It’s all gone crazy!
Life seemed so much simpler when I was a kid. You went to the local school, played out in the street with the local kids till it got dark, and never was there a mention of exams or tests until you got to secondary school.
Instead of playing with lego or building dens in the woods, our kids across the UK are stressing out about SATS and absorbing their parents worry about what is happening with secondary schools. In Brighton, with a shortage of secondary places, the worry is even worse. Teachers are stressing about results, kids are getting upset about failure and parents are getting more and more cross about the state of the educations system. It’s all going crazy!
On Tuesday 3rd of May many parents who are sick and tired of complaining about ‘the system’ are making a stand. Not a stand against teachers. Not a stand against schools. A stand against the government policy which is tainting our kid’s school experience, destroying the joy of learning and causing stress to everyone.
Although I’m not sure using children to make a stand is the best way to encourage change, I totally understand the frustration parents are feeling. Our children shouldn’t be worrying about strikes and petitions or exams and test. They should be enjoying their freedom and learning in a stress-free world surrounded by love and security.
Can’t we just let our kids be kids?
I am really torn about the strike. I want to support the efforts of those who are driving for change in the system that is clearly broken. I want my kids to understand the impact of ‘people power’ and that they have a voice at any age. Unfortunately, I can’t afford the £240 fine that we may receive from the council from keeping our kids off school. I’m also not sure that using our kids is the best course of action for real change.
Many parents across the UK are adding their voice to this protest and I fully support them.
Being self-employed I will lose a day’s earnings which will put a financial strain on us on top of the Bank Holiday Monday AND the Thursday of the same week as our school is a polling station so closed for the day. I know that elections need to happen but do the government have any consideration for parents who need to take the day off work twice in the next 6 weeks for polling days?
I still haven’t decided if I will join this strike. What I do know is that the system is broken. I’ve never known such unrest among the general public since the poll tax riots. It’s hurting my head thinking about it and I wish someone would just wave a magic wand and fix it all. Can’t we just go back to playing in the mud on our choppers?
If you want to join the Brighton and Hove Let our Kids Be Kids strike you can find out more here or join the Facebook group here.
There is a letter to download for school here (although no guarantee is given that you won’t be sent a fine which is £60 per child per parent)
Whatever you decide to do – POWER TO THE PEOPLE
#LetOurKidsBeKids #SATSsuck
a field somewhere 
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