scarlettbanks

How about reporting those that cheat the system to the authorities? I know that might feel uncomfortable, but I think it?s very challenging for the school (or the council) to catch anyone - especially if they have a common surname, or if they use their maiden name on one property etc. I really think something needs to be done - maybe a dedicated council email address would help - might also discourage people from trying this in the future - make it clear that those who get caught lose their school place

Just tried AOneSushi today (new small sushi stand in Aylesham centre on Rye Lane). It?s really really nice - it?s run by two people - small selection but v v good sushi (and a few other things) and price was pretty reasonable considering the quality. I think it?s only open Fri-Sat afternoons for now - you?re meant to preorder food on Instagram. Thought I would post since it?s hidden away, and not many people seem to know about it yet

They hope to reopen 2nd week of January, according to sign on the door

dontbesilly Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > the result was that the good people of Dulwich are > going to loose a couple of Blackberry bushes (boo > hoo!) and some shabby AstroTurf no one cares about > (until now oddly enough), but will retain a local > football club which has been on the site for over > 100 years. I care about the shabby AstroTurf (and the blackberry bushes) for what it's worth. I think the decision to approve the stadium may well have been the correct one (sounds like the football club needed this to survive, and is important to many people), but please don't taunt those that 'lost' or belittle their concerns. Taught my kids to ride their bikes on this Astroturf, fly kites there, play frisbee and football, picking blackberries this weekend, etc etc, visit several times most weeks, including pre-pandemic. Of course these activities can be done elsewhere once the stadium is built (and most blackberry bushes will survive!) but the decision is still a sad moment for me and many others. Won't stop me from bringing kids to Dulwich Hamlet matches once the pandemic is over, hopefully bridges can be rebuilt etc etc...

Also, I received the email saying "If you wish to make any additional comments which are not already covered in the officers report, please submit these to the case officer no later than noon on Thursday 23rd July." Does anyone know how we contact the case officer to make our feelings known?

I agree with James Barber - the astroturf and surrounding land has been our favourite place to visit these past 5 years with our young kids. They would miss it terribly if it were to go (places like Goose Green playground and Peckham Rye are nice, but do not offer that same sense of freedom and exploration). Is there anything we can do to stop this from happening? I have sympathy with the football club (who are a nice local club), but my understanding is that they could redevelop at their current site. When would the housing development likely be built, if it were to go ahead?

Mother goose have this, which seems reasonable to me. Must be very hard for nurseries too, and their staff need to be paid. I am still being paid for work, so still paying Mother Goose (even though children staying at home)

James - Warwick Gardens in Peckham is still open, as it should be. The north entrance has a heavy metal gates ? each person that enters the park needs to push open the gate with their hands ? I think this is dangerous from an infection control point of view. Could something be done urgently to keep the gates open somehow, so that they don?t need to be pushed?

I agree with the above posts - lots of good schools around here, and I've heard very good things about SJSC, Goose Green, and the others in ED. It might seem crazy to think about schools with a 5-month old, but if you're hoping to stay in this house for >4 years, then it's the location of the house which will determine which schools you'll be able to get into. And if you're hoping to stay in this house >10 years, then you'll want the house to be near both a primary school and a secondary school that you might like (with the risk, as others have said, that you may not like the school in the future). Re targeting streets which will get you into your fav schools - it's tricky - try to find out the 'longest distance for admission' in previous years - this forum is a good source of this info, especially posts by Renata - and also the Southwark website (only gives details for some schools). Then 'draw circles' on Google Maps using these radius. This won't guarantee you admission obviously, since distances can change year-to-year, although if you are comfortably closer you will be fine.

benschiffer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > I love Bellenden Road but had missed Belham > Primary somehow. It looks great though, so we'll > definitely consider this. Thanks! Yes, we had originally missed it too, perhaps because it's newer than some (in its 6th year now) and away from Lordship Lane, but it was our favourite of the primary schools we visited. Our kids attend now, and it has fantastic leadership and teachers, it manages to be both fun/arty/nurturing and academically stimulating, and the kids seem very happy. Bellenden Rd and the surrounding streets have a lovely feel to them - we prefer vs Lordship Lane - although I can see why others like LL. Also, there are certain streets which seem close enough to get admission to both The Belham and then Charter ED for secondary school.

Also consider the Bellenden Rd area - in Peckham but close to East dulwich. Nice shopping street (smaller, less busy than Lordship Lane), better commute to central London (Peckham Rye station), near trendy bits of Peckham and good restaurants etc. Our kids go to The Belham Primary and love it. Price probably similar to ED these days, or slightly less.

Hi Molly, We live in the area, and our neighbours with kids at The Belham talk very highly of it. As you probably know, it's quite a new school (3 years so far?), but the kids we know seem extremely happy there, are excited when on their way to school, and seem very bright. Lots of art, music, and PE too, especially now that they've moved into their permanent building (which has quite a few purpose-built gyms/music rooms / art rooms etc). They don't have an Ofsted rating or exam results yet (not that one should care too much about these given the age of the kids), but the parents there reckon both of these things will fare very well when they happen. Our kids are too young, but that's where we'll be sending them I think. I've heard nice things about SJSC too, so I'm sure your kids will be happy wherever (and I think you don't have to be christian to go, although it's a christian environment). Both schools have open days coming soon - maybe you should visit. S

Thanks very much for this information Renata. Do you know when the council will release details of 'longest distance admitted' for each individual school? I think I remember you sending a spreadsheet with this information in previous years. Thanks again

Thanks very much - really helpful and reassuring. We are going for it x

Thanks so much Amanda, sweetgirl, and Belle - your responses are very much appreciated. Belle, thanks for describing your experience in detail - that's all very reassuring, and sounds great. Amanda, hope to meet you when our kids start. I've sent you all a very brief pm - hope that's ok

We are thinking of applying to Mother Goose Greendale. We have a few other options, too. Does anyone have any recent feedback? Maybe some of the parents in the above thread, whose kids started nursery in the last year? The outside space looks really nice. Are the kids stimulated and happy in other ways - e.g. activities, art, numbers, phonics? Has the new manager made a good impression? Any thoughts or pms much appreciated!

