DG

I like their chips and mayo and their hummous and pitta bread. The service is OK. Just very French!

Tapas Try is very nice, good sized portions, although rather small inside and very much cafe style. Also rather a ditzy waitress when I was in there!

You can make an online response to Nero's planning appeal, here http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/makerep.asp?caseaddress=COO.2036.300.2.7427893&appealtype=COO.2036.300.2.2084

It's quite sad that a lot of the people who originally to the corporate invasion now turn out to drink in there! No wonder it's so easy for these big companies to weedle their way in.

I'd be more upset if my child had the idea that babies should be fed rubbish from a bottle. Go to any of the parks anyway, there's women breastfeeding all over the place. Any child that hasn't seen it already, must be blind!

Given that breatfeeding levels in the UK are some of the lowest in Europe, despite proven health benefits, and we are facing an epidemic of fat unhealthy kids, I'd say the more women who demonstrate that it's free, easy and what breasts were designed for, the better. Much rather see a woman breastfeeding than a baby having its face stuffed with a jar of gloop, anyday.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1752289.ece Britain?s most expensive state school is being built without a playground because those running it believe that pupils should be treated like company employees and do not need unstructured play time. The authorities at the ?46.4m Thomas Deacon city academy in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, due to open this autumn, also believe that the absence of a playground will avoid the risk of ?uncontrollable? numbers of children running around in breaks at the 2,200-pupil school. ?We are not intending to have any play time,? said Alan McMurdo, the head teacher. ?Pupils won?t need to let off steam because they will not be bored.? ... McMurdo said refreshments, often taken in break periods at other schools, could be drunk during the school day. ?[Pupils] will be able to hydrate during the learning experience,? he said.

All interesting stuff: http://www.teachers.org.uk/resources/pdf/CompleteAcademiesBriefing07.pdf Creating Academies in place of community or foundation schools involves the transfer of publicly funded assets to an unaccountable sponsoring body. For a contribution of around 8 per cent (maximum ?2m) of the cost of building a new, or refurbishing an old school building to form an Academy, the sponsors are given control of a modern independent school set up as a company limited by guarantee. Sponsors receive the entire school budget directly from the Government. In July 2006 the Government announced measures to make it easier for private backers to sponsor Academies. Sponsorship ? normally ?2m will no longer have to be pledged up front to help pay for new buildings, but instead can be paid over five years for ?educational innovations?. .... The Secretary of State, Ruth Kelly, is understood to be interested in establishing more ?creative? partnerships to back Academies, such as using more educational bodies such as universities. Another suggestion being discussed is whether the ?2m sponsorship, which is kept in a charitable trust could be used to fund the running costs of the school, rather than the building of them. A series of cheaper ?standard building designs? may be used for the remaining schools. Cash donations may also be paid over a longer period, possibly up to two years... In October 2005 the Times reported that the Academies programme was at risk of failing to fulfill one of its core aims because of a ?tax trap? that would cost individual schools millions of pounds in VAT. If an Academy was to make its amenities such as swimming pool or hall available to local people it would face a VAT bill of millions. The newspaper stated that the Business Academy in Bexley could not be a community could not be a community school as it would cost about ?7m in VAT. Tax is waived if 90 per cent of the usage of the new buildings is for ?relevant charitable purposes?, a regulation intended to stop commercial enterprises posing as charities. For the Academies this means opening for less than one hour a day after school hours, and not at all during holidays, or else face a bill for 17.5 per cent of the original cost of the new buildings. The Treasury has said that it is unable to change the rule, which is enforced by the EU VAT Sixth Directive

KIngsdale: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/portal/site/Internet/menuitem.7c7b38b14d870c7bb1890a01637046a0/?event=getReport&urn=100844&inspectionNumber=285899&providerCategoryID=8192&fileName=\\school\\100\\s5_100844_20061122.xml Looks like it's doing very well (leadership is outstanding, most other elements good) although the intake has low levels of attaintment. Probably reflects many pupils hiving off into private schools in the area However, most E Dulwich residents are much closer to the Academy at Pckham http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/portal/site/Internet/menuitem.7c7b38b14d870c7bb1890a01637046a0/?event=getReport&urn=134225&inspectionNumber=283977&providerCategoryID=8192&fileName=\\school\\134\\s5_134225_20060224.xml

Where do E lwich children currently go to secondary school?

A secondary school of fewer than about 800/900 pupils isn't really viable. But the two schools together, Boys and Girls, really come to a huge number!