To think the pandemic has started a whole new breed of ultra pushy parents or is it just me?

[Montana7]

Anyone agree? Just going from out own circle, dd's friends normal sane parents have gone into total pushy parent mode & there's a tribe of them at the school gates now comparing notes...

@Whoopsies

Actually I've found the opposite, everyone is more focussed on the kids just being happy and sociable!

I've found the opposite, too -- sane people are focused more on their children's MH, good friendships etc. The National Parents Council is calling for investment into MH support and general wellbeing in primary schools.

@kedgeisland that's good to know, I'm glad I fit in the sane group.. Definitely prioritising my dc's socialising & friendships... After all soft skills will be very important in years to come maybe we're already ahead of the pushy brigade 😂

[quote Montana7]@kedgeisland that's good to know, I'm glad I fit in the sane group.. Definitely prioritising my dc's socialising & friendships... After all soft skills will be very important in years to come maybe we're already ahead of the pushy brigade 😂[/quote]
Genuinely, I find the pushy UK parents are often pushy because of some form of insecurity -- they don't trust that their children will find their place in the world unless they (the parents) hustle.

It's a kind of love, really, mixed up with fear the idea that little Sophie is more likely to survive in a challenging world with level 8 trombone, Duke of Edinburgh Gold, playing county badminton and a selection of creditable A-levels and a crippling fear that she will 'fall behind' and 'not get on' if she doesn't acquire a full set of extra-curriculars.

I think my child will be fine if loved and brought up in an interesting household with adults who like their jobs and one another, and who think the world, with all its challenges, is an interesting place, and a place that can be inhabited and dealt with.

A lot of parents will have realised with home schooling that they can make a huge amount of progress giving their child 1 on 1 help, vs the rate at which they learn in school as one of class of 30, particularly in early primary.

By tailoring to your child's skills and giving them 1 on 1 it makes a huge difference and thats addictive.

lots of parents seem to think their child is the only one who's missed out. So for example I run a swim school and immediately that pools opened, got a lot of 'Cora hasn't been able to swim for two years so is behind' messages. What, like everyone else then?

But not everyone did.

Well off children had far more access to facilities. We joined the local david lloyd because the public pool was impossible to get a slot at - by paying for the david lloyd we continued to swim as normal from about 6m into lockdown. One of DC friends has a family member with an outdoor pool so those DC swam in summer 2020 when few others could.

The same is true for other things. More was available if you could afford to pay for private facilities.

Sadly Covid has widened gaps in society and middle class parents are well aware and determined to get back up the pecking order

I totally agree with this, especially as the middle class are also aware the umc were affected less & also some of the private schools did a fabulous job of the homeschooling. Our local one in particular did an amazing job & the clique I mentioned upthread are well aware of this & want to close the gap I'm sure..

I don't know about every school but many many schools have let down the children they teach. Of course there are and were dedicated teachers but there were teachers who took advantage of the covid situation to do as little as possible from primary to sixth form. The lack of support, lazy lessons on line, sending of pointless activities really showed the worst of the teaching profession. Parents are doing the best for their children in trying to ensure they catch up

We went the other way, Dd (12 now) had a demanding schedule before Covid but we preferred the slower pace of life so have swapped intense competitive swimming sessions 5 x a week + galas all weekend around the county roughly once a month to a 1 x recreation tennis session and rugby training 1x a week with occasional matches. DD wanted to do more social sports after being alone (only child) during lockdown.

Academically she was always a high achiever, independently did all the work during lockdown and has not fallen behind at all. If she had I'm sure I would be paying for tuition or spending time on academic work as well.

Our school wasn't great either, did the bare minimum but sent extra when asked... One particular teacher mum apparently spent the time preparing her own dc for the 7 & 11 plus exams & sent her own class out the odd twinkl printable along with emails of encouragement to he parents saying "we're in unprecedented times, please don't pressure yourself or your child, a walk in nature & plenty of fresh air etc"...
However her own dc were apparently working around the clock with her.