bawdy-nan

I'd really like to see something that isn't just part of an ever extending academy chain, Harris, or the others. The worry for me would be that these chains are in a prime position to make bids and hoover up the resources. I'd much rather see the Charter expand in some way. I wonder what other "providers" there are.

Harris has a definite ethos and adding another to the already existing raft of their schools would be limiting choice.

at that age mine was fortunate enough to be friends with someone whose Mum decided to run one. she did it from a book at home once a week after school. Was brilliant.

erm use nice newspapers etc - I find the front covers of the lrb rather fetching ...

Actually, doesn't work like that with SEN children who are not part of the general process. Their school is named on the their statement if that is the school best able to meet their needs. Looked after children and those with social or medical special circumstancs (verified by professional's letters) are at the top of the list, then siblings then proximity.

Wonder if this will make it into the Times/Guardian/Telegraph/Mail property porn pages.

Ianr - there are no community secondaries in Southwark: From southwark's website: Types of secondary schools in Southwark There are three types of mainstream secondary schools in Southwark. The schools all follow the national curriculum and are regularly inspected by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). For children starting secondary school in Southwark there are 18 secondary schools to choose from. Voluntary aided schools There are four voluntary aided secondary schools in Southwark. The school's governing body is responsible for their admissions and decides how pupils are admitted. Academies There are 13 academies in Southwark. The Academy Trust is responsible for school admissions and decides how pupils are admitted. Free schools There is one secondary free school in Southwark. The school's governing body is responsible for school admissions and decides how pupils are admitted.

I've just spent weeks looking round local secondaries and I was actually quite impressed. The problem the OP has is specific to academies as there's no easy next level up after the governors if the head won't respond.

hi Otta - yup

Are you aware that there are no local authority secondaries in all of southwark?

@alex - you had me at candide

Hi Alex K I didn't intend my comment to be a criticism of you personally. I can see that you are doing your best to be decent and I respect you for that. What I meant was precisely what you identify: that your motivation in buying to let was finding a good return for an investment. You aren't in it to provide housing. And why should you be. (But by your example,that is, that your rent is the level it is because you need to get a certain return, my landlord, who has a tiny mortgage because he bought years and years ago (and whose repayments haven't increased with rising rents and rising house prices should be charging me a fraction above what his mortgage payments are in order not to be exploiting me. I don't really believe this of course.) I suppose I'm coming at it from the other side. If you (I don't mean you Alex) wanted to deliver decent housing for a city's population where housing needs to be stable and affordable maybe relying on the personal investment decisions and speculations of many small investors and the market (which is now and has been from time to time over the past 20 years bubbly and unpredictable) isn't the best way to acheive that goal. I don't have the exact figures but I can't imagine that LHA / housing benefit bill to Southwark council tax payers is being helped by these rises. I think housing is too important to be merely the by-product of an investment. I can see that there was an argument for the freeing up of some of the rules around rentals in order to encourage more landlords to offer accommodation but I think there must be better way.

I quite like my art "useless" and unfettered to "good works". That's not to say I dont want to see that kind of work supported. What about a campaign for a performance space / bandstand?

Alex K Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > @Loz: "When considering rents, you have to look > at the rate of return on the investment, i.e. the > property value. Generally, a landlord would be > looking at a fair return of about 6%. Remember, > this is not 'profit', as costs such as repairs, > insurance, voids, mortgage, etc have to come out > of it. > > "So, if you are renting a property worth ?500k, > then a 'fair' rent would be about ?2500 pcm." > > Indeed. We were able to acquire an ED property at > ?250K five years ago and have rented it at ?1.3K / > mo ever since, to rise to ?1.4K this coming year. > That it notionally is worth rather more crosses > our minds now and again -- but we're making our > 6%, the tenants are lovely, and Mrs > Doasyouwouldbedoneby is still one of our heroines. Perhaps this just illustrates that small scale private financial speculation in a giddy and bubbling market isn't the best or most cost effective way to provide housing?

Academies and Free Schools are allowed to employ unqualified teachers and the local authority has no jurisdiction.

