why

1) children outside....they do it a lot in Australia....if you look in the right places

2) the world is changing so rapidly in a global context "it's the same shit different view"

3) over generalising and comparing are completely inaccurate ways to measure the society you live in........(most accurate would be measuring how people care for their animals as there is a direct link with child abuse)

Danny B

I was amazed that the UK came bottom of a league table for child well-being across 21 industrialised countries.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6359363.stm

<Don't shoot the messenger>

pommybird

Ah yes this is a prime example of the media mumbo jumbo I was talking about in my earlier post - oooh a survey that BBC news has decided to exploit and sensationalise into something remotely newsworthy i.e running the country down - the media's fave topic! I imagine there are some useful and accurate elements to the survey but many of these types of 'surveys' are simply subjective and I bet there are a few out there done by other organisations that rate the UK much higher yet are not chosen to be highlighted in the media.

Personally I like to base my opinion on my own experience which is as follows: having lived in Australia I would now rather raise my kids right here where I live now on the south coast of England.

I no longer buy into all this media circus - it is misleading and unhelpful -thank you and goodnight!!

Danny B

Well I would hardly call a Unicef report 'Mumbo Jumbo' as there has to be *some* truth in it somewhere.

Like I said in my first post, my kids grew up fine in the UK and I have no complaints whatsoever with the UK education system.

kris maynard

Hiya

In short we are moving back to Perth because WE feel our kids will have a safer more relaxed upbringing. We are in a gorgeous country village in the uk at the minute and feel safe , BUT after being away and living in Perth for 16 months we have noticed a BIG change in the towns i wouldnt be happy for our eldest (14) walking to her friends if we lived closer to her, we are only about 4 miles away, where as in Perth she was out and about all the time and although i worried (as us mums do) it was nothing like the worry i have here.
I dont think anywhere is totally safe ( a desert island perhaps) but i definatley without a doubt think i will be a more relaxed mum in Perth.
Right or wrong who knows you just have to go with your gut!! Being back in the uk though has made me realise what a fab place it is just a shame about the some of the people!!!

Take Care

Kris xx

jad n rich

Was a well discussed article, basically UK answered sections in the table, that other countries chose not to answer.

Think the only thing it proved was if you have some nasty data dont submit it.

Issie

WOW Kris ...your going back

Thats great news and yes sometimes it take us to be away from something to realise how much we really liked it in the first place.

Good for you and good luck

Danny B

Well something has changed as the UK has now slipped to just average for the two most fundamental things in life, Reading & Maths.
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7126388.stm

Australia & Canada scored higher.

The whole story can be found here http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7115692.stm

katesbackagain

This makes me mad as hell. In the part of Florida I live in, you don't see much of it as most people are pretty considerate like that, but I lived in a nice neighbourhood with all neatly cut grass, etc, and I saw out the window this woman walking past with a BIG dog. That animal did the biggest and sloppiest poop I've ever seen come out of a living thing, right on the edge of someone's lawn. She just walked off and left it. If that had been MY lawn, I'd have put on my marigolds and ran out there to throw the poop at her. Dirty cow.

I do remember a lot of dog-doo in the UK, though. Mum says they've put up a lot of bins for that near where she lives, so I think that's improved matters, at least there.

hudd

Hi

We moved back to England from Canada so we could have a better quality of life for my family( 5-6 weeks holiday allowance and not expected to work excess hours every week) and our two sons education.

Not sure what education system is like in countries such as Australia, so can not comment.

I had no problems with primary education in Canada it was very good at Maths and English and better than many English schools. We found rural Canada education quite lacking in practical subjects and little school sports facilities for our sons 9 & 11 at the time. Also every subject evolved around Canada, where as returning to England my sons education has a more global prospective(both at primary and secondary school).

What is important to my wife will be University education as that will get your children a good career. The UK still ranks as a world leader in University education.

I post previously about education in the UK and from my prospective their plenty of education opportunities for my 2 sons(aged 12 & 14 now).

Both sons have been identified as potential Oxbridge candidates and 14 year old attends master classes at one of Oxford Uni colleges at the weekend.

My advice if you move back to the UK look at schooling in different areas to target where you move to. I believe all education systems in different countries have positives and negatives.

