sillywoman

Curly Wrote:re "it has always taken kids from various backgrounds." > > Yes but only if they passed the test and the > interview....haha I know someone will put me right if I've got this wrong, but I was told years ago that HA's took 1/3 of it's kids from the top academic level, 1/3 from the middle & 1/3 from the bottom. So you could be thick as a plank and still get a place there. How does this tally with the 'test & interview' thing? Is it wrong? Shame if so, I thought it seemed such a great equaliser.

Has anyone managed to work out from the uniform description which school these lads were at yet?

Hmm, interesting cloudnine. Can I ask what your route is, what time you do the run and how long you allow for the commute? I'd imagine that it would be a very tricky one with all the other schools you pass on the way. Am fascinated that you say it's not difficult or time consuming. We live on part of the route (depending which way you go) and on the very rare occasion we drive the less than 1/2 mile to our school (really, really rare - honest!) it takes us a good 20 mins through the school traffic. Other times of day it's 3 minutes in a car.

I guess it depends how you're thinking to get to Ducks, IMO Camberwell Grove, whilst absolutely gorgeous, is a bit too far away from DC & Ducks to be anything like convenient. If you're thinking to drive it won't be pleasant - especially at school hell time - too many other school runs between you and DC; and whilst you may find a bus that goes straight up LL and round the south circular, I can't think of one (anyone?), so you'll probably have to change. If you really want to live there & depending on your circumstances you'd probably be better getting your daughter into Dog Kennel Hill school if you can. For ED life I don't think it's too far away, but for day to day logistics I think you'll be making your life harder than it need be.

Boo hoo, am also working Tuesday morning (though doing my best to reassure on the benefits of co-sleeping to anxious new Mums & Dads). Still, will be thinking of all of you having a lovely time in the sandpit. Like Molly, please keep posting times & dates & hopefully I'll be able to make it to a meet up soon.

A friend of mine knows this family and sent out an appeal via facebook. I had a facebook message from her some days ago to say that Dad now had enough money to take his family home. I'm sure that the help appeal would welcome donations though.

I've clearly a different perspective on " relatively reasonable". Have to agree to disagree I think.

Molly's pretty much said it all, the only thing I will add is that I have friends living in 'The Gardens' in ED & that does seem to be a dead area for primary admissions. They seem to have come of worst in the chaos of this years admissions and last I heard were still battling for a place at a school that wasn't at least 2 bus journeys away. So you might want to avoid that area. Though your babe is only 6 months, it'll only be another 3 years before you're applying so you're wise to consider nearby schools to the house you buy now, chances are you'll still be there when application time rolls around.

taper Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Alleyns, JAPs etc don't have waiting lists: though the OP did request "not ridiculously expensive".

Different kind of waiting list taper, not one that you need to start stressing about at 6months. And it does, you just need to live in the right place to get into one of our lovely ED schools. The chaos of this years admissions is the subject of its own thread.

Deborahc, do you have a description of the car & woman? Some of the readers on this forum might use a dogwalker & if they recognise the description they might want to switch their business elsewhere?

You don't have to pay for good schools in East Dulwich. The state provides us with excellent schools, good academically and with a broad extracurricular choice. Why stress out over waiting lists and waste 50k?

When Dads go back to work, make sure they always leave a sandwich in the fridge for you in the morninig & call before they set off home from work to see if Mum wants them to bring the fixings for dinner, or a takeaway (It can take all morning just to get downstairs, let alone getting any dinner ready).

Just bumping 'cause it's such a useful thread - anyone got more to add?

A friend who works at Alleyns gave us a copy of the letter the school sent to their parents (note: not the local residents) regarding the traffic congestion they cause. The letter referred to the schools ongoing request to the council to create a one way system Hillsborough Rd for the benefit of their parents. As Asset says; yadayada to the rest, but as a large presence in the immediate community they have repeatedly shown their disdain & disregard for anyone with no money to offer them. They just don't give a flying *$@! about local residents and the impact they have on them & have made no bones about it. Because of this they deserve all the bad feeling that they get. You couldn't pay me to my kids there.

I've no idea whether it's ok for use in pregnancy, so you'd have to check it out, but I use Kukui oil from Hawaii on my sons excema. It works just as well as the hydrocortisone cream and feels so much nicer. I get it from Oils of Aloha (I know, I know). If you google "Kukui oil" they should come up. It's hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and isn't tested on animals. So I should imagine it's OK during pregnancy, but best to check with the manufacturer first.

Guess what? I was wrong. Got a 'phone call to say that bike was back in school this morning. Have been down & got it - a bit battered & some bits missing which school have said they'll pay to replace then get the money back from the boys. Thanks for all the support. We'll be taking it further I think and following up on some of your suggestions, the communication & information available to us was so appalling it not only increased the stress, but created stress of its own. Thanks again, SW

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Peckham Rose; I will try and go to the Police Ward Panel (do you know when & where?) and I'll check out the Police Pledge too. Bob; you're right it is just annoying in the great scheme of things & I quite understand you reserving your heart for more serious stuff. Quite right too. Though I did appreciate the support of PR's heart :). Lenk; Yes, a tiny millionth of the scale, but looming large in my life right now. Still, I take your point. James; I've already come to the conclusion that yours is the only way to get a response. I've hassled and foot stamped all day and will continue 'til I get some action. They're sick of me already and probably just want to be rid of me -the feeling's entirely mutual. HAL900; LOL at your post. woofmarkthedog: Sensibleman is of the same opinion as you, if we can we'll be pressing charges regardless of my liberal leftie fence sitting ways. You're a man(dog) after his own heart - and Loz's too by the sound of it. Update; duffer school policeman called back. He's going round to boys house tomorrow morning with a van & has called boys parents to tell them he expects them to be in to hand over the bike. Personally think he's in lala land if he really thinks that's going to happen, but we'll see. Hope I'm proved wrong. Thanks again for the posts. SW.

