nunheadmum

Which ice rinks would you advise for going to with quiet kids age 8 and 10? (Eldest not big fan of crowds.) Also, what happens with the open air ones if it rains - is it just tough luck if you've booked? Are there covered ones?

Thanks everyone - lots of good ideas. I'm sure we'll find one that will work.

Can anyone recommend somewhere that would work for a treat for my parents when they visit later this month - they like good food (as do I!) - but would work too if we take the girls, age 8 and 10. There's the possibility of merging it with some shopping too so probably up town. I wouldn't want to take the girls anywhere too stuffy that we'd feel uncomfortable but they're reasonably well behaved and my eldest in particular would love playing the part of the girl about town. I'm thinking late lunch or afternoon tea or early dinner. I had a peak at the Connaught for afternoon tea - which looks lovely but not sure if it'd work with the kids? I don't mind splashing out a bit but I'd be gutted if I did and then it really didn't work. Any recommendations?

Sainsbury's have halloween make up kits with tatoos for all the intricate bits and instructions for the other bits. Worth a look. About ?4.

They said at the school visit on Wednesday that planning consent had been approved the day before. Maybe that means the paperwork disappears off the system?

Thanks Monkey - I like them!

Where's best for decent quality kids clothes? I get frustrated by super thin cotton that goes all out of shape after the first wash. Obviously there's Boden but don't want to buy their whole wardrobe from one place - and some of their stuff is just a bit too Boden. (And it's expensive for more than the odd piece.) So any recommendations for good quality but not extortionate basics that wash well?

Hi Renata. No, I know that Haberdashers has dropped the banding. It's Harris Girls that I'm talking about. They say that they give 1/3 of places remaining in each band (of which there are 9), after looked after/SEN/siblings, will be available for girls who live within 1km. If you have a child who is towards either end of the 'normal' distribution (i.e. quite bright or not so able), that's a third of not a lot of available spaces when you look at the spread on a normal distribution curve. I know all the secondaries that are a 'possible' for us (we're south Nunhead, off Ivydale Road) and all the ins and outs of the process. But all of them are just that - a possible. There isn't one school that I can say is our dead cert safe option. I thought Harris was going to be it but when I look at the detail of their admissions policy, it isn't 100%. I was hoping that someone better at stats than me could advise on the numbers and reassure me that my calculation of the odds was out. We should get in somewhere but - especially as Lewisham schools have dropped banding and that may have been how the odd couple got into Habs or Sydenham - we just don't know where that may be. Deptford Green has been reliable in past years but it's getting a better name and I'm sure that means shrinking catchment. It's just unsettling for the kids.

Any statisticians out there? If 150 kids are split into 9 bands according to "the national distribution of ability", how many are in each of the bands? While it's probably not our first choice, as Harris Girls only give 1/3 of each band to kids from within 1km, I'm starting to wonder if even that is a reliable option for us.

Also you can talk to the senior staff - Headteacher and Deputy Head - who are at the gates at most drop-offs and pickups. They'll be happy to give you an update as I understand they're managing things on a day to day basis to try and ensure that the work is completed correctly but as soon as possible. Having spoken with them, I know that they're as frustrated by it as the parents are - more so as it impacts so much that they're doing and distracts from the key task of educating our kids.

Having paid for weekly lessons for kids for years and only now is my 8 year old starting to swim, I'd recommend trying a few individual lessons now and then with general fun pool visits in between. We had great teachers with SuperKidsSwimming weekly lessons but my youngest just had something in her head that stopped her letting go - possibly as she's quite small and didn't like not being able to touch the bottom. I think individual lessons would have focused more on her and what her issue was, which even with only 6 kids in the class, the teachers didn't have the time to do in a group class. It sounds like you're year old may be in a similar place so it could be worth trying an individual lesson and see if it seems to help more.

Cheesy but kids love it - adults too if you like old fashioned fun with a few thrills. There's lots of tat on sale - light up toys, spinning plates etc - and the ubiquitous candy floss, popcorn etc. I find it helpful to make it clear to the kids before we go what is just NOT going to be bought. Or use if for bribery in the week before!!

indiepanda - I've found there's been lots more cancellations on the Blackfriars / Thameslink trains over the past month than there ever were before. It's well worth checking the train tracker app for up to the minute info in the morning. That said, when it works, it's a good line if you can get on - particularly if you start at 10 when you should be able to miss the worst of the rush hour crush.

