DID you know radiators came in different colours?

Or that there is such a thing as a double radiator?

And even more space-age… a vertical radiator?

I didn't.

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Life Lessons with Barry Whitmore High School head teacher, Innes Robinson

But my builder told me to buy an anthracite-coloured, vertical double radiator on eBay for my kitchen and I was too confused to ask him what he meant.

I'd already let myself down in front of him on numerous occasions over the last month including a debacle involving a steel RSJ (I bought one, my house didn't need it) and I didn't want to ask any more questions.

So, I Googled it, reviewed it, leant whole new terms I'd never heard before (BTU anyone?) and I was no further along.

I couldn't face the shame of having it delivered to my house only for the builder to tell me it was meant for bathrooms, so I went to the Oracle himself, my brother in law.

What's great about him is he isn't a Robinson.

Not one of us has the first clue about anything practical so in our eyes, he is a DIY genius.

He also doesn't judge when I ask ridiculous questions.

Twenty minutes later I had bought the radiator from eBay and felt pretty good about myself.

Parents of year 6 children are probably feeling similar right now.

They may not feel like experts in secondary education and have lots of questions that they would love to ask prospective schools directly that no amount of Googling, reviewing, etc will answer.

Our Covid friendly, Online Open Evenings (see the Whitmore website for details) aim to give parents the chance to ask all the little questions that are important before making the final decision for their child.

We've have even worked out how to create breakout rooms in Zoom so parents can ask questions in small groups.

Did the radiator story end well I hear you ask?

I'll let you be the judge…

'You got the valves as well yeah'

Blank look on my face.

'What's a valve?'