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Very happy with Home Cert and would highly recommend. Kurt was very professional and thorough. I will definitely use their services again.

We are holding an 'Information Meeting' on Sunday July 20th at 6.30pm for families interested in finding out more about 'Small Acres'. The venue: Peckham Rye Adventure Playground, Homestall Road, London SE22 0NR. Please send an email to [email protected] to register your interest. If you would like to visit our website for more details on the school here is the link: www.smallacresschool.org If you would like to access some interesting articles and further information on democratic education and the 'Small Acres' approach, here is the link: www.facebook.com/smallacresschool

As discussed previously on this forum, a new alternative primary school has opened in Peckham Rye Park called 'Small Acres'. Many of you have asked for more information, including a website. I'm pleased to say that the website has recently gone 'live' and here is the link: http://www.smallacresschool.org

I would recommend Hepburns in Blackwater street as well, They are very approachable and thorough-we have always dealt with Nick Harper who I couldn't recommend more highly,

Thank you to everyone who came along to our 'Information day' in Peckham Rye yesterday. We had a great response to our posting on the ED forum and thank you for all your emails expressing an interest in 'Small Acres'- it's great to see that so many local people are interested in 'democratic' education. For those of you who couldn't attend yesterday, we are holding another 'information day' on Saturday March 22nd at 2pm. If you would like to register for that day, please send an email to: [email protected]

Hi Jessie- In response to your query about the OFSTED website- the Small Acres URN number with OFSTED is 140270. OFSTED have been to Small Acres to do their preliminary inspection and as a result it is now a fully registered alternative primary school.

OFSTED came to Small Acres 6 months ago to do a preliminary inspection. The result was that the school was approved and consequently registered as an alternative primary educational setting.

I was just about to reply to your question about the fees and also the question about OFSTED and the post disappeared. Thanks for letting us know it is now in the business section!

Hi Sribble, I'm sorry you've found a lack of transparency and clarity in previous posts. With regard to the Facebook page, it is purely a platform to share information about democratic education. As I have said, we are in the process of developing our website which should be 'live' after half term. I will post a link to the website once it is up and running and hopefully that will give you all the information you require. In the meantime, we have been holding small informative meetings with families who are interested in our approach. We haven't felt the need to post lots of information on the East Dulwich forum as our belief is that if families are looking for an alternative, democratic education for their child and want to find out more after visiting our Facebook page they will get in touch for further information. This has been the case with the families who are already part of the school and it has worked very well up till now. Once again, my apologies for giving an impression that we are unwilling to share information or be clear about what Small Acres is about- that was never our intention. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like any more information.

My son attends the school and has 'special educational needs' so I have personal experience and an understanding of how 'Small Acres' has handled our application and his needs. I would like to reiterate that every child is offered a trial at the school, regardless of whether they have been deemed to have SEN or not- this is to ensure that the setting and the approach suits the individual child and can meet their needs.

Regarding 'Special Educational Needs'- every child is offered a 2 week trial at 'Small Acres' to see if it is the right setting for the child and to make sure the whole family are happy with the alternative approach. Prior to setting up the trial, we welcome families to come and discuss any specific needs or concerns they might have. If a child has a 'statement of SEN' from the LEA, this can be discussed prior to setting up the trial to ensure Small Acres would be able to address and support those specific needs. Hope this is clear.

If you send an email to [email protected] we will be happy to send you an information pack including the OFSTED URN number and answer any particular questions you may have. In answer to your question about the school being democratic and fee paying: If you would like to see other models of established democratic fee paying schools, I suggest you look at Summerhill in Suffolk(www.summerhillschool.co.uk) or Sands in Devon (www.sands-school.co.uk). There is a lot of information on their websites about democratic education. The Small Acres website is currently in development so hence the reason for sending the link to the Facebook page prior to the website going live. Also, if you're interested in the approach Small Acres is following, I suggest you google Peter Gray who has recently published a book called 'Free to Learn'. He makes several references in his book about a school in Massachusetts called 'Sudbury Valley'. There are some very interesting 'you tube' interviews on both Sudbury Valley school and Peter Gray's theories on 'Play- based learning'. We look forward to hearing from you by email if you would like us to send you any specific information. Also, if you would like to come to the information day on Saturday, please mention that in your email so we can register your interest and send you all the details. Thanks again for your interest.

'Small Acres' is an OFSTED approved democratic school for 5 to 11 year olds based in the Peckham Rye area. It is an independent fee-paying setting offering 3 days a week for those wishing to 'flexi-school' or 5 days per week for those wanting a full time place. If you would like to learn more about their approach, you can visit their public Facebook page: [www.facebook.com] where there are numerous interesting articles to read. Also, if you would like to find out more about ?Small Acres? they are holding a ?Parent Information Meeting? on Saturday 15th February at 2pm. To book a place or to request any further information please send an email to: [email protected]

I wanted to put another good word in for Dan (3rd Man Services) on 07870467207. Dan has helped me on 2 different occasions and each time I've found him really helpful, honest and hard working.