For those who don't know, there is a Mayor of London consultation on plans to possibly build a cycling/pedestrian bridge from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf. Current timetable is for building to begin in 2020, and finish by 2022. This would make a huge difference to some - improve the cycling commute from East Dulwich to Canary Wharf. Would also help motorists - make road routes less busy with cyclists! Please fill out the consultation before 8th January if you have views on this: https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/rivercrossings/rotherhithe-canarywharf/

Just bumping this thread. For those who don't know, this is a Mayor of London consultation on plans to build a cycling/pedestrian bridge from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf. Current timetable is for building to begin in 2020, and finish by 2022. This would make a huge difference to me - improve the cycling commute from East Dulwich to Canary Wharf. Would also help motorists - make road routes less busy with cyclists! Please fill out the consultation before 8th January if you have views on this: https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/rivercrossings/rotherhithe-canarywharf/?cid=r2cw-crossing

Thanks tarafitness, that's really interesting. Just to check on your first sentence - are you saying that HH is better for small children or ED? And what are your main reasons? Sense of community is really important to us ? is that as good in ED as in HH?

Amazing - I just wanted to thank everyone again for all their help! It's been incredibly helpful getting all this advice, and really helped us narrow down some areas. We visiting ED, Herne Hill, and Brockley, and to be honest really liked all three. We are still looking for a flat to rent in one of these areas, but are getting close! Thanks to Kes, Saffron, and midivydale for bigging up Brockley - we really liked the feel of the place when we visited. Saffron - I agree with you re Brockley having nice green parks - I suppose I was looking at Telegraph Hill (only small parks within 10 mins walk) comparing to Herne Hill (with even bigger parks on your doorstep). Glad to hear it isn't too posh or boring! Thanks again!

Great - thanks again everyone - this is really really helpful! I was interested in what "????" says, that "Herne Hill is posher and more expensive and not as lively as East Dulwich or Peckham". I didn't realise this (although I knew that Dulwich village was posh, and perhaps a bit lacking in atmosphere, I thought Herne Hill had different vibe) - this makes East Dulwich sound much more appealing to us, as we are in early 30s, attempting to still maintain some degree of trendiness, and might feel a bit less comfortable in an area if most neighbours were older than us with better jobs etc! We are lucky that we can probably afford house prices in all these areas (money from rich grandfather, if I'm to be honest). I had ruled out East Dulwich because of no state coed secondary school, but now that you've told me about the New Charter school coming to East Dulwich I may well go for this. We could live (very) near Harris Primary, Heber Primary, or Goodrich Primary, and hope that this will be near enough the new ED Charter School to get us in (7 years from now), or I guess we could move closer then if not. Thanks redjam - I agree with what you say about all good state schools being oversubscribed, and that this shouldn't be barrier to aiming to get in (as long as you do your research, check they don't have weird admissions policy, and then move very very close). Flight paths worse in Herne Hill than East Dulwich, or much the same? Sounds like the buses (e.g. into central London) may be better for Herne Hill. Interesting that Peckham now cooler than Brixton for those in early 30s - I'm sure this is highly contested! Thanks again everyone - much much appreciated! My parents are going to babysit on Tuesday, and I'm going to tour round ED and the other areas that have been mentioned to see them for myself!

Gosh, so many possibilities - I could try a different route each day of the month! I like the sound of your route bargee99, where you end up on DLR from Lewisham, since this goes direct to Canary Wharf (thus avoiding both London Bridge and Canada Water Jubilee line crush). Is the Lewisham to Canary Wharf DLR crazy busy (like the Jubilee line), or is it better? Cna you get a seat for this journey?

Thanks Lowlander - that's very helpful

Brill - thanks again everyone. Sounds like the bike routes are quite pleasant, and could be a good option - that's great to hear! And then North Dulwich train is a good option when Southern is running normally - any chance this will get more reliable in the future? Is it just a temporary problem? Can you find out in advance when there is a problem, or do you only realise that they aren't running normally when you arrive at the station? And then sounds like overground from Denmark Hill is another good backup - busy train, but reliable. Again - thanks to everyone who has suggested something - helps us a lot!

That's really helpful - thanks everyone! Ok, so Herne Hill isn't hippy - time to put my tie dyes away! :( I'll try to find some Charter School catchment areas online, to help work out how close we'd need to live. I just read they are building a new CHarter School in East Dulwich, so I guess this may be an option too (then could try for one of the good primary schools in East Dulwich like Harris, Heber, or Goodrich - although again I know you bneed to live very close). Yup, I agree, the attraction of Brixton was more for us, not the kids, and maybe for the kids once they are teenagers. And thanks Goodliz - I shall check out Kingsdale too, and their mysterious admissions systems. OUr priority is trying to find a house where we can stay for 20+ years (or forever), and so being near a state secondary school (without a mysterios admissions policy) is by far the most important criteria, but maybe Kingsdale won't be that mysterios after all! Midivydale - does your son go to the Haberdashers Aske? primary or secondary, or somewhere else? Do you live there, or does he 'commute' to school?