The UK on the list of the worst places to be a child.

I was a older than average student.
The last time I was in college was at the Wahpeton technical college in 1993 - 1995.
Nothing transfered and I got jerked around from basically day one on my return in 2003. I know some that had very good luck over all with their classes but far too many were like me and had far too many problems imposed on them by shady class scheduling and poor records keeping as well.

The last person I have heard from said they had a major rework of how the system was ran a year or two after I was there. I guess I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and it cost me loads of time and money for reasons I had no say or control of.

I even heard that some people in the UK pour echant around in the garden to kill plants, that cant be good for the environment or the children that play around it.

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A little too far off topic maybe?
Are you in the right thread?

tcmtech said:

A little too far off topic maybe?
Are you in the right thread?

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No, I'm in the right thread, the title is "The UK on the list of the worst places to be a child" I was commenting on the environment in which they are living.

Yes, I got it.

The UK also hasn't completely banned leaded petrol, small quantities are still allowed to be manufactured and sold at a high price (even for UK standards).

No, I'm in the right thread, the title is "The UK on the list of the worst places to be a child" I was commenting on the environment in which they are living.

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Sorry.
I read the stump killer thread and then your post popped up shortly after and sounded like it fit there better than here. I just put two and two together and assumed it was four.

My mistake.
I went through the American public school system and an American higher educational system as well. I should know full well by now four is not the answer!

Yes, the American system is far different to the UK, which goes like this:

Pre-school.
Age 3-4 Nursery (optional).

Primary school.
Age 4-5 Reception.
Age 5-6 Year 1.
.
.
.
Age 10-11 Year 6 - SAT's exams.

Secondary school
Age 11-12 Year 7.
.
.
Age 15-16 Year 11 - GCSE exams.

Sixth form (optional)
Age 16-17 Year 12 - AS level exams.
Age 17-18 Year 13 - A level exams.

University (even more optional)

Age 18 upwards - various degrees etc. usually a minimum of three years.

There are exams most years, but I've only mentioned the important ones. It's the combined AS and A level exams which govern your ability to get into Uni, with the better Uni's having higher entry requirements.

You forgot to add the option of International Baccalaureate, Scottish Highers, etc. to the list

I can't believe that. Here in Colombia, the image about UK tends to be good (except for the weather). And I can't live without The Prodigy's music.

Well, maybe is not the place. Some kids make their best efforts to make their existence miserable, even if they live on UK or Mars.

Here is a funny video I've found years ago about the "emo" urban tribe, or whatever that thing is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEJDGLF-e18



Talking seriously:
If this video is not appropiate for the forum, please let me know and I will remove it inmediately. No bad intentions posting it, other than illustrate the weird topic I'm talking about.

Heh heh, very good video.

Some kids make their best efforts to make their existence miserable, even if they live on UK or Mars.

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Its not just some kids. I see many adults that are that way as well. They do every thing they can to wreck what they have accomplished or what others have accomplished or just never accomplish anything themselves for unknown reasons.

They have good jobs and good lives that many of us would love to have but still they seem to be hell bent on ruining it all for some odd reasons.

Menticol said:

I can't believe that. Here in Colombia, the image about UK tends to be good (except for the weather). And I can't live without The Prodigy's music.

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The UK is generally a great place to live, like anywhere there are a number of inner city areas with problems - but compared with most places it's good.

Indeed; people often enjoy exaggerating the poor state of their own country; "worst places to be a child" is a qualitative measure so they can make any claims that they like. Who made the list?

I don't know why teen pregnancy and drug/alcohol abuse is being considered a UK-wide factor, we certainly don't endorse it and children are educated as to the dangers; what they choose to do with this knowledge falls on them.

Trying to obtain reliable statistics on drug abuse is extremely difficult for a number of reasons, and personally I think it's extremely unlikely that we have the worst teen cigarette and alcohol problem in the world. Personally when I was younger I found it shocking the number of my young-teen friends from Germany smoked and did drugs, compared to very few people that I knew of from here. Not to pick Germany out as an example or anything though.

giftiger_wunsch said:

I don't know why teen pregnancy and drug/alcohol abuse is being considered a UK-wide factor, we certainly don't endorse it and children are educated as to the dangers; what they choose to do with this knowledge falls on them.

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Teen pregnancies seem directly related to the strict sex laws in the UK, we have the strictest laws in Europe, and the highest teen pregnancy rates.

Trying to obtain reliable statistics on drug abuse is extremely difficult for a number of reasons, and personally I think it's extremely unlikely that we have the worst teen cigarette and alcohol problem in the world. Personally when I was younger I found it shocking the number of my young-teen friends from Germany smoked and did drugs, compared to very few people that I knew of from here. Not to pick Germany out as an example or anything though.

