Britpick Question and Fic Update

[amberfocus]

First the Britpick:

Do you have such things as parental volunteers in the British School system? Parents that come in and work as teacher's assistants or helping with such things as school field trips?

As for the fic update:

Chapter four of Doubt is coming along quite nicely. It's current word count is 2093. I've just got to the part of it where School Reunion is actually starting. I may yet finish this in four parts instead of the five I thought I might have to expand it to. Gotta love Jackie. The first 2000 words are mostly hers. But what she says may entirely surprise you. Not sure when it'll be finished. I need to take 45 minutes and watch SR one more time. Or at least the dialog heavy SJ/Rose and Ten/Rose and Mickey/Ten bits. Fortunately there is no Nutcracker rehearsal tomorrow because of the holiday weekend. I didn't think I could ever loathe that music in my life, but...yeah...getting there.

Zeppelins is coming along slowly. I think I'll take a small break after I finish Doubt and focus on Zeppelins and You're What? for about a week before getting back to the next Moments in Darkness fic. And not write one single ounce of angst. Just fluffy bunnies and happy/happy.

I had one horrible, horrible angsty plot bunny for Doomsday, but I don't know if I can bring myself to do it. I'm not sure I can bring myself to do Doomsday at all for MiD.

Also, azriona, I had this idea for a crack!fic that I don't even think I could begin to do justice to, but you on the other hand so could. I'm not above begging. I could trade it for a smut!fic of Nine/Rose, Ten/Rose, or Ten2/Rose.

Comments

[captain91.livejournal.com]

parents come in for field trips in primary school (5-11) and secondary school (11-16). they often also help to get students there via car if a bus isn't being used, ie for a band trip

parents generally aren't allowed in a helpers for normal classes since it distracts the kids too much. the only time they come in is for very practical things like painting sets for plays - you need eyes on every pupil then!

[solarflar3.livejournal.com]

Parents do come in regularly to listen to kids read etc in the younger stages. Usually for years R to 3, though frequently they will help with reading in years 3 to 6 too. It is encouraged and most primary schools will be screaming out to parents for that kind of help.

[captain91.livejournal.com]

with reading in my school the top 2 years would sit and listen to the younger ones read. year 7 and 8 also came back on teacher training days at secondary school to help out.

we'd had a "problem" with a parent there though a few years before so parents weren't let in much

[solarflar3.livejournal.com]

Oooh nasty, not surprised they stopped the practice then. Though I have to say that isn't the norm. I work in schools as well as having 2 school age kids and at the schools I work at parents are encouraged, actually 'my' schools are desperate for that. Same with my daughter's primary school, though not my son's high school. Reckon if I went in there to read with the kids, my son would die of embarrassment!

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

We have to have background checks and fingerprints taken to volunteer in the classrooms of the public schools here. You can chaperone a field trip without it but anything else requires the checks.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Okay. I was thinking about having Ten2 volunteering in the schools for the Forward Stesp Along the Path series.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Okay, thanks.

[wildwinterwitch.livejournal.com]

If you find you can't bring yourself to write the Doomsday angsty fic, I'd be happy to adopt the plot bunny. In return for some Ten/Rose, Ten2/Rose smut!fic, perhaps?

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Are you trying to bribe me? Because you know, sometimes that works. *smiles*

[wildwinterwitch.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't call it bribery. If you're willing to give it up, I'd like to give you something in return.

[solarflar3.livejournal.com]

Sort of, parents can come in and help with listening to the child read or accompany the youngest ones on school trips. Usually only for an hour or so a week. 'Proper' teaching assistants are employed, in key stage 1 (years R,1&2), and sometimes key stage 2 (years 3 to 6), usually one in every class alongside the teacher; these are called NTA's (non-teaching assistants). Special needs kids in mainstream schools also have LSA's (learning support assistants), IF they have a SSEN (statement of special educational needs), which are harder and harder to get (bloody inclusion; bane of my life).

HTH

[salimali.livejournal.com]

"IF they have a SSEN (statement of special educational needs), which are harder and harder to get (bloody inclusion; bane of my life)."

