Sarah Todd: School's out for summer but will class be bigger next term?

He was in big trouble at the local show for looking scruffy. "Well, I had to catch the cockerel," he explained in mitigation. "And anyway, there wasn't a clean shirt ironed..." So it was all my fault.

Ralph didn't come home in the ribbons, but a plate of three brown eggs had a red card beneath them. "Maybe my prices should go up?" wondered the young egg entrepreneur. Her little brother was thrilled finally to win the trophy in the mounted fancy dress. It was lovely how many of the other competitors came over and said "well done". We've always schooled our children to say "congratulations" to others at shows and it's an old-fashioned courtesy that should be remembered.

There was an embarrassing moment though, when the victor walked into the secretary's tent to ask – thank goodness he said please – for his prize money. My mother didn't know where to look as the lady explained that he had got a trophy, medal and goody bag instead of any hard cash.

"I got 5 for my eggs," piped up his sister (who would have secretly swapped it and all the year's egg takings for a trophy).

Back to school for the moment to observe that many country village primaries are facing record intakes when the new term starts after the summer holidays. It makes my blood boil the numbers who come from outside traditional catchment areas. It's one of the few things David Cameron and I disagree on (that sounds as if we've had a one-to-one chat about it).

He's all for parent power and choice. But has he thought about the knock-on effect it has on traffic and class sizes? Everybody who comes from away seems to give the argument that "the class sizes where we are were just too big…" Well, thanks a lot, what do you think you're doing to our class sizes? There's also that connection with a community. Do people care if they speed or park outside some poor old lady's house if they live in a completely different neck of the woods? It's a tricky one.

The children are looking forward to making some new friends from among the caravanners and campers that may come and stay over the summer. We've not had a huge number as so many refuse to set foot on the premises without a shower. I'd happily go a couple of days with nothing more than a wash, but we're learning. The modern camper is big into personal grooming. Maybe The Husband will pick up a few tips before the next show…

CW 24/7/10