What is hacking you off today?

[* ORM *]

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37383914

Please anyone tell me I'm not dreaming. 10 years old FFS. The world is seriously ****ed up. Someone PLEASE explain this bull to me

 

[Mad Cyril]

The absolute chaos at Westcliff High School for girls at the 11+ exam.

I never realised how many people from London try to get their kids into the regions grammars. Some parents had even made their kids wear their private school uniform for some reason.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Grassroots clubs actively publishing and celebrating 10, 15, 20-0 victories for age groups as young as U7. Pathetic grandstanding from adults who should know better.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Grassroots clubs actively publishing and celebrating 10, 15, 20-0 victories for age groups as young as U7. Pathetic grandstanding from adults who should know better.

Pressure makes diamonds.

 

[londonblue]

Grassroots clubs actively publishing and celebrating 10, 15, 20-0 victories for age groups as young as U7. Pathetic grandstanding from adults who should know better.

Agreed. My boys play in the Excel league. The scores are never even published. Last Monday I worked from home so was able to take my eldest to his football training in the evening. I had a really long chat with the guy that runs Excel. Their philosophy is great.

For the first 10-15 minutes of training all they do is practice skills. Even kids as young as 8 are doing things I could never do. Then they do some structured training and finish with a 5 a-side. He was saying that in an hour each child should get at least 200 touches of the ball. It was pretty obvious that they get plenty more than that.

I contrasted that with the training I did at that age: in one hour we did about 50 minutes of fitness training followed by a rolling winner stays on 3 a side. If you were lucky you got to play two matches.

As far as he's concerned the score is (at this stage) irrelevant. He wants the kids to not feel pressured into only trying things that they know they can do. At this age they need to be learning and experimenting without the pressure of having to win.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Grassroots clubs actively publishing and celebrating 10, 15, 20-0 victories for age groups as young as U7. Pathetic grandstanding from adults who should know better.

Nothing like ruining the confidence of a kid on the end of such a hammering. Maybe there should be a "mercy" rule when it gets to 5-0.

 

[manor15]

The absolute chaos at Westcliff High School for girls at the 11+ exam.

I never realised how many people from London try to get their kids into the regions grammars. Some parents had even made their kids wear their private school uniform for some reason.

The Westcliff schools are particularly bad for having a lot coming in from London, but it is really surprising how few of the kids starting grammar school come from the local area. When I started there were no more than a 10/15 kids out of 150 from outside of south east Essex, but the youngest year group starting when I left was about 50:50.

The uniform thing isn't new though, when I say mine years ago all of the teachers recommended everyone sitting the 11+ do it in uniform, apparently helps them to focus and gets them in the right mindset. That said, my polo shirt and jumper combo at primary school wasn't as smart as the hats and blazers some of the private school lot wear.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Agreed. My boys play in the Excel league. The scores are never even published. Last Monday I worked from home so was able to take my eldest to his football training in the evening. I had a really long chat with the guy that runs Excel. Their philosophy is great.

Scores for all leagues U14 and below are not meant to be published, and league tables are not kept until U12 in most leagues, but unfortunately that doesn't stop some coaches and clubs pushing it all over social media. Nick Levett, who heads up the FA's Talent ID team, retweeted some Liverpool-based grassroots club this weekend who were waxing lyrical about their U9 side winning 27-0. Given that they only play 25 minutes each way, that takes some doing and is fairly evident of a no-holes barred culture from the coach/club. One club round my way has too been publishing all of their scores for some time now, but only ever if they win.

Nothing like ruining the confidence of a kid on the end of such a hammering. Maybe there should be a "mercy" rule when it gets to 5-0.

Some leagues do. The unofficial guidance (in that the FA can't instruct you to, but it's considered best practice) is to take a kid off if you're winning by such a ridiculous scoreline.

 

[jassyfa1]

The absolute chaos at Westcliff High School for girls at the 11+ exam.

I never realised how many people from London try to get their kids into the regions grammars. Some parents had even made their kids wear their private school uniform for some reason.

it as a mare around the school on Saturday, thousands of parents queuing up all around the block. Are they doing more exams today?

 

[londonblue]

Some leagues do. The unofficial guidance (in that the FA can't instruct you to, but it's considered best practice) is to take a kid off if you're winning by such a ridiculous scoreline.

In the Excel league the referees (i.e. the coaches) will intervene if a game is too one sided. I'm not sure exactly what they're able to do, but they do ensure the scores are kept sensible.

However, for the most part that isn't necessary because they also ensure the teams are fairly evenly matched. Nearly all the kids go to Excel training so the teams are picked at the beginning of the season to ensure there is a pretty even spread of ability in each team. Once a team is set, they stay together until they go up to the next size group. For example, my eldest played in the same team for two years playing 5 a side (with 7 in a squad). Now they play 7 a side with 9 in a squad so the teams have been re-jigged, but again to ensure the teams are evenly matched.

 

[Gremlin]

The Westcliff schools are particularly bad for having a lot coming in from London, but it is really surprising how few of the kids starting grammar school come from the local area. When I started there were no more than a 10/15 kids out of 150 from outside of south east Essex, but the youngest year group starting when I left was about 50:50.

Out of interest why do you think this is bad? Isn't your story an example of the the kind of "social mobility" that some say grammar schools fail to give?

