u/Weezlecheesle

I’m looking into getting my 6 year old a smart watch. I want something where he can contact me and husband and we can contact him. He will only use it for trips and just in case we get separated. I also want to be able to set alarms on him to, for example, come back to where we’re sitting in a soft play at a certain time. That sort of thing. It will need to be a cellular one. Ideally with a step tracker too as he loves tracking steps.

I’ve done lots of research and the more I do, the more conflicting it is.

AI has recommended a few but has basically said that he might be better with an Apple Watch SE with the apps stripped down. I’ve also looked at the K9 which looks good (and certainly easier to use than an Apple Watch! Location services iffy though) and Xplora 6 Play but the reviews are really mixed for that.

Son is autistic if that makes a difference. He’s interested in tech and will be able to figure things out quite quickly. My concern there is his hyper-focus and my worries that he won’t see/hear it ringing if he’s in his own world.

My other option is an AirTag on a watch strap until he’s a bit older but obviously no proper contact here (although good to track where he is!)

Any advice is most welcome. Ideally under £150 but it’s a gift from grandparents so there’s a bit of flex there.

I saw OM last night in Birmingham and haven’t seen the West End version. I couldn’t understand probably half of what was said in the songs. I don’t know if it was sound quality, band were too loud if just that it was too fast for me. My friend had the same issue in Stoke a few weeks ago. So I’m wondering if it’s a tour issue?

I liked the show a lot but wasn’t absolutely bowled away by it like others seem to be. I wonder if this is the case. Has anyone seen both and found the sound quality better in London? Or is that just how the show is?

I’ve been teaching over 20 years, have led Year 11 three times and am now overseeing the GCSEs as SLT. Bit of advice for next week as the exams start for everyone:

- Prioritise sleep. Cramming all night is not advised

- It’ll be easy tomorrow to get whipped up in a frenzy. Anxious people create anxious people. If you’ve done the hard work over the last two years, the exams are just an opportunity to “show what you know”. The world isn’t going end tomorrow if it’s a tricky paper or you don’t get the timings quite right.

- Ignore anyone who says they’ve done zero revision. 9/10 this is a lie and it’s self-preservation for if they don’t do well. And if it’s not a lie, then so what?

- Ignore anyone who says they’ve revised for Lit for 10+ hours a day this weekend. This may not be a lie but comparing time revising at this point isn’t helpful.

- AQA Lit - I always say to my students that if Tissue is the named poem, I’ll give a pound for each of them in the year group towards the Prom budget out of my own money. I’ve never put my hand in my pocket and I don’t think I ever will. And if it does, everyone will be in the same position.

- Eat breakfast.

- Finally, giving the exam a post-mortem isn’t helpful. A quick discussion afterwards is fine but if you spend the evening on social media deconstructing every sentence you wrote, you will go mad. I did this (without the internet!) after a History exam where I convinced myself I’d misunderstood a source and expected to fail. I got an A*. End of August is a LONG time to wait if you’re anxious anyway; don’t make it harder on yourself. Do the exam, reflect a bit but then move on.

This is a big week and a lot of you will have “double days”. You’re going to feel that. But you can also start crossing off some subjects fairly soon if you haven’t done so already. And you are going to have the BEST summer!

Best of luck!

I have been wanting to watch Sunday in the Park with George for many, many years. I had tickets to see the production in 2020 but obviously that got cancelled.

Imagine my joy when I found out today (from here!) that it’s coming to the West End I’m 2027. I was absolutely thrilled.

And then saw the cast. Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande. I’m sure they’ll be good in their roles but tickets are going to be insanely expensive and hard to get. And I don’t mind bringing in a new audience for Sondheim but I think there are going to be a lot of disappointed/confused people who see it expecting Wicked (or something relatively mainstream) and turn up and it’s this show.

Any thoughts? Is it worth getting tickets as a Sondheim fan? Ariana is not my bag at all.

We were so spoilt with the recent Into The Woods revival and I just don’t think this production will be for me.