Belle

We have had a brabantia one for years, it's been taken down and put up again many times and does the job perfectly. Though in Scotland we call them whirligigs :) You do have to really hammer the holder/housing into the ground though. But when the drier isn't in use you don't know the holder is there, there's a little cap for it and you can't see it in the grass. I'm a bit sad and for some reason drying clothes in the open air makes me really happy!

I don't think the OP has an axe to grind. I don't see why coming on here and calling for unity equals an axe to grind, and I think the OP is one of several who has said they are likely to get in to the new school whatever happens, but want to make some points regarding the community. I wasn't at the Heber meeting, but if you're talking about people being told to keep quiet, it sounded as though there was a fair bit of shouting down happening there. I don't think that's what is happening here, however.

The Freedom Academy holiday clubs are great - various locations and 5 mornings/afternoons with a little performance at the end. Would be fine for both girls.

Christine Langhoff does exactly what you describe - a recent post recommended her for Post natal depression, but I recently interviewed her for a book I'm writing and she mentioned that she works with couples on exactly this. She is lovely, thoughtful and very approachable. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1532720 She is based on Woodwarde Road now I believe. I'm sure therapy would help.

I don't think anyone is arguing for a proposed nodal point to the exclusion of one on the school itself! The debate is over whether a second (or more) could be placed. It's not a question of liking Harris - in the case of the girls' school, they have now moved to majority lottery system so your chances of getting a place on proximity are slim. LondonMix Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > No it does not mean that. I'll include the > section on nodal points for completeness. > > As you'll see below, you can have nodal points but > one of them always should be the actual school. > More importantly, the justification for them is > fairly constrained: > > 25.5. Nodal points (e.g. a geographic point in the > school grounds and between > one and 3 others in key catchments within the > local community) may also > be used as a form of catchment to ensure a school > not only serves pupils > close to the school but others slightly further > away with little or no priority > access to other schools. Care needs to be taken to > ensure nodal points do > not unfairly discriminate against particular > social groups (paragraph 1.8 of > the Code). > > Its pretty clear that one point has to be the > school itself and that a nodal point can only be > seen as fair if there is access to no other > schools and the creation of it does not exclude > any social group. While people may not like the > Harris ED schools, saying there is no access to > them for people living on Northcross Road (they > only suggested nodal point so far) cannot be > substantiated if challenged with the adjudicator. > More importantly, a shift in the catchment further > south from the school will clearly impact certain > social groups disproportionately. > > The grounds for challenging the nodal points is > clear in the government guidance on fair > admissions.

Just to say I recently interviewed Christine in a professional capacity (writing a book on PND) and would echo everything you've said. I haven't experienced being a patient of her's but I was so impressed by her attitude and knowledge, and also her emphasis on flexibility e.g. skyping clients if they don't feel able to leave the house. Worth noting that if your work provides health insurance you may be able to cover some of the costs of private therapy. Of course, under NICE guidelines all new mothers should be prioritised if they have mental health problems but the reality doesn't always match the guidelines.

Well said MsMaz.

There's a really nice room called the Blake Room upstairs at the Clockhouse - I always think it's a great location. Also there's a new bar opening in Peckham called the Dead Dolls House which looks good... And I think Lerryns Cafe on Rye Lane is open in the evenings now - used to do parties, worth enquiring. Again, good location in terms of transport links.

Worth reiterating: the site of a free school is almost incidental. It's a case of finding somewhere in the borough that is fit for purpose. In fact it needn't even be in the borough! It doesn't necessarily reflect the location of the demand which brought about the free school application and its success. Which is why people (parents) talked about nodal points from the very start. Free schools are supposed to be demand-led. That's why the figures are important. As I've said before, I highly doubt I'd be in the catchment even with an Eastern nodal point, so I no longer have a real interest in this, but feel it's important to clarify some of these points.

This is really illuminating, thanks. Also worth reiterating that the nature of free schools is they have to work with the site they are given - and that location may not reflect anything other than what was available. So there is a very good reason for considering nodal points in relation to free schools: to ensure they serve the need that led to the application being granted in the first place.

I think perhaps there is an assumption that families over to the East have the Harris boys/girls option. There is also therefore an assumption that those families are happy with single sex education, which the secondary school campaign illustrates is clearly not the case. Even for those families happy with single sex, if they have girls, their chances (if local) at Harris Girls just got a lot slimmer given it's gone two thirds lottery. Also worth remembering that though the effects of the bulge years are yet to come, secondary applications are by no means straightforward currently - there are plenty of posts here and elsewhere that speak of people being given schools far away/being very far down waiting lists for Charter etc despite living in the community. Basically, the crisis has already started, so simply matching 240 secondary places to 240 primary places is probably not a fair way of looking at it.

