EDmummy

I was going to make a similar comment to Coach Beth and would echo Fuscia re making local mummy friends if you work or only have kids in secondary school. I'm not from the UK and life in the suburbs or a village make me shudder. My kids are Londoners (9 & 14yrs), love it and miss it when they're away. The oldest is in a Harris school and doing brilliantly. We have a new coed school opening soon so there'll be more choice BUT if you yearn for the countryside then make the move. God knows if my kids will ever be able to afford to live in their home town when they're older so maybe it's wiser to move further out like they will end up having to do.

With boys aged 9 & 14 I've had to deal with this a while. I now appreciate black trainer/school type shoes. Weekend shoes are much more fun with colourful Nikes and other trainers (mine like hightops. There's also a bit of cred with Doctor Martins. There is fun to be had.

Depends on the scale of the 'problem'. I've been going grey since my early 30s and it takes a lot of maintenance. I would suggest having a consultation with Amy at Willis B. She's amazing and will assess your best route with pragmatism and sesitivity. I personally would shy away from a standard hair dye approach that uses ammonia- I use Inoa and my hair is strong, healthy and natural looking. I'm very grey so have my central (parting roots) done every 5 weeks (a smudge) and only have the full re-growth done a few times a year. I also have very dark hair.

He really is a great guy. Both my boys know him from school and one a little better after running out of the house and getting lost when he was 4. PC Crust came and spoke to him once he was found and was brilliant. Wouldn't it be great if more than one restaurant and perhaps even the cinema offered vouchers so Adrian and his wife could have more than one night out. Every shop and restaurant owner must know him. I'll certainly be very sad that he'll no longer be on our streets.

Wow- that's really unfair. I agree with you that they must have these clothes more accessible.

Depending on the age of your child, I tell my son to look through lost property himself. He's been managing to find his labelled lost property on his own since the age of 6-7.

I could have written this a few years ago. My son was diagnosed with dyslexia and we already knew he had very hypermobile fingers - my son struggles with writing with only little issues with maths and reading. I would advise asking to speak to the inclusion manager and ask for a full dyslexia assessment (not the computer based one). Do his fingers bend beyond what you would think normal? If so, you may be able to get a referral to an OT but if not I would suggest lots of exercise that strengthen his hands (my son did gymnastics). I hope you get the support.

Their website also contains details of their recent GCSE results.

Plenty in a recent post here http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1482802,1484860#msg-1484860

What a lovely story, Greedy Girl. We moved here too late to go to it but I so wish we'd had the opportunity.

There's a swimming club at Alleyns on Monday nights (I think) that a lot of local teens attend.

Also done to some extend at Kingsdale. All ways have their critics as people tend to criticise if they fall outside whatever criteria is chosen. david_carnell Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Make it a lottery. > > Names go into a hat. School no 1 - pull name out. > School no 2 - pull name out. And so on and so on > until all schools are full and all pupils have a > school. You do within a "reasonable" distance so > people aren't having to cross the whole borough > but otherwise it's the only fair way. > > I think Brighton did it a while back - I'd be > interested to know the outcome.

What Curmudgeon said. Charter is just one of several very good state schools in the area. And, a lot can happen in 6 years! Why fret now. Enjoy your kids, help extend their knowledge and enjoy the years when your kids will actually talk to you.

I'm not quite sure why anyone would pay a lot of money for bland new builds. The ones on Landells Rd (think it might be an old cinema site - was called Vision House)are hideous. There is no excuse for not building beautiful buildings other than developers trying to squeeze out the most profit and therefore using cheap building methods and bland design.

I hope you find what you're looking for. Just remember this development is across the road from a pub and may not be the most ideal location for those with young children or who work shifts. Flashpotata Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks all. I was just looking for a place for my > family to live in. I didn't realise it came with > quite so much baggage!

Sounds like you might need a hot cloth cleanser. I use Liz Earle but I understand Superdrug does a cheaper one. Removing dead skin really brightens your complexion. Once I've cleansed, toned, serumed and moisturised. Regular fake tan to the face also adds a bit of glow :-)

Thanks for that very reassuring post. You guys do great things and I know the wonderful relationships you have with all the kids who go to the playground. Really pleased that you were there to help the boys and I hope they are doing well.

If you haven't already, I'd also ask the school for dyslexia testing.

If you fancy Greece again, Almyrida is perfect. We flew into Chania and drove to an amazing villa. Let me know if you want details. Price wise - expect ?4k (for 2 weeks) if you want private villa plus airfair but absolutely worth every penny. A little bit of heaven!

Travelling on the bus past the Dog Kennnel Hill Adventure Playground this early evening I saw about 4 police cars and 1 or 2 ambulances. Genuinely interested in finding out what was going on and if everyone is OK.

We got offered one of our higher choices when we went through this a few years ago but after assessing all the pros and cons, decided to stay with HBAED. It has turned out brilliantly for our high achieving son - I genuinely hope it does the same for you.

Looks great. It would be nice to have an informal seating area but it looks like space may be an issue if your footprint is restricted. Can't wait till it's open!

It's our experience that the structure at HBAED allows the boys to know the boundaries and expectations and therefore gives them a secure learning environment. My son is quite anxious and finds comfort in knowing the behaviour expected and that teachers will act in a consistent way when dealing with any disruption. He certainly wouldn't recognise the school that you describe as 'regimented'.

Let's hope you haven't shared your *disdain* with your child. I'm sure you'll get a few PMs telling you about experiences. I notice that you've removed your comments about ethnic mix of the school. The mix is pretty average for an inner London school. Results are above national average and high amongst other local schools. My son is well supported, has a great mix of friends and other than being affected by the national shortage of physics teachers, has had some great, enthusiastic and dedicated teachers of the last 3 years. He is given opportunities to extend his learning and extra curriculum activities are available for most interests. It's still quite a new school in that it hasn't matured it's offer to students but the senior management team are working hard to open up further opportunities for the boys. This school deserves the support of local parents. There is real access to teachers which, when I've spoken to friends, other, bigger schools don't have. Like with any school there are instances of bullying etc but the school, in my experience, are very responsive and situations are managed immediately to good effect (this is my experience, I cannot comment on others).

Lego mad house here. We tend to do much of what others have said, completed models go on shelves (although this tends to be in the living room - must to my quiet annoyance) and eventually move to general Lego containers) but we also buy 'general' Lego - Lego that is not part of a box set that includes lots of different coloured bricks, sheets, figures etc which the children use to 'freestyle'. 'Freestyle' is definitely most popular but youngest also likes a project so building particular models can keep him occupied for many hours.