Coach Beth

It sounds like a bulge class was created at John Donne for all the people who didn't get a place at their 6 choice schools??? Although, as magpiemonkey points out this isn't fair on people who did want a place at John Donne in the first place and weren't allocated it! Hopefully magpie you will get a place at John Donne as people who didn't want the place will get a place at a school nearer to where they live through waiting lists and maybe appeals. The problem the lists thing is that if you put down all 6 schools which all tend to be over-subscribed but other people fall higher on the criteria for each of those schools then it is possible for you to be sent to any school in the borough with a space. (Although I am unsure about the futherest walking distances however?) A few years ago, a number of people from East Dulwich were allocated spots at John Donne and Peckham Park Primary (this is nearish the Old Kent Road). However, parents were eventually allocated a place at an East Dulwich school. It's likely it will be sorted in the shake down but it's definately an anxious time.

I've gone on about the school in numerous threads so just click on my user name to find my opinions - I won't bore regular readers with positive affirmations that I've given elsewhere! But if you want to talk, just message me!

The whole system is crazy! Anyway, maybe I will see you at the tour on the 1st May - I'll be chatting to parents at the coffee morning and showing people around our wildlife garden/veggie gardens!

Surrey Dock Farm is GREAT! http://www.surreydocksfarm.org.uk/

Yes, our PTA is really nice and welcoming - lots of ways to get involved in the school - from being involved in the PTA to helping students read to standing for parent-governor. I particularly enjoy the parent-staff choir and the weekly family gardening club (see our photos of the Big Dig event where we prepared beds for our vegetable and herb gardens and launched the family gardening club) Anyway, I also wanted to point out the correct weblink to the school is actually http://www.goosegreenprimaryschool.org/ - it's so easy to make a mistake when typing in these links (I did that last time!). You'll find lots of useful information on the site.

Try Roz Pendlebury - she is a relationship and individual therapist. http://www.psychotherapyuk.co.uk/

Peeps - At Goose Green School, we have just got a vegetable and herb garden started using built in beds and containers. We are having a family gardening club every Friday from this week! Yesterday, we took part in the Big Dig project. We are a diverse inner city school and would LOVE to have the support of a business! I will PM you!

Children, like my son, learn to get on with others from different backgrounds and life experiences in diverse social environments. They become friends with children from other backgrounds - they work together and learn together. I feel it has given my son more empathy, respect and understanding of people who are different.

I'm a parent governor of a inner city school in East Dulwich and I also volunteer one morning a week to read twith the children in my son's classroom. Any good inner city school will ensure that behaviour management is high on the agenda - poor behaviour is a barrier to learning for all the children in the classroom. It is true that inner city schools often have a range of abilities and behaviours to manage and integrate in the classroom - this is more challenging for teachers. However, a consistent approach throughout the school can work wonders and personally for me, the benefits of my child learning in such a diverse environment outweighs disadvantages. When I read with the children, I really enjoy reading with some of the children who tend to be the most disruptive. These kids are actually crying out for one-to-one adult attention and when a volunteer like me spends even just 15 minutes reading and talking with them, it makes a big difference to their lives! And they love reading with me too. It is very rewarding!!! In terms of what to look for in terms of secondary schools, I think you have to take into account your child's interests and personality. I haven't really thought about it too much as my son is just in year 2!!!!

My son is very excited about taking part of this - we watched the Junior Bake Off on CBBC religiously and when I asked him if he wanted to take part in the Great East Dulwich Bake Off his answer was an enthusatic 'yes'!

On Peckham Rye, there is a football class for children 6,7 and 8 years old on Saturdays at 11am. The football coach is a young woman who was a professional footballer. It is mainly boys in the class but there are two girls who play as well. If you are interested, PM me and I will send you the phone number of the coach.

Personally, I feel that the issue really that a decent co-ed secondary school is needed. All the primary schools in the area are co-ed. And all I think are pretty decent schools doing well. But there is a dearth of co-ed secondary school places.