Funnily enough, although my post was quite negative our experiences sound quite similar! This too was the 80s (and 90s), perhaps the problems were particular to the area which was poorly served by transport and had little on offer. I also barely drank till I was 17 or so, and I don't remember feeling unhappy or bored, I read constantly and probably lived in my own head way too much. It's more that I was aware of all the things that were going on, and as a result I wouldn't choose to bring my family up there, or not without my eyes open regarding safety. There were lots of innocent pursuits I enjoyed, but I remember from 14 or so on feeling quite different and like I didn't fit in well (didn't play hockey etc, was quite studious), and I started longing to escape. But I have friends I grew up with who very much do want to bring up their families there, so it kind of illustrates how subjective the whole decision is. slh2009 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am wondering if it is partly because times have > changed, I was growing up in a small rural town in > the 80s and I don't really remember being bored > and never encountered a drug. I only remember one > girl in my year at school getting pregnant at 15. > I don't even think I drank alcohol until it was > legal but I did have quite strict parents and the > fear of being caught was too much ;-) > > I used to cycle for miles in the countryside with > my friends, go to the local "big town" on the bus > for shopping, cinema or to the parks. I guess I > didn't know any different in those days and so to > me this was a nice life for a teenager. I got a > Saturday job at 16 and that kept me out of > mischief for half the weekend. > > > I left home at 18 to go to university and never > went back (apart from weekend visits) as I got a > taste for city life. As I said in my previous post > I do now think about going back to raise my young > child but I actually don't think it would be the > same now...my mum still lives in the same town and > said drugs are more prevalent for example. On a > more selfish note I think I would get bored and > maybe frustrated that, like someone else said, a > trip to a museum etc would be a big day out rather > than a quick easy trip. > > Could do with a bit more fresh air though and a > bigger house/garden would be nice...!

Just to reiterate what others have said re growing up in more rural areas. I grew up in a small Scottish town (probably less than 6,000 people, and a bus journey from a cinema/ decent shops/pubs you'd actually want to go to as a teenager). I was pretty much a goody two-shoes so I wouldn't say I was dying of boredom, but most of my peers were, and that led to a lot of trouble. I remember kids sitting in my French class on acid aged 14, and there were lots of teenage pregnancies (I'm talking about 13/14 here). There was NOTHING to do. And the social pool point that Mrs Lotte makes is very true. I was lucky to have a very tight group of 3 or 4 friends but my brother didn't and was badly bullied. I'd like to think that in a bigger place he might have found his niche. There are lots of positives about moving to the country, of course, but I think it's a mistake to think it could be safer for teens.

In fairness, there's no evidence he did anything himself, and he did apologise unreservedly. I'm not sure it's fair to judge 30+ years of service to a constituency (and despite comments here, he is generally seen a good constituency MP) based on some dodgy/dirty tricks in the original election campaign, some of which are hearsay. I know people who have worked for him, and who live in the constituency, and I used to work in it - and he came across as extremely hard working.

But James, the google search argument is a specious one - by that rationale, none of us should ever post anything discursive or questioning about our local schools, in case of future googlers?! Anyone considering the school as a first choice will want to hear all views, I'd have thought.

Ooh v helpful all! Thank you!

We are spending a week at Camber Sands over Easter with close friends. Realise if the weather is good, activities should be a no-brainer (beach, beach & beach). But need to plan for if it's not, and also for the fact that our two boys (6 and 3.5) are of the hyper/spirited/manic variety, so will need to run/do stuff whatever the weather. Where most people see sandy beaches as a plus, to me they spell many sprints after my 3 year old, so am trying to line up additional stuff to do. Any ideas for activities/places to visit? have vague memories of Dungeness and possibly stuff at Hastings, but last time I went was a long time before I had kids...

Reg Smeeton Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I've been impressed by her support for the new > secondary school. I haven't always voted for her, > but I think she's been a decent constituency MP. agreed. She's been stellar in her support of the secondary school campaign.

We were lucky as our childminder was happy to do wrap around care - actually only pick up (I work from home so can drop my son off at school most days). There are lots of childminders who offer school pick ups, worth having a look on the classifieds. And some parents have arrangements with other families too, sharing out pick ups etc.

It's not about who is seen to be 'deserving' or some kind if ED snobbery: it was the fact that the campaigns were both based on specific demand, the Habs heat map showed that this demand is heavily on the East side. The site location is arbitrary - it's the only viable one, and in fact free school applications are not based on site at all. I agree it's a positive thing per se, not trying to detract from that, but want to clarify the position of those concerned about catchment.

tbh I rarely do anything beauty-wise nowadays without checking what Sali Hughes thinks, she really is a bit of a guru- worth looking on her website: www.salihughesbeauty.com

I second the REN 1minute facial recommendation. I was given it for Xmas and it's fab. I don't know if your skin is sensitive but if it is (mine is very much so) I'd recommend asking if Dr Boo have any samples (they usually do). I made the mistake of splurging on Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream at Xmas (meant to be great for exactly this kind of thing) and my skin had an immediate reaction to it. I was luckily able to get a credit note when I contacted customer services but it made me resolve never to spend so much without trying a tester again!

Lovely idea, and a great name! Website looks really good. Good luck with it!

On those primary intake numbers, I believe there's a small but significant home schooling community in the area.