If you don’t live in the U.K., what unimportant thing does your school system obsess over?

[Flynnstone]

In the U.K. policing uniform takes up a disproportionate amount of time. What is the equivalent pointless thing where you’re from?

Folks, the word is “stationery” with an “e”.

Stationery = paper, pens, and so forth.

Stationary = a person or object not moving like a stationary exercise bike. Think of it like a physical bus or train station. A building that doesn’t move.

We have relatives in Germany who were explaining about the school backpacks and how 'everybody' goes to a specialist shop to be fitted for a backpack, which I found fascinating.

They also said the airport police may challenge you if they see you travelling in term time.

It’s really interesting hearing the different quirks around school.

School attendance is taken seriously here, but we are not at the stopping children at airport stage (yet)! Is presenteeism highly embedded in German culture too (the costs run into double digit billions here).

We get stationery lists (I didn’t as a child, but my children in primary do). Do you have to buy your stationery from specific suppliers like uniform? I want to go stationery shopping in France now!

Sunhats in Australia makes alot of sense.

The excessive notifications from school about banal stuff really ramps up here in secondary (11 and older) from what I understand.

What percentage go to private school in Australia? The government said VAT needed to be added to private school education a year or two ago, which is another quirk of our system compared to other countries.

There can be quite a bit of disparity between school standards here. I have a friend from Australia who lives here now and was considering remortgaging to afford some private school or getting a bigger mortgage to move to a good school catchment area. I didn’t think to ask her if it’s the same in Australia.

Did that make you feel better?

The Seyes gridded paper is a specific French thing - I don't think any other country has it. Same as the copies double perforées - I don't think that's available anywhere else (maybe in Belgium?)

In the UK you don't provide any stationary - it's all provided by the school. In secondary you are expected to bring your own pens and pencils, geometry set, and calculator.

I didn't realise that Australia was big on sport in schools like the US. In the UK if you are actually serious about a sport the bulk of your training and competition will be for a club rather than the school. School sport (in state schools at least) is very perfunctory.

Do small kids still have to put their letters in squares at French primary schools?

Most sporty Australians do both school sport and club sports! Not limited to private schools. Across the spectrum.

I like the Australian system of funding private schools. The funding is essentially per-child not per-school. Catholic schools are also private schools but they're subsidised by the church so can be as low as a couple thousand dollars a year (think like £1-3k a year). So there isn't necessarily the same connotation of elitism, only if you chose an expensive school.

Australians are really really into where you went to high school though. Your friend group for life is your high school friend group. Uni/work friends are often just casual acquaintances. This is despite many people going to uni. I think it's partially because it's not very common to stay in halls - and most students have part-time jobs - so uni is just something you go in for lectures for.

We have to provide stationery - maybe it’s school specific @SadiraOfTyr

Just to provide a bit of clarification re: the obsession with attendance. This is really an English thing. (Maybe Welsh too - I’m not sure). My DC have been in primary and secondary schools in both Scotland and N.Ireland and while they strongly encourage good attendance, and some absences would for sure be “unauthorised”, there are no fines and to be honest nothing actually happens if you take your child out for a holiday, a wedding, a funeral etc

I like the Australian system of funding private schools. The funding is essentially per-child not per-school. Catholic schools are also private schools but they're subsidised by the church so can be as low as a couple thousand dollars a year (think like £1-3k a year). So there isn't necessarily the same connotation of elitism, only if you chose an expensive school.

I really disagree here. Australian private schools are run as ruthless businesses and also don’t pay any tax as most are registered with religious exemptions. Funding per student in many instances is actually higher than state schools when state and Commonwealth funding is added together.

Australia apparently has the most unequal schooling system in the OECD with the bulk of affluent children privately educated, and the bulk of poorer children in state schools.

(I went to a private school with incredible resources and so will my child, so I’m not speaking from a place of jealousy).

Here in NI, especially in grammar schools, uniform/make up/hair/jewellery is a big thing. Non-selective secondaries tend to be a bit less strict.

We lived in the US for a season and the stationery list was ridiculous! It was way more extreme than the French list upthread. So much more specific, down to particular brands etc. When we first moved there and had to get our DC sorted to start it was incredibly stressful as it was so specific and we arrived mid-year so some of the stuff wasn’t readily available. Even the brand of tissues you had to provide for the classroom was specified.

Ah, the 'where did you go to school' thing is only important in the UK if you went to public school (long-established, big name, and usually very expensive private schools). I was mystified when I was asked what school I went to when I went to university by sloaney types - and more so that they had all heard of each others schools. It seemed to be the standard opening gambit in freshers week for these types.

