Polmoche

This is my second recommendation (or third - I forget!) for Aaron. He recently plastered a bedroom for us. He is tidy and quick, reasonable and friendly. His plastering is a very high standard - I know this having suffered through a bodge job in our kitchen and hall with a building company redoing our kitchen. Highly recommended!

Another thumbs up for Paine + Hunter - took my kids back after first visit last year and again, impressed with their friendliness and thoroughness. We had a different doctor from the one we had the first visit - but equally great rapport with children. Highly recommend!

Just wanted to add my recommendation for Paine + Hunter and in particular Dr. Charles (forgotten his surname!) He's excellent with children and put my 9 year old daughter at ease. My 9 yo had been given an earlier diagnosis of glasses by another optician - but I wanted a second opinion after she had a terrible experience with the first eye dr. It turned out she'd simply got so flustered at the first eye dr. (who was shouting at her when she began crying) she'd completely messed up on reading the letters and was prescribed glasses that would have actually made her eyesight blurry! So, a hearty recommendation for Paine + Hunter and for Dr. Charles!

It;s all relative of course, what is good value for money for some will be expensive to others. It's just a shame that so many science, coding courses are beyond the reach of most normal people - especially if you have more than one. I was looking into some coding courses and found one that was 500 pounds a week.

Ugh why are these camps all so expensive!

My neighbours are blasting out music in their garden - really loud obnoxious rap music. I've got work and my kids can't get to sleep! Is it too early to complain??? It is a Sunday night!!!

Another recommendation for Billy Hunter and his brother Scott at Hunter heating solutions - they moved and replaced our boiler and installed new radiators throughout. They were professional, tidy and totally reliable. Would not hesitate to recommend again.

Hi all - I work with Peak (www.peak.net), a mobile brain training app. We're looking for Danish or Norwegian native speakers to test the app (that we've localised to Danish and Norwegian). Basically, you'd pop into the office located near Chancery Lane / Farringdon, play on it, and get paid in Amazon vouchers. It's roughly been taking about 2 hours for ?30 in vouchers. PM me if you're interested! thanks!

Thank you Redmeghan - we really like the look of them. Have they held up well? I suppose you could always easily replace things that get broken.

Hi Redmeghan--they look great! Can I ask roughly how much the shipping was? thx!

A two wheeler is tricker to balance, but if your child is coordinated they catch on quickly and never look back. Mine had a micro sprite 2 wheeler at 4. She's now on a Town 3 from decathalon. I will say this about Decathalon--no problem at all buying spares at reasonable prices - including wheels and brakes!

Thank you all. I complained and the environmental officer actually came out and must have said something. It stopped. And when the "coast was clear" they built another one!

Have a neighbour who is doing building works. Workers for the fifth straight day in a row has decided to set up a fire in an old steel drum container burning whatever is at hand (I think to keep warm). The smoke though is really annoying! Would you complain to the owners? I don't think bofires are illegal per se...is this just one of those annoying London things you have to live with?

Hi thanks for all the responses. Believe me I am familiar with the numerous "resources" out there as well as all the "enrichment" activities one should be doing. What I find difficult is aligning these resources to what they do in school. As a working parent it's not always easy to get into school to ask the teacher, and when I was thinking back to my own school days, I remembered we had text books that you could easily see what children were up to.

Yes, they do, but usually it's soooo general. I do wish our school did spelling...I know there is a raging argument about learning in context vs memorising words. But my dd's spelling is truly atrocious and I feel like I am always searching the internet on how to support her. As a child, I remember having a spelling book (how old does that make me! :-)) and the words were always grouped in context and used in a short reading passage and each week we would have a spelling test...Sometimes I feel like I should just homeschool!

Jessie is your son at a private? I have never seen any primary textbooks ever and it struck me that as a child I had maths, spelling, english, science and a "social studies" (history) textbooks in primary school.

Hi there: I did not grow up in the UK and now as my children progress through primary school I wonder why it is they don't get textbooks? I feel it's very difficult to ever know what they're doing and how even to help them when it seems they only ever just get hand outs. Does anyone know if they used to have textbooks in the UK and they just did away with them until secondary?

Gubodge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Having just been visiting secondary schools in the > area, I think anyone in the area who is struggling > and scrimping to educate their children privately > is, tbh, a bit foolish. We have some fantastic > state schools in this area. Hilly Fields, > Kingsdale, Charter, Harris, Sydenham School. Yes we do - IF your child can get in. Kingsdale as we know is a lottery, HF you must live quite close these days - last place admitted on distance has been as tight as 600m, Haberdashers in one band was 170m...

Lol "reports" of bursaries. I can assure you I know these children!

And to add - your house may be in a good position to get you into a great primary but not necessarily for a good secondary. I have seen families who are not wealthy put their children through privates. They simply prioritise it and some start saving from year dot. As for 40K being wealthy, really it's not. It may be relative to someone earning minimum wage, but come to purchasing power esp. in London it is not. Your take home is around 2500. What is really left over after your mortgage / rent (where even in ED a one bed is now circa 1100); council tax, transport, food, utilities etc? It may not be poverty line, but just because it's not minimum wage does not make a 40K earner with a family wealthy.

I thought we were talking about Alleyns, hence why I said it was unfair to lump it in with the middling privates. I liked Alleyns when I toured it, but I was also very impressed with Haberdashers and I thought the Deptford Green deputy head was warm, articulate and dynamic. As for only the wealthy being the only ones who can contemplate privates, actually, this is where bursaries come in. I know 3 children on substantial bursaries at Jags (90%), St. Dunstans (70%) and King's College School (not sure percentage). As bursaries are means tested I assure you none of these families would even be considered even middle class. It also all depends on what your priorities are - I would venture you are not factoring in cultures where the extended family sometimes help pay. People often ask where do people on benefits get the money to buy X, Y & Z (usually fags and booze), well I know a mother on benefits and living in council accommodation, who spent every spare penny on tuition at ?36 an hour! Finally, the link to IFS.org.uk is really unnecessary and very patronising.

> I'm not sure that Independent schools do offer a > better education than State schools. The evidence > is at best mixed. Here is a good article on some > of the evidence: > http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2014/02/the- > myth-of-private-school-performance/ Of course, as with state schools, not all private schools are the same. Unfair to lump all private schools in with each other, as its unfair to lump all state schools together, some are outstanding, some are in special measures etc. Who in their right mind would pay 15K and up to send their child to a less than good private? Having toured every local school under the sun- privates, grammars and locals, all have their pros and cons. Plus, with state schools, can we please do away with this crazy notion that there is actually a choice in the matter? There is only choice if you want to buy your way in via housing. We are in the crazy position that our closest schools are two very outstanding state schools which we would be more than happy to send our child to. BUT, though they are OUR closest, their last place offered by distance is extraordinarily tight. In once instance its 300 M. 300 M! And if you want to buy your way in via housing, a family house is 1 million PLUS. I am with Bawdy Nan, less judgement please! And it's not just wealthy parents sending children to private school, I know quite a few families who are considering whether to prioritise private education- they are by no means wealthy, but think this is the right thing to do for their children.

Hey at least it's not Movie Star Planet! I'll take Minecraft ANY DAY.

Hi all - in my quest to declutter trying to see if Baby Jumble is any good for selling baby stuff (mostly clothes and toys). Has anyone tried it? Or even attended it? Thanks!

Speaking of vaccines has anyone asked GP for Hepatitis B jabs? This is also one that US routinely vaccinates against.