Beckham kids to start at Haberdashers.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Nowhere near me but I see MNers talking about this school. So if you have a kid there you may soon be rubbing shoulders with Becks.

uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/13032011/58/world-football-beckhams-moving-england.html

The paps wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the school to photogragh the children. As the children are under 18 there do have some protection. You do see photos of famous people's children in the park etc but you never see photos of them in school uniform.

generil that post is really out of order. You shouldn't be spreading gossip about children on the internet.

oops, you're right - I'll get it removed

goneril - I knew that, I suspect others did too though I would not have have dreamed of sharing that on MN. It is really unfair. Btw, I don't know the family or care for brand Beckham - I just know some other kids at Heath Mount too

I went to Habs girls from a normal state school. I don't think that people are surprised because David and Victoria are working class. Victoria has mentioned in interviews that she never reads books so it would be surprising if someone like her had high academic goals for her dc when they could easily get by with poor grades like the Royal Family. There are lots of exclusive private schools where they could mix with similar people- Habs is academically selective with loads of ex-state school kids. It will be interesting to see if the boys do end up there.

As for celebs and playdates- Dh and I were at school with celeb offspring and the parents feature in dinner party anecdotes but nobody ever sold a story.

I'm not familiar with HM but When I moved from a UK school to American one I skipped a grade as the American system runs a year behind.

"It would be surprising if someone like her had high academic goals for her dc"

ffs, well if going to Habs churns out people who would come to such a conclusion, then the Beckhams will be doing their boys a great service in staying well away from it.

Crazygracieuk, from what I know of Habs there are both high and low academic achievers amongst the parents of children at Habs, and from working class backgrounds (although I hate that way of categorising people.

Certainly in my form there were people whose parents wouldn't have been considered as academic/working in high-level jobs etc. There were a couple of girls in 6th form with me who would be the first people ever in their family to go to university. Most of these aren't comments about the kids, or the parents, or their background or aspirations, they're about the school and the newspaper reporting as fact what may not be true. Newspapers have a tendency to assume that fame/money/social cachet will get you in anywhere but it's not true.

If the boys end up going to Habs then that's excellent IMO - it in itself speaks highly of their academic capabilities for one thing! But sadly I think people will be only too willing to level accusations at the Bechams/the school about money changing hands etc but the boys will have had to take, and pass, an entrance exam which is designed to be challenging. It's not a school which makes exceptions! And similarly just because 1 of them gets in doesn't mean the others will automatically be taken, particularly if they're applying at a point of competitive entry.

Habs also kicks out between junior and senior school if you don't pass the exam. Rare but it happens - no pass mark, no place.

I am absolutely boggled that people are more upset about the point that the children will need to pass the entrance exam to get in - which they will do - and there are no guarantees on these things for anyone, than about a random apparently anti-semitic comment.

Classic stuff

Also people at Habs (the girls school anyway, when I was there) came from a variety of backgrounds. Obviously they had parents who could pay the fees - but it is not a "posh" school.

Why do people interpret "they will have to pass the exams" as people speculating that they won't? I don't know anyone who would say "my child is going to Habs" even if they had the most super-brainy child in the world. Because they have to get in first. That's just a fact. For the paper to say they "will" be going there is neglecting the fact that they will have to pass a fairly large hurdle and be up against some very clever and probably highly tutored children as well. No parent would say their children "are" going there, before they no the results. It's presumptious.

Some people are looking for something to get offended by and I find it strange that only me and one other poster seem remotely bothered by a post which I found utterly shocking.

Can you explain why saying "I don't I've known anyone go there who wasn't Jewish"

Surely she is just stating a fact, that in her experience everyone she knows who goes there is Jewish.

I don't agree that people were just stating "they will have to pass an exam"

They were insinuating they were going to get in by some other method..."I imagine they will create a sports bursery for them"

"Really? Well, I am very, very surprised at their choice. I don't think I've known anybody go there who wasn't Jewish."

Speaks for itself IMO. Not sure whether the Beckhams would be pleased to see that people would be surprised that they would consider sending their children to a school with lots of Jewish children. Extraordinarily dubious comment, which only two people flinched at. Shocking, frankly.

On that note I am going to I have no desire to read comments of this type being defended.

QLB you might want to have a think about why you think it is reasonable to assume that the Beckhams might not want to send their children to a school where quite a few of their fellow students will be Jewish.

Seriously, it's atrocious.

On that note I really am hiding this.

No gosh I didnt interpret it like that at all. That thought never crossed my mind.

I thought she was saying that it was a religious Jewish school. As the Beckhams aren't Jewish, as far as we know, I presumed it was ok for Emma to say she was surprised at their choice.

Well actually, they do have Jewish ancestry on David's side so they may have viewed it as a positive thing

If Emma thinks that Haberdashers is a Jewish faith school then I'll eat my hat.

On that note I really am hiding it.

Well I view being Jewish or Muslim or Christian or Sikh as being positive also.

I just didn't interpret Emma's comment the same way as others did. And if you read her comment at 14.02 "I can't believe you accussed me of that",

I really don't think she meant it as an anti semitic statement.

Sorry X posted, so Sardine you do think Emma was being anti semitic. Do you know her or has she posted things like that before?

If so you should report her posts.

If not then I think you may have misinterpreted her post.

I am the other poster who took exception to Emma's reply.
I did say that if she had not meant it to read as anti-semitic, maybe she should reword it.
It was the statement that she does not know anyone at Habs who is not Jewish,so therefore the Beckhams could not possibly consider it.
Habs is not a Jewish school, in terms of, not a Jewish Faith school, and I agree with SardineQueen that I don't think Emma thought that either.
Can you imagine if a poster had written
"I don't know anyone who goes there who is not black, or Indian (for example), so I cannot see the Beckhams choosing it"
It just sounded offensive to me.
I accept that it may not have been meant that way, but it needed challenging.

Skyblue I do see where you are coming from.

I don't know the school at all so had no idea whether or not it was a faith school.

Oh come on. It's becoming impossible to make an innocent remark without accusations of ant-this and anti-that flyinmg around. If EmmeGoode's statement was turned around, and the Beckhams were Jewish and she said she didn't know anyone who went there who wasn't Christian, would anybody take offence? On the other hand maybe they would, believing that what was said was that Habs was being anti-semetic (which it most definitely isn't).

I am extremely upset by some of the accusations on here, so much so that I have decided to leave Mumsnet.

For the record, I was born and raised in North London, my DC were born, raised and [privately] educated in North London and I happen to know that Habs is the school of choice for many academic, professional, Jewish parents. It seemed to me an odd choice for a celebrity couple like the Beckhams.

I wonder if the people on here making accusations about me are Jewish themselves; I suspect not.

Anyway, good bye and thanks to the people who tried to inject some common sense into this thread.

Emma x

EmmaBG take no notice. You haven't said anything wrong.