Schools again.
Live in an area with a shit school system - we have a Grammar System and areas which are the wealthiest in the country and areas close by with extreme poverty and pockets which are neither (which I fall into). Rich areas have high house prices and contain the best state schools, poorest area has an awful school due to the catchment area and the vicious cycle of continuing poverty. Grammar contains mostly privately educated primary kids (
).
I am a working single mum and a few years ago ended up with my 3 kids at three separate schools (lost my appeal) and ended having to do a 10 mile round school run twice a day and fitting it in around work.
Now have two kids at middle and one at the town High School which I am out of catchment for but got DC1 in fair and square, as I made my kids take the Grammar test but put it as my second choice and the local high as my 1st choice which is a great school and inbetween the best and the worst.
DC1 thrives at high school and loves it (after a ropey time at the "posh" local middle school) DC2 due to go up this yr and DC1 volunteered to be a "tour guide"(and was v chuffed to do so). Bumped into a good friend of mine and when I asked her what she thought she slated it in front of a deflated DC1,2 &3 and her DC and said she "hated" it the buildings were "minging" etc etc etc. I knew I had a good chance as DC1 was already there.
We saw another friend at the local shite struggling school (which is all our catchment school but other friend lives a lot closer) and good friend slated that to her in front of her DC to the point of telling her she would be a bad parent to allow her child to go there.
Good friend then said she wanted her DC to go to the local Catholic School and apparently has been going to church for many yrs (I know this is not true) and got vicar who Christened her DC to sign her form, then spent the next few months slating all the other schools confident she would get her DC in to the Catholic School to the degree of really being quite smug (I had no desire for my DC to be educated in a religious environment and was just happy to avoid the rotten school). She would have stood a good chance of getting her DC into my sons school along with DC2. The Catholic school only takes 10% of non denominational kids.
Tonight she has phoned in tears and devastated because her DC has been offered a place at the shit struggling school and I am TBH really struggling to feel sorry for her. My DC2 has a place with DC1.
AIB a smug bitch and what do I say to her?!