Smiler

Giving up reading stuff about getting pregnant!

It is good to hear that the school is improving and that children are happy there.

Don't understand what the Dream Tubes are - are they to stop the child from falling out of bed?

Mrs Lotte, I haven't said and don't feel that a state school of our choice is any kind of right, but would not personally be keen on a school that was assessed as inadequate by the official regulator, as Goose Green is at present.

Link to Colin the Catflap Fitter anyone?

Now I am hungry and the low-fat probiotic yoghurt is not satisfying! Disagree on the cupcakes bestnames, they have their place, though more for pretty-appeal than taste. Have not yet had decent slice of carrot cake in ED, boo. There was a nice new cakes, pies and pastries stall on Northcross Road, quite far up, a couple of weekends ago, not sure if was a one-off or regular thing.

Don't worry too much prm - I found the first two nights (in Kings) very difficult, my daughter screamed virtually all night long and it was difficult to ask for help, eventually a kind healthcare assistant took her away for a bit (my only reaction was relief!) and brought her back sleeping. Those nights did pass though, and now seem like an age away. Next time would be more assertive about asking for help and keep reciting the mantra that it will pass!

Think at Tommy's the private ward is staffed by nurses and not midwives too.

misticnutmeg, please don't make assumptions about other forum users' situations or incomes - and your tone is antagonistic. The two-miles point refers to the fact that some kids were allocated schools more than two miles away because the local ones were oversubscribed, not the house being two miles away from the nearest school. Not all the local schools are "satisfactory" according to Ofsted - Goose Green is "inadequate" and seems to have been in special measures since spring 2008. It is not unreasonable of parents to seek a "good" or "outstanding" local school, as assessed by Ofsted as the regulator (obviously not perfect but the one we have) and their own impressions.

Yes, thanks for the info.

As east-of-the-rye says, the local authority normally co-ordinates youth music groups. Have many fond memories of youth orchestras etc. when I was at school - in my area (up north) there were all kinds of groups for kids, from beginners through to grade 8 and beyond, they mainly rehearsed on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings, sometimes in holidays. We did concerts and trips in the UK and abroad. Have still got good friends from that time. Maybe if Southwark don't run anything, it'd be worth checking out the neighbouring boroughs.

The red book says it's 2 years and 3 1/2 years with the health visitor - they don't contact you, so easy to miss.

Re. the "scenario planning" by Southwark to allocate places in the buldge classes / expansions: this doesn't fit with the statement in the letter to parents from the Heber Head (see the other thread), which strongly implies that the bulge class places, at that school at least, have already been allocated. Whatever the situation actually is, it seems to be bad handling for Heber to have divulged admissions information at this point, ahead of parents being notified. Instead, the head could simply have advised current parents of kids at the school that there would be a bulge class, and left it to the Southwark team to notify parents of allocations.

Sorry to be negative, but don't think any gift is necessary/appropriate for work colleagues (as opposed to friends), unless maybe it is the kind of workplace where people generally do things like that for birthdays, big events etc. Also, some people are funny about pregnancy/baby-related gifts etc., especially if telling colleagues at an early stage Perhaps just a card would be nice, or cakes for the office? Then later on when the baby arrives or she goes on leave a pressie from the whole team? Now I am feeling mean, but having had fertility issues and recently announced my pregnancy at work I wouldn't have wanted any kind of fuss from colleagues. Sometimes people seem OK, or may have told people that "has taken a while", but they may not have revealed the whole story and may be more sensitive than they appear.

I think it is good that there will be a bulge class, though as others have highlighted, if there is no such class in future years it will be harder for non-siblings to get into Heber in the next few years. The letter to current parents from the head says that "every parent who gave Heber a first preference [for a primary school place] will be offered a place". This doesn't seem to be consistent with the admissions criteria: as Fuschia has highlighted the key ones are having a sibling at the school, then proximity to the school. These things come above preference I think? If, instead of applying the normal criteria, the extra places in the bulge class have been given to those who put Heber as first choice, it doesn't seem fair to pupils who may live closer to the school, but whose parents didn't realise that the bulge class allocation would work this way. I might be misreading the statement in the letter, though, or it might just be that those putting Heber first are also those who live closest to the school.

RE. private rooms, it isn't possible on the NHS to pay privately for only part of the care (e.g. a room or midwife) - the whole birth / postnatal care is either NHS or private. Tommy's has a private wing for births, don't think Kings does private births. Agree with what others have said re. the single rooms at Kings - they are really saved for the women who most need them, so wouldn't seem right to push for one after a "normal" birth.

Fuschia, from memory I don't think that a soft play or a baby pool were in the plans.

See the previous thread on this http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,445495

I would be anxious about all the responsibilities that go with being an employer of a nanny, e.g.sick pay, maternity pay etc. (if the nanny needed to have a lot of time off).

Someone tried to nick Mr Smiler's bike in the night last night, from our front yard (just off Lordship Lane). This morning the wheelie bins were out (right in front of the front door, presume in case anyone in the house heard and tried to come out) and the cover etc. was off, but bike still there. We keep it behind the wheelie bins with lots of locks etc. bolted onto the wall. They didn't make it past the locks this time, worried that they will come back.

Cllr Barber's thread says July. Really missing swimming!

Doesn't sound like a good plan!

It will probably get eaten up or starve poor thing, unless someone catches it and gives it a temporary home. When was little I acquired a white budgie by catching it in the back garden where it was moping about. Tried to find out whose it was but no luck, so had a new pet. It was already domesticated and did get to stretch its wings in the house sometimes. Happy days.

There seem to be more staff at the tills which is good. Agree with Sue about the lack of free-range chicken pieces. Somerfield sometimes used to have good bargains on this. Do not like the quizes on the chip and pin machines which, before you enter your PIN, ask a weird mix of questions like "do you think that there should be more research into the effects of pesticides on bees?" and "did you see the new Pepsi bottle in store today?"

My 2 year old has slept through the night almost every night since the planes stopped: normally she wakes up around 4.30am. Am (selfishly, after 2 years of sleep deprivation) enjoying the rest!