Ah, gave the wrong impression. The boy does live over the road, in a nearby street, but we don't know what number in that street otherwise I would have been round there knocking on his door, believe me. Jetsetwilly, subject field described 'long rant' No-one made you wade through my crap. Lenk, have read 'the Trial', the situation feels Kafkaesque to me.

Aaaargh, so frustrated. Boy's bike stolen from school Friday 3pm. I went to school to report it at 3.40pm. assured that school would pass it onto School policeman. I could call police if I wanted, they would just pass it to school policeman anyway, but up to me. Sat morning; after night of consideration, phoned met police as belt & braces approach given a number, told someone would call me back within 72 hours. By this time we have the name of boy who stole bike (the big brother of a boy in my boy's class), & info that the bike is in his house. Police took details but nothing will be "actioned" until they call me back with crime reference number. Sunday; Nothing. Monday; went up to school to meet school policeman. He doesn't turn up. School try to tell me to come back on Wednesday. They can't do anything, Policeman has to handle it. I ask if there's cctv footage. With a great deal of reluctance the school go and look, there is footage which clearly shows bike being stolen by a big boy from the school (same one as we were told had it). Told to leave it with them, they'll show school policeman, he'll follow it up. Tuesday; Nothing from police or school. Sensibleman contacts school. Told all is well, have spoken to culprit & his parents & bike will be back tomorrow ('why not today?' I ask - Sensibleman glares at me). Today, I phone police & phone school. Get told something by a dragon about school having a duty of care to all it's pupils so can't tell me anything at all. I go to school. Finally get phone call from police with crime number; am told now they'll pass it on & someone should be in touch in a few days (I think "AAaaaaarrrgh', but don't say so). Meet very nice man from school. He says school has done all they can (interviewed all boys concerned & called in culprits parents). It's up to police now. As yet no contact at all from school policeman. I stamp my feet & say I want school policeman to phone me today. I want school policeman to take culprit home, collect bike & bring it to me/ school. I don't want to wait for culprit to bring bike in his own good time i.e. never. I suspect the minute culprit knew his game was up he sold/ dumped bike & is now laughing up his sleeve at ineffectual beaurocratic faffing. Nice man agrees, but school policeman was on a training course yesterday and is at another school today. I couldn't care less. I am cross now & want action from someone. In Sainsbury's; phone call from school policeman. I am very cross and don't hide it. He says he'll go & get bike tomorrow. He finishes work at other school at 3.30 and won't have time today. I say 'Today'. I say surely Southwark has more than one policeman, surely another policeman can go with boy and get it? It doesn't have to be him. He defensive and aggressive in tone (probably as response to me being angry, to be fair), at some point he says something like "well if it's so important why didn't you report it until saturday?" then I ask for his boss's name & number. End conversation by saying that I want him to call me back by 3pm to update me, he agrees. My boys bike is at the house of another boy who has stolen it. The other boy lives over the road from us. Why is it so hard for someone, police, school anyone to go with the boy to his home and get it? If the bike had been stolen & was gone we could be cross/upset, put it down to big-city-living, and then put it behind us, but this is becoming a frustrating saga. I just can't understand how training days and working at other schools can be justification for not going to get back my boys bike. The bike isn't even the big issue for us now, it's the principle - that a kid can be allowed to get away with thieving because of beaurocracy - what message does that give him? If the bike doesn't come back (fat chance now I'm thinking) can we sue the police for knowing where the bike was & not acting to get it returned? Do we press charges on the big kid? That probably won't do much to help him in the long run, or stop him from doing it again, but it seems the only recourse to justice that we have? Any advice as to what to do in this situation gratefully received.

Edited to delete as meant to post in general forum . Will move it. Ooops sorry.

Phew, relieved to know it was nothing serious. I've heard that Aloe Vera gel can be very soothing on taser-nuts. See, helpful, That's me . . .

ontheedge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Why do you feel you need to know. It could > possibly be because someone on the road is > mentally ill and needs to be in hospital. Why do > people feel they need to be informed on everything > lately. What good does knowing do other than give > a smug feeling of satisfication/gratification. Ah yes, I can see the request for info could be interpreted like that. I confess to being a hopeless curtain twitcher, but it's because I feel very strongly about the people who live around me. They are my immediate community, I know many of them - but not all - and I like to think that if anyone was having any difficulties and needed help, that I could & would offer it. That's why.

Does anyone know what it was all about?

damzel Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Right from birth, try not to let your baby sleep > directly after a feed. Change it's nappy or do > something before letting them sleep. Not for very > long, but the trick is for them not to start > relying on a feed to sleep. That way, they learn > from birth how to put themselves to sleep. Babies > naturally wake every 20 mins or so but if they can > put themselves back to sleep, they learn how to > sleep through the night quicker. > > I followed this magic tip right from the off and > Little Damzel was sleeping through the night by 11 > weeks. > > During the night feeds, keep the lights low, don't > play, don't talk loudly or chat with your partner, > sooth softely, feed and put your baby straight > back to bed. Agree with the night feeds bit, but I really enjoyed that feeding-sleeping-cuddling-a-sleeping baby thing for the first few months. He slept through soon enough (about 5 months?) and it would have been such a shame to miss that snuggly new baby bit. They're not tiny for very long and it was one of the compensations for the hard work for me. Ahh, new babies - different for everyone.