dulwichgirl2

Well, I hope it comes off! THanks, everyone, for your ideas and input.

are property prices going mad again round here?! I spoke to an estate agent earlier today and he could not have been more upbeat....

We know more about them to be sure but there is an underlying increase in crime too. There are more people with mental health issues out and about without any support owing to govt cutbacks. There are more cars around than 30 years ago. There are, at its most terrifying, more organised paedophile rings around owing to computers disseminating information faster. There are fewer adults looking out for children - people now tend to focus on their own families. Seldom do you hear a non parent tellig off another child and almost never would an adult discipline a child who is not their own nowadays. All of this does lead to children being more at risk. Of course the school assessments are done but I fear largely box ticking exercises which have replaced common sense and caring. So if the world is more dangerous but probably not as much as is made out, are we overreacting? I don't know.

The counter argument of course is that thirty years ago the world was a safer place. I would certainly be asking in depth about the arrangements in terms of adult ratios, sleeping floors, balconies, locks, first aiders on the trip, practise of drills etc., before agreeing. Having children has shown me that the majority of the time they behave predictably and as per instrcutions but not always. Edited to remove basic schoolgirl error - practice and practise

Womanofdulwich, I think my friend feared for basic things like the lo's safety. Obviously at ten, she cannot really fend for herself and you do hear of awful things. That was her concern. Statistically, and logically, of course, bad things are not likely to happen but the maternal instinct does not necessarily run on numbers. (Mine doesn't anyway..)

gosh no, JCTG, just something for a shelf!

Some friends of ours have just had a very longawaited little one. They are on cloud nine as are all of us. A group of us are pooling resources to get a sculpture of this amazing time and we reckon we will have a decent amount in total. Does anyone have any ideas of where we could get a sculpture of the three happiest people ever!?

You can't go to another location - you are under house arrest.

Clearly we need vocational sujects as well as academic ones. That is to say - we need plumbers and doctors. We don't need people with "degrees" from strange institutions in twiddly cupcake making or purple fence building or pretend you're a tomato for 24 hours. THere has been FAR too much utter bx going on funded by Government. It diminishes those doing serous and useful vocational courses like plumbing, boilers, brickwall building, whatever. THese people are useful to society - "move like a monkey and express yourself" courses are not.

Good grief. Sorry to hear of this. I have no great ideas but wanted to bump the post in the hope that someone helpful would come along. Again, sorry you have so much to cope with and hope your daughter's recovery proceeds well.

Oh for goodness sake. Are we still on about this? There are so many better issues to get wound up about and spend energy on. How about women's rights in the middle east? How about child trafficking in the uk? These are serious issues. Bfing in east Dulwich? Please.

I am loth to criticise the head's statement but I do feel it is not the right response for a number of reasons, I am afraid!

Happy Birthday Liz! Glad it was such a success.

THat all depends on boundary changes and the proposed reductions of c. 60 to the nos of sitting MPs. If it all goes through, there will be a sort of musical MPs game going on while they all run around to be reselected by their various new constituencies.

We too find our summer holiday a big investment (3 ch). We generally go to Turkey as the Euro has/had made other more traditional destinations (France etc) too dear. My parents used to try to take us somewhere new every year to show us a little bit of the world - or, at least, the bits they too could afford - but we aren't able to ring the changes as much as we would like for our ch. PLaces that are a long way off end up being reasonable relative value but of course the long flight is a depressing start to any trip with ch.

I'm pondering this as a friend's daughter went to China last year at 10 and I thought that very young to be so far away. At what age would you let your son or daughter join a week long school trip abroad? I'm intrigued....

Actaully the main thing that high earners get from the systems and infrastructure of this moribund country is stability. (They certainly don't use the educaiton or health system and seldom much else.) They get poor value for their input in a sense. Equally, they don't notice in the slightest so I feel no pity for them at all. I pity the middle earners who are taxed to the hilt, have few means of avoidance, cannot claim venture capital gains to pay capital gains tax so pay the dreaded income tax (horror), would use up their entire savings in stamp duty if they moved house, are respectable people, are independent, are trying to educate their children beyond their means and trying to enjoy London. Errr...me and my family in fact.

Thank you - kind thought! Any more French/Dulwich tips appreciated....

Dear god poor you. Sorry to hear this. Hope you are ok. A glass of wine tonight?!

Coach Beth, I totally agree that spending one to one time with the disruptive ch is rewarding to an adult. (Many of my family work as literacy volunteers.) However I'm intrigued as to what the attentive ch learn in the diverse environment that you mention. What good does it do them, other than perhaps to value their education and luck in life, parents, support etc., more than they would otherwise.

Saffron, thanks. Basically "do something about it"...

Errr how exactly Saffron? This "energy harnessing thing" I mean...

Space to think!

The main reason for many parents is a positive learning environment with strict behaviour codes. This is not to say that these aspects are not available in state schools, but it is more hit and miss in the state sector. Class disruption in some inner city schools would shock you if you saw it. The whole lesson can be spent disciplining the bad ch and the well behaved who are there to learn miss out. Teachers may well actually be worse in the private sector but their energy is not depleted to the same extent and the net result will often be that they have more to give.

Take a photo from a safe distance via your phone, if you can. Alert Rspca? Alert police if she is verbally abusing people. That is assault in itself.