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Skive off school and enjoy sledging, says headmaster

The head teacher of a leading private school has urged parents to keep their children home from school on snowy days so they can create “special memories” by building snowmen together.

Shaun Fenton, head of Reigate Grammar School, Surrey, emailed parents with the suggestion, saying that there are too few snow days for children on which they can go out and enjoy making snowmen and sledging.

He suggested that such activities led to memories that are more long-lasting than anything learnt at school.

Mr Fenton wrote: “I realise that for some families, work/other commitments mean that they will not have any options about the day, whereas for others it makes sense to enjoy making snowmen and sledging.

“Looking back to my own childhood, in these moments some fabulous lifelong childhood memories were formed, memories that lasted longer than any lessons taught at school! I believe that there are too few snow days for our children where they can go out and enjoy making snowmen and go sledging. Therefore, if there is a lot of snow and you can go sledging or make snowmen with your children today, then maybe today is a chance to make some special memories.”

Read more: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/skive-off-school-and-enjoy-sledging-says-headmaster-shaun-fenton-of-reigate-grammar-school-ftzsqzjgg

National Offer Day: 100,000 pupils set to miss out on their first choice school, analysis shows

100,000 pupils are set to miss out on their first choice of state secondary school amid higher competition for places, analysis shows.

More than half a million families in England will learn which school their child will attend in September, on what is known as “national offer day”.  

25,000 children will find out that they not got place at any of the secondary schools which their parents listed in their application, their analysis also shows. 

The demand for places has increased sharply over the past five years, as a bulge in primary school population due to a rise in birth rates passes up into secondary schools.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2018/02/28/national-offer-day-100000-pupils-set-miss-first-choice-school/

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