The chalet school and ofsted?

[thebody]

Aibu to wonder what Ofsted would have made of the Chalet school.? Any fellow chaletians around?

Surely, in the later years at least, the science teaching cannot have been inadequate? Not with Bill teaching it!

Joey did help Zephyr Burthill (the awful cello stealing american) turn into a decent sort, but it was really the Robin's friendship that did the trick.

Good old Robin. She was wasted as a nun in Canada.

And they all-but-cured chello owning Phoebe of rheumatism, found her a husband - ugly Dr. Peters - and rescued surly Reg from his anti-education aunt all in one go.

Bloody marvellous really.

I just want to be a chalet school teacher as they were always very 'trig and fresh', wore lovely pretty woolen dresses and were always pretty and slim despite eating 'luscious cakes all honey and nuts and cream'. When they were bored of teaching they could simply marry a hot doctor from the san and take to their beds whenever they were a bit tired in the knowledge that a housekeeper would clean their house and look after their kids.

As well as fitting an extraordinary number of children in a four bed house - with mothers et al.

I believe we had:

Joey, triplets and Stephen
Frieda and two babies inc one new born
Marie and two children
Simone and one child
Anna or Marie or somesuch or possibly both?
Sybil

And Jack AND Jem visiting. No wonder Robin stayed in a hotel......

Joey's uterus was like Mary Poppins's magic carpet bag, she could pull twins and triplets out of it just by deciding she was going to have a multiple birth.

I just realised the Chalet School and Malory Towers have very similar uniforms! Brown tunics and orange details (ties for CS, belt for MT - and I think possibly a tie as well, in the later books?). Hmm... homage, (unconscious?) plagiarism, or did they both honestly think they were nice colours for a uniform?

DD has a CS name, too

I always wondered whether Robin had asthma. She was always poorly and short of breath in the valleys and in England, but magically revived as soon as she was at altitude - no dust mites (which is why lung cases were sent there).

Oooh asthma - goo thought. That must have been what was up with Margot too - poorly in Wales, fixed by Canadian mountains.

Glitz - I would only have to take charge for about 1/2 hour before some silent alpine woodsman/cowherd/shepherd would miraculously appear, throw the two weakest pupils over his shoulders and lead the way down the mountain, where I would be rushed into a hot bath by matey, drugged up to the eyeballs and sent to bed.

I might ditch the hot doctor and go with the handsome stranger and live in Australia/India/South Africa/Malaysia where I would refer all my neighbours ASBO kids to the chalet school (like Emerence Hope the Australian Arsonist).

Both DS and DD have CS names - have just realised that.

All of this later stuff is a mystery to me. I'm only really up to speed with what happened in the Tirol, a couple on the island and then a couple in Switzerland.

Did the school join with St Scholastika's?
And did it then split later?

See, someone needs to fill me in. These are BASIC FACTS :(

Is there a book by book synopsis somewhere?

Plotline...ok -others please cut and paste and add bits:

The School at the Chalet - The Chalet School in Exile

The Tyrol years, Madge is head and the marries Dr Jem. Joey progresses through the school heading up as head girl. Juliet, Grizel and of course the magnificent Gisela Marani are head girls during this point. Also Mary Burnett, Biddy O'Ryan and Hilary Burn who both later return as teachers. Bill, Charlie and the Abbess all join the school to teach. Mademoiselle is Head before becoming very ill. Eustacia, Cornelia, Evadne , the Lintons and Elisaveta are all feature. This section of books ends with the Nazi takeover of Austria and the flight of several major characters in to Switzerland.

The second part of Exile and teh Chalet School goes to It are the Guernsey years. EBD sent the school there and then when it too was invaded she had to decamp again.
During this time Joey (who has married Jack 'off screen') produces triplets and there is an enormously moving reunion with Frieda who has escaped the nazis too.

Thence follow the Welsh years including Gay from China at the Chalet School, Lavender laughs at the Chalet school and many others that I can't remember. The school is in Wales. Joey has three boring boys during this time. The school then moves to an island off the coast of Wales and teh last few welsh books are set there - Peggy of the Chalet school. both Peggy and Bride are head girls.

Then the school goes back to Switzerland - Changes for the Chalet school - and the books conclude with about the last 20 or so books? In this time Joey produce Cecil and twins Phil and Geoff, the triplets grow up and Len becomes head. Madge is not much seen and Eyropean characters - hardly seen in the Welsh books again assert themselves.

some here

Oh and I completely missed out teh Saints - yes the two schools merge shortly after Joey has finished being head. Is it in Louise Redfield's first term as head or after that?

Glitzpig at the risk of outing myself --- my step father was a life guard in his mide 20s, swum out to rescue a complete bloody idiot who had swum against all advice, managed to get them then they told them their son was out there too. He went out again, couldn't find them, got caught in a current and his life was saved because he got washed up a sewage pipe and was then eventually rescued himself.

He nearly died himself. The son was only found days later :(

In hospital they would not let him have a mirror for the first few days because his hair had turned completely white. So yes it can happen!

northernlurker Louise's first term as head was in Joey Returns. I felt really sorry for her. Imaigine your first term as head girl and having hte old head girl returning and strutting about all over the place. I keep meaning to write a diary for Louise for that term and one day I will.

I liked Rosalie, she went to a state school before winning a scholarship to the Chalet School but managed to rise above her 'umble beginnings.

It was mentioned at least once in every book though. Couldn't let her rise too much.

Yes Rosalie was definitely the cinderella of the books - she wasn't even allowed to finish her education so couldn't be a teacher, but had to be a secretary. Did she ever get married? Didn't have the later books.

I didn't realise Rosalie's dreams were cut short! Elinor M Brent Dyer, you big meanie.

My DD was named after Daisy Venables. People always remark that it's a surprisingly girlie name for my tastes and I'm always thinking " no, it's a name for a tomboyish, tall, skinny girl with straw-like blonde plaits who becomes a brilliant doctor"...

Like Xenia, chalet school books definitely gave me the urge for many kids and to be good at French and german!

Another one who always wondered about Bill's hair turning White.

Exile is definitely the best one. Any alternative nominations for fave ever CS book?

Wasn't it Rosamund who went to a state school? In A Problem?

But I have never read the Rosalie one, so maybe they both did?

My favourite was Carola Storms the Chalet School, it's probably no better than any of the others but it's always stuck in my mind.

Ah, thank you. I am working my way through the synopses.

My favourite is the first one, I loved it so much as a child.