The Dilemma

Ok, the title sounds a little more daunting than the situation actually is. It's more frustrating than anything, really. The schools in England don't quite work the way that they do back home. Back in Union City, if you lived in an area designated for, say, Delaine Eastin Elementary, it wouldn't matter if you moved there halfway through the year and all of the classes were "full", they'd take your child anyway. 

Over here, each school has one class per grade level and each grade level has a very strict cap on class size. This is the positive side of their school placement system. Here come the negatives: If you move into a house with a perfectly good school across the street, your child cannot attend it if they've already reached their maximum number of students in that grade. You'll then have to check with the next school to see if they happen to have a space. If a school has a space for your child mid-year (totally rare since parents need to apply for a space a year in advance), you have to go for an interview and hope that they accept your kid. The problem with this is that more than likely, the schools that still have spaces are the ones that nobody else wants to send their kids to anyway.

Our UK liaison, Karen, has been trying to find some schools that have a space for Audrey and are rated as either "good" or "outstanding." She emailed us today with--wait for it--THREE schools in this entire borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, as well as another neighboring borough that may accept Audrey. Did I mention these are just plain, old public schools? Since there's no guarantee that any of these three schools will even accept her (she can be a hellion at times), we can't even begin our search of rental homes. And once they do accept her, what are the chances that we'll miraculously find a home to our specs right in that area? 

I guess rather than complaining about it on here, I should go get my research on and try to figure out what I'll wear to these interviews so that I can guarantee they'll take my kid. Somebody! Anybody! (Well, anybody who falls into the "good" or "outstanding" categories, that is.) The dismal news of the lack of schools available combined with the horrendous 5 hour cycle per load of tiny laundry (that comes out still damp at best), has definitely brought me back into the downswing of my emotional rollercoaster. Even after the hours of drying in the machine, we have to set out racks to finish drying our things all the way. Fun times in our cozy flat.

It's a good thing we have FaceTime and got to connect with our friends Marissa and Rynnie. That was a much needed pick-me-up--thanks girls, we miss you both!

Audrey and I also got to spend some alone time together today. We left the boys behind and took a little walk into town to grab some coffee and hot chocolate. When we left the flat, it was nice and sunny. When we came out of the coffee shop, it was raining cats and dogs. Audrey's advice? "Always bring an umbrella, Mom!" True that, baby. I guess that's how we've gotta roll now.