Carbonara

Thank you :)

What happened to the post which explained that the copy of the adjudicator's judgement had to be taken down as it should not be shown to third parties? Can I ask WHY this letter should be kept confidential? It is from a process paid for with public money, about a school funded with public money, and about a school to which all citizens should have fair an equal access to apply within transparent criteria. So what if the school wish to challenge some of the findings - if their challenge is upheld they can presumably make that public? The judgement is not about an appeal on behalf of a specific individual, it affects many people, why should it remain secret or private?

I'll drink to that!

Safe walking route should have some definition attached, such as 'a safe walking route is one which has a made-up pavement or is a bridleway or footpath with right of way, street lighting and /or is maintained by the local authority or other body with responsibility for maintenance'. No one can legislate for flashers, muggers, dog dirt or other random nuisances that could occur anywhere. Heber Jumble Queen, sorry to hear this has upset your thinking at this late stage, but presumably you also put KD on your list so will get that place if it is your highest preference available? Good luck, anyway.

Sow? Not nice. The Hooper's ruling seems fair - in ye olden dayes there would have been no question of live or recorded music after 11pm, or people outside after that time, because we would all have been chased out by the cry of 'TimeGen'lmenPleeeeeeese' by that time. Tessa Jowell, gawd bless 'er.

I was one who thought 'smelly mummies' when I first saw it. And personally, if I were to join (don't worry, I will not inflict my screeching on you :))) I would tell people that I belonged to a 'women's singing group' or a 'group of mothers in the area' as the whole Yummy Mummy / anything 'Mummy' concept is just too twee and creepy for anything. If a friend told me she was a Hummy Mummy I would roll my eyes and wince a bit. But I may not be your target demographic.

I want a school that produces a great education. Education comes from the vision and management of the school and the teaching. The results may be affected by a higher proportion of economically and socially disadvantaged kids, but the education of offer should remain the same. Parents need to look more at the education rather than results. Otherwise they may find that what they are choosing as the most important factor is 'people like us'. Even with the distances being measured correctly, Charter will still have the majority of it's catchment in 'comfortable' areas, and the social housing now in catchment hardly generates some of the problems in estates in different areas of Southwark! In a well run comprehensive setting and streaming enables the high achieving children to do very well.

I await my copy! How far out are they consulting? Surely a school, co-ed and with an admissions criteria based on distance, is what is needed! Along with some mixed use development including a health centre and some housing. And a cinema. I would like a nice cinema, like the Ritzy. And a soft play centre.

Curmudgeon: Schools get paid a premium for students on FSMs - extra resources. The demography of Charter may well have a higher level of FSM than the national average, but that is in no way close to representative of FSM pupils in Southwark: Harris Peckham- 59% Bacon's - 46% St Saviours and O's - 33.5% Harris Girls ED - 35% Harris Boys ED - 39% Sacred Heart - 25.6% Walworth - 49% Harris Bermondsey - 55% City of London - 37% Globe 38% St Thomas Apostle - 24.3% St Michaels - 30% (Kingsdale: no information, but their intake is not geographical to Southwark) So the school claiming 20% is a representative mix is disingenous. Even the nearest favoured and competed for schools in neighbouring boroughs have a higher % of FSM that Charter, with Habs at 24% and Dunraven at 25%. Like I said, wrong that the school's process resulted in parents on both sides of the new boundaries making decisions based on shaky information. I sympathise. Most of all I hope the school deal with this well and with integrity and continue to provide a good education for our kids. Whatever anyone may think of the implications of a demography, publicly funded schools must do what is right.

Just in case any E of Lordship Lane or Dulwich parents are panicking about changing the demography, I would like to point out that my nephews who live on one of the estates in question gained 9 A* at GCSE, and that at a school that many of you are probably trying to avoid.

Curmudgeon, Surely you are not advocating managing any school intake in order to maintain a middle class cohort?

I completely agree that this is unfair on those who thought they were making an informed decision on a benchmark which is no longer valid, but impossible to see how the results of the judgement could or should be ignored for this round. As for Charter maintaining it's record of achievement, well, what is that worth if it rests solely or mainly on the intake? And there is no reason why any potential shift in overall demography should affect the achievement of any one individual child within the school. National Offer Day is 4 weeks away. Surely this ruling will now delay any results involving Charter?

Thank you for these replies. The tip about the online resource is good - I am definitely not wishing to hothouse my child, just to provide the kind of practice support with the tests available - but you know how sometimes an outside person manages to be more successful than a parent? A bit like driving lessons with a partner or family member!!

Hello, I am looking for an experienced tutor to give a little support and preparation for the state secondary 'banding' tests - any recommendations? No hothousing required, just enough support so that my child doesn't freeze in the face of something new. Thanks!

The abuse of Blue Badge spaces in Sainsbury's, Peckham pulse, Dulwich park and brockwell Park car parks have all inconvenienced my family considerably - the sense of entitlement of some drivers coupled with the 'don't give a damn' attitude of car park managers and attendants makes access very difficult. Good for you for challenging mis-use of Parent and Child spaces.

Sadly I suspect that crime will increase over the next year or so. And young men are disproportionately at risk of mugging for phones etc. Really upsetting for your son. I'm v pleased to hear that one of the perpertators was caught.

Blimey. I am surprised a modern family can survive with 2 working parents if there is not absolute equality of responsibility for all the 'extras'. That doesn't man to say that every task has to be shared, or that what is fair is always what is equal (especially where partners earn different amounts or work a different number of days, in which case it maybe 'fair' that they contribute a pro rata amount , rather than equal). We are both full time working parents, both have taken equal responsibility for covering illness, sorting out childcare, covering the birthday parties, buying the presents, hosting other children for tea, attending health visitor appointments for weigh-ins, and so on. My professional working friend has a male partner who has not yet changed the nappy of their one year old. They have no childcare. He has viewed her time on maternity leave as a transition to a very differnt dynamic between them, has not adjusted this habit as she has re-started her paid job, and my prediction is that she will be burnt out within 6 months and / or they will divorce if something doesn't change quickly.

Well, the thread has given me the 'heads up' re the lost children's post. So easy for kids to disapear through a line of bushes and then get disorientated in Dulwich park. I have been onvolved in 2 20 min long searches for free-range explorers! Of course if the kids are having such a great time that they don't realise that they are lost, then thier absence at the post will create yet more fretting. Chip'n'pin - the only way forward.

What a horrible shock. Glad you are OKish.