Anxious parents

[Barnes Mum]

Would that be with Barnes Mum's debit card?

No!!! Not on matron's wages!

[Great Plum]

Sainsburys Online - direct to them at the Boarding House?
Might make them think again?!

Unless you have had them all investigated by the police how do the drivers get through security at the gates? For that matter how do the postmen get in? Surely the place is supposed to be as secure as Stalag Luft 5

Unless you want to walk across the school's playing pitches...

If there's a package for my parents for instance, it is delivered to the security office and they get a call to pick it up.

[Mrs C.]

our parcels are always delivered to Central stores down by the station so we have to trek there to collect them

I`ve now started to get things delivered to my daughter`s office instead.

[pinkhebe]

Did anyone else's RL friends become slightly (very) judgemental about your decision to let your Children go to CH? Immediate family and those friends with no children or very young children have all been very supportive and encouraging, but mention to friends with children going to secondary school/at secondary school, and you get pursed lips, comments/implications about how your child must hate living at home and how their second cousin's best friend brother in law went there and was bullied...

I felt terrible that J got his first choice of state secondary where lots of his friends missed out (I have officially declined the place so those children on a waiting list can be offered it) and I have no doubt that his little brother will go to one of the local secondaries as, of yet, he's not showing signs of being exceptionally able like J was.

I feel as though I'm apologising everytime someone asks me which school J will be going to, when I'm so proud of him I could burst, but at the same time it's starting to errode my confidence in his decision. and it was his decision. I showed him the website and he liked the look of it, and loved the school when we went on an open day.

Sorry it's turned into a bit of a winge, but I can't talk to any of my normal so called friends

[CHDad]

Pinkhebe I have sent you a PM. However in brief, my friends never said much but I could see that some of them thought we were mad! All I would say is that unless they have visited CH they would have no idea why we make this choice and will probably not understand. I had the same doubts as you a year ago, but 1 year on I have no regrets and neither does my son who is very happy at CH.

[Volupturaptor]

I was kind of expecting it.
I have a friend whose daughters go to boarding school as her husband is in the RAF and they have to move home often because of it. One of her daughters has health problems, and every time they moved, her records got lost, not to mention the whole trauma of moving, settling in, making friends, then moving again. There were also gaps in their education as although the national curriculum means schools teach the same things, they don't all do things at the same time, meaning they were covering some topics several times, yet missing out on others completely. The girls eventually began begging to go to boarding school. Even with all these very good reasons for allowing her children to go to boarding school, my friend has had to put up with peoples negative comments and judgments.
Knowing all this, and that my daughter wants very much to go to CH, plus of course what a great opportunity it is for her, people's reactions to the news is (mostly) like water off a duck's back to me.
I can't say I never have moments of doubt, because I do, but mostly I'm very comfortable with our decision, and if other people disapprove, that's their prerogative.

[ailurophile]

Did anyone else's RL friends become slightly (very) judgemental about your decision to let your Children go to CH?

Oh yes!! I think there's a real problem with the stereotypical image of a sad-eyed child being packed off by cold-hearted and unfeeling parents, to a boarding school regime of freezing dormitories, bullying and lumpy porridge. When DS started at CH I read that the 'Harry Potter effect' was making boarding more popular, but many of our friends still seemed to associate it more with the Dotheboys Hall model!

Try not to let this get to you Helen!! You have to make the best choice for your child, and if you, your son and CH are all in accord that the school is the right place for him then you won't be going far wrong! Your friends will soon see how happy he is, and stop being judgmental. And don't be surprised if little brother wants to try for CH in due course too...

[pinkhebe]

Once again, this forum has made me remember why we loved the school. Thanks for all the kind comments and reassurances xx

[Atticus]

Pinkhebe - feel free to pm me to be wildly enthusiastic ( if I can pm you too !!). I am over the moon that dd has got in to CH. It was very much her decision, and we are delighted for her as it really will change her life enormously.

I feel that on the primary school path that I have to constantly play it down and be incredibly polite to the usual comments - including a very close friend who keeps asking how we can afford it, and then asks any other parent who will listen, how we can afford it!! ( shocked smiley inserted here englishangel). I am so tempted to ask if she is offering, but keep smiling and answer 'on the baked bean diet' !
Dh's family are European, but the country has no boarding schools, and we are gently educating them about it. Other friends are very excited for dd, and looking forward to photos and letters from her....

[Atticus]

Ps.. I love the youtube clip of Peele dancing to ' heads, shoulders, knees and toes'. The children are all so normal and having fun - not the unhappy, bullied, unwanted children that some on the path would have me believe.

Our home life is fine-ish and we are a happy family, but, ds1 is severely disabled and dd worries about him and his health. Boarding will allow her to concentrate on herself which we want so very much.

She also got into her LEA first choice (out of catchment school), but thankfully the rest of her class all got their first( and very diverse) choices too.

[Mrs C.]

when my 2 went off to uni , their new friends all thought they`d been at a "posh" school - until they and fellow OBs educated them!

Bring the doubters to an Open Day - then let them say you`re doing the wrong thing! They won`t .

Normal children from all walks of life (which other school has such a wide range of backgrounds and wealth??) brought together and united as Housey.

One mildly amusing incident - on being shown round my younger daughter`s college, we were taken to the dining hall , adorned with paintings of numerous bishops or whatever - gasps of admiration from all - except us. "Just like CH, only OUR dining hall is much bigger!!!"

[lonelymom]

I love that post, Mrs C. It made me go all goose-pimpley! I still think we need a 'like' button - too much facebook'ing?

[CHDad]

I have just got goose pimples as well asI went to watch band parade today (I don't think I will ever get tired of watching band parade). I watched the band, saw my son march in to lunch and then walked him back to his house. He is very happy and really enjoying himself, I am still very proud of him and once again I have been completely reassured that CH is a wonderful school!

[lonelymom]

I ALWAYS get goose pimples when I watch the marching

[YadaYada]

I got a lot of people saying things like, "oh, I could never do that and send xxx away". I just had to grit my teeth. The reason we send them is because it is what is best for them. The reason people say things like "I could never do that" is because they are thinking of themselves and not the child.

Ignore them if you can and try not to justify yourself as you shouldn't have to. I took a friend with me to see CH and once she had been there she totally understood that it was the right place for my son. If you can take people down, then do.