British Expatriate Network

http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cambridgeshire/6629655.stm

A new secondary "supeschool" is being built to replace three existing schools. But without a playground. No outdoor space.

An official says ""This is a massive investment of public money and I think what the public want is maximum learning. They recognise that youngsters can play in their own time, play in their local communities."

A play expert says it's bordering on inhuman.

So does this mean they'll get no recess in the day, or just that they'll spend it in the classrooms, I wonder. Whilst 11-18 year olds may be getting a little too old for play structures, and it isn't exactly fresh air out there in the city, is this really a good idea? Where will the smokers go? lol Surely they'll get cabin fever.

Thats a major fault in the UK for most of the youth~No Lebensraum (Living space).
Also, one of the reasons for our emigration.

Bad, bad idea. Where are they going to play sports? In a sports hall? My old school (also in Cambridgeshire) had huge grounds and was right next to an even bigger public park for cross country. I see this one is going to be in Peterborough - a city I hear is going right down the toilet anyway.

No wonder the UK never gets anywhere in the olympics.

seems they do away with sports fields and play grounds and over the next 5 years some expert will be hired at some great fee to figure out why the kids are all so over weight.

You would have thought with raising the school leaving age, that there may just be some space in there for sports or some form of exercise.

I remember from my history study's that the public school system was not just about education, it was about getting at least one balanced meal a day and exercise, so that kids did not get things like rickets etc.

Seems thats gone by the by and now you eat any slop you want and you have kids with high blood pressure and other problems associated with poor diet and no exercise. Seems we have taken steps back not forward.

Perhaps it will be good for sports?

Perhaps it's time that was not under the control of over-worked, underpaid teachers and was taken over by outside non-profits who really care about sports and coaches who know what they're doing?

I looked at the school's website, They do have PE and sports fields.
But they don't have free time for social development. One comment was that that is when the bullying takes place, but I'm afraid that is part of life that has to be learned, it doesn't stop when one leaves school. Thomas Deacon

On the BBC a few months back there was an announcement for open try-outs in Birmingham for various Olympic sports. Unbelievably it was the most basic stuff, such as if you can jump very high you could go forward for the high jump or volleyball team for England. There was no hint of satire involved at all. With such an astounding grassroots sports movement in Britain it's no surprise we never win anything.

They are raising the school leaving age?

Are they?

I dunno, Goose said they were. I did some Wikipediaing and apparently it's on the cards for 2012 or 2013.

That school, has classes for sixteen year olds, I assume that that is at the beginning of the school year. I don't know what the leaving age is now. I just missed being able to leave at fourteen, myself, but I stayed for a fifth year for GCE, anyway. A couple of people stayed for another year, to go for A levels.

Oh thanks, I missed that.

The proposal is to keep all kids in school until they are 18 - so after the age for A-levels. It seems that it will happen rather than not.

I did read this bit too though -

“Norman Saltmarsh, the chairman of the schools’ trustees, said “We are going to encourage children to do more sport, there are acres of fields and we’re not going to lock them in.”

But organized play only, huh?