The thing is - the more rents rise, the more working people on lower and middle incomes will be able to access subsidy via Housing Benefit. This is paid for by Southwark which is funded partly by the govt but also partly by council tax payer - ie all of you nonchalantly asserting the power of market forces. Housing is not an entirely market issue. It remains, in part, a local authority issue, partly because of the legal duties that are attached - re homelessness and administering local housing allowance. Rising rents, especially in the "family", 2/ 3 bed private rental sector essentially means a drain on local authority resources (ie your resources) into buy to let landlords financial instruments. Irrespective of your delight at gentrification and your assertions that the market must prevail in the face of social good, your need for middle income workers: teachers, health worker, local authority workers, etc etc etc must demand, surely that they be housed? This is a London wide situation, of course. But even if you have cleverly found yourself in a position to buy before the rest and are gleefully pulling up your ladder and stamping on the hands below I don't think its an especially attractive prospect. There used to be security of tenure and fair rent allocations and certainly, the climate for buy to let landlords wasn't especially tempting but in the absence of social housing and the growth of bizarre international property deals "something" surely needs to be done? Even Boris expressed alarm at the pogrom of the poor or "social cleansing", as he described it, he believed would be ushered in by the benefits caps. Remember, and to return to my original point , the "benefits" system, especially for London private renters with families, is a system engaged with by people in work. Southwark did some analysis recently (2012) about what income would be required to afford market rents. Based on the government's suggestion that you spend 25% of gross income on rent in order to rent a 3 bed property at 80% of market rate (ie lower than market rate) you'd need to earn ?62631 pa. This is LOWER than many other nearby postcodes in southwark including SE1, SE5, SE11, SE15, SE16, SE17 and SE21. (For a 2 bed you'd need to be earning over 50k). Average income in 2012 was around 26k. In 2013 these figures were updated. In order to afford rent at 80% of market on a 3 bed house and paying 25% of your gross salary you'd need to be earning ?74800. More expensive postcodes in Southwark were: SE1, SE11, SE16. SE17 and SE24. (not, note se21!). For a 2 bed this was ?51800. You can see the full pdf reports if you google "southwark affordable rents"

Not my favourite but I like that, like the Hepworth, you can be in it and on it. I also like that its slightly resistant to the "community arts" feel of the raised stage area (though I liked that one too). There was so much love for the raised performance area I think we should now being campaigning for a contemporary (covered) bandstand. There are so many brilliant local music groups and choirs and school ensembles that could use it and I can't think of anything nicer in a park on a summers' afternoon .Maybe near the cafe?

I can second the Greenwich recommendation - we've been going for the last 6 years and its fab. Trad panto with sing a longs and shouting, toothy hoofers, splendid dame (who writes it - Andrew Pollard)no "stars" who can't act. Excellent atmosphere - we LOVE it and go with smalls and grands.

The Complete Guide to Aspergers by Tony Attwood is brilliant (and available on Kindle too)- his website is excellent too http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Guide-Aspergers-Syndrome/dp/1843106698/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382004594&sr=1-1&keywords=the+complete+guide+to+aspergers Uta Frith was the woman who championed the idea of autism / aspergers as a distinct condition (rather than the result of "refrigerator mothers"). She's wonderful and humane and she has written "A very short introduction to Autism" http://www.amazon.co.uk/Autism-Very-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0199207569/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382004481&sr=1-1

edited for "yuk" don't want to spend any time in this thread

me too

yes, canela, of course and, in fact, primary school often a very good partner is identifying need and advocating for support

Quite, Jessie. Children with a statement of special educational needs are not admitted to a school on the basis of proximity, rather, suitability of school.

Cavendish Sqaure is a grassy (enclosed) area its round the back of the John Lewis Food Hall so if you're feleing thrifty you could pick up a cake there and eat it al fresco. Otherwise the area is awash with cafes - including a starbucks or a pret a manger just along from John Lewis

yes they do - they have a household waste section for stuff that can't be recycled (its just off the od kent road)