bob_bob

London is a law unto themselves, lots of people +lots of cash+not that many private placements = picky Schools.

My wife and I went to grammar schools (best days of our life) and when our children came along my parents funded their education; its now our turn and we fund the two grandchildren's education. Their school is wonderful, very well equipped with fantastic teachers and follows the International Baccalaureate route. Both started there aged three and the youngest is in the PYP (Primary Years Programme) and grandson has now started the MYP (Middle Years Programme). Both are doing extremely well at school and mixing with children from all over the world (grandson is learning Russian off his best chum). Are they 'pushed'? I'd say encouraged is a more apt word to use, encouraged by parents and school plus of course a degree of peer pressure... they all want to do well but unlike my day they don't get a wack off a teacher if you can't get to grips with the likes of Euclid's Theorem et al.

They are two very bright, educated and above all else genuinely nice young people, I pray this bubble never bursts.

Its a bloody shame not all children will have this type of school experience.