chantelle

i wore underwired the entire time through pregnancy and BFing. It's only a problem if they are cutting into tissue. I had no problems at all.

knowing which school gate they use and being able to map from it could make a big difference!

i've walked that way around that time - i don't like it and run down the street if i can!

i'm all for starting and finishing with a Maclaren. (one that can be used from birth). Ours has been all over the world and can be folded up easily. We started out with stairs and a communal hallway so that was crucial. Now we're in a house but can stash it out of the way when it's not in use. i hate massive buggies that look like you're carrying a troop of babies and which can't fit properly down aisles or on buses. i do like the looks of the Bugaboo Bee but the price is outrageous!

i was up at 4:50 with my toddler. had to get ready for work 40 minutes later - aarrgh.

i don't fancy Brockley Primary, for example.

well the story went into the Evening Standard last night. The bottom line is that any teacher or head is in (an albeit small) public spotlight and can't expect to escape media attention if warranted. I also think it's totally appropriate to discuss a local issue on a local forum, and thought the original thread shouldn't have been removed either. It's also outrageous that meeting minutes would be suppressed. Anyone posting on an online forum should be prepared for their comments to migrate elsewhere, whether onto another board or into the media.

so I am to disregard the published 2010/11 figure of 645m? That is the published admissions figure for last year. The lower figure I got was for 2011/12 based on first round offers. Why do they bother if the numbers aren't accurate? I don't fancy my chances though ending up with some crap school.

er, i think the Daily Mail did the tapping.

i find it difficult to believe any parent of any colour have a preference over the colour of a head teacher. and doesn't everyone, no matter their class or colour, have a right to success - to aim for success? I can't understand why aspiration and ambition are dirty words in this country. Shall we all aim to be salt of the earth working class?

the numbers i got for 2012/13 are pre-shakedown. Keep in mind that in any given year, there will be children from much further away who are siblings from when the catchment might have been larger. The distance to school figures also don't include special needs children. I don't see how it is in anyone's interest to give out the wrong figures, though I pesonally will err on the side of caution and try to live as near a desired school as possible.

i posted the 2011 distances to stillness, dalmain, fairlawn and horniman on another thread about primary school applications here. Stillness has a three intakes so the catchment is still somewhat reasonable.

I'm not saying it's not a good school, i have only limited information, but absence rates can indicate how seriously parents take their children's schooling. Persistent absence can drag down the quality of learning for everyone, since there are children always behind the others.

hi, I'm in pretty much the same situation as you, aiming to move to the area, likely for Stillness and using the community centre. There is a se23.com forum that has some people familiar with both.

like simone, i am a buyer actively avoiding any houses on with Foxtons. I have yet to see one on with them that seemed fairly priced, and i've had bad experiences with them as a renter.

my 2.5 year old has to be roused at 9:15. I don't know how he's going to cope with nursery education/school!

i noticed on the Southwark web site that Hollydale intends to cut its reception intake to 30 from 45 and that Harris Academy at Peckham has applied to start a 60-spot primary.

what about the ofsted survey report saying white British pupils are attaining below their peers nationally? Or the 6% persistent absence rate? I haven't visited but those kinds of statements put me off. (plus the sketchy test results from year to year.)

i don't know all the ins and outs of selection but there are plenty of parents on this forum alone who did not get their second, third or fourth choices so unless those were all longshots, I don't see that you automatically get bounced up the lists of each school in order of your stated preferences.

oh, and for those in Lewisham - Brindishe Lee catchment is apparently now 136m - the smalllest in the country?! It's got to be up there.

Clux and others interested in Lewisham: this is what I asked for and got from the schools admission people. Separately, I heard John Stainer catchment was just 180m this year. > For this year the figures are: Fairlawn 405m, Horniman 1348m (we took an extra 30 children, ie a 'bulge' class, into Horniman this year), Stillness 461m and Dalmain 635m (we took an extra 15 children this year). they later told me pre-bulge for Horniman was 492m. Re: putting a church school first without much chance - I did hear a horror story yesterday of someone in Blackheath who put one down as first choice though it wasn't nearest, and didn't get their second choice, community school practically on their doorstep. (and others, further away, did get it.) But that's probably the extreme exception.

you can get the latest key stage 2 results for all the Southwark schools here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguetables/8199258/Primary-league-tables-Key-Stage-2-results-for-2010.html You can also try calling or emailing Southwark school admissions to get the latest catchments. I just got a bunch of helpful catchment info from Lewisham today, which is probably where we're moving to get on the doorstep of a better school.

Southwark publishes a guide to primary admissions. There isn't one yet for 2012/13 but you can get a rough sense of catchments from previous years (given in each year's guide). http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/2483/primary_school_admissions From what I've gathered on the EDF, 2011 catchments known so far this year were: DKH - 286m Heber - 316m Schools either have scheduled open sessions for prospective parents (at inconvenient times for anyone who works) or you can ring them up for a look around. I'm no expert though, as I'm in the same situation looking at 2012/13. (and also terrified)

as far as I can tell, there are quite a lot of small and very average 3 bedroom houses on the market aiming for ?500k or more but not a lot is selling.

i thought children in the Villa nursery got automatic admission to the pre-prep? outside offers have been almost non-existent, they say.