4to18 spring dummy_2

4to18 WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER

THE ORIGINAL FREE MAGAZINE FOR ALL PARENTS SPRING 2012 CRUISING FOR A BRUISING Should we put our little girls in heels?

It’s so much more than just filling them with facts

HIDDEN DANGERS OF

NEVER BAPTISE YOUR CAT ...and other useful advise from the mouths of babes!

Videos we don’t want our children to see

GLOBAL DIMENSIONS Education out of the classroom and around the world

THE RISE AND RISE OF THE OLDER MUM What does if mean for society?

S IE IT V TI C A R FO S A E ID  E IC V D A  NEWS  FEATURES

The intelligent education magazine

The Manchester Grammar Junior School

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Boys should be seen... and heard!

Exciting and stimulating academic, cultural and sporting education which engages boys.

JUNIOR SCHOOL OPEN EVENT Thursday 19 May 2011 From 4:15 pm to 7:30 pm Entrance by assessment only for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 with automatic entry into Year 7

Glyn sings with the HallÊ Children’s Choir based at MGS

Contact Kath Heathcote 0161 224 7201 ext 234 Old Hall Lane, Manchester M13 0XT Full details at mgs.org

4to18 Spring 2012

“

An education isn’t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It’s being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don’t.

When it launched almost three years ago 4to18 brought something new to the world of free publishing, not just in the North West but in the whole of the UK. Free magazines are nothing new but, generally speaking, they are often just a collection of adverts with a few paragraphs of supporting editorial; from the outset, 4to18 aimed to give the reader a lot more.

It offered generous space for its valued advertisers but it also encouraged them to collaborate on general education features and gave a platform to the educational experts in our schools.

4to18 magazine is aimed squarely at affluent and aspirational parents who care passionately about their children’s education. We want to be a definitive directory of the best schools, goods and services for young people from zero to 18 years old. But more than that, we want to offer a digest of the latest news and views, both local and national that impact on our children’s lives.

Last year I took over the title when Graeme and Mark were forced to stand down due to pressure of time. Graeme has agreed to stay on board to oversee the editorial and this vibrant redesign as we take the magazine to the next level. I share Graeme’s passion and belief in the title and will be bringing many years experience to the task of growing the title into the perfect marketing medium for all schools in the area and a great read for all parents.

Mike

“

Anatole France Novelist (1844 - 1924)

Welcome

M&Q Media

Publishers of 4to18 magazine & Stockport Mail Westend Chambers, 10 Wilmslow Road, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 3HN 0161 498 8088 MANAGING DIRECTOR EDITOR Graeme Alderson FEATURES Nicki Thornhill Advertising Editorial

Mike Sheils mike@4to18.com graeme@4to18.com nicki@4to18.com 0161 498 8088 0161 610 2620

In 1968 about 70% of children ate a meal in school at midday. The food was typically meat and two veg, or perhaps an alternative like macaroni cheese; it was fish on Friday and there was always a cooked dessert like jam sponge and custard.

As this BBC reporter discovered, there were few complaints.

4to18 magazine is published by M&Q Media Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited without the permission of the publishers. Views expressed in 4to18 magazine are not necessarily those of M&Q Media Ltd. M&Q Media Ltd is a registered company.

Information and pictures for some articles have been gathered from various sources and these, together with the advertisements are published in good faith, without responsibility on the part of the publishers or authors for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action, as a result of any views expressed therein. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, we cannot take responsibility for publishing errors, however caused. Special thanks to the organisations that have provided us with information and photographs

The independent education magazine

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We’d like to invite you to a special Preparatory Department open event Friday 6th May Between 10.00am and 12.30pm The event is for those considering entry into Reception class through to Year 6. Should you wish to receive a prospectus in advance, please call our Registrar on 0161 224 0447, or visit manchesterhigh.co.uk Discover how, at MHSG, your daughter will develop a lively love of learning, and thrive both academically and personally in a caring, friendly and secure environment.

The Preparatory Department has an excellent range of extra-curricular activities during lunchtimes and after school.

Children make outstanding progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of the curriculum.

The quality of the pupils’ achievements and their learning, attitudes and skills are outstanding.

Quotes are taken from our latest Independent Schools Inspection Report (October 2010).

You can download a copy at manchesterhigh.co.uk

today’s students, tomorrow’s successful women Grangethorpe Road, Manchester M14 6HS | manchesterhigh.co.uk | Charity registration no: 532295

NEWS

Academy schools ‘inflate results with easy qualifications’ The Government's flagship academy schools have been accused of shifting pupils onto inferior courses to dramatically inflate their GCSE results. Dan Buckley reports.

R

esearch suggests academies – independent state schools, free of local council interference – are more likely to use “easy” vocational qualifications than ordinary comprehensives.

An analysis of official league tables shows that more than two-thirds of the schools were overly reliant on GCSE “equivalent” courses last year.

It came just days after the Government criticised schools for using poor-quality qualifications as an alternative to GCSEs to artificially inflate their headline scores.

The conclusions could prove embarrassing for ministers who have regularly used academies' results as proof that they perform better than the national average – a key plank of their drive to extend academy

status to thousands of other schools.

Dr Terry Wrigley, a visiting professor at Leeds Metropolitan University and editor of the journal Improving Schools, accused many academies of making “excessive” use of equivalent qualifications.

"This seriously inflates the attainment figures for academies, compared with all schools nationally, creating a false impression that they are successful," he said.

Currently, secondary school league tables list pupils' results in GCSEs and alternative qualifications that are converted to give an equivalent score.

Some courses in subjects such as information and communication technology (ICT) are worth the same as four GCSEs. But it is feared that the tables create

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“perverse incentives” by encouraging schools to push pupils onto courses simply to boost their results.

This week, Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, announced that more than 3,000 courses would be cut from league tables in 2014 to clamp down on the practice.

But Dr Wrigley suggested that academies were more likely to play the system than normal community comprehensives.

He analysed the performance of 269 academies listed in the 2011 league tables – comparing them with remaining secondary schools. In all schools, 59.1 per cent of pupils gained five decent grades, including English maths, in both GCSEs and equivalent qualifications. This total dropped to 53.2 per cent when equivalent courses were stripped out – a fall of six percentage points.

But in academies alone, results fell from 50.1 per cent to just 38.3 per cent when equivalents were removed – almost double the size of the gap registered for all schools.

It also emerged that some two-thirds of academies – 183 – saw their results fall by more than six percentage points, the national average.

Dr Wrigley told the BBC: "We have got Michael Gove pushing massively for academies and now even primary schools are being pushed into becoming academies.

OPEN DAY

Saturday May 21st 2011, 10am - 1pm For information on Open Days please contact the School Office

01606 891 747 For a prospectus or to make a personal appointment to see the school, please contact the School Office

Education is our only business

Registered Charity No.1006726

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Nursery & Junior School Open Day

Saturday 19 March 10.00am–12.00 noon For more information, please contact Julie Bedigan on 01625 583028.

Alderley Edge School for Girls, Wilmslow Road, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK9 7QE

Alderley girls have the Edge

Scholarships now available in Year 3 and 4 from September 2011

COMMENT

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Charity or Synergy?

Do education partnerships really work, asks Stuart Leeming

I

Stuart Leeming Deputy High Master The Manchester Grammar School

n England and Wales there has been the perception of an atmosphere of suspicion between the State sector and the Independent sector in education. Nevertheless, and in the face of frequently ambivalent and occasionally hostile reaction from Local Authorities, partnerships of one sort or another between schools in different sectors have developed and prospered.

Indeed, some thirteen years ago now, the Government of the day, riding the wave of Tony Blair’s Education, Education, Education manifesto speech, established the ISSP (Independent/State School Partnership programme) to promote the establishment of such partnerships both by providing funding and by giving permission to Local Authorities to get on board where their ‘sensitivities’ allowed.

Of course, once Government money is involved, so is government influence and accountability. Ofsted issued its first report on partnerships in March 2005 and concluded: most partnerships inspected are effective in fulfilling their objectives.

Terrific; but what does that mean for individual schools?

There is a fundamental question that should be asked by school leaders about any initiative that will affect the way the school operates: how will this initiative benefit the boys and girls of this school? And in the case of a partnership, one must ask the same question in relation to the pupils of the partner school. If the answer to the question is not as clear as the thumb on your hand, it is probably not worth pursuing; there is always a temptation to embrace an opportunity just because it is there without really evaluating its benefit, or worse, simply because it will attract funding. That way is to sell one’s soul, and that of the institution.

Many of the enduring partnerships arise and grow organically; they are not contrived via misguided attempts at social engineering or by targeted funding. Rather, they reflect genuine needs and empathies.