Mine too !!!

[captain91.livejournal.com]

tell me about it. i needed a helper for physical, but i ended up unable to go to school because we couldn't get one

[solarflar3.livejournal.com]

Ooh we have turned Amberfocus' brit pick query into a rant!

Sorry lovey!

[captain91.livejournal.com]

oops! not my intention, it just drive me mad

sorry sweetie. as an apology i won't bug you - too much - about getting Zeppelins to us... until tomorrow anyway!

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Not a problem. I'm working on Zeppy tonight and tomorrow and might have a chappie done by Monday nightish, maybe.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

It's okay. Not a fan of the public school system. Different country but still. There is a very big reason I'm homeschooling my kids now.

[solarflar3.livejournal.com]

It was the absolute worst idea ever to devolve SEN budgets to schools, as for inclusion, even Baroness Warnock, who kicked off the idea admits it hasn't worked.

I work with SEN kids, I'm an EP and even though often we are pilloried (yes we know!), we don't like the system either. Well at least I don't, I have 2 SEN kids myself so I get it from both sides. It makes me so bloody angry, I try and try to get help for the kids and then I either get bashed down by 'purse holders' at the LA, or by headteachers who just don't have the experience with some SEN's.

/rant

;-)

[salimali.livejournal.com]

Oh don't start me!!
I'm a teacher and I had a severly autistic boy in my class, 2hrs a day is all the help he was entitled to- what the hell was he and I supposed to do for the other 4. He couldn't speak, needs help with toileting, eating and couldn't be let out in the yard- he'd wander off!!
My local authorit is against giving Statements, they have a quota per year and once that's fulfilled... tough! Its not far on any of the children in the class or the teachers/parents/EP's (who unfortunately also get hassle from both sides)

here endeth the rant ;)

[salimali.livejournal.com]

Sorry amberfocus x x :(

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about it. There's a reason I'm homeschooling my kids now.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

I was wanting to have Ten2 helping kids in the schools as a volunteer and trying to figure out what sorts of hoops he might have to jump through to do it.

[desertrose9.livejournal.com]

I've only ever had parents come on trips in Primary school, never secondary. But that's mostly because my secondary school barely went on trips and when they did we had enough teachers and assistant teachers to go along with them.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Okay, thanks so much.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Still plugging away at your smut. It might get done tonight. "Tonight" as in, "this evening in Japan." Not sure what time it'll be for you.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Hee. And I loved it, it was so good.

[azriona.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Crack!fic, you say? Let's hear the idea, and then we'll talk exchange. :)

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Okay, let me get my thoughts together and I'll send you a PM.

[azriona.livejournal.com]

Nonono. Never organize thoughts when it comes to crack!fic. That leads the way of normal!fic. *grin*

[ladylyssa.livejournal.com]

Sorry I don't have an answer to your Britpick question, but I just wanted to say I'm very eagerly awaiting your next installment, and I'll happily be your cheerleading section. :^)

"AmberFocus, AmberFocus, she's our man! If she can't do it, no one can! Yaaaaaay, AMBERFOCUS!" *pompom shake*

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Thanks.

[doctorsdiva.livejournal.com]

There is some serious breath holding going on here *pan to one blue faced Diva* Can't wait to hear what Jackies got to say, although no doubt most of the Powell Estate will hear it too!

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Or she might just be incredible sensible. You never know.

[corusca.livejournal.com]

Re: Doomsday - oh man, I know! I've plotted what's going to happen when MWWT gets to that point, but it's gonna kill to actually write it...

I personally suggest you take up some of the Nine end of MiD...'cause that should be happy fluffy, yes? *pleeeads* :)

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Well, if he spent seven years away from her before he got back to the TARDIS in GitF, I have faith in you that he'll get back to her evenutally after Doomsday.

Well, Possibilities, the Nine branch of MiD is more like story rewrites with Jack and preggers Rose. So it'll be more intensive and time consuming and I want to finish up some of my major WiP's first.

[corusca.livejournal.com]

Yay finishing up WiPs! I accept the wait, since it seems to mean finishing up other majorly awesome stories in the meantime :^)