newtoedf

We?ve got lots of them if you are still looking and want to borrow. They are ok but not my som?s favourite. If your son is into Minecraft, the diary of Steve the Noob, Angry Alex etc might also be a good bet as They include lots of hints for the game as well as the story. We get them on kindle unlimited so can?t lend those ones i?m afraid.

Just to echo Carbonara and savester's comments: It's a long time since local authorities decided how much to spend on education. This is a central government decision. The government claims that funding is increasing but it's not increasing as fast as inflation or as fast as the number of pupils is rising so income per pupil is falling drastically - ?Mainstream schools have to make ?3.0 billion in efficiency savings by 2019-20 against a background of growing pupil numbers and a real-terms reduction in funding per pupil. The Department is looking to schools to finance high standards by making savings and operating more efficiently but has not yet completed its work to help schools secure crucial procurement and workforce savings. Based on our experience in other parts of government, this approach involves significant risks that need to be actively managed. Schools could make the ?desirable? efficiencies that the Department judges feasible or could make spending choices that put educational outcomes at risk. The Department, therefore, needs effective oversight arrangements that give early warning of problems, and it needs to be ready to intervene quickly where problems do arise.? Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, 14 December 2016 https://www.nao.org.uk/report/financial-sustainability-in-schools/ At the same time costs are rising, and funding for schools in London is being redistributed to other areas which have historically been underfunded. There is no doubt that funding for schools is going to be reduced significantly. The thing is that back office functions are a tiny fraction of costs at most schools, of course, if savings can be found they should be but staff costs make up around 80% of school spending so it is inevitable that there will be staff cuts to balance the books. The class size limit of 30 pupils only applies in reception and KS1 so schools might increase class sizes at KS2 to reduce costs. There is no statutory requirement to have a TA in every class so schools could reduce the TA headcount significantly The breadth of the curriculum, enrichment activities, subsidies for school journeys etc. for families that can't afford the full cost are all at risk. Some schools have already started to ask parents to pay to subsidise their child's education. If none of that seems like a problem to you then fine, but if you think that those sorts of changes would have a material and negative impact on your child's education then please don't just sit and hope it doesn't happen - please do try to stop it - https://www.fairfundingforallschools.org

If the PE bags are on the coat pegs in the cloakrooms they quite often end up on the floor, the more clearly labelled with the child's name they are, the more likely a passing adult is to pick up it up and put it back on the right peg. If the name is hard to see, it'll get picked up but might end up on a random peg. I reckon drawstring bags or large plastic bags are the best bet as stuff can't just fall out and end up in a heap in the corner like it can with a rucksack that isn't zipped up properly. However, as flocker spotter says, check if they are actually going to be changing for PE before you worry too much about special kit. My eldest's first pair of sand shoes had never actually been worn when she grew out of them (her brother did wear them though when it was his turn). You will probably be asked to provide a separate bag with a complete change of clothes as well as there is a lot of messy/water play in reception. It's worth slinging a cheap cagoule in there as well to avoid the guilt when you realise you forgot to check the forecast on a lovely sunny morning and the heavens open later in the day...

My daughter used to go to a childminder in a little first floor flat. The CM was great, the kids went out every day so they weren't cooped up and my daughter was very happy. If the weather is bad the kids wouldn't be outside that much even if there was a garden so in my view what goes on inside, the activities and outings you have and the general quality of care are much more important. The garden is more of a nice to have.

Both my children have had swimming lessons at Peckham Pulse since they were 3. The pool is great, the instructors have always been in the water with them and it's worked really well for us. The warm, shallow water has done wonders for their confidence. I can see what people mean about wondering if they are progressing much - at times I've wondered the same myself but it really does seem to work - now he's 5 and has a couple of years of lessons under his belt, my 5 year old can swim a length of the 25m pool. It's not perfect, I get frustrated by the lack of a proper waiting list system but it's one of the few places where the parents can have a swim themselves while the kids are in lessons which is something we've always enjoyed.

Hi Mark, you might be interested in the bike trains that Southwark Cyclists are running: http://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/events/bike-train-new-denmark-hill-branch/

It's a big deal when your first child starts reception but with the benefit of hindsight I can see that it was a much bigger milestone for me as a parent than it was for my daughter. Reception is part of the early years foundation stage so it is the same framework as nursery and it's all about learning through play. There is a bit more formal learning on the carpet but that won't start until after all the children have settled in and the teachers think the class is ready. If I had my time again, I wouldn't worry about trying to prepare my child for starting school (because it is such a gentle start)but I would make the most of the freedom to go off for a day out in the middle of the week while I still could. My eldest is in year 3 now and I am still struggling to come to terms with the tyranny of the school calendar.

we've got underfloor heating which is a wet system laid on a concrete base with a wooden floor above. We absolutely love it. The system and floor is 5.5 years old now and we've never had any problems with and the wood floor has aged well. Our heating bills are much lower than the average for a house this size too. We have one of three identical houses and they all have the same system/flooring which is working well in all the houses. They were all new build though so I don't know installer details.

If it is for a little one then make sure that there isn't a drawstring or cut it out if there is. I once found my then 3yo with the drawstrings wrapped tightly round her neck and she'd slipped off the air mattress too. She was fine, had been wearing her "necklace" but it gave me a real fright as I'd thought she was past that stage so had left the drawstrings in. We got these ones after that incident and have had them for a few years and been pleased with them. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelert-Junior-Sleeping-Pod-Distressed/dp/B00C20ITMM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457543007&sr=8-1&keywords=junior+sleeping+pod

we used to just put the mattress on the floor at that stage if the bed seemed too high up

Try lynda.com for lots of video tutorials, you can get a 10 day free trial. Imperial may well have an institutional subscription. I've been learning Matlab recently and have found that it is hard going but worth persevering. Stack overflow is a good place to ask questions but usually you'll find that someone else has already asked the question and you can just pick up the snippet of code and tweak it to fit what you are trying to do.

I think making sure tiny babies are not being carried in a "cradled"/reclining position is important to make sure their airways are clear. Best bet is to speak to the sling library for advice - http://southlondonslings.co.uk

My daughter suffers (so much so that as a toddler on our first long car journey with her for a holiday in cornwall we had to stop and buy new clothes by the time we got to Devon as she'd already been through everything we'd packed for a 2 week break!) Second/third/fourth advice about looking out the front, no books or tablets/dvds etc and avoiding winding roads. We've recently found audio books a big help on longer journeys (download them from audible onto her tablet) and I found incontinence pads make good disposable car seat covers if you cut holes for the straps (there is clearly a gap in the market!)

Nasty collision between a car and a motorbike at this junction this evening. Thankfully the motorcyclist wasn't as badly injured as it looked at first.

I've got our old kiddy infinity pro that needs a new home now we are just using the boostapaks. It used to be rated quite highly for safety but others might have passed it now.