Often they are simple and cost little other than time, and the benefits

to the pupils are manifest. Witness the paired reading schemes between Independent senior schools and state sector junior schools and special schools that so many of my own pupils take part in. Time here is the key. On the one hand, one-toone time for the developing reader to gain practice and confidence, on the other, time for the mentor to develop and hone both pedagogic and personal skills in a professional environment. Yes, it is something to write on one’s UCAS form, but that is to miss the point. The skills, relationships and perspective acquired along the way are the real prize. And for the developing reader, earlier and better independent access to information.

Manchester is remarkable for being home to three of the most academically successful Independent schools in the Country. Indeed, they are unequalled in academic terms by any school north of Oxford. When greater than a critical mass of very clever children is brought together in one place they feed off each other’s intellect and suddenly the educational glass ceiling imposed by constraints of national doctrine are lifted. Pupils and teachers alike discover their wings and true scholarship replaces routine learning.

Initiatives like the 4 Schools partnership between two independent senior schools and two academies in Manchester can bring together that critical mass both of pupils and teachers across the sectors. With a pool of over 4000 pupils in total, that can be done at subject level in a way that none of the schools individually could achieve. Much is made of provision for Gifted and Talented, rightly, but what really makes the difference is sustained interaction with others of equivalent ability.

Those very bright young men and women deserve and need to gain entry to the very best universities.

Of course, entry should be predicated on merit alone; life is rarely that simple, though. Just by dint of numbers who apply, teachers at the top independent schools develop a

knowledge and understanding of the selection procedures adopted by the likes of Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial, Durham, Harvard, Yale, that teachers in the state sector do not.

It is now routine for my colleagues to help prepare pupils from our partner schools and academies for their Oxbridge applications, helping them to present themselves in the best possible light at interview and in the various selection tests. But how does this help my own pupils who are competing for places? Well, competition is the key concept; this is a competitive process, and complacency loses places.

It is no bad thing for pupils in the independent sector to confront the reality of the ability, drive, determination and sheer talent of the best pupils from the state sector who have a real thirst for a place at one of the best universities.

By no means all partnerships are academic, of course, or even domestic. Cultural partnerships with overseas schools; language, drama, charity work and support for Third World education have had a profound and sometimes fundamental impact. It is gratifying to count the number of my former pupils working for overseas development agencies and for charities who cite their early experiences in the country schools of Uganda or the orphanages of Russia as defining influences on their chosen careers.

But it is becoming ever more difficult to sustain meaningful partnerships in today’s zero risk culture. Whether access and vetting constraints at home or impossible to implement checks on host families overseas, bureaucracy is stifling innovation. As the father of a sixyear-old daughter and a scientist who understands probabilities, I regret that my child may be denied opportunities by the irrational quest to eliminate all risk.

Perhaps now the most important partnership is with parents in recognising the price of opportunity.

Top of the table S tudents at The Grange School have yet again put the school at the top of local and national performance tables.

In the Department of Education Key Stage 5 tables published recently, the Hartford independent school was the only school or college in Cheshire to make the list of top 100 Sixth Forms in England, as measured on the overall achievement of its pupils at A and AS level.

Headmaster Chris Jeffery said: “We are delighted by the

recognition that the A-level table gives to the hard work and success of our senior students and their teachers. We believe that this is the ninth year running that The Grange has been judged the best performing Sixth Form in Cheshire..

“It is a disappointment, however, that despite the Coalition Government’s willingness to recognise achievement in IGCSE exams, the GCSE tables do not yet acknowledge this. This is despite Grange pupils achieving 87% of grades at A* or A last summer.”

Top marks for Wilmslow

I

SUCCESS IN THE MAKING We are one of the only independent all-girls preparatory schools

in the area and pride ourselves in laying down solid educational foundations in a caring, creative environment where pupils, aged 3 to 11 years old, are encouraged and inspired to achieve their best.

Pupils attain results well beyond national expectations and our Year 6 girls leave the school as happy, independent, interested and responsible individuals.

Small class sizes mean that places are limited – telephone 01625 524246 for further information, or to arrange an appointment.

Bursaries available.

WILMSLOW PREPARATORY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS Grove Avenue, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5EG Tel: 01625 524246 Web: www.wilmslowprep.co.uk

n a recent survey of parents, Wilmslow Preparatory School received the glowing endorsement of its parent body which placed the school second highest nationally for levels of overall parent satisfaction.

The survey was conducted by a well respected consultancy within the independent school sector and the company was employed by the school to ensure that the governors and staff were informed by parents’ opinions when making decisions to develop the school.

In addition to the outstanding levels of satisfaction, 93% of parents said they would recommend the school to others.

Other highlights of the survey included the school’s strong relationships with parents, high praise for pupils’ behaviour and manners along with teachers’ ability to inspire.

Excellent

Russell Speirs, managing director of RSAcademics who conducted the research said: “Once again Wilmslow Prep School has been rated very highly. Indeed, I am confident in saying that the results are among the very best I have seen in the 8 years I have been involved in this type of work with independent schools.

“Apart from these excellent findings, the other thing that has impressed me is the school’s board of governors and headmaster’s desire to listen and learn from the results in order to develop and further improve the school for the future. With such good foundations the school is sure to thrive.”

Headmaster Paul Reynolds said: “We are thrilled with the level of parental satisfaction in the survey, but we are determined not to rest on our laurels. All the staff and governors are deeply committed to further improving the school and to do this it’s vitally important that we listen carefully to parents’ input and comments and implement positive change where change is needed.”

NEWS

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Holly Seddon in one of the costumes bought for School productions and, above, pupils enjoy new playground facilities. Both were bought with PA funds

PAR£NT POW£R Fundraisers bring £250,000 to their school in just five years

C

headle Hulme School Parents’ Association is celebrating fundraising success, having raised over £250,000 for the School’s Annual Fund in just five years.

Projects funded for the School include the acquisition of a wide range of new musical instruments, staging, costumes and props for drama productions, audio-visual equipment, playground equipment and the recent renovation of an Infant activity room and cooking facilities in the Junior School.

“The amount raised by the PA in the last five years is breath-taking,” says Head, Lucy Pearson. “Our pupils have greatly benefitted from the extra resources made available through the Annual Fund. It allows the School to enrich teaching in the classroom and provide an enhanced learning experience for all.”

A dedicated team of volunteer parents have

raised the funds through sheer hard work and determination – but with plenty of emphasis on fun.

Fundraising events have ranged from seasonal fayres to glamorous dinner dances and future plans include a Summer Ball and the Euro 2012 Fan Night, giving parents the opportunity to watch an England fixture in the European Championships together, in School.

Chairman of the PA, Simon Gleave commends the work the group has done: “None of the money would be raised without hard work from members of the PA, in partnership with support from all the pupils and parents who take part in the events.

“Annual activity contributions steadily grow and ideas from new PA members always make a big difference. We try to ensure that running the activities is good fun for all involved as this, in turn, translates into greater success.”

First, biggest & best in the North West

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Cheadle Hulme School www.cheadlehulmeschool.co.uk

Cheadle Hulme School offers an outstanding education, developing well rounded boys and girls in a warm, nurturing and dynamic environment.

With our proud history of co-education, teaching boys and girls together since 1855, our excellent facilities, reputation for high achievement and outstanding pastoral care, we are proud to produce confident young men and women who are destined for success.

If you would like your son or daughter to share in that success, contact the Registrar, Viv Gray, on 0161 488 3345 for details of the opportunities available, or come to a Junior School Open Afternoon on:

Thursday 17th March 1.45pm - 3.00pm Thursday 5th May 1.45pm - 3.00pm HMC Co-educational Day School for 4 – 18 year olds (Registered Charity No. 1077017) Claremont Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, SK8 6EF

NEWS

Young at heart

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Youngsters enjoy their visit to nursing home

Y

oung and old shared their memories as Hillcrest Grammar School pupils visited Borough Care residential homes as part of Dignity Action Day. Founded in 1993 and now the largest provider of care for older people in Stockport, Borough Care has 12 residential care homes in the borough, caring for and supporting more than 500 people, many with dementia and other long-term health issues.

A massive range of activities were enjoyed by all on February 1, the designated Dignity Action Day, including sumptuous afternoon teas, home cinema, beauty treatments, exercise routines and games, and among the most popular of all was the visit from Hillcrest Grammar School children to Reinbek Nursing Home in Davenport.

Hillcrest pupils Antonia Naylor, 11, and Max Howe, 10, chatted with residents including former factory worker Edith Watts now aged 83.

Edith said: “I can remember as if it was yesterday what it was like being just 10-years-old. Antonia and Max were such wonderful children who brought a ray of sunshine into our home.”