What?? This is bonkers. Why are at home play dates anything to do with the school?

I taught year one in Australia and if a child in your class didn't bring a pen or have a maths book then they couldn't write anything down or do maths.

My dc had a list and if the teacher requested anything throughout the year, like a box of tissues, then every child has to bring a box of tissues.

Attendance isn't obsessed about so much in Finland, thankfully. They track it on the app (by the hour!) and if you reach certain thresholds like 10% absence the teacher will get in contact with the parent and at a certain level they officially have to make a child protection report but DD reached that level and they did not so not sure how often that actually happens. But in DD's case her teacher messaged me asking me if DD needed more support to come to school, arranged for her to see the school nurse for a check up and the school counsellor for counselling (and later on the school psychiatrist). You can take term time holidays if you ask permission (class teacher for up to 3 days, headteacher for 3 days to 3 months, someone higher up for more than 3 months, presumably for when a parent has a sabbatical and goes abroad with their children), I took DD out for two weeks with zero issue, and her teacher sent me a message telling me what they would be covering during those two weeks so she could keep up (she didn't have to tell me but I did have to make sure DD didn't fall behind)

Both my DC have left school now, I'm in SA.

Uniform is the number 1 obsession. Even the socks and shoes have to be correct. If for eg, your child left their shoes at school and needed to wear a different (colour coded) pair, the parent would need to send a letter in to say why.

Hair. Boys hair has to be cut and can never be in their eyes or touch their collar. Girls hair has to be tied back if it touches the collar. No wild styles or dyed hair allowed. They will get sent home and can only return once it's fixed. This includes highlights.
Earrings for girls. Studs or sleepers only. Anything outside of plain gold or silver will be confiscated.
Blazers. No matter the weather, blazers have to be worn entering or leaving school. It can be 40 degrees but they are not getting off lightly of walking out with out it in.

Stationery lists. It's so bad they even list brand names of items to be bought. This includes paper for the office. Had to he a certain brand. Some schools also have things like soap, washing powder, washing up liquid, toilet roll etc on the list. All with brand names. Don't send in a no name brand. And all must be taken on first day of the year, for the year!

Sport. Every child has to do at least one sport per season. So your child can't just do rugby, as that's a winter sport. They also need to do athletics for eg, for the other season sport.

Late coming. If your child is late they need to enter through the office with a parent or adult who transported them. As you need to sign them in. If they are so late that the first period has started, they are sent home. Try again tomorrow. After X amounts of absenteeism, the child can be expelled. There is such a wait list for places that it gets snapped up chop chop.

Civvies day. This is non uniform day. Which they need to pay for btw. It does to fundraising. Girls can't wear spaghetti strap tops, can only wear black or blue jeans. Lol half the time the kids just go in uniform anyway.

E for envelope, A for car

Yes it did! Hopefully it helps someone and their subsequent child learn how to spell the two words properly so they don’t lose points on tests or essays.

Social life/development/cohesion is very important in Danish schools/society and probably the primary focus in the younger years (versus academics). This is part of it. Discussing what play dates we have and how often/many seems to be a recurring topics for parent day discussions. Danes don’t seem to see it as intrusion into their private life.

Gosh, so much this. Very hard if you're not the most sociable of people to start with. I get that it helps with samfundssind etc... but fuck me it's a chore. Every year from the age of 6 the kids get put in legegrupper and you have to have 5 or 6 kids home at once, or come up with some suitable activity that isn't going to break the bank, they're all going to enjoy doing and is possible to build in around work and other kids. No enjoyable in the winter when the weather is shit and your house or flat is not that big. Thank goodness we're out the other side of this. You have my sympathy.

I'm in France and agree on the stationery and supplies list!

Also, just general paperwork (all the forms you have to sign with contact numbers, medical info, photo sharing permission at the start of every school year).

Although we have an online portal to communicate with the school, there's still a lot of paper around!

Do you mean the school/ teachers dictate who children should have playdates with? Would they come up to you at pick up and tell you you need to invite a certain child round 😲 surely not!!

I'm American living in Wales - the back to school shopping as a child was such a highlight of summer! My own kids will never know the joy of going into Woolworths with The List

Also - I think the attendance and uniform obsession is an English thing. We're much more sensible about it in Wales, thankfully!

Made me feel better. Thanks op

Wow that's so interesting (and bonkers lol). Seems like such an overreach. What if you don't want to and just say no thanks?