edanna

Thanks James - I don't think the crossing is particularly well lit - will have a closer look next time I'm over there in the dark - but in this instance I don't think it was because the driver hadn't seen us so much as he didn't care. If he were to get a ticket every time he bombed down that road it wouldn't make him any more considerate but hopefully it would make him a bit more careful with his speed.

James, we just had a really near miss on the pedestrian crossing on Barry Rd near the junction with Upland Rd. We were crossing with the green man at about 6 pm so it was dark and our 4 year old paused while still on the road - we paused with her and the light for motorists was amber when a car that had been travelling extremely fast passed within inches of us still on the crossing. Unfortunately I didn't get a complete reg but I wanted to point out yet another instance of the potential danger of this road and the very high speeds that some motorists reach coming along it. Pretty scary.

James, I think the reason people jump the red light at that junction is because the phasing allows so few cars to exit Townley Rd - I know that doesn't make it right. But I think as others have said a lot of the problems for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists could be solved through careful rephasing of the lights (including a head start for cyclists and a diagonal pedestrian crossing) without making any physical changes. Presumably this would be a lot cheaper. James Barber Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Scheme makes front page of the Dulwich SLP > edition. > > For transparency for a number of years I was a > member of the Dulwich Safer Routes to School Group > and chair of Sotuhwark Cyclists. And still a > member of London Cycling Campaign/Southwark > Cyclsits and Living Streets/Sotuhwark Living > Streets. > > I think the scheme is good but the Townley Road > reduction from two to one lane and banned right > turn is wrong. > I also think the Townley Road red light jumping is > already a problem and red light cameras required > to deter this.

It's true that 5+ years ago Bessemer wasn't very popular but that certainly isn't the case now. The school is oversubscribed and the majority of admissions now are first-choice applications. As peggoula says, the turnaround is a lot to do with the newish head. The deputy head is also amazing and there is a really strong management team as well as lots of lovely enthusiastic teachers and teaching assistants. See lots more on this thread from April: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1305594,1305633 Feel free to PM me for more info.

For books, have you seen http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk - it's great for recommendations for different ages.

There are quite a few Bessemer parents on here too (like me) who I'm sure would be happy to answer your questions. As Indiana says, go on a tour and see what you think and feel. I went round all 6 we were putting down but Bessemer was the one I had an amazing feeling about.

What about a game like Bananagrams? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Winning-Moves-BAN001-Bananagrams-Game/dp/1932188126

Is he still in Reception Belle?

Not sure how old she is? For pre-school Interstar is good. There are different sets I think but we have this bucket: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000XT2ADS?pc_redir=1414389986&robot_redir=1

There's no easy answer to this - it is definitely possible but it all relies on a place in the right year group being free and you being at the top of the list for that place. Your chances are definitely higher further up the school. But of course it all varies. Do you know where you will be living? And how close is it to schools?

John Lewis do a nice set - all compatible with brio, bigjigs etc

I think the thinking these days is that they aren't so good because they stop kids learning about their own buoyancy. Noodles and then later those rectangular floats are what all the swimming teachers use.

Depends on the weather of course. Greenwich could be good - park and Maritime Museum suitable for a range of ages.

Carluccio's do gluten free too.

Not much help right now, but from 4 months you could also try one of those basic Tommy Tippee cups - if you get your child used to using both cup and bottle early on, then it's easier to get them off the bottle later, which is better for teeth once they come through, and I always found them much less hassle than bottles.

I'm not coeliac myself, but I think if you can manage it the easiest thing would be to get the whole family eating meals that just happen to be gluten free, at least some of the time - it must be a bit miserable to be having eggs and special bread while other people are eating normally. Rice-based dishes, for example, like kedgeree (having checked all the ingredients of course), risottos, sushi, noodle dishes with rice noodles, baked potatoes, curries (checking the sauce/paste or cooking from scratch and freezing ahead). If you have time to wade through a few cookery books there are bound to be dishes in each that don't contain gluten. And if you need quick stuff at home, it's worth looking at ready meals, especially rice based ones. Even though they may not be advertised as gluten free there are probably quite a few that don't contain gluten and European labelling rules mean that manufacturers have to declare gluten and certain other allergens. Coeliac UK also produce a very long and regularly updated list of gluten free foods. https://www.coeliac.org.uk/home/ Good luck!

So should we be petitioning Jeremy Hunt on the future of the site?

Can someone explain the thing about Southwark zoning the site? I thought the issue was that the land had a covenant on it saying it had to be used for the health of the people or something. Are these 2 separate issues? And if zoning is the issue how can we pressurise Southwark on this?

I forgot to say that there is an area the other side of the cafe from the timber lodge playground with some lovely little willow pods - great for playing house.

I'm surprised by the above comments because I really like it and I think it's a good place to meet with kids if the weather is ok. Yes it is really vast and since it's a bit cold now for the water fountains I would just head straight to the Timber Lodge playground, which is the best play area: 11 on this map - http://queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the-park/plan-your-visit/park-map That will conserve everyone's energy because it is a long long way if you go into the park where the fountains are and then walk to the Timber Lodge. The easiest way to get straight to the TL is to go out the back of the shopping centre and along the road. There is a Timber Lodge cafe, which I found underwhelming and expensive with a big queue. But there are lots of places to eat in Westfield as others have mentioned or you could take your own food. I hope you have a fab day.

I think this is hard for schools to get right and as nunheadmum says their primary focus is teaching the kids and rightly so. Having said that there are real benefits to better communication and involvement of parents so if you care about this you could help drive improvements. You could for example find out what other schools do and then ask your head if your school could try some of them, eg workshops for parents explaining how phonics is taught, parent reps, half termly letters telling you about the topics the kids will be focusing on etc. If there is a way of canvassing parents' views of their experience of the school then communication will come out as an issue if others feel the same way you do, which would mean you wouldn't be a lone voice.

Things could be really different by the time you move so I think all you can do is wait and keep calling. Something will come up but I don't think you can take up a place without a confirmed address.

Hi Kaska, it's a lovely school. Lots more detail on this thread: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1305594,1305633 My son is in yr2 - feel free to PM me if you would like more info.

Missbabs, have you been to Charlton lido recently - it has had a big refurbishment and I think it's great. missbabs Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > London Fields works brilliantly and heated all > year. > but Charlton is grim > Covent Garden excellent but short, > Brockwell freezing > Hampton, very pleasant, heated all year > not swum at Tooting or Gospel Oak or Crouch End > outdoors (the indoor pool is best avoided) > > > it is a shame there is not a large outdoor pool > for year-round use somewhere in the borough

Hema (a Dutch shop that has just come to the UK) do a bag of diving treasure for a few pounds - plastic jewels, coins, seahorses etc. unfortunately there is no pic on their site. I'm not sure how they would compare with what you're looking at in size or quality but they might be worth a look if you're near a branch - http://gb.hemashop.com/en/assortment