Norfolkvillas

Hi EDF, our eldest is starting at Kingsdale in September. Can anyone shed any light on how they stream the kids into ability sets for subjects? Are there tests in the first few weeks, or is it connected to the banding test which was part of the application process? Or is it based on SATS (or year 6 teacher assessments, as no SATs this year)? Thanks!

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Also pretty dismayed to hear they can decide to drop languages! We love the Mondly app which is free.

Hi there, I posted a recommendation a few months ago for our teacher Owen. Our boys have just passed their initial grade uke with distinctions and are upgrading to guitar this term. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1870442,1870714#msg-1870714

We have tried to use their after school nanny service in the past - such a great idea, but they didn't seem to have enough nannies in this area on their books to make a timely match. I think these kind of services (there's another called student nannies) tend to start in West London, expand to South West London, and then eventually get to us in SE. I use the Bubble babysitting app ( it's great, and you can use my code HARRISED to get a tenner off your first sit if you like) and the sitters I had at the beginning said that most jobs up til then had been West London based. So I think these types of services are gaining more ground in this area, and therefore becoming more viable / useful.

My daughter went to Heber nursery (and then to join her older sibling at another local primary) and really loved it. For my eldest, we used a non-school affiliated morning pre-school, and I think my daughter learned way more at Heber, and was a lot more stimulated. Whilst it's obviously all play based learning, I think just the fact that it's a more formal education setting helps, and nursery children can free flow to an extent with reception children should they wish to, and my daughter really loved this. She skipped in every morning, without fail. The staff were beyond lovely, we had no problem with the size of the classroom and no experience of coats left outside. I would recommend. And you're right, a shorter nursery run is a huge plus!

Just adding my thanks, and also consternation at the seeming injustice that someone who works so hard, and has so much local support, can fail to retain his post. I think we were actually always just on the other side of the boundary of James' remit, but we've benefited from more than one of his initiatives, including one that is now a fundamental part of our family's life, for which we are particularly grateful. James, I hope this cloud has a bright and shiny silver lining and that your career goes from strength to strength.

Codekids do workshops in Dulwich occasionally - maybe more often if there's a demand. My son did a one day workshop in Feb half term and loved it. http://www.codekids.org.uk/

Hi I wanted to post on two counts. Firstly, to say I am a big advocate of "leaps of faith" and going with what your gut tells you - if you really loved GG, then don't be swayed / put off by the fact folks might not this year be clamouring for a place - as others have said, schools change really fast. I have read great things about the new head too and I'm sure GG will be back to being oversubscribed before too long. We took a leap of faith to be part of the first Harris cohort - both my head and my heart said it was an amazing opportunity, but it still felt like I had quite an internal battle against 'herd mentality' as I had a place at a much more well established local school as well. I haven't regretted our decision for a single second. Secondly, to say that whilst I totally agree that our boxy building isn't going to win any design awards, the school is in no way 'cold' - my kids come home bubbling with enthusiasm for learning, and I love that the whole value system is based on respect and rewarding effort rather than achievement, building an 'I can do anything if I try' mindset in the children. Good luck, as others have said, we're so lucky to have brilliant primaries across ED, I'm sure you'll be happy wherever you choose / secure a place.

I have a soon-to-be 8yo for whom I'd be interested in booking a few skateboard lessons - I think as others have said above, there's too much of an age gap between 5 and 8, but if there are other 7 or 8 yr olds who are interested, I'd love to hear from you.

My 7yo son and his friend learn Uke with Owen Wilson (who also teaches guitar). He is fun, patient, able to keep two lively boys interested / focused for 45mins, and well-priced. He arrives by motorbike, which I think adds to the appeal for my son :-) He posted his contact details and rates on this thread: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?30,1673877,1673877#msg-1673877

My sister in law just gave her daughter a smartphone for starting secondary school and just this evening sent me a picture of the whole family lined up on the sofa, staring into their own little screens. As a self-confessed screen addict myself, this is categorically what I want to avoid for my kids, and the growing body of research on how smartphones affect teenage brains has just made me more resolute. When my son goes to secondary school, we may consider getting him either an old school phone-only phone, or something like this: http://tinitell.com/ I plan on holding off smartphones for my kids for as long as humanly possible - ideally until 16, which I know is ambitious, but I reckon I have time (my son is not yet 8 - I'm forward planning!)to see if I can recruit other parents of my son's friends to the cause; Then the cries of "I'm the only one without a Smartphone / I'm a social pariah" won't stand. This may be entirely unrealistic, but until something presents itself as an insurmountable obstacle, this is my plan, I feel very strongly about it, and I'm going to give it my best shot.

