School's out for crepeys

[lalsy]

Ooops, sorry, I didn't mean to finish the thread.

Rose - I have the stripy cozzie you linked to (but not the long body version). It "confuses the eye"!

Rudy, that's why DH gets cross with me. Over-thinking things. And he also does the pissed off/patronising tone rather than the reassuring one. Your poor DM.

Oh yes, MI, CB is much maligned where I work However, her organisation is doing a lot for some of our most vulnerable kids.

Herbs, ask for a copy on arrival at school. And ask the HT. If they can't provide one, formal letter to governors, I reckon.

Mine went to a CoE primary which was not too preachy whilst they were there, despite the HT being married to a vicar. They were very inclusive and not too pushy and we were happy with the DC's experience there.

DD has burned the edge of the new oak worktop, and the kitchen isn't even ffffinished yet I am sooooo pissed off, and am hoping it may be possible to save it a bit with some sanding down.

I know its a firstvworld problem but the burn is worse in reality and doesnt look saveable Soooooo upset. Have had to leave the house before I cause a scene - her friends are there

Ooh, BTM - I would be FUMING.

I just feel like crying

Oh BTM. That is so annoying - not sure I wouldn't have turned into a screaming harridan.

Well she phoned me as soon as she did it at lunchtime, and as there were others around I was trying to hold it all in. Now the anger has passed and I just feel gutted.

It was an accident, but a very careless one.

Oh BTM I would be SO CROSS.

I cried at the school gate today. Mind you it doesn't help that CDiff is upsetting me too.

Oh BTM, how upsetting and frustrating.

MI, CDiff sounds absolutely dreadful to be upsetting you even when you are not at your desk.

Herbs, AFAIK waiting lists are in order of admissions criteria, so it doesn't really matter how long they are - it is how many people meet the criteria better than you and importantly whether they want to move their children now - and that wouldn't be clear until a place came up and they started working through the list offering it. I have known people get pleasant surprises.

BTM, I would have shouted, screamed and sworn and told her to pay for new work surfaces out of her own pocket money. But that is probably because I am due on and also appear to be growing a testicle.

Today I booked some more rooms for meetings, and witnessed five senior men (several of whom earn in excess of £100K) discuss who would be sitting where in the new open plan office. When we did this in my last job, I delegated the work to my assistant who did a splendid job with minimal guidance.

I also drew up a guidance note telling people about the forthcoming training needs analysis I would be conducting, and was told it couldn't be called training needs as this might make people feel inadequate. It had to be called a training preferences analysis. I asked what would happen if we had people who preferred to learn the ukelele rather than Excel. It didn't go down well. I also wrote an email asking people to let me know what dates they were available to do mandatory training (via a diary link). I cannot send this out until it has been cleared by at least two more senior people. I haven't been treated like this since I was in my 20s.

MI - huge commiserations over C Diff, Would you like to swap for several people with an over inflated sense of their own importance and no common sense?

The builder is coming back tomorrow to look see. I think we may have to just grin and bear it as it would cause a whole barrel of problems to try to rip it out and start again (like Orange Juice ref?!)

What is particularly galling is that although she was clearly distraught immediately afterwards, it happened because she was being careless and she was extremely rude and truculent when we spoke to her about it and other stuff which seem to demonstrate taking us and our home for granted. We have said a sleepover planned for tomorrow (pre Brighton train) is cancelled and we are not changing our minds!

MrsS, how frrrrustrating.
And Herbs, Lalsy's right. How did the showdown go?

The head (who's only been there a year) highly apologetic, and said there was no excuse. But she has been fighting ingrained habits, and poor procedure. She'd assumed teachers were following the procedures, getting back to me, etc, and that the midday assistant was trained, and both turned out not to be the case.

We got her to promise to speak to the parents of the offending children, speak to his new teacher, and designate a 'safe' adult for Sam to be able to talk to. I said that if there was even a whiff of it still going on when we go back in September, he'd be out of there, sharpish.

I also said he's a bright boy, and will be fine academically, but would rather his pastoral care was higher priority than the neatness of his handwriting. Go me!

