Argus title : I hope in 2008 my daughter’s generation will rock the boat and not be happy with what politicians assume they will accept – poor education, low pay and the unpaid care of others
My daughter told me to write about my hopes for 2008, so I will.
I hope she and her friends do as well as they would wish in their GCSEs. On the other hand, I’d like them, and other young people in their position, to know that if they don’t do well, that’s also fine – as long as they don’t give up learning.
There are always other ways to approach study and I wish schools were better at telling students about them.
The Argus has recently published the stories of two young girls who have pursued their education in unconventional ways. Sophie De L’orme experienced a breakdown while at Cardinal Newman School. She moved into the Stopover Project, which accommodates and supports vulnerable young women, and managed to complete her A levels. She is now in the final year of a degree course.
Lucy Todd is agoraphobic and therefore finds it difficult to leave her home. She experienced her first panic attacks 4 years ago, when she attended Davison High School in Worthing. She began to study at home and subsequently did very well in GCSE examinations. She had hoped to study for her A Levels at Worthing College, but found this impossible. She has persuaded the Open University to accept her as a student despite the fact that she is two years younger than the usual age of entry. Continue reading