cactus

I agree re St Thomas the Apostle, we looked around last year and loved the school, especially the on-site swimming pool! Ended up choosing a mixed school - Elmgreen in Lambeth, which is worth a look if you live around the East Dulwich Station area of SE22.

I work across a number of primary schools in Southwark and Lambeth, in my experience, parents are fined at the school's discretion, and in consultation with the Educational Welfare Officer. A one off absence with written notice and explanation would not usually incur a penalty in most schools. However serial offenders may well end up with a fine. I would say to all parents, try not to take your children out of school during term time unless it's absolutely necessary, and if you do, just be honest.

Try Haberdashers, Harris Girls, Sydenham Girls, Kingsdale, Deptford Green. New Charter will be part of the Common Application Form this year, so the catchment could shrink again, but definitely worth trying.

I totally share your concerns. It's not ok for young children to be left in distress for prolonged periods. Under 3s in particular have very little capacity to manage their feelings without adult help and support. Well done for approaching them, and caring enough to follow up on here.

Thanks for your replies. I ended up downloading one, but then the organisers of the trek that we were doing supplied a route guide that was more than adequate. So all good in the end, despite walking 25k in yesterday's downpour!

Does anyone have tips of where to buy locally, I need one for the Peak District - by tomorrow! Thanks

Costa

I live opposite, but the sneak peak of the 'new' interior puts me right off. I'll probably pop in for a takeaway now and then, but I can't imagine wanting to dine in, especially with that big old cabinet sat there, ready to stew food for hours on their all you can eat buffet day. The previous Chinese / Eastern restaurant had very few eat in diners, just a handful on the weekend and always empty midweek. So I thing Jaflong will really need to raise their game, if they want to become a destination restaurant, outside of Lordship Lane.

Thank you James and Renata for your responses. I think the problem with Altima Court and Greenview Court, is the high turnover of residents. Owners, tenants and landlords frequently cannot be bothered to do the right thing, and dump wave after wave of cheap throwaway furniture each time they move in and out. Very depressing. I agree that the best solution is to fence off the area at Holmes Place, which wouldn't cost the earth and would be way cheaper than CCTV and numerous rubbish removals by First Port. As I mentioned, I will be writing to First Port to ask them to find a more permanent solution to the issue. We don't have a residents association in Altima Court, but there is a Facebook group, so I'll post a message there to encourage as many residents as possible to do the same.

Renata My issue here, is that First Port are the management agents for Altima Court, the bigger development beyond the gates. I'm an owner there, and inevitably the cost of removing this rubbish gets passed on to everyone else through our service charge, grossly unfair when the culprits are unknown and more than likely do not live in Altima Court. I, and hopefully other residents will pressure First Port to do something with that patch of wasteland, so that it discourages this kind of anti social behaviour.

I waited until 18 months before I left mine, and only for one night at a time, and always with my sister whom we saw constantly. I would go with your instincts, and explain your concerns. Perhaps the holiday option can happen another time, when your baby is older. Attachment behaviour kicks in at around 8 months old, which is why it's usually easier to leave small infants with carers. However older children will suffer from separation anxiety to varying degrees, and this can make it harder for everyone. That said, your baby will have his older brother with him, and this may well comfort him, even if he's less familiar with his granny, just a thought.

It sounds like a wise decision to move to another practice. I've been with Melbourne Grove for the past 10 years, I've muddled through, because I've only had routine appointments and thankfully no serious issues that would require continuity of care. However in the past 2 weeks, the practice nurse turned up late for work, so my child waited 45 mins to be seen. Plus I went for a routine smear test, and the nurse pulled up another woman's medical details, so it took us 10 mins to realise that she had the wrong patient info. Meanwhile I was privy to the other patient's info, as I had to look at the computer screen to verify my medical history. Very shoddy indeed.

I use the dry cleaners on East Dulwich Road, next to the ice-cream parlour in the parade of shops. Repairs and alterations are always neat and accurate, though I haven't been along with anything particularly complicated. Woman who runs it is very helpful though, and she will give honest advice.

Once a child has been offered a place, there are some maths scholarships available.

I found my NCT classes really useful, and there really wasn't a natural birth agenda, all options and eventualities were considered without judgement. Much of the content could have been sourced from elsewhere, but I really enjoyed being part of a supportive group. Plus I signed up for a shorter, intensive course, which was much more manageable than a longer weekly commitment. Several years on and I'm still very close friends with 3 of my group. However by far the most useful class I ever attended, was an NHS breastfeeding workshop at St Thomas's, I wonder if they are still on offer.

My 11 year old has just had his initial assessment at King's, he's been put on their waiting list, and we've been told it could be about a year before he's assessed again and treatment starts. However similar to bawdy-nan, the length of wait will be about right, as he doesn't have all of his adult teeth yet and growth spurts could change the treatment plan. It seems he'll need couple of extractions, functional brace, fixed brace and then a retainer, done over an 18 month period, or possibly a little longer.

I guess it's not possible to know if those responsible are Holmes Place residents, or other lazy neighbours who use that space as a dumping ground, but CCTV might be a deterrent. We have the same problem in Altima Court, beyond the double gates. There is a high turnover of tenants in our building, and every few weeks another load of furniture gets dumped for someone else to sort out. Southwark will come in and take it away if we ring and leave a reference number on it, and I assume we're on private land too. However now that there is a charge in place, I fear it won't be so straightforward.

I think Southwark Music Centre and Southwark Music Service are two different schemes, though you've probably worked this out via the replies that you have received. My understanding is, that it's the Southwark Music Centre that has the choir membership requirement, not Southwark Music Service.

Definitely apply, my son got an open place there a few years ago. You'll have a good chance if you only live 300 metres away, it's a really lovely, happy school.

My son has done 5 terms with them, it's a brilliant opportunity. He didn't have to go down the choir route first, so double check their website. Ideally they start in Years 3 & 4 I think, on your initial application you put down two choices of instrument, and you'll hopefully be allocated to one of them. Some have longer waiting lists than others, so perhaps enquire first.

Cowling & Wilcox in Camberwell.

Rosendale?

I walk from ED to Loughborough Junction twice a week. On one road, Gordon Grove, temporary concrete slabs/barriers have been placed across the entrance, but they keep on being moved aside. Seems pretty dangerous, to have a partial obstruction, rather than something permanent.

The supplementary form gives you an idea of what to expect at the scholarship assessments - e.g listing the three sports tasks and how they are scored.

Go to the OFSTED website, input your postcode, select primary schools, and you'll see them listed, starting with your closest. As others have already stated, you will probably only have a realistic chance of gaining a place at your nearest school. None have fixed catchments, this changes year on year, depending upon the number of applicants. For the most popular schools, furthest distance offered can be 500 - 1000 metres.