Borough Care Chief Executive Kathryn Farmer said: “Our response to Dignity Action Day was designed to reaffirm our mission to maintain the dignity of all our older people.

Kathryn added: “Recent adverse publicity about the care of older people has forced everyone to rethink their approach and ensure the highest possible standards. We want families in Stockport to know they can trust Borough Care and that is why we reinforce these key principles with all our staff.”

Kathryn said: “Staff must support people with the same respect they would want for themselves or a member of their family.

Each person that we support must be treated as an individual by offering a person centred service.

Antonia, 11, and Max, 10, share a joke with Edith, 83

“We must listen and support people to express their needs and wants and respect people’s right to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control ­this is vital in helping the person maintain confidence and a positive selfesteem.

“We very much see family members and carers as care partners in all that we do.

We also feel it is important that older

people still have a recognised place in their local community, outside of the care environment.

“Intergenerational projects, like the recent visit from the children of Hillcrest a big part of this. We will be continuing with these kind of projects across all our services.

10-year-old Antonia added: “Both Max and I loved meeting the older people. Edith was so full of life, so kind and so interesting.”

Intelligent marketing for schools

STOCKPORT

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FOUNDED IN 1487

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

An independent school for girls and boys from 3 to 18 years Bursaries and music scholarships available at 11+ and 16+ • Outstanding academic results • A friendly, caring school • Over 100 clubs and activities • Excellent facilities •Extensive school bus routes including NEW Altrincham route starting this September “I am delighted with the school and my children’s progress here.”

“Very impressed with the pastoral care and attention to my child’s individual needs.”

Parent Survey 2011 Regular school day visits available throughout the year

Call 0161 456 9000 to arrange a visit or request a prospectus www.stockportgrammar.co.uk

SGS: high academic standards, excellent pastoral guidance and superb facilities

L

ife at SGS is a happy and exciting experience for girls and boys from 3-18 years, with high academic standards, excellent pastoral guidance, superb facilities and over 100 clubs and activities.

The school’s extensive extra-curricular programme includes participation in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, for which it is an Independent Operating Authority and recently presented its 1000th Award. The school boasts a thriving music department, presenting pupils with countless opportunities to perform both in and out of school. The standard of sport played at SGS is extremely high with pupils often going on to represent regional squads. Pupils also compete in academic competitions on a national level.

Welcomed

A Junior School and Nursery on the same site provides younger children with a caring and stimulating environment in which to learn, whilst enjoying the benefits of strong links with the Senior School.

SGS has an extensive school bus service, close proximity to 2 railway stations and will soon be easier to reach for children travelling from Hale, Altrincham and Bowdon with the introduction of a new transport service for that area from September 2011.

Parents and children are warmly welcomed to Open Events and regular school day visits throughout the year, with the next events being Year 5 Taster Days and Junior School Open Day in May. Pupils at Stockport Grammar School enjoyed a talk full of off-the-wall Call 0161 456 9000 for more information. Or visit www. comedy and clever tricks by Murderous Maths author Kjartan Poskitt. stockportgrammar.co.uk

Make sure your child’s education has plenty of growing room

Nursery and Kindergarten Saturday 9th April 2011 10.30am - 11.30am and 12.30pm - 1.30pm Bring your child to our ‘Easter Egg Hunt’ which will take place in our extensive woodland setting!

It’s a great way to discover what we have to offer. For more details and to reserve a place for your child visit www.hulme-grammar.oldham.sch.uk or call us on 0161 630 6255 or email kindergarten@ohgs.co.uk.

Modern education with traditional values Oldham Hulme Grammar Schools is a Company Limited by Guarantee Registered Number: 6125927. Registered Charity No: 526636

The best way to reach parents

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Kumon helped me with my schoolwork and ce. my independen Ifrah, 11 ley Wigan, Winstan Study Centre

Develop your child’s independence with Kumon Our maths and English study programmes are tailored specifically to maximise your child’s individual abilities and development, building an active enthusiasm for learning.

Contact your local Instructor today

Altrincham

Kuntsford

0161 969 2734

01565 621 142

Cheadle Hulme

Urmston

0161 488 4988

0161 864 4157

Hazel Grove

0161 292 8421 0800 854 714 kumon.co.uk Fees vary. Please refer to your local study centre.

Manchester Islamic Educational Trust:

The highest standards of education with excellent progress and outstanding behaviour It has been a very busy time for Manchester Islamic Educational Trust with both MIHSG and MMPS being recently inspected by Ofsted.

Our schools take great pride in sharing the outcomes of the respective inspections and invite all parents to visit our ‘Outstanding schools’.

Our philosophy is based on a rich tradition

With Kumon, all children are capable of greatness Ensure your child’s future and help them succeed with Kumon’s maths and English study programmes At your local study centre, Kumon offers individualised maths and English study programmes which are tailored to your child’s age and ability.

Established for over 50 years, Kumon’s unique worksheet-based method can help your child to excel in these subjects, develop their capacity for learning independently and boost their all-round confidence.

Your child will start at a level they are comfortable with, consolidating familiar topics before moving on to something new.

Working at their own pace and studying a little every day, your child will build their confidence and quickly make progress.

Challenging

This regular study helps students to retain information on a long-term basis, building speed and accuracy and developing abilities such as confidence, concentration, time management and problem-solving.

Once they have filled in any gaps and mastered the topic, the Instructor will set your child new and eventually unfamiliar work, challenging them to learn for themselves.

Kumon’s maths and English programmes are not tied to the national curriculum, but are international programmes which families find complement classroom learning.

Above all, the programmes develop independent learning, ensuring that your child can study by themselves.

of offering the highest standards of education coupled with excellent progress and outstanding levels of behaviour.

Manchester Islamic High School for girls offers an outstanding curriculum which allows students to make outstanding progress.

Manchester Muslim Prep School offers a good curriculum with outstanding features

in which pupils make good progress and also has an Outstanding Early Years provision.

However this is only the beginning! There is so much more that we wish to share and such few words simply cannot do our schools full justice!

So on behalf of our pupils, please free to make an appointment and be a part of this success.

We reach your target parents

Tomorrow’s Decision Makers

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Boys and Girls aged 2-16 years

TOP SCHOOL IN THE STOCKPORT AREA * Source

GCSE RESULTS 2010*

Hulme Hall Grammar School Hulme Hall Road, Cheadle Hulme. SK8 6LA

Tel: 0161 485 3524 or 4638 www.hulmehallschool.org

A Co-educational independent Grammar School ISA Administered by Hulme Educational Trust. Charity NO. 525931

Girls growing at The Ryleys Although it’s only just approaching 18 months since The Ryleys became co-educational, the Alderley Edge school has already seen a fantastic growth in the number of female pupils. The popular school received many enquiries from parents of girls wanting to educate them at the school, which prompted the decision to make the change.

Headmaster Pat Barrett said: “Some people thought that this would be a step too far for a traditionally established boys school, but looking around the playground today, you would never guess that the girls hadn’t always been there.”

It’s clear from their performance, both inside and outside of the

Talented Youngsters Given an Opportunity to Shine

T

he Ryleys School in Alderley Edge encourages more than just excellence in the classroom; children are also encouraged to explore extra-curricular opportunities, where talents can be identified and nurtured.

Music is one of the key strengths of the school, an area of expertise highlighted by the recent performances at The Alderley Edge Music Festival where pupils achieved top honours in 12 categories, including the Senior and Junior Choirs.

Children are given the option of learning an instrument from Year 1, with many going on to reach the top grades thanks to the expert specialist teaching available. Current Year 5 pupil Jade Hughes will be taking up her place at the prestigious Chetham School of Music in September, with primary studies in oboe and secondary studies in piano.

Prestigious

The School also has a renowned choir which has performed in venues across Europe. They will be joined by the critically acclaimed French choir from the Conservatoire of Tours, for a week-long tour, with performances at Chatsworth House (4th July), St Ann’s Church, Manchester (5th July), Alderley Edge Methodist Church (6th July) and Liverpool Cathedral (7th July).

Places at the school are increasingly sought after and a waiting list exists for some Year groups. If you are considering The Ryleys as a potential school for your child call now for a prospectus or a personal tour on 01625 583241. You don’t just choose your child’s school. You choose their future.

classroom, that the current female pupils have settled in incredibly well. By adopting a co-educational approach, The Ryleys offers a fully rounded education for all of its pupils and prepares them for the next stage of their educational journey and beyond.

With the current Nursery, Years 1 and 3 full, places at the school are increasingly sought after and are filling up fast. If you are considering The Ryleys as a potential school for your child, there is an Open Morning on Saturday 12th March, 10am – 12noon, or personal tours can be arranged by contacting the school on 01625 583241.

