Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Anything that doesn't fit anywhere else, and is NON CH related - chat about the weather, or anything else that takes your fancy.

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
Great Plum
Button Grecian
Posts: 5282
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 10:59 am
Real Name: Matt Holdsworth
Location: Reigate

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by Great Plum »

What I think upsets me the most, is the 'keeping in' of the pupils...

I know that as a junior, we would have to be in house by 5pm in Michaelmas and Lent Terms on days when there were no lessons and 7pm in the summer term... seniors was another story of course...

Anyway, I used to spend my time walking with friends around the mile, or grabbing a coffee in my girlfriend's house, or looking after music practice in Music school, or perhaps doing some prep in the History Library, maybe even helping with stage crew (or drinking their coffee) in the theatre... It seems that these extra curricular sociable activities are seemingly being curtailed for sky tv and zobbing...

I also think that taking the Grecians out of the houses may actually be contributing to this decline, but I can only comment on what I know about...

Interestingly, the vicar at my church said: "In the first year you can do no wrong, the second, no right, and by the third, they are looking for the next incumbent..." It seems that poor old Mr Franklin has skipped a year...
Maine B - 1992-95 Maine A 1995-99
Momto2
Deputy Grecian
Posts: 205
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:47 pm
Real Name: Mom2Two

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by Momto2 »

I must have a moan about another new change to proceedings concerning leave weekends.

From the second leave weekend (November) onwards the GE and above will be finishing at 12.50 but the juniors (UF downwards) will be finishing at 3.15pm ... WHY?

I can't see any sense in this as so many of us have both senior and junior children at CH so unless our seniors make their own way home they are going to have to wait until 3.15pm anyway :evil:

Makes absolutely no sense to me.

Any ideas ... anyone?
User avatar
icomefromalanddownunder
Button Grecian
Posts: 1228
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 6:13 am
Real Name: Caroline Payne (nee Barrett)
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

Momto2 wrote:I must have a moan about another new change to proceedings concerning leave weekends.

From the second leave weekend (November) onwards the GE and above will be finishing at 12.50 but the juniors (UF downwards) will be finishing at 3.15pm ... WHY?

I can't see any sense in this as so many of us have both senior and junior children at CH so unless our seniors make their own way home they are going to have to wait until 3.15pm anyway :evil:

Makes absolutely no sense to me.

Any ideas ... anyone?
HI Momto2

I have to say that I would be pretty cheesed off if I were a parent with junior and senior pupils. Also, our leave weekends were so few and so precious that the loss of only 2 hours - a lunch with the family perhaps - would have been devastating for me.

Was the change put forward as a proposal to parents before a decision was made? How much advance notice was given of the change? Do parents have a right of reply, with the possibility of a return to what was? Was any explanation given as to why such a change had been deemed necessary?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

xx
carong
LE (Little Erasmus)
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:20 am
Real Name: Caron Garrod
Location: Worthing, West Sussex

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by carong »

Was the change put forward as a proposal to parents before a decision was made? How much advance notice was given of the change? Do parents have a right of reply, with the possibility of a return to what was? Was any explanation given as to why such a change had been deemed necessary?
As far as I'm aware ...

No
None (this is the first I've heard of it!)
No
and No

It seems that the explanation would be that it's 'Change for change's sake' ... 'because he can' ...
Caron Garrod (nee Haskell)

2:38 1976 - 1979
chpupil
2nd Former
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:42 pm
Real Name: Daniel

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by chpupil »

there does seem to be a lot of change for change's sake as you put it. many of the reasons given for the rules created are flimsy and equally valid (yet ignored) opposition can be given against them. making bedtimes earlier for instance, so twelve year olds will be going to bed at 8 30 'to give them more rest' when they'll only sit in bed even longer wondering why they have to go up when they are not tired at all and propably wont be for another hour or so.
and what difference does knocking off 15 mins here and there do anyway it is not significant enough to do anything except irritate in the case of earlier bed times and less time out of house after prep. so there is no gain at all yet one could argue, a loss as pupils become more and more annoyed and prone to breaking these new restrictions.

perhaps those who do fight it will get kicked out and then the school will be comprised solely of pro senior management-ites, the life and rebellion in pupildom will die!!!! :twisted:
User avatar
englishangel
Forum Moderator
Posts: 6956
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 12:22 pm
Real Name: Mary Faulkner (Vincett)
Location: Amersham, Buckinghamshire

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by englishangel »

Is that actually leaving the common areas, or is it 'lights out''?

