Renata Hamvas

The Bloomfield Centre do dyslexia testing http://bloomfieldlearningcentre.org.uk/

Hi Lilaclou, (and other posters) Thank you for your message. As other posters have said, It tends to get to me faster if you email me rather than post on here. I agree trees are very important for our environment. Trees don't normally get planted during the summer months as they shouldn't be planted when they are in full growing mode, but rather when they are without leaves and dormant. Southwark therefore plants replacement trees in the winter. You mention that you think more trees could be planted here. The best way to get this looked into is to put in an application to Cleaner, Greener, Safer. The scheme is open for applications now! Tree planting fits into the remit of the scheme, as do cycle hangers, environmental improvement projects,road safety etc https://www.southwark.gov.uk/engagement-and-consultations/grants-and-funding/cleaner-greener-safer/applications Please put in an application. The tree officers would look at the site and check if the additional greening of this location is feasible.They then pass their recommendations to the ward councillors with a costing, so you don't need to work out the cost for the forms. I will report about the dead tree in case it isn't already on the planting schedule. My contact details are attached. Renata

Just to point out that Southwark can't open new schools, the current funding system only allows academies/free schools to open. They can expand existing schools as was done eg with Ivydale and Bessemer Grange or they can work with school providers to help and support them to provide a school eg Charter ED and Haberdasher's Askes Borough. Renata

Hi Peachpie, none of the secondary schools in Southwark are under local authority control and so the have their own admission criteria. You can look on the websites of the schools, contact them or ask at an open day/evening. These are happening at the moment. Some secondaries in Lewisham are under local authority control. You can find information on some lewisham schools on the Lewisham website. Single sex schools tend to have larger last placed distance that mixed. All last placed distances given are those on offer day and don't include children offered places under different criteria eg siblings, scholarships, under social or medical need etc and for those schools that do a banding assessment, can vary between bands. Renata

Hi TreacleRabbit, thanks very much for contacting Parks and posting about this. I'm guessing with the good weather and the playground having been so busy over the summer, the sand has been gradually removed in tiny amounts on children's shoes and dissipated by wind. Please let me know if sand doesn't appear in the next couple of weeks and I will get on to them. Renata

There are some energy saving bulbs that can be used with dimmers they are usually a bit more expensive than the normal ones, it normally says if they are suitable for dimming on the packaging. Renata

Hi JRJ, the distance figures do not include those allocated places via sibling criteria not those offered distance via other criteria eg previously looked after children, those with a statement of special educational need. RenatA

The 40 route is re-routes after Elephant and Castle, it goes via Blackfriars and City Thameslink to Clerkenwell Green. The 343 is extended, making a long route even longer and probably more unreliable!

Are you looking for a place for an eg 3 year old part time in a school, or a part-time place in a full time nursery? For the former you need to contact the schools directly, eg Fairlawn, Horniman, St Francesca Cabrini, also there is a Nursery/pre-school called Cherlwood.

My council landline phone number had a fault on it, this has now been fixed. Sorry if anyone else (beside BG who I have spoke to) was unable to contact me due to this. Renata

If anyone has unwanted baby gift a good place to donate them to is to Little Village which has its Southwark base next to the Ivy House in Nunhead. This helps local mothers of under 5s in need. [email protected] Priory Court Former Tenants Hall, Cheltenham Road, Nunhead, London, SE15 3BG Renata

I don't know the figures for this year, but last year 60% of tickets were sold to people who lived in local postcodes. Last year the local train services weren't running all weekend due to engineering works and this led to a lot of concerns about dispersal. What was discovered was that many of the attendees walked home! Renata

Hi Fishbiscuits, I don't think so, it was louder in the SE near Harris Girls than it was on the western side closer to the stages. The wind also seems to be a factor. Renata

Hi B&G, sorry that you are having trouble getting hold of me. The number that I give out is supposed to go to my mobile, but it may not be working. My mobile no is 07535932319. Renata

After reading some of the comments on this thread, I've just been round the festival site and some other streets with a sound monitor on my phone (I can't judge how accurate it is). If my monitor is accurate, at the loudest point, directly in front of Harris Girls' school it was peaking around 70db. There does seem to possibly be some funneling effect to higher points which aren't right by the park. The west side seemed to be quieter than the east even though the site is on the west side of the park. I will report my findings. If you are affected by the noise please email me so that I can pass this information on. I did mention this before, the payment to Southwark is ring fenced to fund free public events in Southwark's Parks.

Hi Bonnie, I'm sorry I don't know where you mean by Upper Nunhead? Please email me on [email protected] and I can assist you. I am a Peckham Rye Ward Councillor and the southern half of Nunhead is in my ward. If you are in the area near Ivydale, Haberdashers Aske Free School, Turnham Academy, Hollydale and St Francesca Cabrini would all be possible schools to add to your list, John Stanier is quite far from Nunhead. Renata

The payment to the Council for this event and other similar events in our Parks and open spaces is ring fenced. It doesn't go into the general council budget but goes directly towards funding free events in our parks and open spaces such as the firework display on 5th November. Verds, the site will be cleared by 10pm on Monday and so Kelis would be on significantly earlier than this even if she is the last act. To try and reduce noise emitting from the site, this year the speakers are being raised off the ground and angled downwards. Renata

Hi, the length of time the enclosure is up is due to the set-up and dismantling time. They are working during hours not to disturb residents and also are mindful that exams are happening in Harris Boys School. HPSaucey, if you were in the zone and wish to attend, email me with your address and I will contact the organisers on your behalf. Renata

700 children in London were left without a secondary school place on Offer Day.

