Rhubarb&Custard

Where would your daughter be happiest? Edited to say - sorry didn't read gist of thread properly (exhaustion). Thought it was about where she should go rather than wrap around solution. Whoops. Ignore. Good luck.

My daughter has off the Clark's / Start-Rite scale width feet - which is depressing when it comes to shoe buying. Definitely try Biff in Dulwich Village - that's the best place to start. You might have to pay more for different brands - but at least you'll get a few options. You're lucky you have a boy - as there tends to be more styles made in the wider fittings for boys than girls. I used to get pretty low when the assistant opened up the boxes and the only choice we had was to go with boys' shoes. I even wrote to Clarks to complain (in one of my weirder moments) - their response was to tell me that there isn't a demand for children with wide feet (!). Edited to also add - Biff do UMI - a brand we have bought on many occasions. Really good quality and decent designs.

James Barber Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Southwark council officers believe that with the > extra time they've been given on top of the pre > arranged bulge class options that they can > increase the percentage getting their 1st choice > by one or two percent. > Waiting five working days enabling more kids and > parents to get their 1st choice seems sensible. > I will find out if I can release the expected 1st > choice percentage or not. Sorry - but who are you trying to kid here? They've had since January to do all the paperwork and figure out who goes where. Sounds like election bilge at play. And it's not 5 working days; Southwark applicants find out on May 10th - so that's over 2 weeks later than Lambeth and Lewisham.

Hi Tim We've used ABC Au Pairs before - and if I remember correctly, they are/were based in Dulwich. http://www.abc-aupairs.co.uk

Andy and Sid. H-hum. Enough said.

Administrator Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Please remember that an organisation may ask > customers/clients to write a positive review about > them, especially if they are being given a hard > time. Of course. Yet by stating this you are suggesting that any threads in favour are likely to be a 'set-up' or fake - which is hardly fair on anyone who genuinely has something positive to say. Administrator - aren't you supposed to be impartial? And as for first time posters - there is a first time for everyone. Such bad vibes are hardly going to encourage new posters, or a wide and varied forum where people feel free to air their views without fear of being jumped-on.

Hi there Do try Simply Childcare (they're actually based nearby in Bushey Hill Rd). Really good service where you can place an ad, or search their listed child carers etc. Really worth it; we have used it to great success. http://www.simplychildcare.com/ Best of luck.

What I like about the family section of the EDF is how everyone shares advice / tips etc openly - with the best and kindest intentions in mind. Having exposure to both the nursery and the assessment procedure I simply thought my experience might help. Absolutely no offence was intended. Anna75 - I wish you all the luck in the world getting your daughter into the nursery / school of your dreams.

Am in the same boat re: sore, chapped hands. But have found that wearing cotton gloves at night the best trick. Slather hands in a really rich handcream (any of the ones recommended above) and then cover with the gloves. Sounds nuts - but in the morning hands are transformed.

From experience, it doesn't matter which nursery your child attends re: getting into JAPS. It's all based on an assessment - which is about the child, rather than where they have come from. It really makes very little difference. As far as I'm aware these nurseries don't 'prepare' a child for assessment. I'd simply find a nursery where your child will be happy, have heaps of fun, and where they encourage confidence. That will count for a lot - whether aiming for the JAPS assessment, or entrance elsewhere (state or private).

Agree that this sounds an unpleasant story, and that the shopworker's alleged words were inappropriate and rude. But what I'd really like to ask Localmama is why you want a 'public apology' (as highlighted at the top of your list) - rather than a private one? Could this not have been sorted between yourself and MIND, privately? The whipped-up public frenzy, most notably in the press - with pictures of the man in question does little but demonise. So many commentators have said how they will now boycott MIND stores up and down the country. As Ryedalema says above, I too hope this doesn't affect what is, in essence, a brilliant charity.

Resurfacing Court Lane? A joke surely? Laughable when anyone considers the state of roads and pavements in surrounding areas - not to mention Southwark as a whole. What's next - Dulwich Village to be cobbled?