From previous experience ( London) the landlord gets it just as bad, £750 to find and vet a tenant, £ 500 for a renewal because they have to re do the financial checks apparently.

Just done the glass, remove glass, make a mix of bicarb and washing up liquid apply liberally, leave it for a while (few hours) have a go with one of those green pan scrubs. Mine came up as good as new.

i’ve been known to put commuting tyres on to ride nmd, make the mud more of a challenge

never realised there are some many singletrack people around Sandal

School Lane is Walton I believe. Haven’t lived in Walton so I can’t help.

Where in sandal?

It’s not as fashionable. There are good bits and bad bits like anywhere else, because of it’s size and population the good bits are closer to the bad bits.

I have a question with regard access to private education , two scenarios…..

A family with a income of 40 k who own there own home (mortgaged) that have modest savings and some equity in their property….I assume they would fall into what some describe as middle class etc

A family on benefits or min wage, no savings, rented house etc

Which scenario provides the more realistic access to private education? Assuming 2 kids, fees of 10k a year for each child

Think the superiority thing comes more from parents rather than a private school and takes many forms such as those who believe they are superior because they have more money, a private education or even those who feel they are morally superior due to their political views….takes all sorts to make the world.

If you don’t mind eBay an old version of the stompa high sleeper might be worth a look, with the benefit that you can sand/paint etc when you are finished and sell it on.

Well unfortunately it would appear this thread has taken it’s predictable course. Thanks to those who contributed a view/opinion/experience whilst respecting other peoples views/experiences/opinions without the need to try to prove them wrong.

If money was not an issue my kids would be more than likely going private. It is a good school and that is not just based on exam results (I understand this is not representative due to the selective nature) it is also the extracurricular opportunities and the value they place on them (for my kids sport, which they both love). It would also be part due to the selective nature with respect to ‘behaviour’ .

I think, if you looked as a cost:benefit issue, you’d be spending an awful lot of money for a very small potential benefit: academic issues can be countered with private tuition (or parental help); sport can be done out of school; behaviour and attitude come from home. All these are far cheaper.

I don’t disagree with this to be honest, it tends to form a large part of the against discussion. However this….

bikemike1968 – Member
My 8 yr old is at the local state primary, which has an “excellent” ofsted rating.
Last year (year 2) was a disaster. Without wanting to boast, my lad is pretty bright and is consistently top of is class in most subjects. Unfortunately year 2 is all about getting as many kids as possible through their Sats exams.
This meant my son was basically ignored all year as he didn’t need any teaching to pass his Sats; all the teachers attention was on the less able kids. Having freewheeded for a year he is finding it a bit of a shock having to work again.
This is at one of the best state schools in the area, I dread to think what the inner city state schools are like.
I’m desperately trying to raise the funds for private secondary education.

Is remarkably like the concerns I described earlier…..

The parents sending their kids to the local state comp clearly don’t want what’s best for their kids.

We could have moved the the ‘right’ part of town to be close to the ‘good’ school. We could have remortgaged ourselves to the hilt and taken extra jobs to send our kids private. We could have lied about our religion to get into a particular school.

Instead, we made the selfish decision to live within our means, for my wife to give up work, and to be able to spend time with our kids.

This to some degree will play a big part in our choice, it is at present not a viable option for us due to similar life style choices as above. For it to be possible I would have to return to work in a role that enabled me to essentially work school hours whilst providing the lions share of the fees.

Teamhurtmore… This is part of my research, if you cut through some of the arguments there are some decent points made/advice. I have my own opinions and to some degree predjudices. Before I had kids I would never have considered sending them private….my feelings have changed to some degree based upon my experiences so far. At the end of the day I just want to give my kids the best opportunity I can.

How do people feel with regard staying at the same school to a levels vs school to gcse then college for a levels? Any benefits in either scenario?

Oh and the 3 year old kid shouting to his brother axel ‘f*** off kn**b head’ through the class room window while his mum watched on and said nothing may have started me thinking about it a bit more. Why this shocked me I have no idea I’m hardly the most refined of people.

Markie…that something to consider both mine are summer born.

Jamb.. I kind of lean to state school but I have in recent weeks argued both sides of the coin. I just get the feeling the state school has so much pressure to get ‘all’ kids to a certain level, those kids that get to that level quickly fall off the radar while the focus moves to those who need extra help. Not that I’m blaming the teachers/school I understand why it happens.

From my own experience my rugby tour when I was a kid, two days in wales. The private school….a week in South Africa ….what I wouldn’t give for that opportunity.