How familiar are they with London. I had 2 teenagers - first timers in London - from Scotland recently and they loved the Big Bus tour and just being around the big sights - we didn't really need to do that much other than walk around. Although they probably want to go to Oxford Street, they'd probably enjoy being introduced to the cooler bits too like Angel/Islington and Brick Lane - I'm sure others can suggest more. The Southbank is possibly a good option too, even just to hang out. Depending on their interests, some of the museums may be of interest - you can get books of the more unknown museums around London which might be a bit more quirky and cool to teenagers.

Enjoyable but definitely better for the real fans. My girls (9+7 at the time) - eldest just getting into Harry Potter - went with 2 teenage friends who'd grown up with the books / films and while my two liked it, they weren't anywhere near as taken with it as the 2 real fans. There's a lot of detail to see - props from the films - which is good for those who know the films backwards and interesting in itself but if you have younger non-fans, they may find it a bit less enthralling. And as with all these things, there's a long queue before you actually get to go in - so you may be able to (need to) join the queue before your actual ticket time.

Veg curry - I use one of the jars of Patak's korma or mild curry paste (a tablespoonful or more to taste) and then add coconut milk if needed to tone down the slight heat. Over time we've upped the level of spice. Any root veg goes in it well, plus potato, and broccoli / beans etc.

But don't a lot of kids from this area go out of borough? A lot of the secondaries that we will be considering are Lewisham and I expect there are those going to Lambeth on the other side of ED. Like a lot of these stats, you need to did deeper than the headline to find the info that really needs to be acted on. But I'm sure there are areas where it is an issue and the travel distances will affect the decisions of kids, which seems unfair.

We made a bag with an applique owl on it - so a bit crafty. But it used different techniques to create the seams etc so it was transferable to clothes. Just remembered that there was a post on the Nunhead Parents' Network on Facebook (on 7th April - I searched for sewing on the group and it came up) offering a beginners sewing workshop. It may be worth checking out if they've got another one coming up. The email address was [email protected].

Also there are lots of tutorials on YouTube and the web generally. I recently found a few aimed at men which presumed no previous knowledge and kept it all really clear. I also did a course on machine sewing at Stag and Bow a year or two ago and found it really useful and quite a comfortable way to learn. The folk doing it were very understanding and it was a lovely mixed group - not all experienced homecrafty folk. Practicing on the kids' school trousers is a great way to start as no one will mind if they're perfect or not, as long as it stays up!

oimissus - not sure how you find out about the different packs other than maybe asking on here, unless you know folk who go? My daughter's at a pack in Honor Oak and we've been quite disappointed at how little they do. She likes the chance to hang out with friends but they haven't done a single badge in the last 2 years!

Also check what different packs are like. Some may be more active than others e.g. doing more badges, activities, while others can be much less active and more arts and crafts based. I think the leaders have a lot of influence on the approach taken. Your daughter may prefer one approach to another.

I get excema from lots of plants - particularly those with white milky sap when the stem is broken, such as you get with dandelions. Bad too if I get scraped by some plants and the skin is broken. You could try treating with a mild antihistamine or hydrocortisone cream. No long term solution I've found other than avoidance - and treating quickly before the reaction gets going and spreads.

I'm not against SATs per se and I think a lot of the pressure that schools convey about them comes from parents looking at league tables because we want the 'best' school for our kids and hence schools are scared to drop down the table or have a less than good OFSTED. If we want to be able to compare schools, and the government want to be able to easily compare performance, exam results are an easy way to do that. (Even if it's less than perfect.) Some schools are good at doing the tests without getting the kids stressed and good at covering the curriculum without making it seem like they're teaching to the test. But I think the article below by Michael Rosen gets to the crux of the current problem - the material being covered, particularly in English, is presented in a particularly technical way and the marking schemes are incredibly harsh. The new curriculum was also brought in quite quickly without giving kids time to catch up before they're being tested against it. And there was little clarity for teachers about how to grade pupils against the curriculum levels. http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/may/03/morgan-sats-test-children-primary-school-pupils Sadly I don't think a lot of the coverage today necessarily got to the real heart of the problem and has come across as middle-class parents worrying about their comfortable kids. Which is a shame.

Get some of the loft companies in and see what they say. They are very good at eeking every last inch out of the planning regs. If not then lowering ceilings is an option in lots of the Victorian houses with high ceilings upstairs. Try also to go see some of the lofts that have been done around you. I found that most of those who had done lofts were very happy to let others have a look and share info on who they'd used and what issues they'd had....and what they'd do differently if they were doing it again, which can be really helpful.

Superkids Swimming are really good - 6 kids in a class. They take kids from age 4. Also worth considering private lessons if they can almost swim. We've spent a lot on group lessons over the years and I'm sure a few private lessons now and then with family swimming in between would have achieved as much for my youngest.