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My daughter went to a secondary school in a deprived area, then (because they didn't have a sixth form) she moved to a school in a far 'better class' area. She was staggered at the far greater abuse of drugs and alcohol at the 'better' school, and the far greater sexual promiscuity amongst the girls.

The 'poorer' school had a far stricter drugs policy - zero tolerence - if you are found with drugs the police are called and you are arrested, and you are permanently excluded from the school. Also the area is a LOT less affluent, and the kids are less able to afford expensive drugs.

Sex education was FAR better at the 'poorer' school as well, with the 'better' school pupils not knowing about the free advice and contraception service (include morning after pill) available in the local area. The 'poorer' school even had a branch in school, and all were informed where they could go outside of school. During her five years at the school, there wasn't a single pregnancy, and I think there wasn't one for something like 8 years before that.

So I think a LOT depends on the school, a 'better' school is probably concentrating everything on getting good exam results, and neglecting other types of education.

Nigel Goodwin said:

The 'poorer' school had a far stricter drugs policy - zero tolerence - if you are found with drugs the police are called and you are arrested, and you are permanently excluded from the school.

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I went to a good school but this was the case with my school as well; I know a few people at a school with a particularly bad reputation near me and have heard they've sat in lessons rolling joints and no one's batted an eyelid ; I guess the policy depends on the individual school.

Brings to mind the response when a drug dealer tried to sell to kids outside of my school. The head master, both deputy heads, and the 7'4" caretaker escorted him well away from the school property. I heard he went and stood outside the "sister school" (by which I mean another grammar school closely associated with the one I went to) nearby instead and no one did anything about it over there both schools have similar good reputations in terms of academic achievement.

giftiger_wunsch said:

Brings to mind the response when a drug dealer tried to sell to kids outside of my school. The head master, both deputy heads, and the 7'4" caretaker escorted him well away from the school property. I heard he went and stood outside the "sister school" (by which I mean another grammar school closely associated with the one I went to) nearby instead and no one did anything about it over there both schools have similar good reputations in terms of academic achievement.

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At what used to be the local grammer school near me (the one my daughter should have gone to sixth form at - apart from we choose to do better) a number of years ago there were drug dealers outside the school every morning waiting for the kids entering school.

The school is in a residential area, and both the school and a number of local residents rang the Police to report it (multiple times). The Police didn't bother sending anyone out until about 11:00, and of course never found any drug dealers - I can only imagine that it was a deliberate ploy not to find them, I can't believe even the Police are so thick?.

After months of this (and the Police been worse than useless) the headmaster, along with PE teachers etc. collected a number of cricket bats and went and had a 'word' with them

BTW, here's the grammer school I went to



It began on 20 May 1636 - but I wasn't there back then!.

I know the feeling about the police; I went with my sister to her flat before to move her stuff out but we found that her violent ex boyfriend had broken in and was already doing so. We rang 999, they told us the police were too busy. After repeated more calls, we told them an hour and 30 minutes later, that we'd tried to stop him and he'd stabbed her in the leg. They asked how big the knife was.

An hour after that, the police arrived just as we were leaving with what was left of her stuff. They had a bad attitude and weren't at all helpful. I probably should have stopped him myself but then I could pretty much guarantee the police would have arrived just in time to arrest me for assaulting him and let him get away with a slap on the wrist as usual.

giftiger_wunsch said:

I know the feeling about the police; I went with my sister to her flat before to move her stuff out but we found that her violent ex boyfriend had broken in and was already doing so. We rang 999, they told us the police were too busy. After repeated more calls, we told them an hour and 30 minutes later, that we'd tried to stop him and he'd stabbed her in the leg. They asked how big the knife was.

An hour after that, the police arrived just as we were leaving with what was left of her stuff. They had a bad attitude and weren't at all helpful. I probably should have stopped him myself but then I could pretty much guarantee the police would have arrived just in time to arrest me for assaulting him and let him get away with a slap on the wrist as usual.

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If the Police refuse to come, just tell them you've got a sword (or a shotgun) and you'll deal with it yourself - funnily enough they won't be so busy anymore.

I was considering that but it would only have gotten me arrested anyway.

giftiger_wunsch said:

I was considering that but it would only have gotten me arrested anyway.

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Make sure there are no witnesses, if someone had stabbed my sister he would SERIOUSLY have regretted it (if his conscious mind didn't block it out completely ).

Did you know, it only takes 22 pounds to break an arm or a leg?