Chief Jeff

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We currently have a monolingual child in reception who's had a great year at Judith Kerr so far. It's a great school with a really friendly international feel. I would say at least a third of the children in the two reception classes are monolingual, and they have separate lessons in English when the bilingual kids are doing stuff in German. The monolingual children have learned German songs and counting in German, and a bit of vocab, but the majority of the teaching is in English. I think the first headteacher left mainly because the school or she had underestimated the work required to get the school up and running. There's still a long way to go before the building and playground are fully ready, which is frustrating, but our child's teacher was telling us the children are better behaved and happier there than at her previous high-achieving well-equipped school. I may be wrong, but the only other trouble the school seems to be having is keeping the bilingual ethos alive while keeping the Department for Education / Ofsted happy in terms of the kids' achievement on the English side of things. So, yeah, a good school so far - the interim head and the part-time consultant head seem to be doing an excellent job, and hopefully they can retain all their current staff over the summer and get a great head in too.

The roomiest small car I've seen is the Honda Jazz - you'd probably fit any foldable buggy in there. I test-drove a 1.2 the other day and it was okay but you'd probably want to try the 1.4 if you're ever wanting to go on faster roads... The wife, however, won't be seen dead in one!

What about this? Says it's in stock... http://www.micro-scooters.co.uk/scooters-model-mini-micro-ages-3-5/mini-micro-scooter-neon-pink-limited-edition-1.html

Thanks for the links, Barnie Page. I think the Ryan Gander idea would be a great enhancement to the park. I like the concrete sequoia stump too, but the fact that the Gander "piece" refers to the Hepworth sculpture - the reason why it's there in the first place - makes that stand out for me. And like Jeremy points out, it'll be great to have a theatre space/something else for children to run around on too.

Forecast is for cloudy and cool weather until mid-afternoon, so you might be all right with an outdoor activity... http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2643743?day=1

Thanks both! So the cadet centre is as new as the flats and houses and the 1930s barracks were knocked down?

Hi all. Can anyone remember or, even better, does anyone have a photo of, what was on the site of the Highwood Close development next to the High Wood cadet barracks on Lordship Lane? Just out of pure curiosity, as I live there. I used to come past it most days on the 176 when I lived in Sydenham at the turn of the millennium but I can't for the life of me remember what was there... Shame Google Streetview doesn't have a retro mode!

My family moved out of London when I was ten - I just had one year at a village primary school, and, exactly as said above, you make friends quickly and it was good to have some friends for the start of secondary school. Mid-teens are difficult years for some (all?) kids and I imagine it would be harder to make new friends at that age. Moving when the eldest leaves school will also be hard for that child if he/she goes away to uni. My parents moved again when I was 19 and I really resented not being able to see my friends during the holidays(though I didn't have younger siblings to keep me company).

I'm sure if/when Judith Kerr Primary finally confirm their location for September a few places will free up locally. We're holding on to a place in a different primary school just in case JKPS doesn't happen this year, or if it does happen and it's in an inconvenient temporary location.

Hastings is a good laugh - nice little aquarium, cliff railway, crappy attractions on the sea front!

Hope the little fella's all right, Saila. Toni & Guy ward is a good place to be - great staff and a nice environment. Well, as nice as it could be.

Run the search, then when you don't get the result you want, change "Last year" to "All dates" on the search options that come up under the search results... Well, anyway, I've done it now, so here it is... http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,716267,716380#msg-716380

Hello. We were there on the weekend - queue was big but moved quickly and the wait was about 20 minutes.

Dare I say it... how about Pontins at Camber Sands?

We've been renting privately in the same house for five years now - the property is managed by Keyhold who've been OK, but maybe not the fastest for minor repairs. Nice people, though - http://www.keyhold.co.uk/

Pure speculation - could it just be a simple muscle strain? She might be working muscles she doesn't normally use. (Though if you're getting loose stools, then maybe not!)

Thanks, Vik. My missus went to this and was pleasantly surprised.

We're in the black hole near the Grove pub, chose our six closest schools and were given Langbourne. Very unhappy cos of the fiddly drop-off - we'd have to use the car every day, probably - but we might have to lump it. We were initially also unhappy because of Langbourne's reputation but it seems like it's improved recently. I think some better info about bulges would be good - if we'd known the Horniman (our closest school) definitely wasn't going to bulge this year (and known that there were only going to be 10 places available after siblings got places) we probably wouldn't have bothered applying! As it was, whenever we asked, we were told it was still a possibility that the Horniman might have another bulge class this year. And I know what you mean about analysing the info, LondonMix - the furthest distance place for our other local schools in the previous year isn't necessarily any help, as this varies with bulge classes and extra sibling places and whatnot... Anyway, we're keeping Langbourne as backup, but also applying to other schools that are just as far away but easier to get to. Think we're on about eleven waiting lists now...

Isn't it a lesson to children that you should always do what your parents tell you, whether you like it or not? That's a good lesson! But, anyway, what would happen if she did try to resist? Given that this is a story set in 'the olden days', what options would she have if she refused to submit and left the house?

Interesting thread! I'd never really thought about the Cinderella story in this light before. I think, though, that Cinderella isn't entirely passive and without backbone - does she not display some self-confidence and courage in order to go through with the fairy godmother's plan and go to the ball? And, assuming that she has no other family to go to, maybe her subservience is a sign of intelligence - perhaps it's the best way, until she's old enough to leave home, of dealing with the stepsisters' bullying.

I've been told by colleagues that grapefruit seed extract mixed with water works on black mould... http://autonopedia.org/body_and_home/Natural_Home_Cleaners/Kill_Mould_Naturally.html ...though they said that the mould comes back after a year or so and you have to do it again.

Thanks, strawbs and uptime! It seems like a silly question now. I don't know why it would be a problem for me to be the only man in here, but I guess the idea must've been bothering me! Our oldest is starting primary school in September, so I'm looking forward to all the discussions when we get our place offer in April...

Hi, all. I'm new to the Forum. As a father of two young children, I often enjoy reading the threads in this family room, but I'm getting the feeling that everyone who posts here is a lady... Is this like a mini mumsnet, or are dads allowed here, too? :)

Yeah, indeed. I really like what I've seen of the way maths is taught in primaries these days. The question is, why are the cleverest kids not continuing to do well at secondary school (compared to kids elsewhere in the world)? If this report is accurate, of course... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21535055 GCSE maths too easy?