bornagain

In a word, no. I have girls (one late teen, the other early teen) so perhaps stabbings are not such as issue but I have never been worried about them getting attacked, raped, becoming involved in gangs etc etc. I have been worried on the other hand about them getting hit/run over by cars. Fear breeds fear and if you are anxious about them getting stabbed then they will fear it too. This could lead to them either getting anxious themselves thus affecting their confidence or behave in an over-risky way just to wind you up (teens are like that). I have taught mine to be sensible eg. let me know where they are, when they will be back, to call me when they need help, not to talk to strangers, not to go to places that feel unsafe, trust their instinct. But at the same time you need to trust them. I trust my children to be sensible about their safety and so far they have not let me down (touch wood!). These are all good life lessons which will stand them in good stead as they grow into adults.

Thanks LondonMix - and don't forget that some of these schools eg Predergast, Kingsdale and Haberdasher Askes have special aptitude admissions for music (and other talents) where you are not restricted by distance. I know someone who lives near the Elephant who will be going to Prendergast Hilly Fields on a music admission next September.

I am not sure by what you mean by 'shunned'? Shunned by whom? By the type of parents who were there at the meeting last night? Who cares? If the school you choose is good and your child is happy that's all that matters.

This Charter or nothing mentality is depressing and lacks imagination. There are many good secondaries in the local area that are really worth considering. There are the Harris schools (Girls, Boys and Peckham), Elm Green and Deptford Green are also considered to be very sound. I have experience of both Charter and Harris Girls and I would rate the latter more highly in terms of pastoral care. The Charter 'ethos' also may not suit all children. They seem to nurture the high achievers more than the others and I think that if your child is not that confident (and few teenagers are) the school may not be for them. I am of course talking about the current school but I suspect that this 'ethos' will be something that will be carried on to the new school. Around 8 years ago Kingsdale was seen as the sink school of the borough. It had high truancy and many other problems and the parents of the leafier south of the borough shunned it. Then some imaginative (and brave and middle class) parents embraced it. They sent their children there and with some imaginative admission policymaking the rest is history. It is a terrific success story and I'm sure it could be replicated with say Harris Peckham Academy. After all Peckham is cool now - isn't it?

intexasatthe moment Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > " I'm afraid it is the recent education policy > coming home to roost. Academies and free schools > are in control of their own individual admissions > policies and Southwark seemingly totally out of > the loop of the whole process. There is also an > absence of a strategic education body setting a > London-wide education plan to coordinate across > boroughs (vis Lewisham unilaterally changing it's > admission to distance). It's total chaos! " > > BornAgain highlights the bigger picture . Is there > any way that all this high feeling could be used > in a more constructive way ? Is there any point in > lobbying Southwark to set up an Admissions Forum ? > If one existed would it have any power ? Thanks intexas, I agree that we need to see the bigger picture as given the current policy and the policy proposed by the new government (more free schools and academies) this disfunctional system will get worse not better. So far, the primaries are in the main still under Southwark control but they are being picked off one by one and turned into academies - Dulwich Hamlet, Harris and the new Belham are all academies now. I know that there are many journalists out there amongst the parents of East Dulwich. Would anyone be interested in writing about this situation (the bigger picture rather than the ins and outs of the nodal system). It is something that needs to be discussed more widely and if possible changed.

The meeting sounds like the unedifying scramble at the beginning of the Boxing Day sales! I'm afraid it is the recent education policy coming home to roost. Academies and free schools are in control of their own individual admissions policies and Southwark seemingly totally out of the loop of the whole process. There is also an absence of a strategic education body setting a London-wide education plan to coordinate across boroughs (vis Lewisham unilaterally changing it's admission to distance). It's total chaos! And to cap it all there appears to be an illusion of choice (particularly with the new school opening) when in actual fact there isn't (unless you are prepared to pay).

rahrahrah Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Just came back from the Heber consultation. Wow > there are some angry people. Crazy. What were people angry about? The position of the nodal points? And what was Charter's response?

We stay here. http://chateau-des-marais.com/en/ Right on the Loire - lots to do on-site and off. It's a morning's drive to Calais. You can camp or there are little cabins.

Dadof4 "Yes and I, like lots and lots of people I've spoken over the last couple days to made the assumption that when it said "in the same name" - that they sort of meant the same family name." There have been cases where parents have temporarily 'split up' for the school application so that the mother say moves to the catchment of the desired school into a rented place and the father stays put in a house out of catchment. They miraculously make up once the kid is in the desired school. In other cases a parent with the child moves temporarily to say a grandparent's which is in the desired catchment. Another scam is a child moves temporarily or applies from the home of the separated/divorced parent (in catchment) who is not the official carer of the child (as certified by the child benefit letter) and moves back to main carer once they are in the school. Parents pulling scams are very creative! It is a pain for a legit parent like you but I think this temporary pain is worth it to catch those who are cheating the system.

We didn't build on top of an existing but we did build a 2 storey rear extension. We managed to sneak it in within permitted development (can't remember all the figures, it was nearly 10 years ago). I do remember that there were rules then about maximum height you can build near neighbouring walls (poss min of 2m from boundary?) Our house is not a standard ED terrace so we had enough room. One thing to consider is your neighbour's reaction - our totally legit extension didn't go down well with our neighbour. Soured relations for years, only just thawing. Good luck

DulwichFox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Flush them down your toilet. > > Do other people put their dog's poo in their > Green Bin. ?? > > DF Fine if the poo is firm and beautifully formed but what if otherwise? Also what do you do with the pooey bag that's left? Do people hunt the poo in the garden with a scoop or loo paper!

