about time to... my daughter went to Mountbatten, and the drop off & pick up was always a complete nightmare.... always wondered how nobody managed to get themselves run over....

This is completely wrong, why at a time of rising fuel cost and childhood obesity are we encouraging children to use a coach and bus service to get to school this problem would not exist if children were required to attend their local school. I expect there to be comments such as ‘well Cornelius needs to attend the school we have chosen for him’

But perhaps the children should attend their local school and the parents be involved in the quality of education at that site.

if the area is good enough to live in then the school should be good enough to go to.

live local wrote:
This is completely wrong, why at a time of rising fuel cost and childhood obesity are we encouraging children to use a coach and bus service to get to school this problem would not exist if children were required to attend their local school. I expect there to be comments such as ‘well Cornelius needs to attend the school we have chosen for him’ But perhaps the children should attend their local school and the parents be involved in the quality of education at that site. if the area is good enough to live in then the school should be good enough to go to.

obviuosly not a parent... would you want to send your child to a school where the average age of pregnancy is 13... or where out of 90 pupils doing gcse's only 2% pass.... or a school your childs ambitions are just knocked back... i.e. they want to become a doctor... so the school teaches them hairdressing.... but of course, all this will change soon, when failing schools are handed over to private companies and rebranded "acadamies"...

Actually I think you'll find a large proportion live within the catchment area and the buses are free ones supplied HCC for those more than 3 miles away in areas such as Wellow, Chilworth and Rownhams which cannot be walked or cycled safely.

live local wrote:
This is completely wrong, why at a time of rising fuel cost and childhood obesity are we encouraging children to use a coach and bus service to get to school this problem would not exist if children were required to attend their local school. I expect there to be comments such as ‘well Cornelius needs to attend the school we have chosen for him’

But perhaps the children should attend their local school and the parents be involved in the quality of education at that site.

if the area is good enough to live in then the school should be good enough to go to.

YOU DAFT PR1CK

THE CATCHMENT AREA IS WELLOW, NURSLING, ROWNHAMS, BADDESLEY ETC

PAUL B wrote:

live local wrote: This is completely wrong, why at a time of rising fuel cost and childhood obesity are we encouraging children to use a coach and bus service to get to school this problem would not exist if children were required to attend their local school. I expect there to be comments such as ‘well Cornelius needs to attend the school we have chosen for him’ But perhaps the children should attend their local school and the parents be involved in the quality of education at that site. if the area is good enough to live in then the school should be good enough to go to.

YOU DAFT PR1CK THE CATCHMENT AREA IS WELLOW, NURSLING, ROWNHAMS, BADDESLEY ETC

I have expected a somewhat more eloquent response than a simple obscenity, but perhaps you lacked a reasonable education!

If you read the school web site they state ‘The school is very popular and attracts a large number of applications from outside the catchment area.’

And yes as a parent I showed commitment to my local school and neither of my children became social misfits. It is the parents who are too scared to support their local school and prefer to have them bussed to another area.

Unfortunately many parents see their children’s education as a choice and not a responsibility choosing only to see their child and not the need of society despite the fact the their child will be part of society for the next 70+ years

Applications yes but doesn't mean they are successful. When I left 5 years ago the number from outside the catchment area was declining - only 70 in the whole school at my reckoning.

I think children should go to the school thats best for them. I was a Tomboy so St Anne's wouldn't have been appropriate and I was relatively bright so I needed to so somewhere which pushed me. If I'd gone to Bassett Green I don't think I'd of had the extra classes in Maths and English that I had at North Baddesley and I'd of got bored and mis-behaved. On the other hand had I had a problem such as dyslexia Cantell would been more appropriate as I believe they are better set up to deal with things such as that.

One size fits all local schools are not always appropriate but travelling miles to go to school isn’t either!