Actually worried is not the right word, concerned maybe. Also it is not the the quality of the state schooling that is the major driver in the debate it is whether private school would provide a significantly better experience for them.

You’re worried because your kid is bright, well-liked and seen as a leader? Hate to see your reaction to him getting in trouble.

No I’m worried that unless he is challenged he will get bored and find an alternative way to occupy his time. I’m also worried being constantly paired with the kids that misbehave, some of that behaviour will rub off on him.

For reference the debate has arisen in the bernard house due to the following factors.

We have a very good private school not too far away, which has a good reputation both academic and extra curricular.
The state school, primary and secondary are pretty good to be honest and the kids are happy and doing well. That said the the clientele is very mixed and does impact on the opportunities they have.

My elder son was on the top table for phonics, maths etc has recently been moved. I asked if there was anything we needed to help him with at home to help his progress. I was given a lot of waffle about him doing okay etc and they are not concerned about his progress. I was told later by someone who volunteers at the school he was moved to try and encourage/help/lead by example some of the less able kids which I do not have a problem with so long as it does not affect his progress. I can’t help but think it will..

He also tends to get partnered with the badly behaved kids because ‘ he is a good influence’ this worries me for some reason. He also loves sport the chance to do sport at his current primary is a bit limited.

The flip side of the argument is we are not rolling in it, school fees would have a massive impact on the quality of our lives assuming we could scrape enough together to pay for them both when the time came.

why?
Because our nanny-state culture has led to a lack of individual responsibility of course.

We should look to countries that place a great emphasis on individualism as an example, like the US.

Ah that bastion of personal responsibility, where there is blame there is a claim.

I have a question, when ever I have seen those ‘the only way I can lose weight is to have a gastric band fitted’ type programmes the doc’s say ok you need to lose x amount of kg to make the surgery less of a risk……the person who wants the surgery alway’s manages to shed the weight through diet/exercise to get to the weight required. Does this not then dispel the I need surgery excuse?

I prefer policy by evidence, rather than bullying and internet-opinion. Studies show that asking people to take individual responsibility doesn’t work.

Look at smoking; how did we hugely turI prefer policy by evidence, rather than bullying and internet-opinion. Studies show that asking people to take individual responsibility doesn’t

Good for you, I expect people to take responsibility for their actions and not blame everyone else.

Blaming individuals isn’t the answer, and bullying or bribing individuals won’t make and difference. We need a wholesale change in the way our transport infrastructure is set up, to drive us all toward active travel. We need major changes to food labelling and taxation to stop us eating so much sugar.

Or alternatively people need to take responsibility for how many pizza and biscuits they eat and stop expecting someone else to fix it for them.

Toxic why do you think bates kept leeds afloat? It was not him who bought the club it was an unknown investor according to ken, he did not become involved at leeds for the sake of the club he became involved to line his own pockets. He also nearly ruined the club taking into administration for a second time, before a mysterious investor bought it back in rather curious circumstances….we would not be around without him…why because it’s what he told everyone time and time again. There were other bidders the first time around and the second time around.

Leeds
Bates, Wise, o’Leary, Harvey, Risdale and more recently warnock.

For Dave b wonder the bates stabilised the club comment, remember he did not actually own the club he was just running it for some unknown investor. He swore that in court after he put the club in administration for the second time, taking a 15 point penalty making the leeds position very unstable, then proceeded to piss money on vanity building projects, loss making business ventures, court cases, his own expenses etc blah blah whilst treating the fans like dirt alledgedly. Oh and I forgot selling the best players while investing naff all in the playing squad……where did all that money go ? Delph, gradel, beckford, howson, snodgrass, Lennon etc

shhhhh binners will hear you

No problem these things do not happen by random chance you know

Bernard, I sincerely hope I have not offended you

Nope not offended at all appreciate the enquiry though, especially now I have realised where the problem came from.

That’s unfortunate. And quite hurtful, if I’m honest. But your certainly not alone in your opinion. Or wrong, for that matter.

I was going to ask you if you fancied nipping out for a pint later? Fancy it?

Unfortunately I have plans to make, work to do, kids to look after and a pious preach to prepare not forgetting that lottery ticket, I will never be a sucess without a bit of luck

I will add another one, having just read my original post I now realise what all the furore was about… :oops:

molgrips – Member
Part of it is luck. If you are born with the aptitude to do well in something that pays well, that is fortune. Plenty of people work their fingers to the bone and still can’t earn enough to buy a house on two salaries never mind one.

