I don't get either Lecs I love Spanish too, Dits, and Italian. Beautiful languages (and much better than what fly's out of my gob) I wonder if you get chavvy Spaniards or I-ti's? I'm sure there's regional differences in pronounciation the world over, but England seems to be the most obvious for different accents and dialects.

And I failed German spectacularly!

There's a thing about Geordies/Mackems/Pit Yackers/NEasteners and Vikings that is true though.  As in factually true rather than just a daft opinion.  Like "bairn"  "larn" (learn) etc...

I never got to learn French, at the school I went to they would only let the top two sets do it and I was in the third, everyone used to mess around in there anyway but i'm glad they made us do Life Skills instead, what fun watching videos about Cromwell Place.

My nephews Dad is Italian his Italian Grandmother was determined that he would be bilingual but he just ended up confused.  He'd say 3/4s of a sentence in English then use a random Italian word.  It can work and does work but I think it has to be kept at.  He doesn't know much Italian now...bits and bobs and ALL the swear words    But I think it needs some consistency.

I know il probably get shot down for saying this, but I really do not see the point in GCSEs... when I was in school Teachers made out that if you didnt get your GCSEs you would die. The only useful ones I have found are English, Maths and I.T. Everything else I did has turned out to be f*cking useless. Its the qualifications after that are more important. Diplomas, A-Levels and Degrees etc.


You can shuv your f*cking religious studies and citizenship up your arse!

The head of languages at my school was Spanish/English bilingual, her husband was Spanish...My school only offered French (to all) and German (to top set French@ end of yr 3...[3 is nowadays 9])  Pointless and wasted!

I was on my way to failing my GCSE Edexcel IT because I was struggling until I started to get what to do, good job my form tutor was actually teaching the subject, managed to get a pass due to me putting in my own time during Easter Revision.

Not by me, and I say that as someone with a Level 3 TA qualification (which is obv. a bit shit but shows my interest in Education...not saying L3 is anything to write home about, but proves I like edumacting kids )

People literally think that if you get a D in PE your life is ruined or summat.  Biggest load of bollocks ever.

The schools could have at least offered Italian or Spanish classes.

Yep! They were wasting a resource in the head of department!

I was made up when my son was offered Spanish as an option, cos he had an interest in it and the culture due to going there a lot growing up. Agree with what Meaty says about the GCSE thing aswell, although from a personal perspective, as much as school wasn't a system that suited me and I went out to work early, I do regret not utilising educational opportunities more when they were available. (It's only now I'm going back to learning).

I think it's good that kids have a goal or goals to aim for and think the GCSE system is a lot better than the O Level system, but I agree that there shouldn't be so much emphasis on HAVING to pass. My son doesn't stress about tests and exams and stuff (he's a bit too relaxed but has the same mindset as Meaty and us - but he does ok in them so far), and what I've told him (rightly or wrongly) is to do his best but not beat himself up if he doesn't get top grades and that the most important thing is to get a trade (plumber, electrician, mechanic...something that will always be needed) as he'll always have money in his pocket and will allow him to pursue other goals/dreams that are not guaranteed wedge in his spare time.

What do you guys think? (Not my situation but the whole examination system in general and what attitudes you each adopt in regards to preparing the kids for the high school education and work process)

And I've just thought I should have probably started a new thread about it but really cant be bovvered (soz and all that)

I think that education is fine and good and we do need the high flyers. But as Karma says, we need the trades as well.Nowadays it costs an arm and a leg to get a plumber or electrician out. ( And you have to be able to find a good one first).
This last government sold our youth a pup - all this 50% have to go on to higher education. Uni's have been made to dumb down, there are degrees in ridiculous subjects being given out and graduates are coming out of uni in debt and without a job to go to.
However having said that, university should not just be for the privileged few as it has been in the past. If a kid from a poorer background wants to get to uni then they should be able to do so.
Some of the red bricks are still full of rich young things who are only there because mummy and daddy went - they have a fine old time, don't have to worry about debt and usually walk either into a job or go travelling on their parent's money for a year afterwards,

The higher education system in this country still stinks really.

I'm half Dutch and that language still flummoxes me!!! My mum talks so bliddy fast from Dutch to English and visa versa it's quite incredible.

I did Dutch at night school and did very well... No where in the planet did year 2 Dutch after that grrrrrrr (well apart from in Holland ha ha)

Never knock the importance of learning a language.  If I  hadn't learned how to say - "Ah hello Walter, I am in Heidelburg for the industrial fair and i would like a raw egg with whipped cream"  I might have died.

If I hadn't said this in passing to a pair of bemused Germans in a rubber dinghy, they would never have laughed and offered me a lift, and i would have been left, unable to swim, on what i thought was a beach, but later found out was really a sandbank that the rapidly encroaching tide had just made into an island

Thank you C grade German O level

Latin and French for me. Learning Latin helped me understand sentence structure, grammar and to love words..ergo it helped, not only with my English but, other literary subjects too 

Well done Rawky

Dance Settee - that made me laugh

I considered learning arabic (mainly to spy on B ) but I just keep looking at it and thinking 'whhaaa??'

Opposite for me

I found French quite easy and always struggled with German, even after spending a week there all I learned was 'apple juice' and 'tea with milk' I already knew please and thank you

When daughter started secondary school they all had to do French, German & Latin.  She was excited about doing Latin, but ended up hating it with a passion...she couldn't drop it fast enough.

Hubby loved it though... and like you he says it helped him with his English Language skills.

There is still the misconception at her old school that you have to do latin if you want a career in law or medicine, and I watched as dozens of her classmates stressed over pages & pages or latin vocab.  An awful lot of them failed the exams last year.... and their parents reacted as if they were destined to spend their lives in the gutter.  I blame the school...  they should have been the ones telling the kids and parents that latin is no longer a prerequisite for law & med school.

when I got back from my first holiday without parents, with mates to Greece I decided to enrol at nightschool to learn Greek.

First class I sat down and looked at the board... and the alphabet and thought "oh shit! wtf is that triangle letter...."

I went to three classes then my holiday was dimming in my memory and I decided to laugh it off.

Err.....not wanting to sound rude but you all realise that this thread is about me don't cha? So, could you all stop talking about yourselves please. Thanks


*mutters to self* Cor its all 'me me me' with some people

*sniggers at Rawky*

Sorry Rawks...aren't you a clever boy, WELL DONE YOU 

haha, sounds like me, but its like "what's that squiggle"