Although most school pupils are enjoying a well-earned rest, the summer can be an anxious time for those waiting for exam results. I am not sure that I would have wanted to receive my results by text message, but some pupils in Scotland have chosen this method.
Let’s wish "Good luck" to all who are waiting for those results and let us recognise how hard most of them have worked towards their goals.
There are some pupils, however, for whom the holidays represent peace from noisy, undisciplined classrooms. I am equally sure that there will be teachers who welcome the respite. Instead of being able to teach their subject, some teachers feel they are engaging in "crowd control".
When teachers set out clear rules and enforce them, their work is undermined if parents automatically back their children in any dispute. There are times, as parents, that we must endorse the authority of a school – and an episode of bad behaviour justifies such endorsement.
Some schools now have a "home-school" contract. This sets out clearly what is expected of the school, the pupil and parents. The individuals concerned know the ground rules, which is essential. But the outcome of such an agreement is to protect the school itself, as a place where learning is respected, where those who engage in the important tasks of learning and teaching are equally respected.
To finish on a lighter note, for those who take part in the annual competition to spot the first "Back To School" promotion, I hear that the dreaded words have already been aired, on a TV shopping channel.
It is worth adding, however, that I write this article from France where I am on holiday at present. Here, of course, the return to school for the new term is celebrated by a massive sales operation which starts weeks in advance. Every child must have new kit before they start the term. The existence of this ritual does, however, perhaps indicate that parents