For a probiotic, we use Udo's Choice - they have an infant version and a junior version which are powders that you could hide in milk or in cereal or even mix into spag bol or similar. You keep it in the fridge and Health Matters on Lordship Lane sells it. It ain't cheap though!

My 4.5yo loves the idea of a pony ride, but has no experience and so I'm not looking for a "serious" horse riding lesson - more of just a "being led around a field on a docile pony at a very gentle pace" type thing. Does anyone know where I might find this within a manageable distance from ED via public transport? Dulwich Riding School, and even Vauxhall City Farm look too much like proper lessons - I don't think my daughter would concentrate for 45 mins, and it would ideally cost quite a lot less than ?25... Any pointers greatly appreciated!

Hear hear! Many well-deserved congratulations. I was also part of the first intake, and although all three existing year groups have had to make leaps of faith, to a greater or lesser extent, in choosing to be part of something new, it's been a wholly positive journey. The teachers and management are truly wonderful and fully deserve all the lovely things they've been praised for in the report.

Third recommendation for Denzil, my son and his chums all love it - I think it's the right balance of actually teaching them some skills but being fun at the same time.

Sorry for dumb question, but how do you buy tickets just for the Saturday match?

I don't understand. EMC, you say of your closest school "the results last year were great, the OFSTED is great and I've heard many reports that the pupils are lovely and hard working". Yet you put it as your last choice, and whilst it doesn't seem like you can technically turn down your place, you sound like you would if you could. How come? I'm not trying to be provocative, it's just that I'm a couple of years behind you, just starting to think ahead to secondary school and Harris Girls is not far from us. To my mind, a school that is close, gets great results, and has lovely students, would theoretically be first on my list, not last, let alone a place I would strive to avoid taking up. Is there something I'm missing? Is it the just the single sex aspect? Or is it some other aspect of the school which I'm just too naive to see (entirely possible)?

You definitely don't have to use a payroll company... there is a way to do it yourself. I'm not sure how I'm afraid, as I use a payroll company myself for our nanny. Sorry that this is not massively helpful - I just wanted to let you know it definitely is possible :-)

Harris Primary East Dulwich does Forest school sessions in reception, in the grounds of Alleyn's. I always got the impression that Horniman Primary did lots of that kind of thing... As other posters have said, we're so lucky to have so many good primary schools in ED and surrounds. I can't think of a school that doesn't have its own tribe of supportive families. The other thing I found helpful when looking at schools was to look up their PTA websites and / or Facebook pages - it can give a different insight into the school community. Good luck with your search!

PS The parents have their own FB page, so if you wanted to canvass opinions on specific things you could always post a question there: https://www.facebook.com/HPAeastdulwich/

Hello, I replied to the OP but by private message as requested - maybe it would be helpful if I posted what I sent them here, so I've copied it below. I know I sound a bit evangelical but I really can't believe how lucky we are - I went to my son's year 2 termly learning celebration this afternoon, and honestly the commitment, passion and enthusiasm of the school as an entity and every individual in it, is just second-to-none. To give just one example, the school recently ran a parent workshop (there are a couple of these each term) on the concept of mastery - I learned a tonne of interesting and useful stuff about nurturing a growth mindset and the importance of making mistakes. Tonight, in a conversation about lego, I had the opportunity to ask my son why mistakes were important and sure enough he could tell me all about how it's an opportunity to learn, and that's why the "think pinks" (the comments in pink ink to indicate something that needs more work) in his workbook were such a positive and welcome thing. Anyway, sorry to go on, but this kind of "setting kids up with the right approach to life" (rather than focusing on results) is really important in our household so I just feel so fortunate to have a school that so robustly champions this. Orig response copied below: We were part of the first cohort and I've been extremely happy with the school throughout. Things are even better now that we're in our own building. There are many many aspects of the school that I am hugely impressed with, both from an educational point of view and a more pastoral point of view, so if you have specific questions or areas you're interested in, I'm very happy to give my opinion. It would be difficult to choose my top points but I guess: - Jo Conduit is an excellent, ambitious but accessible head and this commitment to excellence flows through the whole school / teaching staff - Lots of parent - teacher and parent - school communication and opportunities for dialogue - Fantastic framework for nurturing the skills that kids will need to succeed in life, and not just focusing on "results" - Forward thinking in terms of educational approaches - eg Singapore maths, Mandarin as part of the curriculum from year 1, the mastery concept very much embedded in their approach - Very proactive and friendly school community :-) I also have really loved being part of a small school and being part of its growth. Hope this is helpful!

Another thank you to the OP - we got a text from the school, and I'm grateful for this kind of info sharing

Our 6yo goes to Focus TKD at Dulwich Hamlet (nr Sainsbos) and has adored it from the very first minute. Highly recommended!

There's an app called Hoop which is similar-ish. That's a shame about Hopscotch...