You don’t just choose your child’s school. You choose their future.

“A child who is not exposed to the riches of the arts is like a flower without sunshine” Lord Puttnam

At The Ryleys, each child is treated as an individual. This encourages them to express and develop their own character as they enjoy learning in a happy, secure, creative and caring environment. Our expert teaching and extra-curricular activities ensure that each child realises their full potential. The Ryleys, providing a perfectly rounded education for children aged 3 - 13.

You don’t just choose your child’s school.

You choose their future.

For further information or to arrange a personal tour please call 01625 583241 or visit www.theryleys.com.

Girls & Boys Preparatory School

The Ryleys, Ryleys Lane, Alderley Edge SK9 7UY

W

anting to protect your children and make proper provision for your dependents is one of the most natural instincts we have.

Yet by not making a valid will, or by not keeping an existing will up to date, you may be exposing the people you wish to protect and provide for most from the uncertainties of the modern world.

Modern life is complicated and so too are our personal relationships and family lives. Second and third marriages are not uncommon and with the plethora of step-relations they bring can store trouble for the future. A properly drafted Will can ensure that the most vulnerable members of your family benefit from your estate and not leave you at the mercy of the intestacy rules; legislation prescribed by the government that dictates how your assets are to be divided.

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FAMILIES

Assets

Family Misfortunes Making a Will is not something we parents like to think about but we must think of our children, says lawyer Michael Harrison

Academic, Inspiring and Affordable Education from 3½ to 11 years

Open Day

Open Mornings

1.30pm to 4pm

10.30am to 11.30 am

Sat 12th March 2011

Tues 10th May 2011 Thurs 9th June 2011

As an example: imagine that Ann and Brian are married and have two children Charlotte and David.

If they divorced and Ann subsequently remarried Eric who had his own child Freya we would have a not unfamiliar family unit. If Ann died before Eric and neither made a will, on Ann’s death (assuming a relatively modest estate of less than £250,000.00) all of her assets would pass to Eric. On Eric’s death, his estate, which now also includes all of Ann’s assets, would pass to his daughter, Freya. This means that Charlotte and David, even though they are Ann’s natural children, do not benefit from her estate.

A situation like this could be avoided by incorporating appropriate planning techniques within a Will. If both Ann and Eric had prepared mirror Wills that include a gift of a life interest to the surviving spouse with the remainder passing to their respective children then the double goals of ensuring that the survivor of them had access to sufficient funds for the rest of their life while ultimately providing for their own children would be achieved.

Through the appropriate use of life time and/or post-death trusts you can protect your children’s inheritance from the unfortunate ramifications of a divorce or bankruptcy, provide money for a specific purpose such as funding for further or higher education or protect a vulnerable beneficiary that may never be able to support themselves independently. Appropriate planning can also allow assets to “skip” a generation where the testators’ children do not need or wish for the value in their own estate to be swelled by their parents’ assets.

Guardians

‘Teaching of the broad and balanced curriculum is rigorous.

Pupils enjoy school a great deal and develop well in their time here, not least as a result of the outstanding provision the school makes for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and their welfare. June 2009 Ofsted Inspection Report St James Independent School, Belmont Street, Stockport, SK4 1TG tel. 0161 480 4586 info@stjamesschool.org.uk

www.stjamesschool.org.uk

A Will can also be used for appointing guardians for your children to ensure that should the unthinkable happen and you and your partner are no longer around, they will be looked after by the people you decide on until they reach the age of eighteen.

Nominating guardians at an early stage in a Will can help avoid potentially ugly disputes between surviving or competing family members who may be struggling to come to terms with bereavement.

Too many people, young and old, do not have a will and by extension are not safeguarding their own future financial safety or that of their families. By engaging the expertise of a skilled professional and a little forward planning you can enjoy watching your family grow; happy in the knowledge that you have, to the best of your ability, provided for them whatever life may throw at them.

Michael Harrison is a Private Client Solicitor with Wolfson & Co. of Old Trafford

NEWS

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ebt collectors have been called into private schools to force parents to hand over unpaid fees as the recession puts a squeeze on middle-class families.

The harsh economic climate has led to a rapid rise in the number of parents unable to pay for their child’s schooling. As private school costs soar to an average of £13,200 a year, one debt collecting agency alone which works for 74 independent schools - has seen a 35% increase in unpaid fees.

The agency, Daniels Silverman, is aiming to collect £9m from parents in arrears by the end of this year. This is equivalent to a term’s fees for 2,040 pupils. Last year, it collected £5.8m.

Challenging

The total level of unpaid school fees owed by recession-hit parents, is believed to be more than £140m, with the average school shortchanged by £120,000.

Private schools previously sought to recoup unpaid fees through the small claims court but are increasingly taking a more direct approach.

They claim they have no option but to act tough and employ the services of a burgeoning number of debt agencies, because the recession has forced them to operate on tight margins.

Some 14 independent schools closed last year and dozens more are believed to be fighting closure.

Debt experts blame the increase in unpaid

Schools call in bailifs to chase unpaid fees fees on middle-class parents ‘being caught up in a web of debt’ as they are worst hit by cuts and soaring household bills.

At the same time, the bills for schooling have been growing. Private school fees increased by 4.5% last year after almost doubling under Labour, and there are now some 32 schools charging more than £30,000 a year. The Independent Schools Council, which represents more than 1,200 schools,

described the economic climate as ‘the most challenging for decades’.

One private school headmaster, who did not want to be named, said independent schools were having to be ‘quite assertive’ in retrieving unpaid fees: “Otherwise parents think the school is a soft touch. It is so difficult because it is hard for parents to accept that they cannot pay for their child’s education.”

Flixton Girls’ High School aspiration

empowerment

excellence

The Headteacher invites expressions of interest in this successful school which provides a free and inclusive education for girls.

There is no entrance examination and the school is easily accessed by bus, train and road from Manchester and surrounding areas.

“My daughter has grown in confidence and is ready to make her mark on the world” Year 11 Parent

Open Evening Wednesday 13th July - 5.30pm until 8.30pm Alternatively phone to arrange a meeting with the Headteacher, contact 0161 912 2949

For more information contact the school on 0161 912 2949

www.flixtongirls.trafford.sch.uk

More than just a collection of adverts

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100% bursaries are available at 11+

The Grange School A world beyond the classroom Whatever the challenge, The Grange will prepare you.

Senior School Open Morning – 9am-1pm Saturday 24th September 2011 Junior School Open Morning – 9am-1pm Saturday 5th November 2011 For further information on Sixth Form introductory days and taster days please contact: Sharon Dickens Senior School Admissions T: 01606 74007

Mandy Shaw Junior School Admissions T: 01606 77447

The Grange School Bradburns Lane, Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 1LU School buses cover a 25 mile radius Registered charity number 525918

www.grange.org.uk

Six of the best Grange named as one of England’s top 6th Forms

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or a remarkable sixth consecutive year The Grange School in Northwich is celebrating being home to one of England’s Top 100 Sixth Forms in the Government’s recently published School Performance Tables.

The total of points per pupil achieved by the school’s 2011 A level students was also the best in Cheshire.

Headmaster Christopher Jeffery said: “Having become one of the

highest achieving schools in the country in recent years it has been especially rewarding to see students The Grange performing with such consistency.

“We are so proud of their achievements, but somewhat disappointed that this year’s tables don’t include any measure of the value added by their teachers in achieving such excellent results; in past years we have been placed in the Top 100 by such measures as well”.

POWNALL HALL SCHOOL A traditional start for a modern education For girls and boys from 2-11 years.

Set within extensive grounds in the heart of Wilmslow…

From Nursery to year 6

Pownall Hall School can offer your child the perfect start to success Bursaries available from year 3

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10am-12pm

For a visit or to find out more please contact us now..

Telephone: 01625 523141

e- mail: genoffice@pownallhallschool.cheshire.sch.uk

Global Dimensions to Education

by Claire Hewitt Head Mistress Manchester High School for Girls

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hildren’s lives are becoming increasingly shaped not only by what happens within their immediate communities, but by that which occurs in other parts of the world. We are acutely aware of this at Manchester High School for Girls – how today’s interdependent world is placing a new set of demands on young people’s learning and skills.

Politically, economically, environmentally, socially and culturally – the landscape is connecting and changing faster than ever before, and it is our challenge as educators to ensure that when our pupils leave school they are fully prepared to cope with, as well as take advantage of, the opportunities that tomorrow’s world can offer. Most importantly, however, is that they have

the necessary skills, knowledge, values and attitudes to interact and confidently contribute today as responsible, engaged global citizens.

