SarahJaneS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Norwich) Norwich ??

offsetwarehouse.com is supplies all ethically produced material, including silk and bamboo. Viscose ( also known as rayon ) is a good alternative for that silky feel and it is 100% natural and produced from pulp ( discarded wood pulp ).

simplychildcare.com actually ( just checked ) !

simplychildcare.co.uk is a good resource as well and they are based locally. They will happily discuss things over the phone as well. You can purchase a good pack through them which guides you through contracts, nannytax etc. My advice would be always, always check references before you make an offer. Ask if you can phone references, do not rely on written letters. The two can, interestingly, be quite different. Another option would be to take the nursery place, but just employ someone for a couple of hours to pick up after nursery. Sometimes you can employ the nursery staff separately to do this - I have done this in the past but you need to clear it with the owner first, I would suggest. Good luck.

Yes, I got that one as well, with the side cupboard; one in white and green and one in white and birch. They really went together quite well and my son ( 10 at the time ) was actually a useful help and enjoyed the whole process.....( ie picking it out, finding the right aisle and then the whole assembly process. In fact, I might hire him out......!!

I bought new desks this year from IKEA. They weren't expensive; you just lose an afternoon of your life putting them together.....

Spare t shirt for you and any other travelling adults. - I jest not, one father I know had to do a whole transatlantic flight covered in baby vom.

I rented in East Dulwich and when I came to buy had to extend the search somewhat. I initially looked at HOP and Gypsy Hill, but ( and after initially dismissing it as too far away ....) I ended up in West Norwood ( SE27 ) which is on the border of SW2. This was 6 years ago when I was still thinking Nursery and Primary Schools. I am very happy here and the children went to school in West Dulwich ( 20 minutes walk ), however local schools very good I just got the timing wrong. ED still an easy drive and I still pop over most Saturdays. But I am now on the cusp of secondary schools and, luckily, I seem to have a very good choice of State ( Dunraven ) plus the usual Dulwich fee paying. However,living here, it has also opened up Croydon ( very good independent boys schools Whitgift and Trinity - my son has just started at Trinity and gets there by school bus and is picked up from the end of the road ) and South West London eg Wimbledon. I only mention all of this as secondary schools weren't on my radar when I moved, but time has gone so quickly and it does help to have this in mind if you are planning a big move ( unless you are planning to move again when the secondary school time comes ), and I luckily seemed to have ended up in an area with good options. I am also within walking distance of Streatham Common ( a nice mixture of wood, formal and open space ) and I also looked at some really big houses off the Common ( where I believe Sarah Beeny lives ) so that area might be worth a closer look. In fact, Sarah Beeny was filming in my road the other day ( not sure if it was a recommendation , or avoid at all costs type scenario.....! ) Yes, the high street is dire in West Norwood; has still not recovered from Woolies closing down, but there is talk of a Ritzy opening on the library site and the new swimming pool and leisure centre should be finished in about a year. Nearest Waitrose is Balham. Very good community festival first Sunday of every month - Feast - next one is Dec 2. Very, very good community spirit( mixture of young middle class families and older people who have lived here in the same road for 50+ years ); I know all my neighbours and and I have met loads of similar minded people who have all moved here from elsewhere. A big artistic community ( eg Edmund De Waal has his pottery studio in Tulse Hill ) as well, plus train links from Tulse Hill and West Norwood can take you to either London Bridge, Victoria or Blackfriars plus buses, of course. CP very easy to get to on the bus and handy for a drink/meal in the evening.

Dear WM, I can't comment on the Villa at all I'm afraid, but as I understand it, the benefit of being in a school that does not go all the way through to 18, is that at the appropriate age, be it 7+, 10+,11+ or 13+ ( the various different entry points for prep and senior schools ) is that you can make a much more reasoned assessment of the type of school that is going to be right for your child. Which, as you rightly point out, you have very little idea about when they can't even read or write. For example, I moved my son at 10+ as he was ready for a bigger academic ( and sporting ) challenge than his twin sister. She appears to be a much later developer and her now emerging skills are more art and drama and she would not thrive in a hot house academic environment. Both these characteristics have only begun to appear in the last couple of years ( they are 11 now ). I have also decided to go down the single sex route rather than co -ed, but again, I would have not had any idea about that at the start of their education and had just automatically assumed that it would be co-ed. As other threads have suggested on similar topics, every child is different in terms of their developmental ability . At the end of the day, you will have a gut feel about what suits your child and your family best. SJx

My understanding is that parents have taken places as unsure about local state places, but if these came through later, then they have taken children out. Yes, there have also been depatures further up the school in Years 3, 4 & 5 as well for a variety of reasons including several people moving out of the area. The school has had 4 Head Teachers in the last 6 years and the school has undoubtedly been through a lot of change, however, the current Head Teacher is very good and is slowly dragging the school in the right direction. The Deputy Head, who was much liked by children and parents, left under a cloud very suddenly just over a year ago and hasn't been replaced. My main area of concern is the overall quality of teaching. Some teachers are very,very good, however, some are less than average. I think, however, that this is gradually being handled by the new head teacher. Generally, there does seem to be a large turnover. As a parent, if I had my time again, I would look for a prep that had much closer links to a senior school. The school has been critised by parents in the past by not getting enough children to the 'top' Senior Schools ( DC, JAGS, Alleyns etc ). If this is your goal, then this needs to be given serious consideration. They do well in getting children into Whitgift, Trinity, St Dunstan's etc. though. However, my children have been happy there ( though my current year 6 is feeling the pressue- which does not come from me - hence my comments above about senior schools ). Hope this helps.

I am more than happy to recommend the cleaning company that I use. AMW Cleaning run by the lovely Elena 07999 375 281 or see www.getsetclean.com. Very thorough and responsive.

Hi, I have just put a full size guitar up in the loft that my 10 year old no longer uses and would be happy for it to be put to good use. I live in West Norwood but am happy to bring it over to ED at the weekend if you still need one.