Totally agree about press bashing the UK education system. At least there is investiment going on in the UK into the schools. Our 2 sons have just had an all weather sports dome built at their rural Oxfordshire school. I would have never see that sort of investiment in rural Ontario. I can remember being told at our sons school by the Principal, that it was going to take 10 years to get enough funds together to repair the flooding sports fields.

I still would say the basis schooling in Canada was good.

Regards

hudd

Interesting link on UK Univerisity rankings http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7083292.stm

TraceyW

See, this sounds fab when, like us, you have smaller kids

This is what scares me when those little kids grow up.

Oh confused.......

February will be final decision time for me. Oh sh*t. What if I make the wrong decision?

ellie10990

I worry more about raising my kids here in OZ

My son is at secondary school here and says its far too easy and the teachers and other kids dont care whether they do well or not.My son wants to change schools because of this even though he has made many friends.In the uk he had a good education bright friends and they all cared about doing well.The schools were better disciplined too

here they have to be driven to school instead of walking like they did in the uk which reduces their exercise levels and added to that my son does not even do sport at all as part of his curriculum for 9 months of the year.

In the uk they played out in our cul de sac every night,here no kids play out at all and there are no pavements for them to walk on so cant even send them out to play alone

I have never seen such bad menus offered in school either choices of pasties,sausage rolls and hot dogs!!also sweets on sale too.In the uk they were given fruit at break and only allowed healthy food in the canteen

Yesturday we were out walking and someone committed suicide!!

Additionally the death rate for teenagers in Road traffic accidents and suicides is higher here than the uk

happy4

We have a beter lifestyle here financially but the UK wins hands down everytime. I would rather my children be playing in wet and windy weather, rather than wrapping them up here, applying laods of sun lotion to keep them out of the harmful rays of Ozzie sun. In our area I don't see many children playing out, even at the local playground or the outdoor pool.

The main reason I would like to return is the education in the UK, it is far superior to Oz and there are, as others have pointed out better opportunities in the UK, eg..universities. Our secondary School had a problem with some of the students being drunk one day, they were all expelled and in the same breath, the same School has just had a student get through to U18's England Rugby team. I have never seen such an open display of drugs here in Melbourne, only last week my children, 4 and 2 were in the City and witnessed a group of youths shooting up!!! Of course this can happen in the UK, but I have never seen it in our area. Alchohol is also a huge problem here. I would prefer our children to be in the Uk anyday.

Serenity

My son is 3 and plays out when it's cold, and sometimes when it's wet! He's waterproof and they do sell warm clothing

I think everything is much of a muchness. There is never a "best" country, just one where your attitude allows you to cope with things better whether it's because you're happy, or just that you're not plugged into the culture so you're blissfully unaware of the realities.

The papers in this country love to pull it down, as do lots of moaning Brits, nothing is ever as good as it used to be blah blah blah. The thing is it used to be better in the 50s, then the 60s, then the 70s etc. etc. So this "crappy" 2000s we are living in will later on be someone's so much better!

I can speak as someone who bought into it all. We nearly moved back to the US last year because somehow my brain switched off between all the complaining and news, and opening my eyes and actually looking around at my city and my community. The kids round here are nice, the older kids on the street and I exchange hello's when we pass... and usually they are hanging round in a group on the corner. But they are just kids! The media has whipped up a frenzy where every kid is a knife or gun wielding maniac. I've told kids off in the street and they've been apologetic! There is vandalism, but once I realised I was not seeing the UK for what it was, when I visited the US I saw vandalism there I'd not actually seen before, even in my in-laws nice and affluent area.

I am more than happy to bring my child up here and one thing parents of small children have to remember is that we cannot protect them from the big bad world out there, we can only give them the tools to cope, and that doesn't matter where in the world they live (with obvious exceptions!)

Wendy

Tracey, is it possible for just you to go back for maybe a month to see how you feel? It might just make your mind up one way or another. It's got to be better than you all going back and not being sure about it.

Whatever you all decide I'm sure you'll be just fine. I know you have a wonderful OH who will support you whatever happens.

As for your concerns about the kids, well I think that your kids will be fine wherever they are because they have parents that love them, and teach them right from wrong. Some kids are bad uns but they are usually being dragged up