Townleygreen

Coursework is on its last legs in schools. It is being replaced by "Controlled Assessment" where the kids cannot do any of the work except in front of the teacher. No chance for parents to get involved at all. No way that teachers can help them either - at least in the last stages where they are writing it up (and that's where the marks are). That is apparently starting this year at GCSE. You cannot used purchased essays in an exam, obviously.

I don't believe the papers are any easier than when I took mine in 1968. The difference is, as I have said, that they are far better prepared by their teachers for these reasons: "nowadays the exam boards give massive amounts of help and advice to teachers who are preparing kids for their exams. They lay on courses which give teachers tips as to how to teach a certain topic, there are detailed mark schemes given out (not the case back in the old days!) and they get copies of A grade answers so they can see what the examiners are looking for. " PLUS the modular system of today inevitably means higher grades than in the past. For these reasons: "since 2000 all A levels have been modular, and so if you get a poor mark on a certain module, you can resit it a number of times. Before then, people sat all their papers together at the end, and if you messed up a paper you got a bad grade. The only way of trying to improve was to take them all again next time. So - ipso facto - modules make it easier to get higher marks." I don't think it is fair on the students to call that "dumbing down", but that is one interpretation, and that is why the new A* grade is being brought in from this year.

James said One of the prejudices Dunstan's and Colfe's face is the fact that they are located in urban, grittier areas - which no doubt puts snobs like you off. Colfes is in the suburbs for goodness sake! It is further out than EDul! I'll grant you St D's is in gritty Catford(!) lol. But it does have a lovely main building. The reason that Alleyn's is arguably the best Co-Ed school in the country (read the reviews in the Good Schools Guide and son on, James, though obviously you prefer to just base your arguments on your irrational prejudice against Alleyns) is partly at least because it was the first to get established back in the mid 70s, whereas St D and Colfes (which I have already said are GOOD schools) only went CoEd relatively recently to try to widen their intake. In my opinion!! That perhaps is the reason that they havent managed to achieve the 50/50 CoEd that Alleyns has. I am not sure. Maybe they don't want to be 50/50, but I feel that if you truly believe in co-education, then why wouldn't you want to have equal numbers of each?

Gee, over ?13k a year before you buy uniforms, sporting equipment, pay for school trips. Even with scrimping and saving a vast majority (very vast) would not be able to afford that so how can there possibly be a balance within the student body?Well, that's the question I guess! These schools all offer bursaries, increasingly only on the basis of need rather than on pure academic ability (that had been the tradition) which enables there to be more of a balance in the schools. Some are better than others at doing this but I believe they are all doing their best to allow students from average income families to gain a place if they were able to satisfy the academic criteria as well. They try to hold events, run appeals to raise money for more and more bursaries. On the Alleyn's web site it says these bursaries can be up to 100% of fees if your income level is particularly low. It is means tested. Remember, Alleyn's used to be a direct grant school until 1976 (when the govt abolished that status) which meant anyone could get a place so long as they passed the exam - the state paid the fees depending on your income. There was also the Assisted Places scheme, abolished by Tony Blair, which allowed anyone - however poor - to attend these schools. It is not that these schools want to only have rich kids!!

James "Getting in to Alleyn's has a lot to do with having the right connections" Evidence? It certainly doesn't as the Head is very conscious that he has to be totally fair in how he offers the places. It is based on the same criteria as other, similar schools (including Colfe's and St D's). Entrance exam, previous school report and interview. Believe me, there has to be no room for favouritism of any sort. Many Alleyns parents scrimp and save to pay the fees too, for goodness sake! I certainly had to!! Your comments James are getting more and more clueless. All you give us is a load of unsupported codswallop - as anyone who actually reads your posts can self evidently see. Please stop displaying your crazy prejudices and try giving us some EVIDENCE, dear chap. :)-D

James, PLEASE take the trouble to READ what I had written: As I said, it offers so much outside the classroom, be it sport, drama (wait till you see the brand new theatre), art, music (they have a fantastically high standard of musical performance), CCF, DofE, Field Centre in the Peak District that all y7 spend time at in their first year, etc etc. James: I think schools should be more than "premier league" exam factories. DOH! What exactly is your evidence for saying "Alleyn's moneyed little darlings" ? At least I presented some evidence from 6 children's recent experience there. What is yours based on? One visit that you referred to? As for moneyed - the difference in the fees is not very great - taken for the coming year: Alleyns: ?4479, St D 4220, Colfe's 4044 (figs per term) So St D's are only slightly less monyed darlings than Alleyns! My evidence for the premier league comment (which was meant facetiously) was the league table positions in recent years. Anyway, if Colfe's and St D's are so wonderful, how come St D's has to advertise again and again just to find punters to fill its places each year? Alleyns has 600 plus applicants for 85 places. And neither Colfes nor St D's convinces enough parents of girls to want to go to either school, so they don't have anything like an even balance between the genders. I have nothing against Colfes or St D's - they are both really nice schools, but please don't imagine they rank anywhere close to Alleyns.