 

[manor15]

Out of interest why do you think this is bad? Isn't your story an example of the the kind of "social mobility" that some say grammar schools fail to give?

Poor wording on my part, didn't mean that it was a negative as such just that the situation of more pupils from outside the area is more extreme.

Personally I'm a big fan of grammar schools but that is based on my personal experience, I know that I got a far better education and far more opportunities there than I would have if I had just gone to the local secondary school, it's not for everyone but I know so many people who got to excel who wouldn't have if they hadn't have had that opportunity to go to grammar school.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Meeting rooms here are at a premium, you have to book them a few weeks out if you want a decent one rather than one the size of a shoebox. It really grinds my gears when, taking all that into account, people are allowed to book them for non-work reasons: Not train spotting, but some spiritual new-age bollox about past lives, UFOs and all that hocus pocus malarky. Take it outside of work you hippy-dippy doofuses.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I made a really lovely almond & cinammon cake over the weekend and I've just eaten the last slice. :sad:

 

[londonblue]

I made a really lovely almond & cinammon cake over the weekend and I've just eaten the last slice. :sad:

Blimey, that didn't last long.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Blimey, that didn't last long.

Factor in a gannet of a daughter & wife. :angry:

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Virgin XXXXXXing rail !

Daughter and ny wife went to Birmingham last week . My daughter has a student rail card so bought here ticket using it (7.60 wickford to Birmingham each way in advance :smile:) but enough of the good stuff.

Daughter forget to take railcard with her
Ticket inspecter will not accept a photograph of railcard proving she has one , nor the argument that if we were trying to defraud Virgin then we would have bought my wifes ticket as though she had a railcard (tickets were bought in one transaction). Addtionally my daughter is a med student (which she could prove) , if she was prosecuted for not ticket she is immediately off the course and would never be allowed in a nother med school- would you take the risk to save £7?

£85.00 for new ticket ! plus conducter confiscates return ticket (fairly sure she had no right to do that)
My wife buys a new return ticket on-line for £20
Wife collects ticket from station
On return jouney ther is another ticket inspector . The machine has screwed up and has printed three pieces of paper, but one is for the previous cusotmer . It prints something that looks like a ticket (seat number, train time, cost ) but it isnt a ticket - i have no idea of its purpose. Inspecter makes mny daughter buy another ticket £51.00 because she doesn't ahve the 'right' piece of paper, even though she has proof that she bought a ticket and proof that the ticket machine screwed up!

So £15.20 journey (7.60 each way ) cist £15.20+£85+£20+£51.20 =£171.40.

Speaing to Virgin, well not actually speaking to them as customer services is email only- you can leave a message but they ignore it.

Their line is they are not interested.

We shouln't havee forgotten student rail card, and should have checked what the ticket machine prodcued. The fact that we can prove my daughter had a raulcard, and we can prove that the ticket machine was at fault are both apparently irrelvant

******s !

Tweet Beardy Branson.

If that doesn't get a response try Corbyn as his team are desperate to get one over Virgin.

 

[londonblue]

Factor in a gannet of a daughter & wife. :angry:

I see what you mean. You needed to wolf the whole lot down before they had a chance!

 

[RHB]

Poor wording on my part, didn't mean that it was a negative as such just that the situation of more pupils from outside the area is more extreme.

Personally I'm a big fan of grammar schools but that is based on my personal experience, I know that I got a far better education and far more opportunities there than I would have if I had just gone to the local secondary school, it's not for everyone but I know so many people who got to excel who wouldn't have if they hadn't have had that opportunity to go to grammar school.

That's grammar school education for you.

 

[Chocolardo]

Virgin XXXXXXing rail !

Daughter and ny wife went to Birmingham last week . My daughter has a student rail card so bought here ticket using it (7.60 wickford to Birmingham each way in advance :smile:) but enough of the good stuff.

Daughter forget to take railcard with her
Ticket inspecter will not accept a photograph of railcard proving she has one , nor the argument that if we were trying to defraud Virgin then we would have bought my wifes ticket as though she had a railcard (tickets were bought in one transaction). Addtionally my daughter is a med student (which she could prove) , if she was prosecuted for not ticket she is immediately off the course and would never be allowed in a nother med school- would you take the risk to save £7?

£85.00 for new ticket ! plus conducter confiscates return ticket (fairly sure she had no right to do that)
My wife buys a new return ticket on-line for £20
Wife collects ticket from station
On return jouney ther is another ticket inspector . The machine has screwed up and has printed three pieces of paper, but one is for the previous cusotmer . It prints something that looks like a ticket (seat number, train time, cost ) but it isnt a ticket - i have no idea of its purpose. Inspecter makes mny daughter buy another ticket £51.00 because she doesn't ahve the 'right' piece of paper, even though she has proof that she bought a ticket and proof that the ticket machine screwed up!

So £15.20 journey (7.60 each way ) cist £15.20+£85+£20+£51.20 =£171.40.

Speaing to Virgin, well not actually speaking to them as customer services is email only- you can leave a message but they ignore it.

Their line is they are not interested.

We shouln't havee forgotten student rail card, and should have checked what the ticket machine prodcued. The fact that we can prove my daughter had a raulcard, and we can prove that the ticket machine was at fault are both apparently irrelvant

******s !

Sounds like it was their fault both times.

Typical that they have tried to say it was someone else's fault