Er excuse me, i have just been informed my child gets less education than yours cos of where i live

[nailpolish]

here children attend playgroup aged 3, preschool (for my dd's the preschool is actually in the primary school building) aged 4, then start primary school aged 5

i now understand in England children start school aged 4

i feel like my children will be missing out on a years education!

or am i talking shite

where we're all going to die of global warming first.

i quite like England

North England anyway

and London, but only to flounce around

lucy - we also get Tattie Holidays - how much would you like THAT!

Not if you start smoking and drinking as much as the Scots do .

what ARE sats?

we all smoke outside too

its the new smog

do you have to wear them or eat them or harvest them?

is it pagan?

Tests that have to be taken by various year groups so the government csn do assessments.

NP's a choochter (ok I know it's not spelt like that) that's why she gets tattie holidays.

WHAT IS A TATTIE HOLIDAY?
yep I was shouting.

Scotland was more advanced than England in offering 12.5 hours of nursery to every over 3 year old whose parents wanted to take advantage of it. England then followed suit!

Scotland's also not all quite the same: when they *do start school (at 4.5 to 5.5+), councils start stragiht away into full days, some do a week of half days then full days and others (like Glasgow) have the P1s doing half days up until the September Weekend (ie this coming weekend) and then on to full days.

At least yuo don't have the dilemma of England of some kids having only had a term of "Reception" beofre going into full blown schooling. In Scotland they all start on a levle playing field - all start at once.

the Tattie Holidays are when the tatties are ready to be harvested

all the children get a fortnight off school to get to work in the fields picking tatties. get about a tenner a dreel a day

and the school holidays are so early here because of the berry harvest, all the children pick berries in the fields

i kid you not

nailpolish, I have always seen this as a really positive thing about Scottish education- there's far more flexibility, and children aren't starting straight after their 4th birthday. I have also noticed when there are threads about reading books that P1 children (at least in the case of our local school) are reading way ahead of the average reception child (presumably because they're a bit older, not innate brilliance!) so it doesn't seem to make much difference in the end. They do 7 years at primary school, same as most English schools, but a year less at High School. On the other hand they can do an extra year at university

SATS

oh thanks prettybird, that makes sense

Oh yes, and no SATs is a huge plus.

strange place.

do you rent your children out for crop picking duites?

I've got some green beans that need picking in the garden.

I didn't get tattie holidays and never went to the berries. Dh did though, he used to get picked up by the berry bus.

tamum - yes, i agree, with a bit of light shed on it

fimbo, you were a city girl (where did your dh live?)

Also NP up here we just seem to go to primary then high school, none of this fight to the death for a school place.

yes, thats always made me sigh with relief too seb

I can't think of anything much that isn't better about the Scottish system to be honest, apart from the possibility of your darling children leaving home at 17 rather than 18

I hope my kids have more sense than to go to uni like I did.

Douglas!! (when it was nice and his dad was a fireman so they were in a tied house, they now live across the watter in Fife)

I have friends in Forfar and they say a lot of people got to Florida for the Tattie holidays now