Another reason why A level marks have risen is that since 2000 all A levels have been modular, and so if you get a poor mark on a certain module, you can resit it a number of times. Before then, people sat all their papers together at the end, and if you messed up a paper you got a bad grade. The only way of trying to improve was to take them all again next time. So - ipso facto - modules make it easier to get higher marks. Also (A level teacher friends tell me) nowadays the exam boards give massive amounts of help and advice to teachers who are preparing kids for their exams. They lay on courses which give teachers tips as to how to teach a certain topic, there are detailed mark schemes given out (not the case back in the old days!) and they get copies of A grade answers so they can see what the examiners are looking for. My personal opinion is that the questions they ask are harder now than when I took my A levels. That is only for history, I can't speak about any other subject! My kids showed me their papers and I certainly found them more demanding than the papers I sat back in 1968!

I see James found Alleyns "snooty and elitist" compared to Dunstans and Colfes. My experience of having had my 3 attend the school (the last left 2 years ago) and even more recent experience of a friend who has also 3 kids at the place, is that it certainly is hard to get in (that may make it elitist I guess) but that once you are there, it is a really lovely happy school. The children certainly treat each other very tolerantly indeed, and seemingly, all different types of personality are universally respected. No way is it snooty. My childrens' friends from the school were just normal bright South London kids. In addition, it offers a vast range of things outside the exam curriculum. No way - by the way - is it an exam factory, though the results are superb at all levels. There are no such things as boys or girls subjects either - equal numbers of each gender do subjects like physics (sometimes seen as a boys subject) and french (girls' subject?). Some schools are co-ed, but few are exactly 50/50 boys and girls like Alleyns. As I said, it offers so much outside the classroom, be it sport, drama (wait till you see the brand new theatre), art, music (they have a fantastically high standard of musical performance), CCF, DofE, Field Centre in the Peak District that all y7 spend time at in their first year, etc etc. It is expensive though, but I would not put either Colfes or Dunstans in the same division as Alleyns, which is definitely in the premiership.

love it

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/edmundconway/6051182/How-to-save-the-economy-and-make-a-fortune--set-up-a-bank.html This is an interesting article by Edmund Conway in which he argues that we need to set up a new bank or banks which would force the existing banks to start lending at sensible rates. What they need is a dose of competition from outside their rather cosy little cartel (if that's not too strong a word!), apparently!

That is a very small amount out of a large pot. Some years it has a surplus. The pensions are effectively paid by the teachers who are currently working. This is how it has always been apparently.

I know I made a will once our first child was born. It would be irresponsible not to do this - I felt - in case my wife and I were run over by a 176 in LL. Didn't make me feel I was reaching the end at all. Just the responsible thing to do I suppose.

With regard to Mick Mack's points on public sector pensions, I would point out that the Teachers Pension Scheme is fully funded by the profession and there is no input from the government. I can't speak for the rest of the public sector though!

brum wrote: Blame it on the last ice age - that's when the geology was formed, apparently. Not really - the ice stopped at the terminal moraine (a sort of ridge pushed forward by the snout of the ice sheet) in Finchley. It never got south of that point. Diverted the Thames to its present location, though - before that it probably reached the sea somewhere near Maldon in Essex.

Kettling, as used on the g20 demo, is inappropriate and counter-productive. It also discriminates against women as men can pee in the street easily, and women can't. It turned me against the police, having previously been - generally - a supporter of them. Which is why it is counterproductive. Until the kettling happened, there had been no trouble. What is the point of kettling middle aged peaceful people and OAPs? Have the police no intelligence or common sense. Bunch of prats.

There's also the North Dulwich Tennis Club, in E Dulwich Grove near Gilkes Crescent - details here http://www.londontennis.co.uk/findcourt/courtdetails.php?courtid=426

I don't know what the fuss is about! I find Tesco express expensive (certainly compared to their large stores) and their fresh bread is particularly poor. Whenever I have been the choice of bread (apart from sliced!) is poor and it is not particularly cheap. Neither was it at all fresh on my recent visits - even in the morning. I guess they compare quite well to Scumerfield in the Lane, but is that saying much?

No

No it was Alleyn's. Happens every year unless the weather's not suitable. A Founder's Day event.

Thanks Huguenot. I found your explanation of the situation helpful and enlightening. There is clearly far more to this debate than many posters realised (including me).

Yes, I believe the space occupied by one is too small, so they're waiting for the other tenant to leave.

As far as I know, JAGs has a squash court, presumably available via their sports club?

Maybe Court farm was where Eastlands Crescent is now? That was the last part of CL to be built on I believe - 20s or 30s?

Does anybody remember (back in the early 70s I think) the cafe - the Spartan Grill? I remember having poached egg on toast there back in 1972. That was a culinary experience! There really weren't many restaurants in LL then. In fact, when the SG was closed (Thursday - early closing day on LL?) you had to go to the (rather good) kebab house where Le Moulin is now. The SG was located somewhere near where Somerfield's is now I think. Bell's fish bar was good. I think there was another called George's - was that where the Surma is now?

I see JAPS has now shut - one case in year 6. Tamiflu only issued to close contacts.