Early Lent Half Term

[Foureyes]

akap says: "OWGC= Onewestguncopse (I think)."

Thanks for that - obvious, really. I thought that it was some clever new Internet abbreviation like IMHO, FYI, OMG, etc.

[Jade]

Back to the original topic , if I may ,even though I am enjoying the digression, I have just been told by the offspring that I have to take all their stuff home at half term as the rooms will be needed for the assessmentees to stay in . AAAAIIIIEEEEE!
I have three at the school with a car that can just about take two with stuff. I have to pay someone else to fetch them at the end of term now as they can't fit in the car I have. They can't do the half term trip as it is a Friday and so would have to take a day off work. It's a three hour round trip so I can't do it twice. Seriously, any suggestions anyone? I get that the snow was no one's fault but I don't know what to do.

My sons housemaster has told me that he doesn't have to bring his belongings home with him. All the boys will have there property stored in rooms not are not being used. I would seriously have a word with the houseparents, as it seems a little unfair that same rules wouldn't apply to everyone.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

I think --- for reasons of Blood Pressure --- I shall stop reading these complaints !

If your child has the PRIVILEGE of being educated at Christ's Hospital, then make the neccessary arrangements to accommodate the difficulties, which, sometimes, occur.

On the other hand, I strongly dis-approve of the ideas of "Weekend leave " at anything which is described as a BOARDING SCHOOL. -- the whole point is to give children a feeling of self-reliance and community activities, AWAY from their Parents.

Also -- All children will have feelings of Homesickness on first arrival, but it passes and most look forward to the next Term.
Weekend Leave can hardly help with this !

If you cannot bear to be parted from your little darlings --- or they, from you --- then the "Place" at CH is better suited to someone else !

Yes CH is not the same, in many ways, as that which we attended, but in many ways,also, such as accommodation and Facilities, it is vastly improved, and we should recognise this.

Old - Old Blues, will continue to complain about new attitudes and arrangements at the School and I suspect that as each Generation succeeds us, they will do the same -- !!

One thing will always unite us ---- we are grateful !

[Fjgrogan]

Neill, I agree, as one who is definitely beginning to qualify for the title OOB! We may moan but we are grateful.

[HowardH]

This is a most fascinating discussion.

I am greatly intrigued by the views expounded.

I wonder which model parents and Old Blues feel will be in place in 2015.

Evolution v revolution?

[englishangel]

London 33%
West Sussex 25%
Surrey/Hants 10%
Home Counties 8%
East Sussex 6%
Middlesex 5%
West and South West 5%
Kent 4%
Midlands 1%
Anglia 1%
North 1%
Overseas 1%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_counties

Surrey, Sussex (East AND West) Kent and Middlesex are all Home Counties so I would say that over 50% of students come from the Home counties (not sure of the Surrey/Hampshire split.

At Hertford there were 8 of us in my year in 2's.

Me Rye, East Sussex
Julia Hastings, East Sussex
Caroline Oxford
Jane Lincoln
Amanda London
Sally London
Judy I think from Wilts/Gloucs borders
Joanna Bishops Stortford

The year below me was even more diverse
There was a girl from Morpeth in Northumberland, one from Cheltenahm and one from Chippenham, one from Reading and I don't think any from London or the southern home counties.

[Hannoir]

I have lots of opinions on what has been written, but most of it has been said already. I don't envy those making the decisions about these matters, but at least people are trying to keep CH alive. I'd love to give money to CH but almost 8 years after I left I am still too poor....one day.

But anyway, on the full/weekly boarding thing. I went to CH for two years and the leave weekends/holidays worked absolutely fine for me/my mum. Of course she missed me but the benefits outweighed the costs and as an only child it did me the world of good. However, the year after I left CH I spent part of my GAP year working at a school just outside of NYC. THe students were mixed - there were day pupils, but also boarders, who could go home every weekend. Of course, the US being what it is, some people couldn't so they were left at school. This mix, imho, worked terribly - the day students had it all, the boarders wanted it all, so went away at weekends but not for long enough to be settled anywhere. The kids who stayed at the weekend ended up being miserable because they'd only be allowed out to NYC for a day at the weekend, and werem't allowed cars either. The result - all the boarders were completely messed up as they weren't settled anywhere because of the too-ing and fro-ings, the ones who stayed there all the time were miserable because they felt trapped, and the day students added to the problem because they were flashing home comforts in the face of the boarders. On the whole these were very rich kids we were dealing with, but there was quite a mix of other kids too because of financial aid. In short, I'd hate for CH to end up like that place, but I understand that change needs to happen to keep it alive.

[englishangel]

Nice perspective, thank you.

[Eruresto]

Back to the original topic , if I may ,even though I am enjoying the digression, I have just been told by the offspring that I have to take all their stuff home at half term as the rooms will be needed for the assessmentees to stay in . AAAAIIIIEEEEE!
I have three at the school with a car that can just about take two with stuff. I have to pay someone else to fetch them at the end of term now as they can't fit in the car I have. They can't do the half term trip as it is a Friday and so would have to take a day off work. It's a three hour round trip so I can't do it twice. Seriously, any suggestions anyone? I get that the snow was no one's fault but I don't know what to do.