I used Goose Green centre once for a kids birthday party - it's a great space for lots of kids!!! It is hall - but it's a nice hall and the kitchen is good. I think if there will be lots of kids there, having it at the hall will be very easy and as other's have suggested, get a nice caterers in.

That sounds very distressing for yourself and your child. My son goes to Goose Green School - he is in year 2 now and we haven't had any problems with bullying at all. The school is quite firm about behaviour and has a strict no-bullying policy. You can see the policy (called the Behaviour Policy) if you go to http://www.goosegreenprimaryschool.org/policies.asp Do check with the school your child is currently at again about the no-bullying policy - it's a standard document. Maybe if you speak to the headteacher of the school your child currently is at, they can help more - it would be good for you to have a meeting with both the Headteacher and the classteacher certainly. If you are considering transfering to Goose Green School from your current school, do contact the Goose Green and arrange to meet the Headteacher. I know another parent who has recently decided to transfer her child out of another school into Goose Green School and she met the head of Goose Green last week last week. Her child is now starting next week so the process can happen quite quickly.

Thanks for this - I'm off now to Rye Books to pick up the Wimpy Kid book series for my boy and we'll bring along his World Book Day vouchers as well!

Wasn't it so much fun today seeing all the kids coming in their outfits? And the teachers/office staff too! The best however at our school (Goose Green) was the Headteacher dressed up in a fantastic outfit!!

So on the eve of World Book Day how is everyone doing with their costumes? My 7 year old son has finished drawing (using some fab t-shirt markers) a picture of the Wimpy Kid on his blank t-shirt (a very fine copy of the book cover I think actually!) and I've got some serious spikey hair gel to do three spikes a la Wimpey Kid toward the back of his hair tomorrow.

There has been many of discussions about this over the past years. Evidence of this shortage of places can be seen by the numbers of extra buldge classes most primary schools in this area have had to take on in the last few years. Search for buldge class on the forum and you will find many discussions about this. Or search for primary schools.

Well, I made a fairly successful batch of brownies for tomorrows Goose Green PTA cake sale - thanks to all the advice I received here on the forum! I made sure that we didn't put in too much baking powder, I banged the tray (and sure enough, some air bubbles came to the surface) and I resisted the temptation to open the oven door before time. There was alittle sinking in the middle but not much! They are very, very moist and very gooey! (I think my boy got carried away when measuring out the applesauce!). YUM!

I think the Steiner approach is very interesting and kids I've known who have gone through Steiner education are confident and creative individuals. But I'm not in favour of free schools - I feel they drain resources for all. On a purely selfish note, we could never, ever follow Steiner thinking around not letting children watch any TV (except for the occasional treat!) - I know it's not great but we are definately a TV/media household and my kid would never be accepted into a Steiner school based on this alone!

Hiya! I am equally rubbish at stuff like this when my boy was in reception, he went as the Alien who Wore Underpants! I painted his face blue and he wore a larger pair of boxers over his jeans and a pair of briefs on his head with some pipe cleaners as antenna on his head! It went down a treat! He is now in Year 2 and has become obsessed with the Wimpy Kid books (thankfully as he is now reading books for PLEASURE - hurrah, hurrah!) and is - surprise, surprise, going to go as the Wimpy Kid!! Which entails normal trousers and a white t-shirt where he is going to draw (with t-shirt markers) a picture of the Wimpy Kid with the Wimpy kid book title written on it. Sorted.

