The TES online forums are a hotbed of debate. Here is just a taste of what users are saying this week. Join the discussion at: www.tes.co.ukstaffroom Alan Johnson’s plan for school-leavers to be 18
Tiddlywink: The children who want to already stay, the others can’t wait to get out. What makes him think a child who has problems reading and writing at 16 is miraculously going to learn by the age of 18?
Bluedart: How long before there is a legal challenge from someone asserting their right to leave school at 16? If a 16-year-old is a “young person”
rather than a “child”, isn’t this telling adults what to do with their lives?
Ilovesooty: It will solve the problem of affordable housing for teachers.
They might just live at school and have done with it.
seren dipity: Should married couples be in different classes?
Do you have to clean the kitchen sink at school?
Ruby Tuesday: Cleaning was always an emotive issue at my school: a few hardy souls would, but the majority just threw things in the sink. At one point, I started throwing dirty cups away.
Triscca: When I was in Year 6, I’d be pulled out of class on Fridays to wash up in the staffroom. I quite enjoyed it, and it taught me how to wash up.
susie103: In our school, it would be good if we had a kitchen sink. We have one staff toilet and we wash our cups in the toilet sink.
What could you legally do to upset your kids?
Ms Anonymous: I could try kissing them at the school gate if I never wanted to be forgiven.
Mandala: I will never forget the sheer horror on my son’s face when I was sent to his Year 6 class on supply.
Rustybug: Move any part of my body whatsoever in time to music, even a finger on the steering wheel.
thinkitwasjune: Singing and dancing to Scissor Sisters does it at the moment.
Koloko: My mum used to stand at the till in our local supermarket and say, “This is our **********. He’s a teacher.”
These comments are the personal opinions of individual contributors