Completely OT - bedtime for children

[Huge]

Crumbs. Reminds me of the system we had to schedule access to the ITT3200s we were developing on when I started in IT in 1975. (~150 developers, 4 machines, no time-sharing.)

[Mark]

Sounds very complex to me but if it works ... ;-)

Ours get too much homework now that must be done on the computer so such a scheme would not work here I think.

[Frank Erskine]

Are these physical "coin-in-the-slot" type tokens?

[Dave Liquorice]

No definately "Blue Peter". Round bits of cardboard (in different colours for each child) and two yogurt pots. One pot for "using computer" and one for "queue".

[Bob Eager]

You've started me thinking about something in the domain controller now...but although that might work for Windows, younger son (14 years) has a FreeBSD machine, which complicates matters...

[Man at B&Q]

All three have PCs in their rooms and mobiles, and are trusted implicitly to behave. No problems at all so far. They're all mature and their doors are open all the time. Only the youngest (12) was found to quickly switch windows when an adult approached. Turned out he was embarrased that he was playing an on line game "for babies".

Good behaviour is all down to catching them young with the discipline. Now it's threatened, but never has to be applied.

MBQ

[Tim Watts]

The master has trained the young jedi well...

;->

[Steve Walker]

Unfortunately with the age of ours (3, 5 & 7), by the time shopping, homework, baths/showers, eating, etc. are fitted in, there's not really enough time before bed for them to use one computer consecutively.

As they get older and bedtime drifts later, it'll be no better, 'cos they'll have more homework!

I must admit I was rather annoyed that the school set homework for our 7 year old that involved using the Internet to research the differences in how the rich and poor lived in Tudor times. That meant either very careful changes to filtering (not really practical as a one off) or letting him use our account, sitting with him and hoping that he didn't see anything unsuitable before we could stop him.

SteveW

[News]

In message , Mark writes

Hmm. I tend to agree. Ours (10) has quite a lot of homework, some of which must be done on the PC. I cannot help thinking, though, that he has less hours at school than I did at that age, but I did not have homework at primary school. Moving 'teaching time' from the teachers to the parents? Perhaps I'm just an old cynic ...

[stuart noble]

He'll be googling Ann Boleyn + knickers if you turn your back

[Owain]

I just have.

[Mark]

Ours didn't get much homework at primary level (although they took ages doing it[1]). They get a bit more to start with at secondary but they get a /lot/ when they start their GCSE courses[2].

My kids get about the same amount of school time as I did IIRC.

[1] Trying to avoid doing it actually. [2] I think the school should gradually increase the amount of homework, rather than suddenly.

[Dave Liquorice]

They get a lot of home work at that age? The 3 year old?

I don't like this assumption that schools seem to make that every household has access to the internet. There are households around here that don't. Some because they can't afford it (even the local community ISP at =A38/month) or because they are too far from the exchange for ADSL to work. Dialup speeds aren't much use these days on the web...

[Dave Liquorice]

I agree, I think No.1 Daughter is going to have a shock next year. Currently she manages to get the majority of her home work done at school. She certainly doesn't do much here but her report for all subjects always has WTTEO "home work done well and on time".

She's a bright lass though, sitting her GCSE Maths this year at the end of Year 9. I have a sneaky feeling she has yet to come across anything that has really been "difficult".

[Mark]

+1. Schools don't seem to get this at all.

They make token efforts to cater for non-internet users but it is inadequate IME.

[Mark]

My kids are similar. TBH I am dissappointed at how high some of the marks they get for homework that they could do a lot better.

Y9! Yikes, that's early. Our school lets the brightest students do GCSE Maths at the beginning of Y11. My eldest has also yet to come across anything really difficult.

BTW There's a news article recently about how schools are putting students in for Maths too early you may be interested in:

[Dave Liquorice]

I said she was bright... It's the only one she is doing this year, there was talk at the beging of the year about English and Science as well but they haven't happened. I expect they will be next year...

The lad is in Year 6 and off the scale as far a Science is concerned and way up on Maths and English(*1). I think the teachers put him at Level 5(*2) but they aren't allowed to put that down on any of the paper work! They are going to get some Key Stage 3 test papers for him to have a go at...

the figures. They do carry on with Maths and few other subjects to AS level after pupils have got their GCSE.

This is key:

"If any students are to be entered early, they must be confidently predicted to achieve an A*."

A* is perhaps a little high but just allowing a C is daft. At very high confidence of getting at least a B should be the criteria.

(*1) Apart from hand writting, his brain works so fast he can't write fast enough to keep up and he loses his thread. Bung him in front of a keyboard and it flows out...

(*2) Level somthing, I haven't got my head around these levels and at what age and what level is "normal".

[Clive George]

I did O-level in the equivalent of Y9 - no problem.

[Mark]

However bright the student is I am surprised that the school could have taught the full GCSE syllabus by then -- unless they have an unusually high teacher/pupil ratio.

AFAIK Primary schools can only measure up to level 5.

Personally I think it should be an A. Better get an A in YR11 than a B earlier IMHO.

Average is L4 at the end of primary school IIRC.

[Clive George]

Agreed, but I'd suggest if that happens, there's time for another go.