LondonMix

Got it Peckhamrye. I've used William and Bailey before for mortgage work so if the Will Aide idea doesn't come together for any reason, I'll certainly speak to them. Nxjen, who did you use in Forest Hill?

Peckham Rye-- this clearly states on the website that its solicitors. There doesn't appear to be much in the way of cost savings, it that solicitors are donating their time and in exchange for their normal fee, the charities benefit. What experience do you have of this to suggest its not solicitors?

That's perfect! I'd love to sort this out and also help out a good cause.

As the title says-- does anyone have any local recommendations? We've been putting this off but its time partner and I get this sorted.

I agree redjam that it wouldn't be the Charter's fault. Anyhow, and LA would have to explicitly make this practice illegal to be able to remove an offer and not all LA's have an explicit policy on this. This was a point of contention in Camden a few years back. Anyhow, I'm really not sure how common this practice is, especially around here. I personally only ever here about it on this forum. I've never known anyone in real life to have done it or anyone who even knows of someone who has done that at their school. I'm not really sure being able to afford to buy a house in the catchment of good schools (as I have done) is inherently fairer than renting. In both cases, you are using your wealth to access better educational resources-- quite similar to going private.

The admission process is handled by the school, not by the council as its an Academy. redjam Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > tomskip Wrote: > > > > > Unless you rent temporarily in the 'catchment', > > whilst keeping hold of the house you own > outside > > of said catchment, get your first child into > the > > school and then move back to your owned house > > after a year or two. And, yes, unbelievably the > > school does still allow this to happen. > > This is a problem that affects many oversubscribed > schools around the country, not just Charter. But > I don't see how it is the school's fault? The > admissions process is handled by the council; it's > hardly the school's job to go round policing every > application they get each year (which number in > the thousands). It's really only the council who > can spot if there are any discrepancies (e.g. in > address of council tax bill or whatever) and even > then it's tricky for them to prove. The only way > for this sort of practice to be stamped out is by > trying to improve ALL state schools so that you > don't get these hype-bubbles developing around > particular establishments that are deemed to be > more desirable than all others nearby. In this > area I think it's already happening - I don't > think Charter is now seen as head and shoulders > above the other schools round here. At least that > certainly wasn't my impression when I looked round > last year - I was pleasantly surprised by how many > good schools there are within easy reach of ED. > > I can see that lotteries are the fairest system, > but they're also horrible for parents - and kids, > who get separated from their primary-school > friends. And not great for the transport > system/environment to have loads of secondary > school kids commuting around the place instead of > going to their nearest school (I gather this was > ironically a problem in Green-run Brighton when > they introduced a borough-wide lottery system).

It is 100 percent worth doing and don't split your upstairs bathroom from the toilet. It will devalue your home. If you ever plan to extend downstairs via a side return that would be the most cost effcie t way to approach it but if that's not I. Your plans I'd say go for it now.

Lotteries are the only fair system

If you really want to get them something to do, I'd suggest a few puzzles and coloring books at that age as they can get serious mileage out of both. However, you don't really need to have any toys in your house for a weekend visit. Before having kids, our friends would stay over with similar aged children and they'd just use their imagination. We also have pets that they can play with though so that might have helped. Kids get bored of toys very quickly and can turn almost any random object in your house into a toy or game so I wouldn't invest in any toys that are too specific / can only be used as one thing. Have fun!

uncleglen- grammars as they currently operate in the UK result in less social mobility and pupils in areas with grammar schools, do less well in comprehensives than equally able pupils studying in areas without grammars. These are facts. Lifting the masses out of their current condition isn't facilitated by grammars and this is well understood. Charities whose sole purpose is to research and advocate for fair education policies that help social mobility (like the Sutton Trust) understand these issues in a way that an individual's anecdotal experience cannot. I get that we are now in a post-facts era and no one wants to hear about research and evidence etc. Let's see where that approach gets us and hopefully the pendulum will swing back the other way to evidence based policy

Of course it would and its possible for rich people to sell valuable assets discretely. I don't watch the Kardashian clan but given that there is an official police investigation and there appears to be absolutely no indication from the French this looks anything but legitimate, I think the conspiracy theories are both silly and in poor taste.

When will Dim Sum come to ED! I need dumplings not burgers or cheese!!

