If your 17 year old wanted to take a day off school to attend the student funding march on Wed would you condone it

The other thing school kids could do is have a sit down and have as their demand that the school management make a statement opposing the cuts? just an idea

Damn, we don't have a Uni anywhere near. Will let DD know and they might come up with something.

My (younger) daughters (15 and 12 are going to talk to friends and the sixth form, put up leaflets and try and coordinate some sort of action so they march out and down to the uni and join in with whatever they're doing - they're a bit nervous but are also going to talk to sympathetic teachers - and see how it goes. So many people are angry that I reckon they'll get a reasonable turnout - they are however going to avoid talking to senior management about it at the moment and are under strict instructions to say that it's a collective - dd3 (15) wants to say "it's an anarcho-syndicalist commune" but I think she's been watching too much monty python!
all the best

Kate, any advice on how a group of year 12's can make their stand? To be fair our lib dem mp is voting against this in December so no need to have a go at him.

Thanks Kate.

"Something quite worrying - I saw an advert in the window of Fired Earth, for a part-time retail sales assistant. £5.65 and hour. Wnated someone well spoken, well-presented, good with maths, and educated to degree standard"

If they are to be educated to degree standard, then surely it would be expected they'd be at least 21 (assuming a three year course). Which would make that £5.65 below minimum wage and therefore illegal.

Hi abouteve - day of action see
www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/11/students-protests-national-24-november

also
anticuts.com/

I'd be proud.

kate, what is the day of action?

To the OP - yeas I'd support him - very proud of daughter no 2 who went from sheffield - looking forward to the day of action on the 24th!

Something quitew qorrying - I saw an advert in the window of Fired Earth, for a part-time retail sales assistant. £5.65 and hour. Wnated someone well spoken, well-presented, good with maths, and educated to degree standard.

To work part-time in a shop FFS?

The trouble is, the country is awash with unemployed graduates, so they can ask for that, and will probably get it. If you are under 30, to not have a degree is becoming a marker of being a bit useless and apathetic, which we all know is wrong, wrong, wrong.

As a parent helping to support 1 child at uni already (BY WORKING44HR WEEK)AND WITH 2 more to through higher education I APPLAUD and wholeheartedly agree with your son's wish to demonstrate against the trippling of tuition fees and reduction in teaching provision.
As 1 of a 2 parent "squeezed middle" family I think it is imperative that an alternative be found to the trippling of fees if we are to avoid a ripping away of opportunity for enrichment and advancement of at least the next 2 genaerations.

Let's be clear,the rich do not have the monpoly on brains.The proposed changes to funding higher education will cause an internal English "brain drain" which will have drastic effects on our country.

Read a really silly comment in our local paper of the same theme 'why should someone pay their taxes to support someone else doing blah blah'.

It was about a proposal to charge for parking overnight. Restaurant, theatre owners were against this but a member of the council said 'why should a mother doing her shopping in the day pay to subsidies people parking to go for a meal after 6pm.

no it would show that i had failed as a parent and raised a left wing moron

just back to the original question (sorry I can see it has moved on) - I more than happily sent some of my a level students off to this, they came to ask if they could leave the lesson early, maybe his school will feel the same? I (like you I think) thought it could have been a better 'learning' experience than one day at school and also useful!

Well said lifeinlimbo. When did we get so individualistic in our thinking? My parents both left school at 14 but I can never recall them resenting paying their taxes for the education of others on the basis that 'they hadn't benefited so why should they pay for anyone else?'. If you extend this logic to other areas of life what a selfish society we would become - I don't personally and directly benefit from many things my taxes are spent on but I'm happy to pay as member of society.

I can really see your point limbo - I cannot challenge the logic of your point. Maybe we could have a royalty system - to be paid directly to graduates, they could offset it against graduate tax/repayments.

Hang on

Wouldn't that be the same as not charging tuition fees????????

As for the idea that the "individual benefits most", lets say that only those who have attended university are allowed the benefits. (as only the students will be funding the cost for the entire HE sector).

That means the general population is no longer allowed to use bridges, roads or buildings that have been created by engineers and architects. You are not allowed to go to the doctors or pharmacist, (go to a homeopath or 'faith doctor' instead, ha!). You are not allowed any medicines, which have been developed by graduates. You are not allowed to use your computer (software and hardware developed by graduates). You are not allowed any cleaning products, shampoos, cosmetics, plastics (made by graduate chemists and engineers). Your kids must be educated only by the TAs, and must not use any textbooks (written by graduates). etc..

seeking - we also need a system which gives other avenues to success - ie good company training schemes, vocational courses, apprenticeships etc.

We used to have this in this country.

We need to get it back.

I am worried that "having a degree" is now perceived as the only way to earn a reasonable salary and the only way to have respect. Some of the most talented and dynamic people I have worked with/for do not have degrees.

I can see youngsters will get very angry and may ruin their whole life, committing criminal damage and ending up with a criminal record. And all this simply resulting from an adrenalin lead fury that they or their younger friends will become those whose life chances of success end because their family cannot afford to support them or they cannot face a future of £30,000 worth of debt. We really need a campaign in Britain. We need TV programmes, radio programmes and articles in the press celebrating the success/achievement and business acumen of people who do not have a degree; or achieved their degree later in life. We need to send a positive message out there. Gaining a degree is NOT the only route to success.

Journalism too. Used to be a mix of graduates and people who had worked their way up from obits and women's institute reports on the local paper. Not any more. The media are largely recruiting people whose parents are well-off enough to support them not only through university but also several lengthy so-called internships - in reality, unpaid work.

Certainly these days a degree is not a passport to a well paid career as there are so many graduates.

For instance, nursing is now a graduate career. Not many people would argue that is a well paid career.

A degree is now increasingly seen as a prerequisite for any job at all.

On top of that add a massive student debt burden - the sysytem is not really working is it?

go students go!

i would be proud if my children wanted to get involved...

Who had a 'surprisingly positive reaction'.