I am not going to say "In my day" as at 12 I needed very little sleep, but my own offspring varied wildly in their need for sleep one going to bed at 7.30 and asleep by 8 and the other 2 considerably later, but I think going to bed at 8.30 is quite reasonable considering how full the days appear to be and it has to be for the benefit of the majority.
"If a man speaks, and there isn't a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?"
chpupil
2nd Former
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:42 pm
Real Name: Daniel

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by chpupil »

fair enough, i spoke mostly from my own experience really and know that i would have been extremely annoyed to be sent up then, and from my experience of the second form in my house who dont seem to sleep till quite late (often making excuses to go off to matrons till about ten) but maybe some of them do get nackered and sleep straight away however doesnt 15 mins seems quite paltry to make a real difference? it seems as carong said to be change for changes sake.
carong
LE (Little Erasmus)
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:20 am
Real Name: Caron Garrod
Location: Worthing, West Sussex

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by carong »

englishangel wrote:Is that actually leaving the common areas, or is it 'lights out''?

I am not going to say "In my day" as at 12 I needed very little sleep, but my own offspring varied wildly in their need for sleep one going to bed at 7.30 and asleep by 8 and the other 2 considerably later, but I think going to bed at 8.30 is quite reasonable considering how full the days appear to be and it has to be for the benefit of the majority.
Even in the days of roll-up mattresses and 18 in a dorm we had lights out at 9 ...?

:popcorn:

(Don't know what this means ... I just couldn't work out what it is in front of them!!)
Caron Garrod (nee Haskell)

2:38 1976 - 1979
User avatar
icomefromalanddownunder
Button Grecian
Posts: 1228
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 6:13 am
Real Name: Caroline Payne (nee Barrett)
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

carong wrote:
Was the change put forward as a proposal to parents before a decision was made? How much advance notice was given of the change? Do parents have a right of reply, with the possibility of a return to what was? Was any explanation given as to why such a change had been deemed necessary?
As far as I'm aware ...

No
None (this is the first I've heard of it!)
No
and No

It seems that the explanation would be that it's 'Change for change's sake' ... 'because he can' ...

Oh dear - I would not be a Happy Little Vegemite if I were being directly effected (affected? I'm never sure about that one) by this process.
What happened to communication and negotiation. Not to mention respect?

This is all very sad.
Caroline Payne (nee Barrett)
Hertford 6.20 1965-70

Adelaide, dear Adelaide; where the water is foul, but the wines more than make up for it.
User avatar
Laura M
Deputy Grecian
Posts: 276
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2004 2:51 pm
Real Name: Laura Manuel
Location: Southampton/London

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by Laura M »

What's with the no cheering in Headmasters assembly!! Someone needs to present the new head with a fun sponge!
Two men lying in a bed, one rolled over to the other and said, 'I'm gonna lead me a life of danger, I'm gonna marry a WESSEX RANGER!'
BaA 97-03 GrW 03-04
User avatar
nastymum
GE (Great Erasmus)
Posts: 157
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:33 pm

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by nastymum »