I've been 3 times in 9 years. Its always been at best mediocre and at times bad. Glad something is changing there

This made me laugh out load. Very apt... Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Never been to 'Turtle Bay'. But it looks like > Disneyfied Caribbean-lite for white people. Maybe > an apt metaphor for the rapidly changing > demographic of the area. > >

What are you complaining about-- you can have it well done if you want (its one of the options even when ordering from Deliveroo). They give people choice, which is what life is all about. Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > titch juicy Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Louisa Wrote: > > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > ----- > > > I don't get why these places serve up half > raw > > > minced meat and pass it off as 'medium/rare'. > > > Louisa." > > > > because it tastes better. > > Not when your sat on the toilet or puking for > several days after eating it because dangerous > bacteria hasn't been killed off during the cooking > process. Also it's a matter of opinion, I don't > personally enjoy the taste of undercooked > mincemeat, unlike steak for example which > consistency wise is very different (to me anyway). > > > Louisa.

Not exactly. It depends on what we think we need. Over the last century or two, productivity gains have been massive. As human beings, we've used these gains to theoretically improve our material quality of life and buy more leisure. The material aspect has dominated but weekends, paid vacations, (early) retirement all represent choosing to buy leisure as a society with our increased productivity. Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > malumbu Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > As a child I thought by > > now we'd all be retiring at 50. Yet my younger > > colleagues will go on to 67 and beyond. > > It was a commonly held view but actually it's a > strange idea - There will never be enough money > for everyone to have enough whilst doing very > little for others. > > That's because money is a means of putting a value > on what you can offer to someone else and by > definition there needs to be barter and an ongoing > supply of valuable goods and services.

Yes, if it really had no financial consequences for me our my family long term. But I wouldn't sit around and do nothing. I already do volunteer work and I'd devote more of my time to that. I'd also probably study some more and get involved more deeply in issues that I'm passionate about. I like what I do for a living (a lot) which I feel lucky about but there is no doubt that I work for money. There are about 1,000 other better uses of my time for society, my family and my own personal growth than the paid work I do.

I think ED Harris do fair banding which means that its not based on a normal distribution curve but rather on the distribution relative to the applicant pool. Anyhow, the remaining 2/3rds of places are a lottery within a wider catchment area (I think 2 miles). The 1/3rd within a 1km is just to ensure that a decent portion of the student body comes from the areas immediately surround the school. I wouldn't worry about how the banding is likely to impact your odds as its impossible to assess given its based on fair banding.

Otta I used to think that and in part still do. However, the way he was totally unprepared for Brexit and the way he bungled the leadership contest makes me think he is smart and a buffoon

I did something similar as part of a major house refurb to our house which was dilapidated when be bought it. The cost should be just the normal cost of fitting out a brand new bathroom plus a few grand to relocate the soil pipe. How complicated the new run needs to be depends on your existing plumbing though so the first person I'd speak to is a plumber who can let you know what solutions are feasible. I agree though that if its possible, its worth doing.

Devsdev-- sorry to see you removed your posts. I thought the first one was very informative. I imagine there are a lot of adult women who still don't know exactly what a vulva is! Personally, I think nicknames for private parts is a bit silly though that's probably because I didn't grow up using any. Genitals / vagina is fine for kids to say.

God you seem to obsess about what people you don't know might be thinking when they go out to eat. It has literally never occurred to me to question if the people in restaurants are there for any other reason than to try the food / eat food they've tried before and like. Its impressive how you can see all these social parasites that look just like ordinary people on the surface eating a meal Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't think there is anything remotely > narcissistic about my behaviour on this forum, I > just say what I observe. Unlike the explicit > narcissism expressed by some restaurant goers. I > have observed people being seated in very public > places with one of those 'follow me' faces, > looking out for people to talk about them or > mention the venue they happen to be sat > in/outside. Lots of people do it, and I genuinely > don't think they go to these places to enjoy the > food or drink, it's more about a sort of > voyeurism, almost like a modern day 'peep show' > into someone's personal space to encourage > jealousy and want. As I say, some people may not > even be aware they are doing this. Others however, > are doing so for social media purposes or just to > 'be seen' by friends or whoever which keeps their > imagined status going. Oh well, I'm happy ordering > a take away, I don't need to be sat in/outside a > restaurant to fill an attention seeking void in my > life. > > Louisa.

Simon- was that distance first round offers or final distance after movement on the waiting list? Also, last year wsa their a full class intake? For some reason I thought that until the school was built, the number of forms being accepted was below the final intended capacity but I might be totally off base with that. Thanks, LM

I actually enjoy Louisa's wind-ups. If she wasn't here, what could I use to distract me from the mountains of work I should be doing :) Back to it now after a suitably entertaining break

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Some people though, do > actively go to certain places to be seen, and > unfortunately ED seems to have said people in > abundance. > > Louisa. What on earth could you be basing that wild assumption on. Can you tell just by looking at someone if they fall into the genuinely curious bucket or the out to be seen brigade? Anyhow, LL is hardly the place to see and be seen. For Christ's sake, Lordship Lane isn't Coachella!