Arvon creative writing workshop part 3

I did a lot of writing at my Yorkshire writing workshop, and some of it was in the form of a log of my feelings and responses day-by-day.

( What I would have posted to LJ, had there been internet access :-) )

Schools update!

After the school horror trauma that some of you read about in this journal in September, we have had the opposite experience tonight! Because yes, people, it's Open Evening season again. This time for sixth-form colleges.

Info to non-UK residents: Children attend primary school and then secondary school, and after Year 11 (which is actually Year 12 because kiddies start out at 'reception' before moving onto Year 1), students move to sixth form college which includes Years 12 and 13 (or the Lower Sixth and the Upper Sixth). Some secondary schools run their own sixth forms, integrated into the school.

Now, t'older boy has been going to a private school up the road (the one his brother now goes to as well after the educational débâcle of September). We went to the Open Evening of his private school and it is the safe option but a bit boring and small, and the boys all wear khaki chinos and marine blazers with brass buttons, and they do this voluntarily, it's not their uniform. Also, now that teh younger son is at the same school, we cannot afford to keep teh older one there but after the September trauma I was prepared to pimp myself in order to scrape together the money if needs be.

Then we visited one other college last week, and tonight we went to the college up our road which is billed as the best state sixth form in the country and it is! It exceeded expectations! I got rather over-excited with relief; and teh boy is totally happy and met fellow dudes, and the principal was delightfully articulate; there was no powerpoint presentation, blitzing us with glitzy pictures and bullet points; every single student we talked to was alert, enthusiastic, articulate and did not wear khaki chinos; the facilities are roomy and state-of-the-art, and I just hope he gets in!!! The academic standard is incredibly high: 99 percent of students pass, and 48 percent (!!!) get As. This is higher than the expensive private school, but that eps had better provide teh boy with the grades required to get into this sixth-form heaven. There are 2000 students there so the variety and extra-curricular opportunities are fabulous.

The roller coaster of being a parent is exhausting. *collapses*