Am I the scum of the earth?

Eleven Plus (11+) in Kent

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kentsussexborder
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:01 pm

Post by kentsussexborder »

From your original posting I'm assuming you are in the Cranbrook catchment. This is a genuine question and not a reactionary post regarding taking away places for local children - why do you want to send your child on a 14 mile trip every day for the next 7 years when there is a very highly regarded grammar on your doorstep? The local state secondary is also very highly regarded and from what I understand has a 'Cranbrook Grammar stream' class. Surely the benefits of sending your child somewhere local for the majority of their secondary schooling outweighs both the damage to your purse for paying out for another 2 years of schooling, or any possible damage for sending them to a local state school for two years.
kentsussexborder
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:01 pm

Post by kentsussexborder »

rosered100 wrote: They seem to register, reply in a stirring manner & then disappear. I sometimes get the feeling that it's someone who is quite often on the Kent thread & registering under different names to make it look like other people are backing him up - conspiracy theory! He's very aggressive towards OOC people so I usually just lurk there rather than get involved.
I would agree with this too - from the posting style they come across as male, very sure of themselves, and somewhat agressive stance towards OOC/OOA candidates. Something to note that when pressed for stats and concrete evidence this poster never actually replies specifically just uses the line "as has been said before" or "as other posts have stated".

If I have confused this person with PushyParent then I apologise. And LAWR I never thought you were a troll and I can sympathise with many of your sentiments.
pheasantchick
Posts: 2439
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:28 pm

Post by pheasantchick »

Phew, I consider myself lucky. My first post a few months back asked whether many people form Maidstone got ot Judd. One kind person replied positively to some of my query. Somehow I avoided the torrent of comments other people have received.

If your feel your child will benefit from Judd, and has an easy journey etc. then don't feel guilty. In an ideal world, all schools would be good etc. However, its not and you're just doing whats best for your child.
moved
Posts: 3826
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:42 pm
Location: Chelmsford and pleased

Post by moved »

At my children's schools they have little phrases.
DS school "Cool to be clever" (said by the form tutor)
DD school "We're boffs and we're proud" (said in the 1st week by the German teacher)

Perhaps we should have one on here pushy and proud or PP.

In our own minds we are not pushy, we do the best we can for our children. By the very nature of our being here, we are interested enough to have found the website and joined the forum. Definitely in the PP category. :D

Edit: For the OP - of course you are, we all are - in the eyes of some. :wink:
pushyparent
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 2:55 pm

Post by pushyparent »

You're right, everyone is a pushy parent, we all want our kids to sucees.

Sorry, kentsussexborder, no clues! Suffice to say, the reason we are going out of area is that we feel that is best for our son.
kentsussexborder
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:01 pm

Post by kentsussexborder »

Difference being PeasantChick that you asked a simple question which required a simple answer.

OP has posted a question which introduces a number of categories that other people find sensitive at the moment, including the high scores/boasting, OOC/OOA, distance travelling to school, prep and tutoring - all of which invoke stronge reactions depending upon which side of the fence you sit. And when you marry that with a number of equally contentious postings lately, well...

In "Real Life" as opposed to an anonymous internet forum I would imagine that many of the sentiments expressed on here would never be mentioned. And, when it comes down to it, each to their own, and every parent (hopefully) does the best for their child depending upon their circumstances. However, as shown in various topics over the past month, you can't expect people posting in anonymity to be as circumspect as they would be in real life.
kentsussexborder
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:01 pm

Post by kentsussexborder »

pushyparent wrote:Sorry, kentsussexborder, no clues!
As regards what?

If you have decided Judd is best for your child then I have no problems with that - I'm assuming it offers something more than what you might achieve locally. I was genuinely interested because if I had a decent secondary school on my doorstep I wouldn't send my child on a 28 mile round trip each day. Purely based on the time it takes to get to and from, followed by homework pressures and difficulties in maintaining out of school friendships I would be reluctant to take this route for my DCs. But as I have said, each to their own and I'm sure you have your reasons.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Pushyparent

Welcome to the Forum from me as well. It is unfortunate that you have arrived at a time when there has been a lot of fierce discussion and high emotion on the Kent section. (And yes, there was unquestionably some trap-trapping of tiny troll hooves - love that phrase!)

My sons were both at private school, both of them were tutored for the 11+ on a similar scale to your son. One passed outright, one took another year to get his just reward. The alternative would have had to be private school, and so they both saved us a lot of money in fees.

My situation mirrors yours and I don't feel particuarly pushy, and nor do I think of myself as evil. So the answer from me - for what it is worth - is no, you are not evil and I don't think you are pushy either.

However, there are a lot of people in Kent licking their wounds at the moment, and I would have advised you against posting using such an emotive thread title and also against posting your son's actual score. (I appreciate that score is far more important in Kent than in Bucks, where any score over 121 is a guarantee of a place, and places are allocated primarily on distance. For that reason we strongly discourage posts about scores on Bucks, other than in appeal cases.)

Do please continue to post but always remember that if you court controversy, it will bite you back every time!

Best wishes
Sally-Anne
pushyparent
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 2:55 pm

Post by pushyparent »

Thank you Sally-Anne for your comments and advice
familyinthevalley
Posts: 245
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:43 pm

Post by familyinthevalley »

What you are doing wouldn't be my choice......but, as with all of us, you choose to do what is best for your child so best of luck!
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