study but I would advise any UK student from CH who comes from a background where his/her parents have a low income to consider applying for a scholarship at a 'top' US university. Many UK students are now doing this as it means that they do not leave university with a huge debt (or indeed any debt at all). Maybe the 2% she mentions are students who have realised that maybe university is not for them (as they do not want to be saddled with a debt or leave three years later with no guarantee of meaningful employment) even though they may have the necessary qualifications to gain entry? There may also be a few students who are not so academically able but who nevertheless will gain much of benefit from their time at the school?
Which are "top universities" whether in the UK or elsewhere? Given the controls exercised over them I suspect that the differences between UK ones are only in how many "firsts" they send into the world (whether in boozing or other subjects).
ISTR that over 50% of school leavers now go to university which makes the statistics less glaring. As for the two percent perhaps they are the ones who fooled the examiners in the exhaustive pre-admittance testing?
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Foureyes
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by Foureyes »

May I add one further issue to sejentinejez (?) list?
'Agreeing with your wife, even though you know for a certainty that she is wrong.'
David :shock:
Iguana
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by Iguana »

gneuss and catherine, re US schools and confusion over top universities statement

I think you are correct in assuming it is Cambridge and Oxford that are the main universities pushed for the top students but for people from low incomes this can make sense, so long as the student will enjoy the method of study. I have some idea of this. Are you sure though she is not including universities in Scotland? I do not think there is as much push or experience of getting pupils to Stanford or Harvard but of course it could be that remaining in this country does allow better maintenance of links to families, and for people who have been in a boarding environment that might be a good thing? It allows links to governors to continue too, a very special part of the CH system, and allows for trips back to school which has been their home for the past years. Oxford and Cambridge do have funds and there is an argument that people from less wealthy backgrounds may get funding to travel etc or for their causes, There are top up grants given by these 'top' eugh, older is a word I prefer universities, at least Oxford does, and yes they have debt but the way it is repaid makes it more of a graduate tax really as I understand it, with it being called a loan as that sounds generous and tax doesn't.

Open University can be a vary valid path for people to follow who want to work as well as avoid the debt stuff.

There are however differences between all the universities in how studies are progressed and by top universities she may be trying to say those that have always been known as universities as opposed to those that weren't formerly known as 'universities'.

People don't realise that if you want the tutor system, short taught terms (so you can self study in the 'hols') are someone who likes the challenge of the teaching methods then these universities can actually be good for you, but they are not for everyone. I have no experience of the american universities but I can say with authority that the current head teacher will have had a lot of experience of former students applying to american universities. I myself am very glad that my offspring studied over here as the cost of flights etc would have been beyond me even for graduation. For example it took about 1/4 of the weekly budget for a return trip to my daughters graduation last week (at one of the top universities) and I hope she is as glad that I attended as I was to have been there.

I think those in the know are aware going to university does not guarantee a better paid job. It does however mean you are delayed for another three years before you have the option to be classed as unemployed.

The less academically successful children leave school at 16 now and it would be interesting to know where they go, and also how they feel about not being able to study at sixth form level within the CH system. I suppose you might argue that they will perhaps be better served by being elsewhere. It was also interesting for me to observe the reaction between parents of kids in the state system who would say it was lack of teacher ability that led to children academically selected at 11 not attaining grades good enough to allow progression to sixth from and those who would attribute it to messing about and not studying hard enough or taking exams seriously enough ie due to the child. It is an interesting difference between parents of state school children and those in private education and I am not sure if it reflects just the views of those I know or is general. I think if you feel success or failure is in your hands as opposed to being able to blame your teachers and not accept you have to work around the less able teachers this is a much healthier life view and one I am grateful to school for instilling in my child. I can't comment re the teaching at CH but I myself did not notice that private school teachers were vastly superior to state school teachers in the teaching skills they had. What was hugely different was their attitudes and expectations. And that had a huge effect on me and was one of the reasons that I was happy enough to allow CH to care for my child. I also noticed within my own school the grammar school teachers were in general much better at extending us whereas those that had come from the secondary mod were more likely to have very low expectations for us. The two schools had merged to form a comp.

The fact that 2% do not have a place at a University is not necessarily a bad thing. I remember asking at a top grammar school what the children who didn't go to university did and as the other parents audibly sharply inhaled the head put them into their places by responding it was a good question and there was definitely a case for looking at all the options post 18. He said that university for the sake of it is not necessarily a route to recommend nowadays, not his exact words but that was the gist. What I find interesting is that she omitted to mention the conservatoires and this could even be the 2% though I doubt it. Whilst I'd be pretty certain this was just oversight on her part I hope the gaining of a place at conservatoire will be something that they put onto equal terms with the universities in future, not least because it is so grueling a process to go through and competition for places arguably even higher than for the coveted university places. I hope this omission doesn't deter top musicians applying to come to the school for sixth form and that the music department will get the support it needs to prepare students adequately for the audition process. Some of the processes involve audiovisual recordings being made and this is one area where I hope they will consider training the children in. It is a necessary skill to acquire.

Things the school already does such as encouraging musically able students to attend junior conservatoire, (the school is ideally situated geographically for this) supporting teachers in taking musical children out to perform in competitions and festivals such as West Sussex Competition and giving drama lessons are very important preparation. As well as giving the children a taste for opportunity to gain prize money-earnings- it helps prepare them for all sorts of performance in their future lives including admission interviews.

