Back to school

Beginning of the new school year so Liz and I went to a curriculum meeting this evening. It was mainly for parents of new kids but a refresher for us. It was exhausting. So much stuff!  The ins & outs of Key stage 2, Levels 1-5 (a,b,c), 4 house names (none of them Griffindor, sadly), two classes per year, each class given a bird name (god knows why - Toucan & Puffin for our two)... Then there were detailed descriptions of how Literacy, Numeracy, ICT etc will be taught; homework schedules; ASA (After School Activities) schedules, uniform requirements; rewards for academic performance (house points), rewards for good behaviour (marbles), star citizenship; sports schedules, music schedules, library schedules, residentials; SATS tests... and that's just the children. As for us poor parents: Parents Association, Parents Evenings, Pastries with Parents, International Days, one-on-ones with teachers, mid-term & end-of-term reports; weekly emails, a newsletter; various fundraising activities, a School Ball...  And this is just Primary level. When I was their age, I just went to school.