Just to add that Round 2 with Saied has now taken place so I thought I'd update my recommendation for the work that Saied does. He worked so hard and the results have been fantastic. We now have a cleared garden which is ready for new planting. We have already planned to ask Saied to come back in October. He has given us lots of suggestions which we are excited to put in place. If you're looking for a reliable, hard working Gardener who really knows his stuff and is a real pleasure to have in your home I would suggest you give him a ring. His number: 07538 760 671.

I'd also like to 'sing the praises' of Saied. Today he did 'round one' of our garden and I cannot believe how much he achieved in the time. Saied is such a hard worker but he's also a real pleasure to have around. He's full of great ideas and my son also really enjoyed listening to all his advice about the flowers and vegies we can plant in our garden. The other real bonus has been how much he's transformed the light in our home- I had no idea how much the foliage was blocking our natural sunlight- can't wait for Round 2!

Thank you for taking the time to write to us ?OverTheRainbows?. Our understanding is that we might be too small to be considered for ?alternative free school application? but thank for giving us all that information. We will look into it. With regards to us posting more information, we will do so once our website is complete. Please understand that we are still very much in the ?pilot project? stage.

At present, Small Acres is a pilot project formed by a small group of parents and teachers who have been working since February to create an alternative learning environment for their children. We never aim to become a large school and we are registering with the Department for Education in order to be able to offer a variety of programs to the public and to the LEA. Our long-term vision is to become a charity which will provide a nurturing, outdoor learning environment where children are able to learn at their own rate and in their own way. We will be offering flexi-schooling, alternative programs, forest school and bursaries. Our aim is to offer an environment for children who find it difficult to cope within the mainstream setting, as well as offering an alternative provision for families looking for a different type of education. If you would like information about joining our group email [email protected].

Thanks for all your emails and for raising those interesting and valid points. We are not in any way considering operating as a 'Free school'- hence the reason we are not following the National Curriculum. If you send an email to the Small Acres address we will be happy to send you further details including our ethos and our curriculum. The email address is: [email protected] Also, if you want to read more about the type of school we are aiming to form, you might find it interesting to google 'Play Mountain Place'. It is a school in California which follows a similar approach- it is the inspiration behind what we are hoping to achieve. We have been in contact with 'Play Mountain Place' and they are very supportive of us forming something similar in London. Yes, we are fee paying. I understand the points raised re the whole 'private vs state' education debate. However, we have no option but to be 'fee paying' at this stage as we need to cover the costs involved. We will be offering part time places as well as full time and the cost will be reduced accordingly. We also would like to offer bursaries once we are fully registered charity and able to fundraise. We are currently awaiting our charity registration. I know there are a lot of questions so if you would like further details please do not hesitate to email us and we will be more than happy to give you a lot more information. Many thanks.

Thanks for all your interest in Small Acres. I've just tried the Small Acres email account and it seems to be working but I'm sorry if anyone has had problems with it bouncing back. Please try again and once we get your email we can send you further details including the Curriculum. The School is currently in the process of being registered with the Department of Education. They have assured us this should be completed by Christmas. In the meantime we are operating 3 days a week due to it being the legal requirement for an unregistered school. Small Acres is going to be a small independent fee paying school. It has been created by families and teachers who want to focus on outdoor activities and 'project- based' learning for young children. The model we are using is similar to a school in California called 'Play Mountain'. Both the teachers are fully qualified but have the additional advantage of being 'forest school' trained- the focus is on allowing the children to connect with nature- away from desks, large classes and the dreaded SATS! If you would like further information please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can also make comments and ask questions on the public facebook page and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks again for all your interest. We feel very excited about Small Acres and feel that this area of London will really benefit from having an alternative school.

We are a small group of parents and teachers working together to form an alternative outdoor based learning environment for children aged between 5 and 11 years old. Our ethos is to create a beautiful place where children can be outdoors, where play is learning and learning is fun, exciting and creative. If you're interested in talking to us please email us at: [email protected] Alternatively please visit our public facebook page for more information: www.facebook.com/SmallAcresSchool

Just wanted to recommend Dan (3rd Man Services) on 07870467207. Our heating and electricity went on Thursday evening. Dan was there within 30 minutes and worked his magic. It's great to find someone local (he lives in Goose Green)for those sort of moments and any general DIY jobs. Thanks for coming to the rescue Dan!

Just wondered if anyone noticed anything suspicious on Sunday 29th January around 3.20pm? A silver Mitsubishi shogun (4WD) was stolen outside a private property in Dulwich village. The Registration number is: WV11 GCU. The police have been notified. They believe it may well be abandoned and parked somewhere locally. If anyone has seen this car or noticed anything suspicous in the Dulwich Village area around this time on Sunday please get in touch. Many thanks for any help and support regarding this matter.