My daughter came out of school crying with boredom after sitting through two dreary assemblies. She loves school, but hates assembly, and I don't blame her. I often can't hear what is going on, and it is usually quite hum-drum when I do hear it. I understand that occasionally it is good to call the whole school together for a particular purpose, and that kids need experience talking to large groups, but why such long and frequent meetings?
Also, the Head often congratulates about 1/2 of the pupils, leaving the other half feeling bad. I understand congratulations if there is something extraordinary, or if everyone gets to stand up once a year for something, but this is just annoying, and destructive for the ones who rarely or never stand up.