It should also be pointed out there is not a one way traffic of uk students to USA to study abroad. I spoke in Glasgow with a senior conservatoire teacher who told me he had just interviewed/auditioned someone on skype --successfully as she was offered a place. I also recently had a conversation with an american whose son was going to film school and the fees were mind boggling. He was very impressed by what Cambridge was able to provide for £9000 a year. We in Britain generally tend to end up qualified earlier than our American or European counterparts.

I believe it is also the case that the Sutton trust would not cater for children other than for those attending state school (however low the family income might be) which makes it harder for CH students though perhaps CH will find a way to form their own inks with these universities if some of the full fee payers end up there. For those who have children in state schools the Sutton Trust is well worth a look at if you are considering higher education in America. To be eligible to apply applicants must:

Currently be in Year 12 or equivalent (eg S5 in Scotland, Year 13 in Northern Ireland)
Attend a state school or college
Not hold US citizenship
Be from a low income family (generally, this will mean a household earning £45,000 or less)
We are looking for applicants that meet all or most of these criteria:

England and Northern Ireland: Have achieved at least eight GCSEs at grade A or 7 or above
Wales: Have achieved at least eight GCSEs at grade A or above
Scotland: Have achieved at least six B passes at National 5 or above
Show a commitment to the programme and interest in US culture and higher education
Have a strong school reference

Also of interest is quoting from their web site 'In the US, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and law are only offered at the post-graduate level. For students who are confident they want to study medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, the US Programme may not be the best choice for you. For these subjects, most British students find courses in the UK to be shorter and more affordable, and if they are interested in the US they tend to choose to study in the US short-term as part of a UK course or for their post-graduate studies/research.'
Janey Jam-Jar
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by Janey Jam-Jar »

I'm saying this now the trials are over and guilty verdicts returned. It is my opinion and I am entitled to it.

I think the writing and publication of this article was nothing less than a down-right bl**dy awful and cynical attempt to manoeuvre some positive press up the search engines. The current deputy head is married to a member of staff who had abuse reported to him and did nothing. Whoever engineered this should hang their heads in shame.
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by richardb »

I agree with you.
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marty
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by marty »

Janey Jam-Jar wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 7:37 pm I'm saying this now the trials are over and guilty verdicts returned. It is my opinion and I am entitled to it.

I think the writing and publication of this article was nothing less than a down-right bl**dy awful and cynical attempt to manoeuvre some positive press up the search engines. The current deputy head is married to a member of staff who had abuse reported to him and did nothing. Whoever engineered this should hang their heads in shame.
This also appeared today

https://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/pl ... -1-8557522
My therapist says I have a preoccupation with vengeance. We’ll see about that.
Janey Jam-Jar
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by Janey Jam-Jar »

marty wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:14 pm
Janey Jam-Jar wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 7:37 pm I'm saying this now the trials are over and guilty verdicts returned. It is my opinion and I am entitled to it.

I think the writing and publication of this article was nothing less than a down-right bl**dy awful and cynical attempt to manoeuvre some positive press up the search engines. The current deputy head is married to a member of staff who had abuse reported to him and did nothing. Whoever engineered this should hang their heads in shame.
This also appeared today

https://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/pl ... -1-8557522
:lol: Can't f***ing make it up! There's CH fingers in pies all over the place.
richardb
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by richardb »

That's the damage that the school is trying to limit. They need as many people paying £31,500 a year as possible.
Janey Jam-Jar
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by Janey Jam-Jar »

But it's so insensitive right now.
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by richardb »

And rather undermines the snivelling apology from the school.
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J.R.
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by J.R. »

marty wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:14 pm
Janey Jam-Jar wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 7:37 pm I'm saying this now the trials are over and guilty verdicts returned. It is my opinion and I am entitled to it.

I think the writing and publication of this article was nothing less than a down-right bl**dy awful and cynical attempt to manoeuvre some positive press up the search engines. The current deputy head is married to a member of staff who had abuse reported to him and did nothing. Whoever engineered this should hang their heads in shame.
This also appeared today

https://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/pl ... -1-8557522

A FOOTBALL PITCH ?????

You were'nt allowed to mention football or 'soccer' in my day If you prefered football to 'rugger', you were considered a heathen and an outcast.
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
rockfreak
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by rockfreak »

Certainly by NTF.
bakunin
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by bakunin »

Being forced to play rugby especially being quite below average weight and height until my GE was one of my most hated activities at CH. Stupid game. Football is much better.
sejintenej
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by sejintenej »

bakunin wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 7:21 pm Being forced to play rugby especially being quite below average weight and height until my GE was one of my most hated activities at CH. Stupid game. Football is much better.
I tolerated it but absolutely hated cross country and track running. Strange - after CH I played a lot of rugger even though I was/am light for lock plus several other sports for which CH had the facilities but didn't use them. Played just one game of competitive soccer (even scored!) but definitely not for me.
What happens if a politician drowns in a river? That is pollution.
What happens if all of them drown? That is solution!!!
Janey Jam-Jar
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Re: The Deputy Head Writes...

Post by Janey Jam-Jar »

bakunin wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 7:21 pm Football is much better.
Football can be beautiful and a wondrous thing to behold.
I ❤ it. Which is just as well as The Boychild plays in a local team and the OH is the new coach ⚽️
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