He has the option of swapping into the other reception class, but not sure how much that will help as they'll all still play together. Might break the cycle, I guess...

It had always seemed mildly shambolic, but he seemed to be learning, happy and safe. If the latter two turn out not to be true, I don't want him to be there any more.

Go Herbs! You are right - he needs to be happy and safe as well as learning. Keep all your irons in the fire

Well done Rudy. Is he able to step in on Friday?

I don't buy the fact that she "assumed." Surely things like this should be documented?

So will he be going into reception, or year 1, or are they mixed classes?

Happy and safe more important than anything else at this age IMO. He is a bright boy and will pick up the academics - it's the other stuff that matters.

MrsS

Rudy, go you! And CDiff is a combination of Difficult Client/Client Difficile and Clostridium Difficile. It makes me feel better. I don't get out much.

Well done Rudy

Herbs, do you feel properly reassured or did it seem as though she was making excuses?

BTM, what a disappointment about worktop! Could you claim on insurance?

MrsS, how do you stand it? Where are you with Operation E.S?

Having to list my achievements for appraisal. Always start out thinking there's nothing to put down. Always surprised by how it adds up. Positives are so quickly forgotten, not least by me. How do you self-employed types keep track of them?

Ugh, appraisals.....Fortunately they haven't caught on at my current company, but at the big multinational I used to work for they came around like bloody clockwork. Auriga, you know what they say: if you don't blow your own trumpet no one else will blow it for you.

BTM - oh my goodness I would be seething about the worktop. How on earth did she burn it? Can it be hidden by a strategically placed fruit bowl or similar? Good point about checking insurance, but you will probably find you eventually stop noticing it, even if it probably seems like a massive blemish right now.

Rudy, sympathies regarding DBro. Not everyone is good at handling these situations, so he probably just needs a gentle steer in the right direction. I think you are right that his snappishness at your DM is more a coping mechanism for him than anything else.

Go Herbs on the anti bullying warpath.... Even if it turns out to be no more than "rough play" without malice the situation is clearly upsetting for DS and needs to be dealt with. Immediately, if not sooner!

DD2 did her Leavers Play this afternoon, which was a charmingly amateur variety show they put together themselves. DD2 pranced about on stage to a Little Mix song, and did some singing. Then out to the field for a BBQ in the sunshine (and Pimms for parents), followed by a disco for the kids. She finally got home exhausted and sweaty at 9.30pm. Last day tomorrow - hoorah.

Hi all - catching up. Go Herbs! Spot on! Reflecting mucho yesterday on the difference a school can make. Ds so much happier and thriving in this school. Leavers assembly was fab, loads of lovely comments and it was just great to see how much the children all care for each other.
Not as much of a blub fest as I expected, but I cried when I got him from school because he was in bits!
BTM hope something can be sorted, the fruit bowl wouldn't work for because I'd know if was there!
MrsS - 100k plus and arguing about desks go to know public money is being well spent

Actually MrsS more at their treatment of you....I think I'd have monumentally lost it by now

Hello everybody - I'm back in France and unlimited internet access although I did persuade DF to leave it on all the time by the end of the week. I have to say my parents are getting very old and showing all the habits of old people that would have driven DF mad when he was younger.

The painters have finished - yay so we just need to get the furniture back in and reorganise DS's tiny room for DD1 - she's going to uni so he gets the biggest room.

Herbs - have followed the saga of your lovely little boy. I hope it works out for him - it's awful that children cannot be who they are.

Rose - have thought about your DS - glad he's OK.

BTM grrrr over work surface. Hope you and DD are on speaking terms - I know I would not be pleased (enormous understatement) if this had happened to me.

Going to get some food in today as DH seems to have survived for a week on bread and a cheese!

Hatty welcome back. Bread and cheese is my staple 'go to' when I'm on my own too! Nowt wrong with it! Here we are off to my mum for a couple of days. Dp gone to live on campus for 10 days....

All fun...

Oh bugger, I am already crying.