General Chat

Maggie, if the government were to give schools enough money to run smaller classes it would put the rates up for everyone. Every time the rates go up here in Kent people belly-ache - and this idea, if you want very small class sizes, would have a real impact on the amount of rates' increase - not just a few percent.

Having experiences of education from all sorts of aspects I am amazed that we all turn out much the same!

What I think is awful in the UK is the fact that 3rd level education is now only really available the rich and already priviledged! My son is studying for a degree in the UK (as a UK resident) and will be massively in debt. Had he moved here his tuition costs would have been free and he would have been able to get a grant as an EU citizen. Its crazy.

love T.x

Jill,

you are spot on. My sister 2 girls are in private education in Kent. I was stunned at what they apy, the girls are only 6 and nearly 4. Its because they pay this money they get smaller classes, although not as small as 8!!

I have a friend with 3 kids and she is always complaining about the state of some of the local schools but she also complains about how much tax her hubby pays and also how she refuses to vote (until next time she says!).

It doesnt make sense to me.

love T.x

My daughter took her degree in 2001 - one of the students between 1998 and 2007 who didn't get a grant!! She worked while taking the degree, and although she has a good job, £5000 a year grant would have lessened her student and bank loans by £15000!! That was so unfair of the government.
What really irks me is that in the time they weren't giving the grant they were complaining about the lack of working class children taking degrees!!
Thats when you realise politicians can't 'do' lateral thinking!!

Maggie,

i dread to think what sort of debt my son will leave Uni with. He is doing a 4 year course which will give him a masters at the end but even with that the money he will earn will be a pittance. He is enjoying his freedom which I admire, he lived with his dad in the Uk from 2002 (when we moved here) til Sept 2007. He doesnt qualify for any help because his dad wont hand over any income details but at the same time wont help him out financially. By contrast my daughter here (and myself for that matter) get tuition paid and a grant. I wish Richard would come back here. He would have free accomodation (here) free degree and a grant to go with.

love Theresa

Theresa,.
It pees me off that for 7 years they didn't get grants - then they re-introduce them!! The thousands of students who missed out are getting no recompense, but are now struggling to pay off overdrafts while they watch new intakes having it a lot easier!!

maggie

Richie is going to try and apply next year using my details. Its ridiculous that he gets no state help, has to pay for tuition (at 6K a year plus) and gets no help from his father who earns a mint which is why he wont part with his financial details for fear I will go after him for years of unpaid maintenance!!..........................................Drawing breath now!! LOL

If/when I got to Uni next year I will get my tuition free, as do most students (although some have to pay just under €1000). I will also get a grant of €3,400 ( which will only cover some of my childcare costs, think the student union will cover the rest!). If my son he came here in September would get his fees paid and a grant of about €1600, it seems a better system than the UK.

love T.x

Edited to say that I was considering a degree in 1994 and remember a friend who qualified for a huge (and I mean massive) grant because of his dyslexia. However he was a mature student which gave him more money and his parents paid all his living costs as they were rich, ex-civil servants and had taken out some kind of governement policy (which was only available to civil servants) that paid for costs for any child doing 3rd level education!

He ended up in a position that at the end of the 1st year of his degree he had enough money in grants to put a deposit on a house and rent the rest of the rooms to fellow students to pay the mortgage!

I was a primary teacher in the late 70s and early 80s.

The school where I worked had been built (too small!) in 1972 and was still in the process of taking in children from surrounding schools as they were closed. Some villagers from around complained when their children came to our school instead of their tiny one but the majority of parents were sending us their children before the small schools closed. We had quite big classes but great resources. One tiny village school closed down near us as our school opened and we had their equipment passed on.........lots of jigsaws and one metre ruler!

I have worked as a supply teacher in tiny schools and they can be friendly but having a child in a class for perhaps 3 or 4 years is not ideal and may even be detrimental to a child's development as so much depends on the relationship between children and teacher.

I am not teaching now so I can't say but when I was and we were taking in children from all around I can honestly say we never found a child who was way ahead of what we were doing and in nearly all cases we had to give extra help so they could catch up.

We even had children transferred from private schools whose parents were horrified to find that they had been paying for an education which left their children behind their peers in our classes.

I live not that far from a very expensive and well known private school. My own children and their friends have known students from this school. I've not seen evidence that GCSE and A level results from there are any better than a student would have achieved in one of the local schools/colleges.

