OMG surely this is a joke?

[TwigTheWonderKid]

Ladies & Gents?!

Or does everyone send their 8 year olds to this kind of class and I have been a negligent parent?

It looks like a great idea! Essentially it’s a course on social skills isn’t it?
Brilliant.

Think the name is naff of course (ladies and gents ffs) but the course content looks really good.

Someone in my local area advertises this place every time my local FB page allows adverts. The population round here never strike me as the target market.

I got taught most of this stuff either at school or in the Army. And am hopefully passing most of it on to my kids. As long as 'D'H stops interfering with his less than impeccable etiquette.

I've just had a quick google. Over here they are called 'Benimmkurse' and either taken seperately or done at school.
When I was young it was part of the dance lessons you had when you turned 16.

I have read posts on here asking what it is about private schools that give children the edge and confidence and I do think something like this will help.

Knowing basic manners, how to behave at a meeting, how to shake hands, make small talk, which cutlery to use, which glass to use etc etc are skills needed in certain circles.

The course for younger children looks great. How to choose words carefully and introduce yourself clearly and confidently is a great skill.

Who wants to message them and enquire how much the courses are? I have never managed to find out, but you just know they are going to be eye watering, just because of location and subject matter.

This is just covering stuff my DH and I taught our children 25 years ago, didn’t cost us a penny! My DC now know how to behave in ALL situations and even know which knife to use when. Mind you they both swear like troopers so I think they missed that week😂😂

I saw a child eat a fish finger like a penguin today

Table manners are sorely lacking in the next generation.

Spaghettipeppers - Did the child read out the joke too? That's a vital part of the etiquette.

Wonder how they'd react to my Dd2 turning up in a pair of leggings and looking like she had been dragged through a hedge. She looks a mess all the time

Social media etiquette, managing heavy workloads, being assertive yet respectful and the importance of speaking up when something upsets us. I think it looks amazing. My only criticism is that it's only for children; I can think of a few adults who would benefit hugely from this.

Is this a stealth ad?

I would have loved to go to this as a child. I also wanted to go to Mallory Towers.
As routines are different these days with working parents, more screen time and less authority (IMO, certainly in my house) I do feel a lot of people would actually benefit from this kind of course.
Baffled at the empty plate though.

The empty plate is to teach the pupil not to drag or grind the cutlery against the crockery. Dinner should be eaten to the sound of tinkling, not clangs and scrapes.

Seriously, that's a memory from over 50 years ago that's only just surfaced. DM was very hot on table manners.

In the words of nanny mcphee "when you don't want me you need me and when you do want me you don't need me"

If parents don't know this stuff and reinforce it on daily and natural basis it won't stick. If they do, the dc grow up knowing it anyway.

I sometimes work as a Nanny/ Governess, to overseas families. Part of my role is to teach manners and etiquette. I have also worked as a foster carer and teacher and encouraged the children to develop good manners: this is (nearly) always commented upon very favourably (one or two say the children are "posh" in a derogative way).
I think manners/ etiquette forms part of a child's education which not only helps them for the present but prepares them to become the adults they may want to be and encourages consideration of others. Do you really want to be with a child or adult who is ill mannered?

We did something simular at school an afternoon a week. An all girls public school. We had lessons on reading and prose. As well as social skills and how to do job interviews, networking, presenting your self.

It did us all the world of good. If my children didnt get offered simular at school I would deffiantly send them to classes like this.

The Sunningdale Academy is based in Sunnindale, Ascot but have started providing courses to the surrounding areas. 😊

Gemma, where? I live there and have never seen it and it doesn’t come up on a map.

The pictures on the website were taken at Coworth Park.

We had etiquette lessons at my school and I’m ‘only’ 29...

They use external venues; Ascot - Macdonald Berystede hotel & spa, Cobham - Hilton Hotel and they hold graduation ceremonies / events at Coworth Park. 😊

Week five seems a good idea.

I think you should run after school clubs Zoe. I think I would have quite enjoyed this when I was younger and think a lot of youngsters could benefit from such classes (if it is continued in the home). How much are classes out of interest?

I’m also picturing this being attractive to people from overseas who are into the whole idea of upper class Britishness rather than your average UK born person.