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Original poster

It's entirely my own fault for choosing a poncy school

11 replies

pigleto · 25/02/2008 15:06

I send my PFB to a poncy private selective primary school. They have just re done all the displays around the school, they look fabulous, colourful and show lots of excellent childrens work. Ds has not had any of his work included in the three displays from his class as he says that his handwriting is too untidy and is spelling wobbles.

He is gutted. I spoke to his teacher who just said that there wasn't room.

Am I being over precious? When I was a teacher I always designed displays to show off all the childrens work, not just the most able/pretty.

OP posts:
avenanap · 25/02/2008 15:10

I know this one. I bet the're going to have an open day at some point before they change the display! You're not being over precious, you're watching out for your child. My ds would be gutted if this happened to him. I'd speak to the head and ask him if this is a school policy, surely they should have space on one of the displays, it does not show a caring nature. They are not being fair!

msappropriate · 25/02/2008 15:10

I used to make sure all the kids in my class had some piece of work up on the wall. Named too; not just bunged in a group display to make a pretty picture. I hate those sort of diplays that are just about how creative the teacher is and doesn't feel like anything to do with the children at all.

Its awful if your son was actually told that. But then I suppose that maybe is the ethos in selective schools? The good displays I suppose market the school to other parents.

Original poster
pigleto · 25/02/2008 15:15

Well I suppose I fell for it myself when I was being shown round. It is true that his handwriting is poor, but I think the teacher should re think her display design.

OP posts:
avenanap · 25/02/2008 15:28

I'm trying to find a private secondary school, I do look at the displays but take them with a pinch of salt. I always ask my guide when they were put up. I know there are poblems when the displays are a year old!. The old head at my ds's school used to let prospective parents look at his books. He's messy but very bright. I didn't like this as I felt that it gave the parents a false idea of what their child could be like. The new head does not do this .

They should not discriminate against your ds because of his handwriting though, that's wrong and I'd complain.

Reallytired · 25/02/2008 17:47

We had exactly the same thing at my son's non poncy state school. My son had parents' open day of his work. He said to me (at the age of five) "Mummy, there is no point in you going to see if my work is displayed, my work is always bad however hard I try."

My son is in a class of 29 in his state school. Still one girl had FIVE bits of work and my son and about 6 other children had NOTHING!

The arguement about space does not hold water. My 88 year old neighbour tells me that she managed to display the work of 46 children on the wall when she taught in exactly the same classroom. She just got the children to draw on smaller pieces of paper.

I asked my son's teacher and she argued with me that there were lots of photos of my son up on the wall. (I then realised that there were ugly kids with no photos and no work on display.)

Its sad that classrooms seem to be set up for appearence rather than show off the work of EVERY child.

LIZS · 25/02/2008 17:49

Ours displays everyone's work in the classroom , but only selectively elsewhere.

Blu · 25/02/2008 17:53

Isn't the purpose of public display to show off the best and outstanding examples of work?

I agree that within the classroom it is good for each child to have their work up every so often, but unreasonable to expect anything other than the best to go up in public areas?

filthymindedvixen · 25/02/2008 17:55

mine is state but poncey (at times) and my ds has the self same problem (his handwriting and spelling are awful and his work never has been on the walls in 5 years! Oh, once it was - on a 'travelling' display. The teacher told me how good it was but it went missing before I got to see it...

stealthsquiggle · 25/02/2008 17:59

Do all the displays include handwriting? DS's (also poncy and private but not very selective) primary school have lots of different displays - and yes they do pick the best to some extent, but there are stories they wrote on the computer and artwork as well as things involving handwriting... they ought to be able to find something from each child - YANBU.

msappropriate · 25/02/2008 18:14

the purpose of classroom display is not to just show the best. They may as well get the oldest kids to do it all then. Or the teacher or just buy some prints of old masters.

DualCycloneCod · 25/02/2008 19:57

typical girls centered school imo

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