I have worked in five schools (mostly very difficult) and not one of them allowed whooping and cheering in assembly no matter who was taking it. Assembly is a formal occasion unlike Sport's Day and other similar events where cheering and whoopng is encouraged. There has to be one communal event where a respectful attitude is observed, surely? The problem with the cheering is that it sets the tone and I understand that the tone was, that booing was sometimes also allowed as was lateness and other disruptive behaviour. Clearly Dr Southern had no problem with that but Mr Franklin does. As the Headmaster he has the right to conduct his assemblies how he wishes .
In other matters such as: the earlier bedtimes, changes to leave weekends and Sky TV I can't say I am convinced that all of these are good choices but I don't believe that they were decisons that were made with the sole purpose of annoying and inconveniencing pupils and parents. I will make my feelings known to the Houseparents when I take the children back to school and I expect I will receive an explanation. On the whole, the things Mr Franklin has one so far suit me an suit my children particularly his stance on behaviour and (surely not) his desire to improve the academic achievements of the pupils.
One of the main complaints fom the pupils , ex pupls and the rent-a-revolutionary crew is that the ethos of the school is changing because Mr Franklin (all by himself) wishes to turn the school into an exam factory which will encourage wealthy parents to populate the school with their already avantaged offspring and push the school up the league tables. Anyone with half a brain can see this is nonsense. It is impossible that Mr Franklin did not do a great deal of research about the school before he applied for the job. He understands the nature of the school and its pupils very well.70% of the school's intake in the last three years has consisted of children in the 'high risk' catagory. A few of these pupils (facebook) seem to think that having a disadvantaged background entitles them to attend the school but not buy into its aims-they just want to do as they please and leave in the same state in which they entered the school. Not only that , they actively try to resist what the school is doing for them. All this at someone else's expense is luxury indeed. Lewis et al can sit on the mound in the cold and rain if they like but they would be better off going to lessons , singing in chapel and politely clapping in asssembly because the benefactors call the shots not the pupils.
Rant over-must go and lie down in a darkened room.
User avatar
Laura M
Deputy Grecian
Posts: 276
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2004 2:51 pm
Real Name: Laura Manuel
Location: Southampton/London

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by Laura M »

While I agree that some of the pupils gripes are with things that I do agree needed changing (smoking etc) and that there are those pupils who are simply resisiting the behavioural changes expected of them, I disagree with your views on headmasters assembly. Collecting my colours and having my house and friends cheer me on as well as other members of the school felt great and really made me feel like I'd achieved something, plus it was a long walk to the stage and back and doing that in silence would have been terrible. I know sometimes people take things too far but an outright ban on celebration is daft. Plus Chapel is our twice weekly formal event and there's no cheering in that!
Two men lying in a bed, one rolled over to the other and said, 'I'm gonna lead me a life of danger, I'm gonna marry a WESSEX RANGER!'
BaA 97-03 GrW 03-04
User avatar
Great Plum
Button Grecian
Posts: 5282
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 10:59 am
Real Name: Matt Holdsworth
Location: Reigate

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by Great Plum »

There is certainly a perception that the new head wants to turn the school into an exam factory and 'to hell' with everything else... interestingly this year, the school fell below Ardingly (his old school) in the GCSE league tables...
Maine B - 1992-95 Maine A 1995-99
User avatar
CHAZ
Grecian
Posts: 947
Joined: Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:15 pm
Real Name: Charles Ian Forster
Location: FRANCE

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by CHAZ »

Oh dear not a good result.

He will need to install confidence amongst the pupils and staff and then perhaps both sides will rise to the occasion in the classroom. Forcing the "exam factory" policy down the throats is enough to demotivate anyone. CH is not about exam results but much more...
Charles Forster
PeB 1978-1984
wurzel
Deputy Grecian
Posts: 393
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:59 pm
Real Name: Ian
Location: Reading

Re: Housey 'Peaceful Revolution'

Post by wurzel »

I have o say this does all make me rather remember the old BBB campaign when Baker was shuffled out. As for time out of house. I seem to remember that basically lock up was beginning of first prep for juniors and end of prep breae for all others (grecians knew how to get out anyway)

As for TV in junior house there was a TV in the day room, no remote and only on when no prep/letter writing/quiet time so basically 6 o'clock news, Wed & Sat afternoons and Sunday afternoons. Senior house it was there and watched a fair amount but power of the control was with whoever had the highest status in the room at the time.

What is a leave weekend ? We had leave days, saturday they dropped 2 lessons so you could leave at 11'ish and you had to be back by 8pm if you went on a Sunday you had to be back by chapel but could leave from 10am.
Post Reply