Put simply, it’s vital for children to have an international perspective – for them to be able to understand the delicate balance between the decisions people make and the impact these choices have on others on a local and global scale.

Trust

When speaking about our current Comenius tri-school choral project with pupils from Austria and Sweden, the British Council could not agree more. Head of EU Programmes, Mr Simon Williams, said: “International school partnerships help to build trust and understanding between

different cultures, broaden pupils’ horizons, bring languages and other subjects to life in the classroom, and equip young people with the skills and understanding they need to become global citizens.”

Whilst regarded by pupils as the ‘fun part’ of school life, overseas partnerships are an excellent way for students to be able to explore, develop and express their own values and opinions, whilst listening to and respecting other people’s differing views.

As communities become increasingly multi-cultural and we cross borders with greater ease, these are necessary 21st century skills.

In 2010, we became an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School and introduced the IB Diploma as an alternative

EDUCATION

to A Levels in the Sixth Form. The qualification opened our eyes to a number of excellent philosophies.

Notwithstanding its high academic integrity and challenge, the course is designed to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) is a compulsory course component which requires our girls to undertake and instigate community projects.

Most recently, the IB students ran an after-school allotment project in Whalley Range, which focused on teaching ecosustainability to local children.

Together, the students and participants

learnt how the world’s resources are inequitable and unsustainable, alongside the simple thrill of taking home and eating what they had sown, cared for and grown.

Expanding the choice of language learning, outside of that of the traditional European languages, is also an important measure we have taken at MHSG to futureproof our pupils.

Youngest

Since 2007, Mandarin has been taught within our Preparatory Department as a compulsory subject for children from the age of six. Mandarin is the first language of more than 800 million people across the world, as well as being the second language for an additional one million.

China has been the world’s largest

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economy for all but 300 of the last 3,000 years and will probably be once more by the time our very youngest of pupils leave school. We believe that being able to speak Mandarin will open great opportunities in the future in work, academia and the fostering of new relationships.

Although weakened by overuse, the phrase of today’s children becoming tomorrow’s policy-shaping adults remains as potentlypoignant as ever.

It is vital that global citizenship is high on a school’s learning agenda, so that the next generation can confidently make sense of the challenges that this century presents.

Only then can they truly fulfil their own potential... which we hope will be without detriment to their world peers.

APPLY NOW!

OPENING SEPTEMBER 2011*

Altrincham College of Arts

Altrincham College of Arts

new multi-million pound Sixth Form opens in September 2011, offering a state of the art learning environment and a curriculum offer that will prepare and equip students for life after Sixth Form.

Altrincham College of Arts is an ‘outstanding’ school (Ofsted 2008) and due to its reputation for excellent teaching and learning, and outstanding progress and achievement, we can now offer 16-19 learning.

The sixth form will provide a highly structured learning environment offering a full range of A Level subjects and a wide choice of Vocational courses including

Creative & Media Production, Art & Design, Performing Arts (Acting), and Child Development.

Students will receive outstanding independent advice and guidance in preparation for higher education and the world of work. *To avoid disappointment, please ensure your application is sent in as soon as possible to secure a place on your chosen courses.

An 11-19 Foundation School.

For all enquiries and application information please contact the school.

Altrincham College Of Arts, Green Lane, Timperley, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 8QW. Tel: 0161 980 7173 Email: sixthform@mail.altrinchamcollege.com www.altrinchamcollege.com

METROLINK

PROFILE

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Star Pupil

TV physicist Brian Cox recalls how teachers helped inspire him to reach for the stars

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elieve it or not, the head at my junior school was called Mr Perfect. He was brilliant. He ran afterschool classes in maths and English and let kids stay on to play board games. When we played Risk, we would discuss each move and only make one or two moves a week, so one game would go on all term.

I grew up in Chadderton, outside Oldham, and we lived next door to the playing fields for my junior school, Chadderton Hall. Against the rules, I could climb over the fence to get there.

One thing I wasn’t happy about at junior school was that I wanted to have physics lessons, but you didn’t get specific science lessons until you were in senior school. My interest in physics and astronomy came from outside school — I suspect from growing up during the Apollo space programme. I was born in 1968 so definitely absorbed the sense of excitement — my father was into it too and I remember the pictures of the moon landings we had on the wall in our house.

I was probably seven or eight when I had my first telescope and I remember having star maps and looking up at the sky before that. For as long as I can remember, that’s what I wanted to do.

My favourite teacher was Mr Galloway (inset), my first physics teacher at Hulme Grammar in Oldham.

It was quite a traditional boys’ school and though he looked like a Seventies physicist, complete with beard, Mr Galloway was very young, relaxed and different from most of the other teachers. What was great was that you could sit down with him after school and say “I want to build this piece of electronics” and he would help you.

My keyboard playing mixed quite well with my interest in physics. When I was about 11 I wasn’t really interested in music — I was interested in bits of electronics and noises and synthesisers. I had a

band with a friend, but we were keener on building a recording studio.

One of the bands we liked was Ultravox, and they had found a way to trigger chords on a keyboard to make it syncopate with a high-hat drum. We wanted to make the same noise and needed to build something called a “noise gate” that would be triggered by the high-hat.

We asked Mr Galloway about it, and he sat down and drew a circuit. Then we built the circuit with him and it worked.

Years later I met Billy Currie, the keyboard player with Ultravox, and told him: “We had to build this thing with our physics teacher.” And he said: “I know, I did the same.” It was the only solution at the time for making that sound.

Eccentrics

I enjoyed other teachers, but they were eccentrics in some ways. For chemistry we had quite a character. He was a perfectionist and you had to do everything very precisely. He used to go mental if anyone did anything wrong, and practical experiments could clash with his control-freakery. If anyone sprayed some copper sulphate out of a test tube he would scream and throw people out of the lesson. When you were 11 you would all be frightened to death of him. But by the time you were 15 everyone was fond of him because he was so strange.

He would horrify educationalists today. But he got amazing results. His approach was quite modern because he taught you to pass the exam with precision.

Professor Brian Cox is a particle physicist who presents TV and radio programmes on science. In the 1980s, he was a keyboardist with the bands Dare and D:Ream.

This article first appeared in the TES, the magazine for teachers and anyone with an interest in education. www.tes.co.uk

X

outstanding record of getting our students into the very best universities. Last year 48% of them received offers to Russell Group universities – the most highly regarded research institutions in the country – and overall progression to university was approaching 90%. Over 560 students actually started degrees in 2010, well above the national average and in spite of last summer’s shortage of places.

That’s what we think really matters but when, as with this year, you also get 12 students offered places at Oxford and Cambridge it probably is cross the UK there is a shortage of approximately are different types of fostering that you can do, depending something to jump up and down and 10,000 foster carers. In the North West alone there on your circumstances, from fostering on a long-term shout about! a shortfall of between 1700 and 2000 foster carers, basis or maybe looking after a child for shorter periods, Eighteen months ago is Xaverian which why 23 local authorities in the region have joined such as over a weekend. Fostering can be challenging, but launched an initiative toisencourage for the largest ever fostering campaign — You Can the rewards make it all worthwhile. “ students to make forces the most of their time Foster.and Challenge Chris Williams, Chair of the North West Fostering Leads at college. Our Stretch As part of the You Can Foster campaign, the 23 councils group comments: “The message of our campaign is simple programme is designed to help to find 150 new foster carers across the region and find – If you have room in your heart and a room in your home students aspire toaim achieve the best more homes for the children who really need them. we want to hear from you. results and the best opportunities at You Can Foster features existing local authority carers university. Students were encouraged Rewarding in the campaign with the aim to show people there is no to apply to Oxbridge, 25 got interviews “There are people out there, just like you, who would typical foster carer. and 12 were offeredAplaces – a great make a huge difference to the life of a child or young suitable applicant can be anyone in their 20s or will be moving on to degrees success ratio, andupwards, you cansingle, be sure that or homeowners, students opportunities for voluntary person and whostudents have the time, and space needed.

Choosing renters married or living including Medicine, Natural the unlucky ones will be snapped up by work, work experience, additional to foster will be a rewarding experience for allSciences, involved. together, in same sex or mixed sex relationships or who English, financial Classics,and Biological Stretch other top Universities. qualifications, regular guest lectures You’ll receive training, practicalSciences, support.” have their ownand children.

French and Spanish, Psychology and all students who Challenge is open toChristine and much more.