It may be possible for your DS/DD's houseparents to lock the rooms that aren't being used for the candidates/helpers. Of course this won't work if your child is a second or third form, as they tend to use those 4-man rooms for the littlies to sleep in.

Alternatively, boarding houses tend to have (I know PeA does) a room which isn't used for anything in particular, where you may be able to leave things (in Pe A it was the room that connects the 1st floor of the house with the 1st floor of the Housemaster's house).

[Richard Ruck]

Re. leaving stuff at the school - what happened to the trunk rooms in the tube? Each house used to have one (and some of them even used to be relatively dry!). Trunks (obviously) and other stuff could be left there during the shorter holidays.

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Not just Social Services and Ofsted, in the rented sector no more than four people (and in some places no more than two) are allowed to share WC and washing facilities unless they are family.

How did I survive the varied shared accommodation I lived in? I think that the most non-relatives I ever shared a loo with was 8: and that was only on days when no partners stayed over.

Who wrote these ridiculous policies, and who lets them remain enforced?

[englishangel]

It is supposed to prevent those large shared student houses which reduce the value of the surrounding area, and to prevent 'hot-bedding'. Trouble is student landlords have to abide by it or the University won't/can't advertise their proeprty, but the 'hot-bedders' know it's not allowed, so three of them sign the tenancy and move in half a dozen mates without telling the landlord.

We had a regular three bed (two doubles and a single) house which we let to a company with a landlord in Spain who left his son 30 miles away to manage. Next thing we knew landlord is shouting down the phone that they had flooded the bathroom and the kitchen ceiling had collapsed. The company had three in each double room, one in the single and two in the dining room. A shower a day each and goodness knows how much laundry but it knackered the washing machine.

[englishangel]

It is supposed to prevent those large shared student houses which reduce the value of the surrounding area, and to prevent 'hot-bedding'. Trouble is student landlords have to abide by it or the University won't/can't advertise their proeprty, but the 'hot-bedders' know it's not allowed, so three of them sign the tenancy and move in half a dozen mates without telling the landlord.

We had a regular three bed (two doubles and a single) house which we let to a company with a landlord in Spain who left his son 30 miles away to manage. Next thing we knew landlord is shouting down the phone that they had flooded the bathroom and the kitchen ceiling had collapsed. The company had three in each double room, one in the single and two in the dining room. A shower a day each and goodness knows how much laundry but it knackered the washing machine.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/r ... smultiple/

[icomefromalanddownunder]

It is supposed to prevent those large shared student houses which reduce the value of the surrounding area, and to prevent 'hot-bedding'. Trouble is student landlords have to abide by it or the University won't/can't advertise their proeprty, but the 'hot-bedders' know it's not allowed, so three of them sign the tenancy and move in half a dozen mates without telling the landlord.

We had a regular three bed (two doubles and a single) house which we let to a company with a landlord in Spain who left his son 30 miles away to manage. Next thing we knew landlord is shouting down the phone that they had flooded the bathroom and the kitchen ceiling had collapsed. The company had three in each double room, one in the single and two in the dining room. A shower a day each and goodness knows how much laundry but it knackered the washing machine.

Ah, I hadn't considered that scenario: if I were a landlord of a well maintained and decorated property, then I wouldn't wish to rent it out to a cast of thousands either.

xx

[wurzel]

I went to Slinfold primary where Denise Sillett was dep head which is how I came to be entered for CH, we lived between Itchingfield and Slinfold - and I boarded in the 80's. Not only that but until my Grecians I NEVER went home other than leave days even though it was closer than Horsham. I liked the independence, my half brother even went to the nursery by the tuck shop but the nearest I came to saeeing my mum was the odd extra pack of biscuits in my tuck locker (as an aside he also is now an old blue so was educated from age 3-18 (less 5-11) at CH.

During my time there were at least 4 other boys in LeighHunt who lived locally Gavin Howard - Southwater (and his brother), Dave Sutcliffe - Tower Hill, Steve Hitch - Needles estate Horsham, we all boarded and I don't remember any grumbles.

In fact the only reason i went home on my grecians was that during the end of summer term of my Deps and start of Michlemas Grecians I was doing motorcyle driving lessons on a Sunday morning that just overlapped with the terms. I was not allowed to keep my motorcycle on school grounds even in a masters garage so had to get up early cycle home get changed ride to Crawley for 9am and then at lunchtime do the reverse.

I am as mentioned before planning on entering my son for CH and have no expectation of seeing him more often than every 3 weeks and would actually find a weekly board from Berkshire a pain. What will happen to sports if weekly boarding takes off, how many people will make themselves available for school teams if the other option is not kicking around a boarding house but going home to parents and friends. Definitely c/3rd teams will disappear

Personally I feel that it will truly be the end of the CH ethos and will actually make us so similar to other schools that it will make CH less rather than more competitive unless it also becomes 90% local children and what will that do for things like West's gifts and presentations by London orientated organisations ?