Public behaviour... or lack of it

[Snoopy]

They still wear uniform (of a sort ~ maroon sweat shirts with school logo and black skirt/trousers, black shoes) but I think is has been a gradually increasing erosion rather than an identifiable date. Much of it to do with the increased need for teaching staff to remain in school after the pupils have left for interminable form filling and meetings. Most teachers (unless "supply") I know of spend until 5 or even 6 pm on these activities, in the school, each day ~ so they simply are not out there when the children are. So the NuLabour greed for ever more and more statistics, reports and assessments has played a large part in this.
In my day the race was to see who got out of the gates first ~ Boys or Staff.

[The Moan Ranger]

In my days the boys usually won - because most days we lifted their cars up and arranged them in a manner that took and hour to untangle.

And yes, we were caned for that too. The prefects were also involved. Poacher come gamekeeper going back to poacher. Quite funny though.

[Snoopy]

Mine was an all boys school ~from leaving the Infants through Junior and the Secondary the only females either tyoed the Head's letters, served the food or patched up cut knees and looked for nits. Only the head owned a car, two had motor-bikes (with sidecars), the rest either rode a bicycle or caught a bus.

[Pastis]

A different High School (Rhyl) with only 900 pupils has a police office within the building and two officers in attendance throughout each and every school day ~ although they have downgraded the job to two PCSOs now I see.

Curiously the school in question (near me) is about the same size and certainly has had police officers inside at times.
Other stats which may be of interest: all girls, C of E based, only 10% in the 6th form (how does that compare?), around 50 different languages spoken at home ( ), a significant number (?) with no family or relatives in this country (another  ) i.e. in care. The most recent Ofsted report also lets us know that they're a lively, loud and energetic group of individuals... 

[The Moan Ranger]

Yes, but you are extremely old.

My Grammar school (to which my Nephew now goes) had teachers that all had cars (mainly Minis or Austin 1100s and one very nice Ginetta). We had sticks of chalk and rotating blackboards. Electricity. Running water, sometimes.

Were they still inventing Latin when you were there, Snoops.

:-)

[Pastis]

By the way this is great material; I'm almost tempted to print it out and take it with me to the meeting!

Anonimity is assured 

[Pastis]

We had sticks of chalk and rotating blackboards.

I mentioned the word blackboard to my nephew recently; he looked at me as if I'd lost my marbles...

"Don't you mean whiteboard?"

[The Moan Ranger]

Successive governments have diluted the discipline both in the classroom and at home. It is what they want. The rights of parents and teachers is now secondary to those of the child. And the vast hordes of public servants that ensure this. All part of the creeping Socialist ideal that has blighted these isles. You HAVE to be part of it, otherwise you will be labelled a troublemaker.

I already have that moniker - like Snoops I can win the odd battle, but it is unlikely I can win the war.

[Snoopy]

Yes, but you are extremely old.

My Grammar school (to which my Nephew now goes) had teachers that all had cars (mainly Minis or Austin 1100s and one very nice Ginetta). We had sticks of chalk and rotating blackboards. Electricity. Running water, sometimes.

Were they still inventing Latin when you were there, Snoops.

:-)

Extremely

The family joke is that when I joined the RAF Pontius was still flying, Centurian was a rank, not a tank and we marched to the cadence Sinister, Dexter, Sinister, Dexter.

It is however true that Mrs S#2 started at infants school the same year that I joined the RAF 

[Bar Wench]

I think a lot of the reason that the in loco parentis status changed to 15:30 was because of the parents. The majority of parents don't like teachers discipling their little darlings when they are in school never mind out of the grounds!

Plus, knife/gun culture and the violence in today's disaffected yoof mean that teachers are frankly scared to do anything about it. I certainly don't encourage Mr Wench to "intefere" out of the classroom as the kids and the parents are simply too volatile and you can never tell what will happen next.

The overwhelming percentage of female teachers? Personally I think it comes down to money. There are lots of men who I imagine would look at teaching as a career if you could even begin to look at raising a family on it. Unless you become a head the pay is a pittance and with today's culture of more is better a teaching salary doesn't even begin to cover it. Mr Wench trained with ten other men, only three of them are still teaching and all seven of those no longer doing so name an insufficient wage as the reason they have left.

[Snoopy]

See comments about household income in my Commons Thread re "So it's our fault now is it?"

Income for teachers is not a pittance. Most earn well above the national average. Whether their income matches their high aspirations and self opinion is another matter ~ but they knew the salary scales BEFORE they took the training ~ it is hardly a state secret is it.

[Bar Wench]

Ok a pittance might be pushing it. But above the national average? Really? Of the people we know who aren't in the teaching profession Mr Wench's salary is well below theirs!  But then we do live in the south east which probably has something to do with it.

But as you say, we knew what they were when we got into it. Which is why we, personally, don't complain about it anymore than any other individual moans about their pay. But then we live a quiet life. We don't take big holidays, have a huge mortgage, only run one car. We are realistic about it. And Mr Wench got into teaching knowing it would never make us fortune but the benefits outweighed that.

[Uncle Mort]

Not a state secret at all and they don't look like a pittance to me either:

Teacher's pay scales

Then there's the pension scheme, TLRs and better holidays. For London teachers, additional allowance and the Low Cost Housing Scheme.

[Bar Wench]

Low cost housing scheme 

Surely a couple both on an above average wage should be able to afford to buy something other than a studio flat and not hit the overdraft every month?

Like I say I'm not complaining because we knew what we were letting ourselves in for but I do find it laughable that if you are on above average wage for the country you can't afford to buy the average home.

[Snoopy]

There were in excess of 1000 teaching vacancies in TES last week.
You do not have to live in the most expensive part of the country. As an "essential worker" Mr Wench would qualify for assistance in buying a property (Shared Ownership schemes exist for that very reason). Anyway what is so great about owning a house? The upkeep alone will ensure you never have any money (am I not right Nick?) ~ at least when renting you don't have that to worry about. The problem is a lack of "public" housing, be it Housing Associations or Local Councils and for that we have to blame the British Middle Class obsession with property ownership. No other country has this problem and citizens of most countries are happy to rent. My niece (a teacher of infants) in Switzerland rents a suberb flat (three beds, dining room, living room, kitchen, shower room, bathroom and a cellar) from her local town council. Everyone does. Her neighbour is a doctor at the local hospital.
I have know Dutch people who rent their flat in Amsterdam and their weekend house in the country. They do not wish to own property.