Be one of the 150 people who will make a difference to Garforth, one of the foster carers from the Law. Now they just have to come back think they will benefit from it, and as The real praise, of course, must go to children in the North West and visit: www.youcanfoster. region who stars in the campaign said, “Choosing to foster to earth and carry on the serious well as encouraging applications therewarding the students themselves, will be one of theto most things you’ll do. Thereand their org or call 0800 down 634 7052. study! very best universities also offers subject teachers, and the twelve

Room in your heart A

Xaverians flying high with 12 Oxbridge offers

Xaverian College ‘In Harmony Small Things Grow’

Xaverian is a highly successful Sixth Form College based in Victoria Park, Manchester. The heart of our work is to create a caring, supportive and academically excellent environment for every student. The college is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted inspectors, receiving grade 1s in all areas. We offer prospective students: A wide range of A-Levels and other courses Consistently excellent exam results (99.8% pass rate at A-Level) Support delivered through a strong pastoral system A strong programme of extra-curricular activities and other enrichment An outstanding record of progression to university

ADMISSIONS For admissions enquiries email admissions@xaverian.ac.uk

8

Xaverian College Lower Park Road Manchester M14 5RB www.xaverian.ac.uk

college@xaverian.ac.uk

0161 224 1781

A Lot of Locks

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h but there was swearing. Parents swearing at each other. Parents swearing at their children. Children swearing at each other. Children swearing at their parents. At times it was like the Chatswood Estate had come to the River Lot. “It helps me concentrate” explained my 14-year-old daughter helpfully. To this day, when any member of the family uses an expletive, however tame, they are told to “stop concentrating!”

The week the Aldersons spent on a boat on the River Lot in south of France will be long remembered. It was part of our adventure in the Midi Pyrenees region that took us from cosmopolitan Toulouse to prehistoric caves a kilometre under the mountains then a resort so high up with clouds so low and so thick we could barely see a hand in front of our faces.

But if, two hours into our time on our 11 metre floating home, you had asked me if we could swap the whole thing for a sun lounger on a noisy, overcrowded litter-strewn beach in Magaluf I would have taken your hand off.

Brusque You see, there’s a whole lot of locks on the Lot; the first one is about 500m from the landing stage at Bouzies. Jean-Pierre from the boat hire company, Lot Navigation, was a salty, and somewhat brusque, old sea dog weekly tasked with bringing his new recruits up to speed.

Between us we can get by in French but we must have been off the day they taught everyday nautical vocab. Nevertheless, we stumbled through a half-hour tour of the boat and I felt sufficiently au fait with the controls (essentially only a little more complicated than an dodgem albeit considerably larger) to want to get going.

Did I mention the locks? Anyone who has spent time on a narrow boat will know all about locks and how it is simply matter of closing and opening doors in the correct sequence. A doddle, you say and you’d be correct.

Well, the locks on the Lot are essentially the same. Except for the current. And the rocks and the weirs. Unlike our canal system with its still waters, regular banks and big bomb-proof boats we were faced with perilous shallows, jagged rocks and a slow but persistent little current determined to draw you away from your chosen path. And all in a big plastic tub the size of a bus.

But with help and Gallic encouragement from Jean-Pierre we made it into the first lock, secured the boat to the side, scampered up the ladder and did the necessary with the gates and swelled with pride as we set off up the river, all members of the crew present and boat intact. The only thing missing was Jean Pierre, who stood atop the lock waving enthusiastically and, clearly realising we were naturals, shouting “see you in a week, try not to sink ’er!”

And that was it.

We were on our own.

Opening the lock below St-CirqueLapopie is a job for the children

Graeme Alderson takes his most stunning rivers and

The swearing started at the next lock.

What has seemed so easy suddenly became very difficult. The boat became more unmanageable and the current a lot faster.

Simple lock mechanisms suddenly became complex industrial conundrums and the Aldersons seamlessly eased into headless chicken mode.

Relaxed Then there were the spectators. Seemingly, the perfect day out for residents of the region is to rock up at a lock on a Saturday afternoon when the river newbies are cast off in their shiny new boats and offer advice which only succeeds in piling pressure onto already overwrought holidaymakers.

By this time I was ready to abandon ship and hail a taxi to the airport.

But we’re nothing if not tryers, us Aldersons

and eventually we were through and clear and then the river opened up and the sun began to shine and suddenly we all relaxed and started to laugh about our travails and the fact that, before we could tie up the for the night, we had another four of the buggers to get through!

The next one was just as awful, the one after that very straightforward and successful and, with confidence soaring, the next one... the worst yet.

By then the captain (me) had adopted a rather more pragmatic approach to both the river and the well-being of the boat. We can all swim and the boat will be insured became my mantra. Pictures in the introductory information pack of vessels similar to ours on their sides on weirs should have chilled the blood but instead they made us think that if we could get through this and keep

TRAVEL

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s family on a boat journey down one of France’s finds that life afloat is not always plain sailing the boat up the right way then we could claim a successful voyage.

A key part of the comprehensive introductory pack was the map of the river which became our constant companion and not just to show you where we were along the 74km of navigable river.

Along with the hazards and proper channels, which had to be followed to the letter, there was all the information required on where to tie up overnight and what you might expect when you got there. Generally speaking, this wasn’t very much so this is where our hired bikes came into their own.

Experience Not only were we able to explore the countryside and visit some of the most charming villages in the whole of France but we were also able to load up on provisions for

the next couple of days. Riding an elderly bike with a large plastic basket overflowing with enough to feed two adults and two ravenous teenagers for a couple of days was an experience in itself but not one on which I wish to linger.

Unless you make the trip right up to the bustling medieval town of Cahors, visitors will embrace the modest amenities at Vers which boasts a supermarket the size of your local Co-Op which nevertheless seems like a superstore after a few days putting together meals from (a.) what’s available in tiny village shops and (b.) what will fit in your basket!

After three nights dining from the ship’s mess we ate at La Truite Doree, a beautiful family-fun hotel with a restaurant menu typical of region. Food is still a big part of French life and standards are far higher than

we are used too over here. Even the smallest village seems to have somewhere that will serve you a decent plat de jour. The menu may be limited but what they do offer will be packed with flavour and cooked with skill and care.

Highlight for landlubbers must be St-CirqLapopie, a stunning medieval village that peeps through the trees atop of the cliffs that climb high above the river. Climb the rocky forest path and arrive breathless at the entrance to the village then dig deep and set off through its steep cobbled streets to the chapel and remains of the fort at the top of the hill; if you have any breath left the view will take it away.

The village still boasts many houses with stone and half-timbered fronts, some of them going back to the 13th Century, and has long been a haven for artists who still ply

There’s miles of smiles along the 74km route of the River Lot

their trade there today though none yet have the reputation of Post-impressionist Henri Martin and surrealist André Breton who both called St-Cirq-Lapopie home.

But this is a boating holiday and those locks won’t navigate themselves so all to soon we must return to our vessel. We spend long stretches of the river seemingly alone under a vast blue sky, birds of prey as commonplace as sparrows, chugging up the wide and hazard-free waterway. Top speed is a gentle chug but we take our time, enjoying the scenery and taking turns on the map and the steering wheel.

When the temperature rises we drop anchor and plunge into the warm water. It’s far from crystal clear due to vegetation and sediment but we have it on good authority that it is clean enough to drink. I enjoyed a couple of accidental mouthfuls and suffered no ill effects. It’s not something I’d ever attempt in the Bridgewater Canal.

After a week we wanted to do it all over again, our early trepidation forgotten. We navigated locks like a well-oiled machine, looking forward to them rather than losing sleep over them and as we cruised confidently toward our destination felt that nothing could go wrong.

Boats are made to go forward, that’s why they have a pointy end and a blunt end. They really don’t like going backwards. Imagine

trying reverse park a double decker bus between two other buses in a high wind. It’s not easy. Once more we let loose with the Anglo Saxon but this time, I regret to say, it didn’t have the desired effect and eventually were boarded by Jean Pierre who, with a flick of the wrist expertly drifted our seemingly uncontrollable boat into its mooring.

Wooded Perhaps the Aldersons are not ready circumnavigate the globe quite yet. Perhaps it’s time for something a little more traditional, a time to reflect, to lie by the pool and to catch up on our reading while the children play happily with their peers and spend some of our money.

Camping Village Centre Les Tours, about three hours by car away from Bouzies, was our destination, a beautiful site of cabins and mobile homes build into the steep wooded banks around a man-made, albeit well-established and crystal clear lake.

The road to the village takes you past some of the most stunning scenery in the whole of France though most of the time you are looking down on it.

Any hardy soul thinking of cycling to this site needs to have nice low gears because these steep switchback roads just keep on climbing. While the rest of the family oohed and aah-ed at the scenery the driver was

concentrating on not becoming part of it.

Facilities were top-notch with plenty for the youngsters to do over and above the usual offerings of a pool and maybe a few holes of crazy golf and a concrete ping pong table.

