Flashman the loathsome, bully.

Yesterday, at a dinner table, I was asked where I went to school. My immediate thought was; please let the Old Etonian, David Cameron continue to educate his children in the state sector and bring an end to such social inquisitions. The supper party was hosted by the gentlest of Etonians and his lovely wife, and yes, they do send their children to the local primary school.
I remain ambivalent over private education; I disapprove of it and yet, will not compromise the educational and sporting opportunities of my own children. The state should provide an equal choice, for every child but it doesn’t. Our local Glen secondary school, offers, two sciences at standard grade, not three, and only one foreign language.At the risk of being labelled pushy parents, we merely sought the same opportunites for our tribe of six, that we had been offered at school: three sciences, as many languages as could be timetabled and that dead language, Latin. In the pursuit of academic excellence, we have scrimped, saved and borrowed to pay school fees. We have the freedom to make this choice but the cost and resulting sacrifices are high.



I choose to educate children about food, in state not private, primary schools. Food is a huge social divide and in the pursuit of social justice, my time is better spent in these schools. I took this photograph of peeling walls (the windows had bars over them) in an inner city Glasgow school. I would not be happy to educate a child in this school, for weatherproof and aesthetic, rather than academic reasons. This photograph should shame the Scottish Government into action. Sadly, their learning curve is gradual, they are still rebuilding Scottish primary schools without proper kitchens. I’ve written about this for The Spectator’s Scoff



Education, education, education droned Tony Blair but he did little. I am advised that his Turkey Twizzler conversations with Jamie Oliver were opportune because the white paper was already in place; the wheels of the policy machine turn slowly. This musing blog certainly won’t influence the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence; however, parents can campaign for better.The Children's Food Camapiagn (Sustain)is one such crusade aiming to improve school food and ban product marketing to kids.

This is a somewhat long, preamble into the subject of my latest sleep disturbed night - worrying about school bullying of a few years ago. The anxiety was prompted by a direct mail on Twitter and a 13 year old boy not sleeping. My thoughts raced and ghastly memories came flooding back.One of my most zealous requirements for a school is for zero tolerance of bullying. A decent education, kind children and eventually law abiding and happy (ish) citizens.
The mother of a day school child can roar at the school gate and stroke her child’s furrowed brow of an evening but for the boarding school child, a telephone must suffice. A mother listens and learns to read, what isn’t, as much as what is, being said, in the proverbial,” I’m fine,” response. Fine, is such a meaningless, indifferent word.
A bullying child may reside in a castle, but no fortress can protect a child or his parents from the shame that they have brought upon themselves. Bullys need to be stopped but mostly,I blame the Scottish government for not providing an equally decent, local school for every child.http://www.bullying.co.uk/