Is that a CHICKEN roasting in the oven Rob, or are you just pleased to see me? Oh and Hayley, LTB. Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

How about we immortalise Schrodinger's Baby in the opening paragraph?

How long will this thread last DadDadDad?

This country has a screwed up attitude to higher education. You need a degree to do anything these days and there are plenty of careers where being book smart is not that important. That's another rant though!!

Wonder when route b story is slated to end

BYOS This country has a strange attitude to ALL mainstream education. You're right there's a ridiculous emphasis on academic achievement and even when they say there are vocational opportunities. They are viewed as 2nd best.

I thought the Tony speech was great - but then I am a parent with 15-18 year olds, so know the blind panic when your DC is threatenting to drop out/not get those qualifications. And Sharon had to pull herself up, so probably doesn't want her son to make it harder for himself than he has to. Remember all 16-18 year olds are supposed to be in Education or Training and Rich/John hasn't even got Maths and English (I'm impressed with the DT, do you think the Script Writers know how much work that takes?).

Now SWs don't let me down on this story. Johnny still needs to be studying for Maths and English along with whatever else he does.

But will he get his dyslexia diagnosis?

Oh I have a Johnny in my family. Sadly he isn't 'good with stock' or anything of that kind. He's bloody good with an X-Box it seems But he's doing ok with his college course - furniture making - but I wouldn't say he is exactly enthusiatic.

mummytime -if Johnny's college is anything like ours they will MAKE him redo maths and english GCSE regardless of what his main course is.

Regardless of his dyslexia Irian ? It's good your ds is doing a course that he enjoys.

The thing is mummytime It's their life; we went through it all with our ds too (he's G & T) but there was no way we could get him to even go to a normal college. It's his life, he has made it harder for himself, whatever we said made no difference and I could see he was on a knife edge at 15 so we stopped pushing him. Now he's a musician and is very spiritual and thoughtful.

I know Irianofway - I'm just not sure the SWs do IYKWIM.
ppeatfruit - the regulations have changed, and they he should have to repeat those qualifications until he gets them. Admittedly in my experience a lot of places just teach them in the same old way and as this says often there is no improvement. If Johnny has dyslexia (and the Ambridge fairy doesn't get to work on it) it could be a good story line for the future. But he does still need to get those qualifications.

Poor Hayley

It's pathetic, ds has been reading and writing since he was 3 and doing advanced maths with a tutor at 11 yrs old, he writes songs and poetry (not rubbish) and plays a lot of instruments very well. We HE him (well he did it himself actually ) and the inspector was soo impressed with him he just said he'll get his quals. when he's ready. So that wouldn't be allowed now then?

I don't know about dyslexia. DS hasn't got dyslexia - he hasn't been diagnosed at least. But as far as I know everyone has to try but I guess there is discretion. H works with kids with severe EBD and few of them end up with english or maths. DS got a D at school and sadly got another D last year at college inspite of doing really well in class and in his controlled assessments. So he's doing it again and is really pissed off. He's getting distinctions in most of the modules in his main course. But if he does decide he wants to go to university at some point - after level 3 he could - he would presumably need at least a C. But right now to DS it just looks like another impemtrable barrier.

ppeatfruit if he went to a college they would have to push him through the qualifications along with his others - if you have contact with the HE community there has been a lot of discussion because this is sometimes happening even to youngsters with A* but in iGCSE not GCSE.
My son was fine with Maths, but was caught out by the ever increasing inflation in what is required for a C for English.
In real life Tony would probably phone Ifty and see if he could help Johnny get his Maths (because that is how you get a good tutor), and maybe someone would help him with his English or the college would actually be good and spot his problems and give him the support he needs.

I remember a German acquaintance saying that ds's experience wouldn't happen in Germany you either drop out completely or get your quals. It used to be more humane here what a shame it's like Germany now

I suppose there are retakes still? I blame that idiot Gove. His next in line sounded even dimmer than him on the radio a couple of days ago.

Maybe Hayley will get a new kitchen out of all of it ..it worked for Jennidarling...
One of the many things that has irritated my about this storyline is how Freddie found out( they thought but were not sure)..nobody including Freddie ever said anything..till one day he randomly accused her and she just apologised..no denial etc. and didn't bat an eyelid when he said he'd told the non present Lilly...equally didn't seem too rattled when Hayley confronted her..there was this sense of "I feel bad but hey ho..Roy you'd better leave then"
Least it takes us away from effing Route B and stupid baby names

ppeat - I agree with you. It seems as if the non-academic find it harder and harder to get the basic quals they need, but at the same time they are being forced to keep trying regardless of how soul-destroying and pointless it might be. As I said DH works with kids with EBD and even there they are pushed more and more (in Ofsted inspections) to enter them for GCSEs - these are pupils who struggle to sit still for more than 10 minutes and can barely write a line.

Irianof Your poor DH. and the dcs of course. There's so little imagination in education nowadays.

Could this see the return of ifty?

Who will be utterly disgusted with lizzie and turn his attentions to the far more appropriate Hayley

I thought they handled Freddie in a good way, not lots of talk but he saw, then went off the rails.

I have not caught up with this thread (thanks for the new one pseudo) but I need to report that i dreamt last night that I copped off with mr poly slacks rota boy himself!! There was detail but I spare you, except to say I can confirm he is hobbity indeed

I don't think the analogies between Hayley and Jennydarling hold up to much scrutiny - JD was not averse to putting it about a bit and she has always made it very clear to Brian that if she was going to indulge his shagging around he had to pay a (oftentimes) literal price. Hayley and Roy don't have that kind of relationship, they both implicitly expected fidelity from the other...or at least it was like that until Roy decided he wanted to be Lord of Lower Loxley.

I thought last night's episode was brilliant - actually far far better than SATTC or the Wilhelm Scream of the Jilted (actually there's a theme there - basically if your parting shot is screaming it's going to be a major anti-climax). The Roy and Hayley scenes to me seemed very good in terms of he is flailing around for excuses, trying to get it all back to how it was and in doing that keeps saying things that are outrageous and wind Hayley up further. Hayley was fabulous in terms of cutting through all that and not letting him off. The Bridge Farm stuff was also good in terms of Sharon still being deeply distrustful of Pat and Pat and Tony desperately trying to be the grandparents they haven't had the chance to be.

stillearnin I laughed aloud at your dream !!!!! I needed a laugh !!!! Thanks

I think the comparison to Jenny is more to show we wouldn't expect Hayley to behave that way!

"You can turn the current back on now Deeervid"

Click

Anyone else disappointed not to hear

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGHHHHHH!!!"

What did Fallon say about Keira's name?

"Sez the person who named her DD Keira."