When I was in teacher training we were being promised smaller classes. We were still being told they were coming when I stopped teaching. I don't think my friends who still teach have got them yet!

Sue

Theresa I meant the EU - not the Common Market - the joke in Ireland north and south was the overnight millionaires (mainly small farmers). On the topic of university - I have a g.dau graduating this summer and in spite of working throughout her three years - heaven only knows what debt she will have.

I am ashamed [now] to admit that i fell into the trap,like many others ,in voting labour at the last election,but never again.Blair sold us down the river good style,destroying our nation and our way of life.
His helper in chief ,brown is no better ,having lost control of inflation ,and then blaming everyone ,and every other country but himself.
He ,and labour need to go,but WHO will take their place?
Now ,there's a debate in waiting lol.
Fred.

Staffordshire Police mounted branch - scrapped
weekly bin collections - scrapped
7 local post offices - scrapped
bus services - scrapped/reduced
my own business - closed in 1999 due to a 600% increase in business rates.
All thanks to Mr Blair

Yes Chris the timings for the joining of the Single Europe (although this is not entiely correct) EU, tally with when Ireland recieved funding to develop its infrastructure. Prior to this Ireland was the poorest country in the Common Market. We at least have some roads now that are fit to be driven on!

However as the daughter of a small farmer and living in a rural area I dont see any millionaires around me. (With one exception (a developer) who married into the area and whose wife inherited the farm.) Most local small farmers have gone to the wall or are surviving on Agricultual benefits. The only reason farmers appear wealthy is because their land is now worth money if it is re-designated as building land. Otherwise they only earn money from what is grown on it. My mother chose not to farm her land because it wasnt financially viable. She lets it to a cousin as grazing pasture. My Aunts and Uncles all do the same. The land itself even if re-designated is only worth somethin if you have a buyer and want to sell. Its like saying someone is well off because the own their house, they have a basic need; shelter; thats all.

Rich farmers, no. Canny farmers who are holding out for the best price, maybe. I think its sad that land they fought so hard to get back is being sold just for the sake of extra money in the bank. Thankfully at the moment demand isnt there so maybe the 500 houses they want to stick in my back garedn will never happen!! AND yes I know that is nimbyism but it is so beautiful here!

Colin,

Those things have been going on for ages. Could name 3 schools in Bexley (closed1979-1988), 3 police stations in Bexley (either shutdown or given limited hours 1991-1995), a good number of post offices (either shut down or just savedonging since 1987!). My own business again for the same type of reason as you (in 1996).

I have another name for politictians but its not suitable for this forum although it rhymes! They are all much of a muchness, unfortunately!

love Theresa

That is very true re the roads - I can confirm that the last time I drove to the south was December 1978 and when my OH (whose plane had been diverted) asked me what took me so long as he was told in London motorway all the way - he got a shock when he found the motorway! Then the border defined the good roads and the bad - but strangely enough friend in N.I. was only saying about the brilliant roads in the South now.
So the state of the roads still it would appear change at the border but the other way around now!

The abolition of the 10% band without compensating low earners is disgusting.

One of our part time employees earns £585 a month and has to pay £10 extra tax.

The reduction of the basic rate from 22% to 20% for everyone else has been almost exactly wiped out by the increase in employee NIC contributions.

On the subject of roads, I feel ashamed returning from France where there is motorway right up to the ports, to Dover where there is a pathetic A2, a 2 lane M2 then a dirty great queue, sometimes almost an hour, to pay the Dartford toll.

Chris,

As someone living way south its awful. The new roads are good but then most are less than 10years old. The roads into Blarney, arguably one of the most visited tourist sites in Ireland are abominable. I feel really ashamed when I travel to the shop behind a foreign caravan that is bouncing along over the potholes!!

love Theresa

To blame the Government for everything that ails us seems to be a British past time.

We now live in a Global economy and what happens in the rest of the world
affects us too. We are not an island race any longer.

The majority of todays ills can be laid at the door of greed. Instead of people working and saving to buy things they now want everything instantly and don't seem to care how much debt they get themselves into to achieve their material goods.

I am just so surprised that no-one has yet moaned at the state of our National Health Service and before anyone starts I just want to say I think it is BLOODY MARVELLOUS:)

Jean x.

Jean,

Hear hear!! Most people seem more concerned these days about how new their car is or how big their house is or if they have the latest gadgets.

I know the film 'sicko' was mentioned on here recently but that clearly defines how lucky you are to have the NHS and not a system like in the USA.

love Theresa