Here there was canoeing, climbing and a whole list of craft sessions. The staff were friendly and chatty and generally I would recommend the place wholeheartedly but when we were there (mid-July) the weather was rotten. We were actually in the clouds for much of the time.

This meant evenings indoors and day trips to Rodez to reacquaint ourselves with city life, the stunning villages of Conques and Estaing and prehistoric cave paintings a kilometre underground.

But you know, when you holiday in France you can’t guarantee the weather but there’s always plenty of other stuff to keep you occupied.

Our week on the boat was one of the best family holidays we’ve had. We enjoyed it so much because the children (world-class cynics) enjoyed it so much. They’re still talking about it now and that’s over six months ago so we must have done something right.

And ultimately, isn’t happy memories of summer holidays one of the things we want to give our children?

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oulouse is typical of many larger French cities. It’s a mix of high and low culture, a melting pop of races and cultures in a medieval setting best known for its techdependent economy.

These days it’s one of the world’s major aeronautical centres which had attracted new businesses into the region.

For the visitor there’s plenty to do. For our dose of culture we went on woad trail to discover the blue that made the city so important in the 15th century then spent a memorable day at the Space Centre, the largest of it’s kind in Europe where, among the attractions is an actual Mir spaceship to explore. (inset, above) I wouldn’t last a day in there. Fortunately our rooms at the Novotel Toulouse Centre were better appointed and certainly larger. Our visit coincided with the Tour de France’s visit to the area and a couple of the leading teams were also guests.

The children were fascinated my these tiny wiry men who always carried their shoes with them and excited to see them on TV at every place we stopped over the next couple of weeks.

Like all cities, there’s good and bad places to eat and a huge gulf between the two. Most memorable eatery, was perhaps L'Entrecôte which, as the name suggests is a steak specialist.

So special, in fact that the menu has just the one item on it.

The steak is stunning as are the chips and every crowds queued round the block to enjoy it.

info For information about any of the activities on these page please go to www.tourism-midi-pyrenees.co.uk

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Out, damned sprogs!

An evening at the theatre is not like a night in front of the telly.

Actors and audience members expect a standard of behaviour that does not come naturally to all children Arts Editor Nicki Thornhill lays down a few ground rules and warns of what can happen when an actor roars at his crowd

A

few years ago, I had the misfortune to attend a matinee performance of Macbeth, a GCSE text studied by many local schools, where, despite the best efforts of the teachers on duty, the behaviour of quite a proportion of the students ruined the show.

As the lights went down, the ironic cheering began, accompanied by the snap of ring–pulls being lifted on a dozen or so cans of pop. Twenty minutes in, the toilet trips started and continued throughout the rest of the performance, despite the twenty minute interval. As some of the staff were now required to supervise in the toilets, those remaining in the auditorium found it even harder to quell the intermittent bouts of irrelevant chatter, despite standing in the aisles for easier disciplinary access.

What’s more, the rustle of sweet wrappers and crisp packets added little to the evocation of a dark and brooding medieval Scotland. Each murder was greeted with riotous cheers worthy of the Roman Colosseum at Christian baiting time, these cheers laced with just a touch of teenage cynicism. The famous “Tomorrow and tomorrow” speech was to be delivered on a stage enrobed in theatrical smoke so naturally Macbeth struck an appropriate theatrical pose – “embittered” if I remember rightly- and waited for the fake coughing to subside. It didn’t.

And then something wonderful happened.

The actor playing Macbeth, with no regard to fourth wall conventions, moved downstage, fixed his attention on the worst offenders and in clear street Glaswegian tones launched into a bit of the script

that seemed somewhat unfamiliar: “We’ve been working for weeks on this play. If you dunnae shut the **** up , yu’ll feel the back o’my hand!” The coughing stopped, the play continued (with only one further interruption when Macduff asked people to stop talking just before he dispatched Macbeth), but there was a sense that battle lines had been drawn not between the Scots and the English but between the cast and the audience.

Embarrassed

I never really believed all the nonsense about the curse of “the Scottish play” but years later, at the fabulous Library Theatre/Out of Joint production staged in an Ancoats warehouse, the same soliloquy was interrupted by a mobile phone. Which rang. And rang. And rang. With not a school party in sight as this promenade performance had an age limit and restricted seating , the audience began to cast surreptitious glances from side to side as if to prompt the offender to turn the damned thing off. The phone rang. And rang. Embarrassed coughing and awkward shuffling around heralded the onset of the breaking of the tension so carefully built up by the company and then...Macbeth sighed and said “I’m sorry. You’re going to have to turn that off” before walking off stage to get ready to give it another go. The offender?

A well to do, middle aged Jeffery Archer lookalike who should have known better.

And then there was a time I had to look daggers at a bunch of elderly ladies who talked their way through a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream – wasn’t

Theatre visits: the rules

F

or younger children, try to create a sense of occasion.

Lively discussion and an enthusiastic approach will set the right mood. Discuss proper behaviour before arrival. Explain that unlike a film, you’re seeing a live performance. Quiet is encouraged out of respect for the performers and fellow audience members. Try to play down a sense of occasion with teenagers.

If they feel more comfortable with their ripped jeans and piercings, so be it! Phones should be switched off however.

They can pick up their social life at the interval. Once in the auditorium children should know they have to remain in their seat. If your child can’t see, place them in your lap. This will also help calm down children who become antsy. Don’t allow food and drink into the theatre – although you may wish to soften this restriction when “training”

he off Emmerdale, do you fancy a chocolate brazil, that kind of thing.

And the time a local theatre thought it would be a good idea to sell kids glow in the dark three foot long swords which made an authentic clashing sound. And the parents who thought it would be fun to allow their twin sons to have sword fights throughout the show.

(This was the family who added an extra dimension to my sensory experience by bringing in a KFC bargain bucket which they shared noisily through the first few scenes).

Now, I’m not completely intolerant (!) but some people just do not seem to appreciate the difference between watching a live performance and something on the telly at home, the main difference being of course that we all have to suspend our disbelief to make the show work – like the cast, the audience have a part to play in creating the magic. And children need to be trained in how to tap into this enchanting art form, an art form asking them to watch, imagine, engage. The irritating kids I wrote about clearly were not used to sitting quietly, giving something a chance to develop – no remote control to zap over to something else in this age of instant gratification.

Plus, to be honest, the production was not the most engaging – who wants a Macbeth with cost-cutting voiceovers instead of real witches?

Nevertheless, I’m still left wondering if, amongst all the teenage boredom and hoots of derision there was one kid, intrigued enough by his first theatrical experience to one day give it another go.

little ones. The upside of not eating during the performance is that you can let them have staggered treats – before, afterwards and during the interval. Insist they visit the loo prior to the show. It’s very difficult to squeeze past the other people in your row without disturbing everyone on stage and in the audience.

If you must leave in the middle of a performance, watch from the back of the theatre until an appropriate break. Don’t be dismayed if your children don’t seem to have a lot to say immediately after a show. Quite often they are quite simply mulling things over – they will probably impress you with something surprisingly insightful the next day! Boys are more likely to engage with the theatre if their dads come along too – don’t let it become just a “mums and kids” experience.

The independent education magazine

4to18

Bolton School: Discovery for Year 5 Girls AN AFTERNOON OF DISCOVERY Thursday 16 June, 4.30pm-5.45pm

For Y ear 5 Girls

• Who want to take part in some fun but challenging activities • Who want to follow a treasure trail and win prizes

For Parents

• Who want to meet the Headmistress and senior staff • Who would like to see more of the Senior School • Who want to find out more about applying to the School

For a personal invitation, please contact the Headmistress's Secretary on 01204 434786 or at seniorgirls@boltonschool.org

Meet the Junior Girls' Head Mrs Ruth Brierley will be holding informal drop-in sessions on Monday 6, 13 or 20 June at 2.00pm for anyone wishing to learn more about Bolton School Junior Girls (aged 7-11).

Call 01204 434761 to arrange your appointment.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Chorley New Road, Bolton BL1 4PB t: 01204 840201 e: info@boltonschool.org www.boltonschool.org

Toys TrEmenDOus New

Nicola Shields of specialist toy shop Monkey Puzzle Toys suggests some new toys guaranteed to keep them occupied for more than half an hour Monkey Puzzle Toys 93 Manchester Road Chorlton M21 9GA 0161 862 0100 www.monkeypuzzletoys.com

Get them

in t o t h e g a r d e n !

Getting fit, having fun and looking good!

The right climbing frame can give your children years of pleasure, as pirates, captains, gymnasts and as a secret hideaway. Add to that the health benefits and close proximity to the house and a climbing frame becomes one of the best investments you can make for the family. However, finding one that looks good, is right for the space and is worth the money can often be a tricky business.