I also think there is a big misunderstanding of what is avaiable for older people - there isn't alot of choice out there, even if you or they have money. What I think you will find is that 'luxury' elder care nursing facilities for people who don't like the idea of being in a 'run-of-the-mill' nursing home cater for older people who do not have serious health care needs. For example, they are mobile, not disabled and don't suffer from dementia. If you want specialist elder care for older people with disabilities and serious health needs, the key providers are your run-of-the mill nursing homes that take council funded clients. And actually, most nursing homes are run by private companies anyway - they aren't council run anymore (more is the pity I think!). The places are council funded (or not as the case may be). So my partners mother for instance was not council funded when she went into a home. Her home was sold and she was offered a place in a home closest to where she lived and where one of my partners brothers live. Now that money has run out, her place is funded by the council. It's ok actually, she has her own room (as do most elderly people in homes), it is bright and well-staffed with assistants and nurses - not as nice as my father's in Canada which is the best nursing home I've been to (they employ a full-time recreation director who organises something every day for people and who goes around chatting to people, keeping everyone's spirits up). In fact, I think when I get to that stage I'm moving back to Canada folks!!! The other problem you will find is that once an older person has serious mobility issues, you have to be able to lift them up from the bed, to the toilet and so on. With my Dad, it got increasingly worse - so even the home carers who came into help him were unable to do this so he had to go into a home. In nursing homes, they have hoists that lift the person from bed and to the loo. It is difficult to get this fited in a private home. Plus there is the issue of personal care and whether your parent would want you as their adult child to do their personal care. HOWEVER, on the bright side apparently most people spend all their years and die in their own homes. Most people would rather live in their own homes and only if things get so difficult do they need to move.

Social care for the elderly is a vital part of our welfare state. Most countries like Canada have similiar provision. Here is an excellent article which outlines the provision in this country. http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/18/08/2011/104087/elderly-people.htm

Please remember there the government will cover the costs nursing homes and in-house carers - although the government is cutting back all the time so if you want your parent to have extra care than what the state provids, yes that would have to be paid for. For instance, if after your parent is assessed by social services they deem that she only needs someone to come in 30 minutes a day to prepare her dinner and do personal care, that is all they will pay for. But if you want someone to come in the morning as well, you would have to appeal or pay for it yourself. If one partner needs to go into a care home and the other is still living in the house, the government will pay for the nursing home costs (althought their pension will go straight to the home). My partner's mother is in a care home up North - after she lived independently in sheltered accomodation for many years her needs were too great. Her house was sold and this went to the costs of her care. In Canada, my father's needs (he became physically disabled) became to great for my mother and he went into a care home several years ago which was a great relief for everyone frankly as it was too much for her and she is able to visit him every day. Before he detoriated physically, the state paid for one carers to come round morning and night to do personal care. My parents were means tested and the majority of the cost is covered by the state but about $150/$200 comes out of my parents joint pension towards his care.

Everyone's family and family traditions are different. And attitudes towards money are very different. Perhaps it is to do with income of parents as well? My parents had very average salaries - my mother worked with deaf/blind children and my father had mental health issues which meant his ability to work was very 'up and down' . I remember them dealing with debt when I was a child and I didn't some of the things my friends did - although I was not deprived in any sense of the word! (music lessons for instance were prioritised) So once myself and my brother go through university, we didn't expect much in the way of finances from them. But my mother did lend me some money towards a deposit on my first flat, but I paid her back. A few years ago, my parents were struggling with the upkeep of their Victorian House (or 'the money pit' as my brother and I called it) in the small town in Canada they lived in. So we both chipped in to help them sort out the roof and then supported them to sell the blasted thing and move into a easy upkeep apartment near my brother. Anyway, I guess perhaps if they had been well-off, maybe they would have wanted to give us money and maybe if we felt they could afford it we would have accepted it - who knows? But equally, I know that I am happy that due to the sale of our family home, they have a nice little cushion to see them out into a comfortable retirement - not one of luxury but comfort - to enable my mom to go on little trips, enjoy nice theatre trips, etc. It's what she deserves after a lifetime of raising kids, dealing with my Dad's mental health stuff, worrying about debt and working really hard with deaf-blind children in the public education system all her life (for which she was not paid as well as a banker or lawyer but for which she bloody well should have been!)