I know how lucky I am that my wife does not have to work. Even though it would help a lot if she did.

Anyway this is a stupid argument. The OP did not plan, he knows this. So why are you queuing up to berate him for it? Are you trying to act like parents to a wayward child or something? OP is an adult. What are you expecting? The OP to issue a statement of surrender admitting that you are better than him? Would that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

bernard – Member
Mole grips…rubbish, she worked f..ing hard all through school, uni, job to get where she is. And as for the rest of your post I past no judgment on the op’s position or stated that I am in anyway better than him. So you can politely stick your post where the sun does not shine if any of it is directed at me.

I’m holding my hands up to my post being ill judged, red mist must have desended and I did not fully comprehend what Molgrips had said can’t even remember reading the bit about other people working etc

What I should have said was

‘Mole grips she worked f..ing hard all through school, uni, job to get where she is and I beleive the overriding reason she has acheived what she has and we are in the position we are in is due to hard work and planning’ When people say ‘you are lucky to be in that position’ the impression I get is they beleive luck played the major part and the hard work/planning is not recognised

And as for the rest of your post I past no judgment on the op’s position or stated that I am in anyway better than him. So you can politely stick your post where the sun does not shine if any of it is directed at me

In summary I agree with molgrips, I have poor language skills, it has however proved entertaining oh and I think binners is an arse

Oh and Bernard, one of my parents chose to live here and another has been here as long as we can trace back. Choose to acknowledge it or not, but chance has had it’s hand in your current circumstance for good or ill. It’s not entirely your fault or due entirely to your application

I did right near the begining of this

No, you misunderstand. I’m not trying to say anything about you personally. What I mean is that to do well, you need an element of luck. Or if you prefer, you need to avoid bad luck.
I’ve not said people succeed ONLY because of luck. But you need good luck AND hard work, as I said earlier. Some need more luck than others, some need to work harder than others

maybe I have, as above the original post was ‘ you are lucky you can afford to ‘ I hear this alot and as I said it gets on my tit’s it would imply the reason for our cicumstances is down to ‘luck’ it is not, not once did I say I have never had luck but theoveriding reason we are in the position is due to the efforts mentioed before. I will not repeat them because certain individuals appear to take offence at this and throw accusations around about my intentions.

See I said I had misunderstood what Molgrips was saying and I said I had not been clear in what I had said (due to poor language skills apparently)the bit in bold I should have put in my original post. The discussion with Molgrips was interesting though.

Ranson …. binners anything else to say before I tootle off, feel free to resort to insults it would appear to be the mainstay of your posts.

Summed up perfectly ransos! Just some of the many pieces of good fortune we all encounter on a daily basis. Call it luck, if you believe it exists, of course.

Though some have the good grace to acknowledge it, with a quiet thank you to God/Allah/Karma/The cosmos/the tooth fairy, and others think that its all down to their own undisputed, grandiose genius, boundless talent, and faultless decision making. And all these people seem to consider it an almost religious, evangelical mission to let the rest of the world know that if only we were all more like them……..

I’ve met a thousand of the latter. Unfortunately. Now I’ve encountered one more

Lucky you

Yes, and within that stable, prosperous country, I was born to parents who wanted me and provided a secure home, cared about my welfare and education, and supported me through university. Without that background, it’s very unlikely I would find myself in my current, comfortable situation.

If that’s not luck, I don’t know what is.

Did your parents make a ‘choice’ to live in this country or leave it to random chance?

How did you get to such a lofty station in life with such poor communication skills?

Luck obviously

molgrips – like i said i cant play much today, however I have enjoyed debating ‘luck’ with you.
I prefer to beleive that we are in our situation through hard work and planning and not ‘random chance’. I have never said i havent had ‘luck’, I have never held up my own situation as a success nor have I ‘implied’ that if you deemed someone elses situation as not a success it is down to not working hard enough. I have tried to keep the discussion about my situation not other peoples. I would prefer my kids to grow up beleiving that if you work hard and plan rather than leave it to ‘random chance’ you can be successful (how ever you chose to measure that. I think to say for example my wifes ‘sucess’ is down in part to ‘random chance’ belittles the work she put in to acheive her measure of ‘sucess’

You may disagree with this and that is your choice, you may interpret it in a different way to how I intend it to be interpreted that is unfortunate and maybe in part down to my language skills.

So IF everyone can succeed if they work hard, then logically those who have not succeeded have not worked hard.

did i say everyone?