Garden Games have a wide variety of complete climbing frames for children of all ages. The Arundel, pictured here at £600, has a great range of options: swing arm plus two swings, slide, tower, sandpit, wooden climbing rungs and cargo net. The add-ons can be placed on all four sides of the main tower — which allows you to reshape it to fit into your garden. Don't like the slide next to the swing arm?

Just move it to a different side!

Garden Games use top grade PEFC pine, which is not only a beautiful, high quality material but also from a sustainable source.

Additionally, there is a fantastic range of modular climbing frames. At Monkey Puzzle Toys we can help you to design a frame with the right accessories for your children, shape and size of garden plus you can adapt the design as your children grow.

Aerobie 10 Sprint Ring £9.99

If you and your children are ready to progress on from a basic plastic frisbee then the Aerobie Sprint is the one for you. It is renowned as the best frisbee on the market and its unique aerodynamic design means that it is easily thrown twice as far as any regular disc. What is also amazing about this frisbee is that it works well for people who can't normally throw Frisbees and so is perfect for ages 5+ and being such a slim design takes up no space in a suitcase or just leave in the boot of a car ready for action.

Off on your travels?

The Mudpuppy Magnetic Dress up Princess Ł13.50 4+ Includes four different fairytale backgrounds and three sheets of magnetized princesses and their outfits and accessories. All this comes in a beautifully illustrated hinged tin box measuring 8 x 6 x 1 inches making it an ideal travel toy.

Wooden Sandpit with built-in seats £95

Without a doubt, the most popular piece of play equipment enjoyed by all young children is a sandpit. At 1.2m (4ft) square, this sandpit is big enough to share, but small enough not to take over the garden. The built-in cover folds open to provide two simple bench seats, removing the need for a separate lid or cover. Includes geo-textile underlay.

I50 ways to Keep the Kids Entertained Ł3.99 A small pocket sized tin with 50 cards each with a great idea for keeping everyone happy whether in a car, on a train or plane or just for a rainy afternoon.

Suggestions cover a variety of ages.

Rory’s Story Cubes Ł9.99 5yrs+ Featured in last edition this fantastic set of 9 cubes designed to inspire story telling have now also been featured on CITV and we are getting great feedback from our customers See our website for lots more suggestions for great travel toys

www.monkeypuzzletoys.com 43

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49

49

Those craze-y kids Our teenage columnist ponders on the playground apartheid that that is part and parcel with the latest fads

T

GED NORTON

he school craze – a mother’s fear, a child’s pleasure. To be part of (what seemed like) a world-wide movement at such a young age, surely brought with it ‘coolness’ and, I know for a fact, hours of merriment.

But where does the longing to be part of the next ‘fad’ come from? Could it be a child’s inbuilt mentality to follow the crowd and be on a par with classmates? I’m not saying this is a bad thing; on the contrary, it is something that all children must go through, they cannot know how to be themselves without firstly knowing how to be everyone else!

My first recollection of the school craze was a fairly vintage one, the noble marble. They took my village primary school in Derbyshire by storm; for about two months the somewhat understated glass balls occupied our break and lunchtimes. Frenzied mothers purchased marbles wherever possible, clearing toy shops, pound shops and attics alike.

I’m not sure we even knew the rules of marbles, but ‘matches’ were fiercely contested, some in different weight classes – mini, giant and king-size. If you were feeling lucky (or particularly proficient), you could put your marble up as a wager. But as every young marbler found, losing was hard. I still miss that giant cat’s-eye.

I’m sure many mothers will acknowledge the pressure that the school craze drops on them. I’m sure my own mum will be able to recall countless times when her young, red-haired son ran into the kitchen to put a handful of marbles in the bin, and was heard to utter: ‘Mum, there’s these new things out, they’re really cool, X, Y and Z all have them!

Can I have some?’ However, now and again the anguished mother might put her foot down and not let her child participate in the craze. As a youngster this was a stressful time, and break-times were met with solitude and dejection.

Craze prejudice set in – the kids who weren’t part of the craze were forced to merely watch, or maybe use a close friend’s craze apparatus.

But it wasn’t the same, oh no. I remember one craze I was kept out of – Pokémon cards. I was an

outcast in the playground; not so much uncool, just unattached. Of course now I realise my mum did the right thing by not buying me even a single Pokémon card. The craze was gone in about a month, and nobody knew what to do with the things anyway!

Children can be very cruel, and invariably were.

But the discrimination of not being totally ‘crazed’ helped shape the few that survived it; I know for a fact that I never entered a quarrel based on whether Charizard was better than Bulbasaur.

I feel a nod should be given to the other crazes I survived: Yu-Gi-Oh cards (the hardest trading card game ever), Beyblades (fighting spinning tops – eye protection should’ve been provided), Tamagotchis (everyone let their sister’s die, they just won’t admit to it), yo-yos (hands up who can Walk The Dog), scoobies (weaving a key ring with some coloured straws – presents made easy for a month), wearing a t-shirt over a jumper (who said the skater look was cool?), statement wristbands (the easiest way to look like a charity worker aged 10).

A special mention should go to the monophonic ringtone craze. As a child I was painfully jealous of the kid who boasted the theme tune to The Simpsons whenever his mum rang him.

As I reached the grand age of 17, I noticed that crazes seemed to have played fewer roles in my life than when I was 7. Possibly because I think for myself more, probably because my mum wouldn’t shell out for the stuff now. But after a brief 10 minutes with a classful of Year Six kids, I was astounded to hear that nearly all had mobile phones, most had iPods and one or two even had iPads. The school craze is vastly changing; I think a cup and ball app is the closest you’ll get to the good old days.

So, whether you let your young ones revel in the latest fad, or make sure they are not partaking in such activities, bear in mind the mania will pass. But they will all come around again, I’m sure of it. My marbles and yo-yo aren’t going anywhere just yet.

Ged Norton lives in Glossop and goes to school in Manchester. He’s 17 and plays rugby and the ukulele

4to18

HEADLINES

H

Robert McNeill Headmaster St James Independent School Heaton Norris info@stjamesschool.org.uk

ow many times have we heard a child exclaim: “I haven’t tried it so I don’t like it!” Maybe it was a new food or a new item of clothing or a new activity that was being suggested.

This general reluctance to try something new is not unusual in children, especially older ones, and maybe we have even spotted it in ourselves when awake enough to notice!

However, not being persuaded by such limitations is a step towards developing selfconfidence. Confidence in one’s own abilities and acknowledgement of one’s own worth can be nurtured by a willingness to have a go at new activities even at the expense of appearing a little foolish at first.

Young children have a natural brightness which can be kept alive by presenting them with new and challenging activities. This willingness to “have a go” can become a very positive, personal quality in life leading to new and fresh opportunities.

Nothing inspires us more than seeing someone with a handicap or weakness working to overcome the limitation and then going on to live a full and meaningful life.

The recent film The King’s Speech is so heart-warming. It high-lights very clearly that limitations are a testing ground and the more we work with them the stronger we become. King

George VI, ably played by Colin Firth, found himself having to address the Nation on many occasions in war-time whilst having a severe speech impediment. His efforts to overcome the difficulties strengthened him as a person.

Last summer, I watched a young girl of six perform a dance-sequence in a most beautiful way. Unbeknownst to many of the audience, she had physical co-ordination and hearing problems.

However, with her own determination and the dedicated help from her mother she turned this weakness into a talent.

These examples are inspirational and they show what is possible with intelligent effort, hard work and the willingness to have a go. If we can allow young children to adopt this same attitude in which they are not afraid to try something new nor worried about looking foolish, then their selfconfidence will continue to grow as they get older.

Schools now offer a wide range of subjects and activities, some of them at lunch-times and after-school. It is very heartening to see so many children taking up the opportunity of these extra activities. Parents may wonder sometimes if it’s worth all the effort trying to pick up children late from school or taking them to a club or sport elsewhere but it must be well worth the effort if their confidence is nourished as a result.

Bridgewater School We are an Independent School for boys and girls aged 3 – 18 years, located in a delightful semi-rural setting in Worsley.

Bridgewater is a school which cherishes the individuality of each child and is naturally the right choice for so many children. Whatever your child’s talents and interests we can build on those and help them to appreciate their talents as well as appreciating and applauding others.

We are always delighted to show our genuinely caring and nurturing environment. We also offer a broad range of School Bus routes providing a safe and secure environment to transport your child to and from school.

0161 794 1463 Bridgewater School, Drywood Hall, Worsley, Manchester. M28 2WQ

www.bridgewater-school.co.uk

Charity No 1105547

The independent education magazine

here...

now distributed r Manchester t (and we magazine in the

r classified e. The space is 7725 335

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