toast

kitwhitfield Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Bad news on that front: the council are now > thinking of bulldozing them to re-design the whole > pavement area! There's a petition to save them in > the Co-op - everyone please sign it. Also please > write to the council and protest at this e-mail: > csc@southwark.gov.uk. Alternately if anyone wants to ensure the area does not lose the funding and ensure that it does get its long awaited re vamp mail the above address!

Thanks for the speedy reply, as this is so much of the local pot of money would it not be a goodwill gesture for St Anthony's to allocate a percentage of places to local children on distance? And to ensure that they don't just fill this quote with siblings as is general practice amongst selective schools. I'm not informed enough to know if the council can enforce such a change. I imagine it has to be a decision made by St Anthony's governors etc. Given the local strength of feeling it would be good to know that St Anthony's are at least listening. Edited to add... Was the total pot of money approx 12m?

James Barber Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't like the concept of religious education > and seperation BUT this system is based on > national government policy developed over many > decades. > As a local councillor I think it would be VERY > wrong to penalise these kids for a national system > that isn't going to change. This school is in dire > need of rebuilding in places, some new build and > renovation in other parts. 1.5 form entry is sub > optimal for the kids and school management and 2FE > is considered optimal ie no mixed year classes. So > I whole heartedly support this extension and small > expansion with a good travel plan being put in > place. > It is a very successful and over subscribed > school. We need to make all Southwark schools > equally successful. > > The key for me, and why it was in our local > manifesto pledges last year, is that all Southwark > schools must become good or outstanding. At that > point many of the local dilemmas faced by parents > go away and admissions becomes much simpler and > less stressful. Church attendance is then through > belief rather than for some as another school > admissions strategy. How much of this funding for the refit came out of the budget for the 'local' primary school places crisis?

The bollard thing is cute, but not something that will last, or that will still seem charming when it gets tatty. That area really needs work. Why campaign against having the area sorted out? Do we need a petition against the petition?

BrandNewGuy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ... or maybe, at the weekends, residents go away > or are more likely to be out and about in > sufficient numbers to allow for you to find a > space or two. > > And, perhaps more harshly, why should others pay > because you're "bored of the hassAle"? Driving around the block for 5 -10 min with screaming baby, waiting in for days on end for a plumber who then bogs off as he can't park. So glad we moved.

Barrybarry is making fair points in a balanced way, which is more than can be said for dollydaydream. Any regular on this forum will know primary school places are a real local problem. ALL of the local schools have had bulge classes and there are few options or money left. I'm not opposed to supporting religious communities through faith schools but faith schools are one of the reasons ed has a local shortage of places. An enormous amount of the funding we received for extra local primary places has gone on this one school. It is one of the schools which will do little to create 'local' places, and I think it is worthy of discussion. St Anthony.'s should have to take more local kids as part of this funding as that is what this funding was intended to do.

You know you were woken up too early when .. you feel perfectly entitled to eat chocolate for breakfast,.. but that might just be me.

Anyone know anything about the brightly coloured bollards on the co-op corner of the Rye/ start of Forest Hill Road.

Well put edtutor, also lots of teachers are having their contracts rewritten if they become academies. Its the next generation of teachers they are fighting for too, the cuts WILL put people off joining the profession which is sad esp as Labour had made it a much more appealing option for post grad hi-fly. Most teachers do have a strong sense of vocation and protecting the profession is part of that, part of securing high quality education for children for years to come.

Just had frozen bananas on sticks, what a winner. Thanks for tip off supergolden.

I would read any articles that give a balanced overview of why public sector workers are striking but can't seem to find any. Edited to tone down as woke up grumpy.

And maybe more honesty. Bf is often understandably presented as easy which it is in many ways but I have at times thought that this can set mums up to fail as when they find it tough e.g the time it takes to build up the milk supply and the craziness of growth spurt feeds mums think they must be doing it wrong or their the wrong size or their milk is not good enough. I guess this is exactly why bf cafes etc are so important. It is so simple and is also actually quite a complicated business.

Do you want to heat from parents unconcerned by the strike or would this not make such a good story?

I showed my husband and it made him grumpy. Many a true word etc.

Renata Hamvas Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The information I have received so far is that > there were a large number of late applications > after initial places were allocated. There have always been a large number of late applications its no excuse.

We were lucky both my boys dream fed while still asleep. Fond memories. Ps they would often wake at a regular time in the night and I found that if I dream fed a bit before that time they would break that habit. My body clock got set to their wake ups so would often wide awake at 3 am waiting to hear a cry.

:)) great post.

bluesuperted Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In the light of all this talk of domestic > equality, can we please change the thread title to > 'families with cleaners' then?? > :)-D Exactly, why are we framing the question to make ourselves feel guilty? Families benefit from having the extra help, not just mums.

Guess the bath did not do the trick. Make tomorrow a duvet and dvd day :)

I know how crummy this will sound but "research" says it takes 4 good things to minus the memory of one bad thing. After glass of wine, when in bath try to remember all the good bits, e.g.one crying baby V's 2?? tremendously well behaved siblings tolerating baby in car. We have all been there and know it sucks, hope tomorrow goes better. PS Ruth I too have had that bus ride of shame, they will get older, and more sensible, i think.

Thanks Fuschia, you are super speedy. So I get the impression nurseries could help but might get into trouble for doing so. Crazy world!

I will pm Fuschia my next post as likely to be a bit of a stupid question.

The article says top up fees are illegal if I ran a private nursery I doubt I could provide care for the hourly rate the government would pay. This move will actually save the gov loads of money as no nurseries will be able to use their money.

Are they no longer allowed to ask for top up fees? It would be quite bad press for a nursery not to use this scheme if it helped their parents and cost the nursery nothing.

SummerMum Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You need to find out directly from the nursery, as > not all our now able to claim this. > Hope you get the answer you want! Do you know what the nursery need to do/ be to be eligible?