A bag of chips
Today we went to look at a propective school in Edmonton, North London so surfing took a rest. The depressing event required the measure of spiritual lift that only a bag of chips can fulfil.
North London is a reliable place to find chip shops - Hackney has one (Faulkners), Islington's Upper Street has a couple and here's another in Edmonton. I'd call it 'traditional' which means they sell no kebab but they do sell you a huge bag of chips. I'd also call this a complete meal that creates the best rush of cholesterol you can buy. It comes in flavours: cooking oil, fried chicken or fish. However we needed cheering up after this:
How to feel miserable in a couple of hours
Edmonton, North London is home to a state funded grammar school that parents clamber to get their kids into. For the reasonably well to-do, Latymer is a no-cost option to a private school. The school open day was packed, its organisation shambolic and the atmosphere seething and tense. To suffer this is the price you pay to come here. Without reflecting on the quality of the teaching that takes place, we came away that free brings its disadvantages. Hec if they're this good at marketing, just imagine how you're going to be treated as a customer.
The school's popularity has generated unusual rudeness towards parents. While teachers were only too pleased to explain their craft, the school admin staff were off-putting, discouraging and blatently rude. Their message: you're very unlikely to get your child in here, we don't need your business, go away. And this is what my taxes pay for. After years of my arguing that publicly funded education (or 'state education') was the best way, this is embarrassing.
Hilariously, this school, which clearly spends very little effort or money on marketing pleads poverty to the visiting parents. They insist on a payment to handle each application for a place. The price is a book of stamps or an asked-for shamelessly two pounds. And they're quite rude about it!
Contrast this to the annual school fairs in Islington and Hackney where some schools were happy to press a few £££ worth of glossy print in your hand. Because of an imminent move out of range of those schools we were not able to consider these schools. Nevertheless they left us with a good feeling about state schooling. The Latymer School sadly shamed it. I hope their PR improves.
Latymer grammar school - bargain education - demanding postage stamps with menaces
Today we went to look at a propective school in Edmonton, North London so surfing took a rest. The depressing event required the measure of spiritual lift that only a bag of chips can fulfil.
North London is a reliable place to find chip shops - Hackney has one (Faulkners), Islington's Upper Street has a couple and here's another in Edmonton. I'd call it 'traditional' which means they sell no kebab but they do sell you a huge bag of chips. I'd also call this a complete meal that creates the best rush of cholesterol you can buy. It comes in flavours: cooking oil, fried chicken or fish. However we needed cheering up after this:
How to feel miserable in a couple of hours
Edmonton, North London is home to a state funded grammar school that parents clamber to get their kids into. For the reasonably well to-do, Latymer is a no-cost option to a private school. The school open day was packed, its organisation shambolic and the atmosphere seething and tense. To suffer this is the price you pay to come here. Without reflecting on the quality of the teaching that takes place, we came away that free brings its disadvantages. Hec if they're this good at marketing, just imagine how you're going to be treated as a customer.
The school's popularity has generated unusual rudeness towards parents. While teachers were only too pleased to explain their craft, the school admin staff were off-putting, discouraging and blatently rude. Their message: you're very unlikely to get your child in here, we don't need your business, go away. And this is what my taxes pay for. After years of my arguing that publicly funded education (or 'state education') was the best way, this is embarrassing.
Hilariously, this school, which clearly spends very little effort or money on marketing pleads poverty to the visiting parents. They insist on a payment to handle each application for a place. The price is a book of stamps or an asked-for shamelessly two pounds. And they're quite rude about it!
Contrast this to the annual school fairs in Islington and Hackney where some schools were happy to press a few £££ worth of glossy print in your hand. Because of an imminent move out of range of those schools we were not able to consider these schools. Nevertheless they left us with a good feeling about state schooling. The Latymer School sadly shamed it. I hope their PR improves.
Latymer grammar school - bargain education - demanding postage stamps with menaces
2 comments:
Having gone to Latymer for 6 years now, I can fully empathise with your contempt for its overblown image eg. full of white middle class boys and girls, whose parents would rather not fork out for private schooling, rude administrators (yes, they are rude) and ridiculously boring/cranky old headteacher. However, the reason you experienced such chaos on the open day is that nearly 2000 people apply. Yes- 2000. Seeing as there are only 180 places, it is understandable that the school tries not to get your hopes up too much, especially for the sake of your kids. Moreover, the reason 2000 people apply, is that it is a truly fantastic place to be (as well as the small bonus of guaranteeing your kid good results, and well yes, freeing your cash up for that house in France you always wanted.) It has to be one of the most accepting places on this planet, with some of the brightest, loveliest people I have ever met (that is not to say that I am necessarily one of them.) Perhaps if you realised that any secondary school open day is going to be fairly average, you would accept that Latymer probably comes off pretty well. In other words, don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
7:08 PM
Thank you for an informed comment. I had met and worked alongside some of the staff here and like many teachers they're good folk. I was most impressed by their concern for the welfare of students and their studies. I'm as good as sure that here was good value education. Schools operating anything like my note do need to work on 'customer relations'. I can't imagine an excuse for not doing so.
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