Carter started his first day of school on Thursday, September 8th!
We weren't sure what to do in terms of school this fall since we are only here until December. However, having received a spot in the public school in our area, we decided it would be a great opportunity for the short time remaining. The majority of schools in our area are private and cost an enormous amount of money to attend (upwards of 15,000 pounds for the year!). Despite this, most people who live in London, send their kids to private school! However there is one public school, called Bousfield Primary School, that is just a few blocks away and seems to be an anomaly in terms of its education calibre. The other 3 public schools that are in Kensington and Chelsea, have pretty poor reputations academically. We were really lucky to have received a spot in Bousfield as they decide based on living proximity to the school and it can even come down to which flat you are in (i.e. the flat on the ground floor might get a spot, but the flat in the same building directly above, won't!). Somehow we managed to squeak in!
Here they call the first year Reception, instead of Kindergarten. It's Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 3:30pm, which makes for some very long days to get used to!
all dressed up with a new outfit from Grandma for the big day
walking to school on his first day
the entourage (daddy took the shot)
the street the school is on
The school! Its hard to see but the blue sign on the brick says that in the location of the school, used to be the home of Beatrix Potter, author of The Tales of Peter Rabbit.
The school yard layout is really interesting. In this area there is water instead of a fence! It's an urban school so there isn't much grass, but there is a fair amount of space behind the school for the different age groups, with appropriate climbing frames. Carter says he has fun but wishes he could go on the big-boy half of the playground!
time to go in with his school mates on the first day
He ran right in to class after a quick hug and 'bye Mom', and sat down on the carpet with the rest of the new kids!
His class mates and the school in general are very international. So far we have seen/met classmates from UK (seems to be the minority), France, the US, Netherlands, Poland and Canada (a family from Toronto who have been in London for 10 years now).
It's been a week and a half now, and so far everything is going really well! He goes to school everyday without any complaint and by the end of the day when Averie and I pick him up, he's excited to tell us a bit about his day and who his friend of the day is. It's hard to get a full report about what goes on during the day as we often get the 'I can't remember' answer when we ask, which seems to be the general consensus among the parents. It's amazing how hungry he is too when we go to get him! So now we come stocked with snacks, usually his favourite, a whole wheat nutella sandwich! :)
