General Chat

SylviaInCanada I couldn't agree more.

Employers are already doing things like checking out people's faceache accounts, Twitter etc etc.

It is a show made purely for entertainment and viewing figures - as the previous series set in Yorkshire and Essex have demonstrated.

I attended a mixed school, and taught in an all girls school


What going to a mixed school taught me was that girls could just as clever, if not more so, than boys ................ girls came first in sciences just as often as the boys did. And conversely, boys could come top in arts subjects just as often as the girls did.

The school I taught at had a brother school ..... and many of the girls fell for the boys line that boys were better than girls at sciences.

I spent a lot of time convincing 6th formers that they were just as clever as the boys!

been thinking Errol, after reading the horrendous statistics you've quoted about Cardiff, why you ever visited her in the first place?

I am more than a,little disappointed that some of the comments on this thread are becoming personal .....................

it is a very interesting discussion, and there is no need to be personal about others' experiences.


We all have our own experiences of the English system ............... I could add my experiences with the US and Canadian systems but many of would not find that interesting, or of use.


I do know the effect that the changeover from Grammar School to Comprehensive had on one of my 3 nieces.

They lived in the Manchester area. The two elder ones passed the 11+ and went to the Grammar School for their area. The younger one was 5 years younger, and the school had become Comprehensive by the time she was ready to move up from the Junior School. Her middle sister was still at the school, and the parents were told that it was no longer the Comprehensive school that their younger daughter should attend BUT as it was the school the sisters had attended, then the youngest could also go.

Brother and his wife had had excellent experiences with the 2 older girls with good teachers etc etc, so were glad for the younger one to also attend.

Unfortunately, it was not in a very salubrous area of the city, in fact, it was probably in one of the worst areas! So the girls who now attended were not in the least inclined to work ............. or to allow anyone else to work. Plus the teachers, while some good ones remained, could no longer be as effective as they were

My youngest niece was threatened with knives and ordered not to do any school work "or you know what will happen to you"

The most intelligent of the 3 left school at 16 with no qualifications at all.


OK ............. so maybe my brother and his wife should have moved her to another school ......... except she didn't tell them the worst of what happened, and they didn't know how to work the system.

Well I will be watching it anyway.......despite some poor reviews on this thread :-D :-D

Sylvia, no, no opportunity to learn Shorthand/typing. We had domestic science and needlework in first two years only unless doing domestic science at Olevel. I am not criticizing the school by the way, it was an excellent school, just not right for me. Although my Mum was very proud I went there. Maybe thatw as my problem too, my parents had no ability to help me at all with homework.

AnnC ............

I wonder why you ask that question?

it has no connection to this thread, and really is no business of anyone else.

Some of us have no choice in the places we visit ................ work is the most often reason for sending us to a place we don't want to go to, or we find after visiting that somewhere is not where we want to be.

I did not know that I did not want to live in the US until after I'd lived there for a year.

I did not know that there were better places that the town where I was born until I left and experienced those other places. I now know there are many much better places .............. and much as I love where I currently live, I also know there are some other places in other parts of the world where I could be equally happy if we had to move from here for some reason.

the reason I asked the question Sylvia is simply because the other night Errol put up a thread relating to my bout of illness - he asked people to rally round as I was a very kind person, even at one time letting him sleep over at my house!!! A blatant lie of course - and a slur on my character - he was asked to apologise but he never did - now had he said the same thing about you, how would you feel, so if I am being personal, that is the reason why - and the fact that he has come on this thread is purely because "Cardiff" features in the title

AnnG ............

You wre unlucky!!

I was unlucky in the sense that we "academic stream girls" were not allowed to do shorthand and typing ............. the reason was that we would never need it

Oh how wrong they were!!

What did I need at university? A quick method to take notes in lectures

What did I need when I became a research assistant? The ability to type information, research papers, proposals etc.

I taught myself to type while in my first job in the US ........... the boss went away for a 6 week field trip, I finished the work he had left after the 2nd week, and spent the rest of the time trying to teach myself on a Selectric. I still only use 2, occasionally 3, fingers :-D

AnnC ............


your seeming vendetta with Errol is really rather boring, and has no place on the open threads.

I know not what has gone on between you, nor do I care.

I do object to having to continually read the jibes.


In my humble opinion ............ it would be much better for the rest of us if you could just laugh, and let it all slide in the dim distant past.

you have your opinion, I have mine - what he posted was scandalous and until he apologises I will not let it go - you might let it go, but I will not - and as for using open threads, Errol posted that libellous comment on an open forum for all to see

I don't give a jot what you think

furthermore - you asked me why I had asked the question and now you've had the answer

I happen to be a parent of a child who attended one of those schools "Poorly" rated by Wales online. It wouldn't have been my choice but choice was something I didn't have given the area we live.

Private education was something I couldn't contemplate, I just don't have the funds.

She did just fine; no she actually did much better than fine, turning down the opportunity to apply for Oxford or Cambridge and settling for a Russell Group university. She graduated last month.

I was going to comment on the TOPIC but really what's the point...
:-(

Well done to your daughter Claire :-)

A child who wants to do well will achieve no matter what happens as long as they work hard and have the support of family and friends. Ofsted reports and SATS results are sometimes very misleading.

Oh go on Rose...........I look forward to your posts :-D

Congratulations to your daughter Claire :-D

There's every point Rose, we were sidetracked by the first goading snipe then the absolute trashing of Cardiff and everything associated with it :-0

Thanks Kitty and Rose. I'm off topic a bit but thought this thread needed someone with first hand experience rather than something they've read on the internet.

You're welcome Claire. It's always good to have information first hand :-D