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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to raise Ed Milibands and Gabby Logans porta cabin education.Are they bragging or compliining?

82 replies

ScousyFogarty · 26/05/2011 21:09

It must be that I am older than Gabby and Ed. Porta cabins did not feature in my schooling. Was it about cabins being brought in as extra classroom. I dont think you could have a porta cabin school I dont think Gabby and Ed would get on. Did you have a porta cabin education?

OP posts:
AyeRobot · 26/05/2011 21:12

Yes, some of my lessons were in portacabins. Actually, the bulk of them for my A level years. At a selective grammar school, no less. They had been there some time and are still there, 20 years on.

MmeBlueberry · 26/05/2011 21:13

We had terrapins at my school 30 years ago.

We have them at the school I teach in, and the ones at my DS's school have only recently been replaced by a million pound development.

They are not pretty, but can be very practical.

Vallhala · 26/05/2011 21:14

Yes, like AyeRobot, portacabins for 6th form use, as classrooms and commonroom. That was 30 years ago though.

said · 26/05/2011 21:15

Yes, yes, yes we did. Bloody freezing as well - 70s/80s

suzikettles · 26/05/2011 21:16

Yes. Lots of portacabins at both primary and secondary schools. I believe they were meant to be temporary but both sets had been around for many years.

NotaMopsa · 26/05/2011 21:16

awful places - my first 3 kids did most of their primary education in them and dds grammar school still has them

MmeBlueberry · 26/05/2011 21:18

I only ever have memories of our huts as being lovely and warm as they have all had their own heating system, rather than relying on the cranky old boiler in the main school.

ZXEightyMum · 26/05/2011 21:18

We had terrapins too! I had some myself for a while. It was a bit of a fad and probably cruel but I didn't know that then.

I had to work in a "demountable" once. It was alternately freezing or boiling. Hated it.

meliesmummy · 26/05/2011 21:21

We had portacabins for maths, RE and history until a new block got built when I was about half way through secondary school in the 90s. Anyone know why they're called terrapins? Because I always wondered!

AyeRobot · 26/05/2011 21:21

Apologies for the pomposity of my post.

Thinking back, I went to a private school in Ireland (no pomposity intended, it was cheap and only chosen for its non-denominational status) and the entire teaching part of the school was made up of portacabins. We had a lovely new gym, though. And that's certainly outed the school to anyone in the know.

meliesmummy · 26/05/2011 21:26

aye I didn't think you came across as pompous :)

said · 26/05/2011 21:26

God, I'm sure ours were referred to as "the huts" as well.

MmeBlueberry · 26/05/2011 21:31

Terrapin - I think this is the brand-name of the supplier.

I don't think it is particularly apt as it wouldn't take much of a wind to unpin them from the earth.

Georgimama · 26/05/2011 21:32

I went to a girls' grammar school with extensive portakabinage (RE block, extra French/German and music classrooms and sixth form common room. For most of my 7 years at the school one of the RE/German classrooms was my form room). Last time I visited (about five years ago) they were still there. I missed this - what point was Milliband making about them?

BikeRunSki · 26/05/2011 21:33

Ours were called "the huts" too. Wonder if said or MmeBlueberry went to the same school as me? Big London comp. Begins with P.

Choufleur · 26/05/2011 21:33

I had portacabins at secondary school. Crapped cold and damp things. Ds is in a portacabin now for reception but it seems much better than those I was in 20 plus years ago.

meliesmummy · 26/05/2011 21:33

Thanks mme Grin.

listeningstick · 26/05/2011 21:34

Judging by the language used by some of the posters on here I would be surprised if they had ANY education.

MarioandLuigi · 26/05/2011 21:35

My secondary school was part army huts, part portacabins - bloody freezing in winter.

ZXEightyMum · 26/05/2011 21:39

What do you mean, listeningstick?

I did know about the terrapins btw Grin

said · 26/05/2011 21:40

No BikeRunSki- but I'd say that answer anyway Wink

SybilBeddows · 26/05/2011 21:40

surely portacabins are far preferable to those awful PFI buildings they get nowadays with windows that won't open?

I had demountables at primary and secondary, both good schools.

Original poster
ScousyFogarty · 26/05/2011 21:40

Great set of posts. The cabins were obviously commonplace. Its all a learning curve for me. I wentto a village schgool where the head would clear off to the cinema wednesday afternoon and tell us about the film next day. It was all unofficial but nice. I am older than youlot; there were some brutal sec mods in my day. But no portas..aaaaah its almost poetry

OP posts:
TheOldestCat · 26/05/2011 21:41

We had them at primary school in the 80s - they were called 'the aluminiums'.

DH claims the BBC got into trouble for using 'portacabin' rather than their generic name on Grange Hill. What could their generic name be, I wonder?

meliesmummy · 26/05/2011 21:42

listening stick are you implying that by my lack of terrapin knowledge I had no education? Hmm Grin