My daughter went through similar a few years ago. The school was largely unsupportive but under pressure gave her a series of reading age and non-verbal assessments on her which showed that she was around 5 years ahead. I asked about educational psychologist - state schools do have access to them but was told that she was not eligible. I looked at going privately but they are very expensive. We ended up by moving her in year 6 to another (state) primary which fitted her needs better. It was a risky thing to do as it could have backfired (she is also quiet etc at school). She is now at a local secondary school and is doing well. I think the work they do challenge her sufficiently. Basically primaries, as they are quite small, quite often do not have the resources to deal with anything but the 'norm'. Secondaries are far more flexible (and have a considerable incentive to nurture their able cohort to improve their performance stats).

"Dog Poo should NOT be put in Green Bins. They are not emptied for 2 weeks." I put all the poos that my dog does at home in my green bin. What other options are there?

I heard today that the community police has spotted them doing this and have fined him.

Hi James, I am not sure if this has been raised with you but I wondered if you could ask the relevant person/dept at Southwark to do something about the gates on Goose Green, particularly the one going out to the busy East Dulwich Road. I walk my dog there every day and have had a couple of close shaves recently as someone had left the gate open and my dog got out onto the busy road. She is still a pup and a bit clueless but I would not like her to cause an accident. I think at least a sign but surely something to make the gate self-closing could be put on at relatively low cost? Thank you!

Cor it's a bit pricey isn't it? Having recently been to Japan and ate v.v. well for v. reasonable prices, it is depressing that you have to pay through the nose for this. Is ED ready for such top end fare (at least price-wise)? derwentgrove Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > So it looks as if the 'soft opening' of Yama Momo > (formerly Adventure Bar) is upon us tomorrow: > > http://www.yamamomo.co.uk/ > > Quite impressed if that is right because it looked > very much a work in progress as recently as last > week.

Really sorry to hear the news. They used to be in Gabriel's Wharf and designed matching wedding rings for us. They are great jewellers. I hope the criminals have been caught.

Great cause, will support and share. Could you give us a link to the short film?

sanity girl, you are clearly of the camp that it is your cup of tea (and nothing wrong with that). I said and will say again that it is an outstanding school in many ways - but what it is is dictated by the community it serves - Dulwich Village.

"Teaching better. More fun. They're more grown up and the children have a much greater sense of community and responsibility. Superb for sport and music. She's just read this post and says. "That's true". " Dulwich Hamlet is without a doubt an outstanding school and much of the above is true. BUT it may not be your cup of tea. If you like: Dulwich Village. You like culturally, racially, socio-economically and ethnically UNdiverse schools (it is overwhelmingly white, middle-class with a real atmosphere of privilege). If your child is NOT special needs and is relatively academic. If you regret that you don't have money to send to private school. You will love it. If however you/your child is not the above then your/your child may not feel that at home there. I dispute that it has a 'richer curriculum'. I agree that some of the curriculum is excellent and challenged the children. However there were elements of it that were incredibly old-fashioned. They are very keen on 'projects' - the type where parents have to slave away in the evening coming up with something amazing for the child to take to school. Having experience of other local schools, it does not feel like a 'London' school (this may or may not be a good thing for you)

hoonaloona Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I wouldn't feel reassured that teachers are > leaving a school because of house prices! That's > worrying... This is a well-established fact for London's so-called key workers - teachers, nurses, firefighters etc etc. Once they have a few year's experience in the capital they move to more affordable areas. Schools (and hospitals and fire stations) can be found all around the country. There's no need to stay in the capital and stay in rented accomodation when they can buy a house elsewhere.

Most London schools have a high rate of turnover of staff. The bulk of the teaching staff tend to be young and mobile and sometimes recruited from abroad - Canada, Australia, NZ and this can lead to short stays at a school. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are poor teachers. What you should be looking at is evidence of structure - in the curriculum, pastoral care etc. The school should have robust systems in place so that the effect of the staff turnover is minimised and managed. I would be more concerned if there is a significant turnover of the senior staff - deputy heads, heads of department and the like. Having said that, good, ambitous teachers often move on to get promotion. I would expect however for them to stay for 3 - 4 years so that the impact of their work is felt at the school.

The key piece of info about your friend is that she came here when she was 16, ie when she was (almost) grown up. In this thread we are talking about students in year 7 up (ie 11+). I don't think we are comparing like with like. BTW you don't say how you and your friend are different culturally - how is she 'different'?

Not sure if you have teenagers Penguin, but music, fashion, film, internet (ie youth culture) are very international, albeit strongly stemming from US be it rap music or TV programmes. Sure different countries have their own indigenous 'culture' but I'm guessing that quite often they run parallel with these. I am sadly no longer a 'youth' (lol) but I am a first generation immigrant, born abroad and came here as a child with non-English parents. I am 'London' and also 'British', as are my children. Young people tend to live for today and are very quick to adapt and absorb the culture that they find themselves in. I find your views old fashioned, akin to people who ask me 'where are you from?' and when I reply 'London' they say '...but where are you REALLY from?' Penguin68 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I was solely suggesting that where the culture was > not shared (and SE London Youth Culture may very > well not be the same as Youth Culture from > somewhere else, particularly non-Western European) > then there might be an issue - and was making the > point that second generation incomers (from > wherever) are more likely to share a culture with > other young people than those who had been born > and (at last partly) brought-up elsewhere. > Refugees from conflict zones may well have a > different world view (and different experiences) > from those born in SE London. First generation > immigrants are those born outside the UK - it is > the second generation who will likely be 'London' > and 'British'.

Another no for Merryfields. Have had a couple of visits when he flatly refused to do something - rude and unreasonable. The last refusal was replacing a zip in my boots. I took it to the repairers next to the post office on LL and they did it very quickly and well. You can't tell that it is not the original.