Belle

There is a suncream Lloyds used to always stock - not sure if still do - sunsense I think it is? Pink label, comes as roll on - has worked well with my kids in the past, need to look for it again as son number 2 has much worse eczema than his brother ever had. Also re shea butter - that is so true, it is v useful if you can get it - there is sometimes a stall at northcross road market. Again, haven't bought in a while so not sure if she is still there. She advised me to warm it up on the radiator (in its wrapping paper) while in the shower/bath before use, good tip! Ooh also, not a cheap option, but my husband has v sensitive skin and swears by Clinique suncream.

Haven't read whole thread - just to say I wd push for steroid creams crystal, surprised they haven't offered - T has been given a mild hydrocortisone (1.5%) for delicate areas, and betnovate for the flare ups behind the knees etc - surely they could give you e.g. 0.5 % for his face? That's weird re the sun as usually it's seen as something that can help with eczema, I've been offered phototherapy in the past - wonder if it's more the heat than the sun itself? That's what I tend to find. Also have you tried an antihistamine - T was prescribed cetirizine to help with coughing/hayfever and it seems to help with the eczema too. And am sure you are doing but bath stuff makes a massive difference - you can get Aveeno bath, but oilatum works best for us.

This is fascinating - thanks for posting. I'm actually trying to write a book at the moment about these issues, based mostly on my own story but interspersed with case histories of others. So if anyone wants to tell me a bit about their experiences, do PM me!

Damn this thread, it's making me broody!

When my son was in Goodrich nursery there were definitely free places as he started and some were still being filled quite late in the year. (though that may partly have been younger applicants). This wasn't the current academic year though, it was Sept 2012. May be that nurseries are more crowded now. My youngest has just started at Buds, and it's prob a bit soon to say anything definitive but we really like it so far.

My son loved Goodrich nursery, and in terms of people I know whose kids have gone/are going, the feedback has been universally good. But I'm also sure Fairlawn is lovely!

Regarding the point about playing fields: provision of sports facilities for us on the parent steering group was a priority when we were looking at providers. The proposal is that there would be facilities on site, as well as the use of the existing Hatcham College playing fields, which are extensive and located within Southwark, a short (school) bus ride away.

We are almost certainly not going to go down this route. But one of the things we keep saying is 'if we could just skip the baby bit...' or (in my case) 'just skip the pregnancy/birth bit'...and I know obviously you have to think past that when you are envisaging having more children, but it's quite a thing to get past! I know lots of people love those bits but I really didn't, I hated my last pregnancy (particularly with a very active two year old to wrangle), and both my births were traumatic in different ways. I feel that now, having responsibility for two children, I need to make sure we don't go into anything that would negatively impact on them. So for now, it's a no for us. But I don't think I've ever met someone who said 'yeah we really regret having that third child' (or any child for that matter). Love trumps logic.

Edmummy, this is about an anticipated need in 2016, given current year 3/4 sizes.

I think things must have changed since the manager changeover - the former manager, Maria, was really good and always very strict on the doors, security etc. It really is horrifying - particularly as there are several roads (including one very busy one) very near to the nursery.

This is really sad. I haven't been since my son left in 2012 but in those days it was a lovely nursery, and Maria was great. They were pretty stringent on the door thing too, in fact it extended to making sure the gate was always closed too. Very sorry to hear these reports.

There will be a public meeting in June, but the date is not yet confirmed, hence no announcement yet. In the meantime, we are doing our best to answer questions, which is why we are coming along on Sunday when we know a large part of the community will be out and about.

It's not advertising, it's providing information. People have got questions, as evidenced on here - we are hoping that between us (the steering group) and Haberdasher's, we can answer those questions. Several posters have said they'd like to see open-ness - we are responding to that.

Just to echo that nutramigen AA really helped us. My son still vomited regularly but that plus the Losec really addressed the pain which was our main concern.

Alex K Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > @Belle -- You sent me to Wikipaedia. The > short-sightedness of ending railway service > between Carlisle and Edinburgh... The new line is > a scant thirty miles, a bit beyond Galashiels > only, commuter trains: Better than nothing, > though. Yes, would be much better but it's a start! after 50 odd years without any rail links... and a bus route from the Borders to Edin that took 1 hr 3/4 to cover 35 miles... Hopefully if it is a success the line might be extended.

Tablet - yes! Tablet does trump most things. And I can definitely make a case for the Borders! It's beautiful. And from next year there will be a train line from Edinburgh down to the Borders, for the first time since Beeching cut the line in the 60s. Beautiful countryside, rolling hills. I am biased though :)

I totally recognise the reason why we usually steer clear of anything too negative about our local schools. Makes sense. But what the OP was posting was a genuine question - with a (clearly, to me) jokey title. As the OP has explained already on this thread, it's not about every one of 90 families expecting one to one time with the headteacher. If the HT was part of the regular tours that take place, the question would likely not have arisen. In practice, it's probably just a handful of prospective parents who don't have prior experience of the school,whether through nursery or older siblings, who might ask for some time with the headteacher. That could be arranged in a small group if it's a question of time limitations. I agree with Clare C that the family room is normally a really friendly and helpful place to post and receive feedback from. It would be nice if, when someone is genuinely asking for feedback/info with regards to making a pretty important decision, we could provide it.

I think it's a stretch to say the head knows every child by name. I'm not suggesting he should - I'm undecided on that point. In my limited experience contact with the head can lead to delegation to an assistant head (who was very helpful). Again, I'm not sure I know enough about larger schools to know whether that's to be expected. The key thing this thread tells me is that even though we all have limited choice in the schools we can send our kids to, it is worth doing a wide range of school tours so that you can get an idea of what is possible, what is common practice, and what you think works. That way if it isn't happening in the school you end up with, you at least have a frame of reference.

That's very helpful, thanks Emski.

My reading of the newsletter is that they are confident they will be oustanding, I'm not sure it's based on any evidence? but others who understand Ofsted more may correct me - perhaps interim checks have led to this conclusion?

That's not true Stateeducation - you've also made sweeping judgements about the steering group. Talking about Cllr Barber's children is very personal and, in my book, totally out of order.

Absolutely agree, Otta, it is low to bring James's family into this. Also would like to reiterate that the steering group is NOT political. We made that clear from the start. We got together to try to find an appropriate provider to take an application forward, and that is what we have done. Of course it's now over to DfE - we appreciate that.

Re your question intexas at the moment - we analysed the schools on our shortlist, assessing them on areas such as proven track record in education; experience in establishing new schools; understanding of the Free School bid process; inclusion strategies and, crucially, the capacity and resources to open the school by September 2016. The outcome of our assessment showed Haberdashers' Askes to be the strongest contender & we are delighted that they have come on board given their track record and experience as a multi-school federation.

Cross posted also!

Otta - in terms of the campaign we've been posting about on here and Facebook, we have selected Haberdashers' Aske's as our preferred provider for a new secondary school in East Dulwich, after serious consideration. However as pointed out above, it is ultimately up to DfE to consider the application(s) and make a decision on whether to grant the requisite funding and status. Basically any provider (and that includes completely new schools) could apply, but the application process is not for the faint hearted, and we feel reassured by the fact Habs has been through this process before.