If you don't get one of your preferred schools, Southwark looks which schools have spaces and then allocates spaces there by distance and looking what other type of schools a parent has applied for eg single sex or mixed, faith or secular. It is definitely good to apply for 6 schools and look where you may have got in the previous year for guidance (you need to be aware however that last place distances can change and do look over borough boundaries eg Deptford Green). With schools that operate a lottery system you can live next door to the school and you will have no advantage over the applicant who lives 10 miles away. It would make it fairer for all schools to operate a similar admission system, but as all the secondary schools in Southwark are out of LA control, we can't do anything about this.

Southwark do check on people. If you are found to be renting a property close to a school and owning a property elsewhere further from the school and Southwark finds out, you will loose that place. If someone genuinely moves home, perhaps with a particular school in mind, that does not break any rules in terms of school admissions.

Hi Jamma, All places are offered in accordance with the school's admissions criteria. Of those offered a place at a school they didn't apply for, typically most haven't applied for 6 schools but 2 or 3. If you live close to the Borough boundaries, you should be looking at schools outside Southwark too eg Forest Hill Boys, Sydenham Girls, Haberdashers Askes etc as you may fit the criteria of those schools on distance. What do you mean by an inappropriate school, eg were you offered a faith school when you wanted a secular school? Some schools are more popular than others, it is not possible to offer parents school places for their children simply because they want school X, they need to fulfill the criteria for school X. Charter ED initially had a PAN of 120 places. The PAN is currently 180 for this and next year. The second building phase is not due to be completed until Sept 2022; the final planned intake is 240. You don't say if you have now been offered one of the schools that you originally applied for from a waiting list. It is still early days yet in terms of waiting lists, they move right up until September. If you want me to look at your application and suggest other waiting lists you could add your child's name to, please email me with where you live, where you have applied to and where you were offered. Renata

Primary schools-alot of Southwark primaries are under Southwark's control, therefore Southwark can control their admissions policies. Primary academies/free schools and voluntary aided schools set their own admissions policies. Secondary Schools-NONE are under Southwark's control. They are all academies/free schools or Faith Schools. This is why we have a hotch potch of policies which varies from one school to another. We have some that prioritise faith, others that partially select for a particular ability and then use a lottery system, others use banding with distance, some use distance with or without a nodal point and others use a mixture of lottery and banding. Some have catchment areas.Yes, it is hugely confusing for parents and means that they have to go on each school's website and check their admissions policy. It also can change from one year to the next year too! Schools run by the same federation may have different admissions policies! To emphasise again, Southwark can comment on consultations on admissions policies, can raise concerns with the ombudsman but don't determine the admissions policies for any of the Borough's secondary schools. The most recent document I can find in terms of long term pupil number planning is available on the Southwark website is from late 2017. It will come up if you search for Southwark Secondary School place planning, it covers the next few years. Southwark does administer year 7 admissions to the secondaries in Southwark as part of the Londonwide admissions process. They will work with the Secondary Schools to help them secure funding for bulge classes where this is required due to an increase in applications. There is a higher number of 6-13 year olds in the south of the Borough than older and younger children, so the older ones from the peak birth rate years are already in secondary. Even though the two Charter schools have an overlapping last place distance offer zone, it does impact on places at other schools outside the zone. Harris Girls' School is changing it's admissions policy. It currently offers 1/3 of it's places on distance and 2/3 on a lottery system. Its proposed new system from 2020 will offer all places after siblings etc on banding plus distance. Previously this school was favoured by parents living in Peckham and Camberwell more than East Dulwich and Nunhead, but this has been changing over the last couple of years. The new proposed admissions policy will give advantage to local girls living in Nunhead or East Dulwich over applicants from further away. Haberdashers' Askes is having a small expansion from 2020 (around 20). This will coincide with the Free School pupils entering secondary. As the primary and secondary school have a shared entry location point, the children who got in to the primary would have got the secondary anyway so these are extra places which may bring a few more east Nunhead residents into the last place distance area. Monkey, you mention Sydenham Girls hasn't increased its offer radius. Southwark deals with families who move in to the area very quickly within its admission system. Sydenham Girls is in Lewisham and I have no information on this school. I would suspect that there was a significant number of late applicants, who lived close to the school rather than no movement in the waiting list. We are already in the increased birthrate years and every on time applicant was offered a secondary school place in Southwark this year. We have a good admissions department, I am sure they will look at the number of applicants this Autumn and work with the Secondary schools to provide spaces for the 2020 cohort. Renata

Hi Monkey, thanks for pointing this out to me, I have deleted a few messages now. It is actually better to email me via the Southwark email system. Renata ps I did not read this 111 times :)