Jemmarc

They do also take some 'rising threes' if anyone is looking for a nursery school for a child that is approaching 3. It's an amazing nursery and usually oversubscribed.

Hi there, It might be a bit of a trek for you but the pre-school group at St Dunstans school in Catford is really really lovely. I was a bit worried about how my son would take to getting in a pool without either parent and his teacher (Belinda) was so warm and gentle. If you can't find anywhere more local I think the teachers there are worth the journey. Jemma

We used Chryssanthi Perpidou at Office 25 Architects - she is a local mum - to draw up plans for a granny annexe in our garden. For personal reasons we have decided not to go ahead but the design was great and she managed to get the council's approval. I know she has done a lot of other work locally so she can probably give you some more relevant examples of work. www.o25.gr

You can email the admissions team at the Council and they can tell you exactly as they will measure it. At least you can with Lewisham which is where we are. I'm sure they don't have time for hundreds of emails with long lists of schools but I think if it genuinely affects your decision as to preferences etc they will help. In our case the 'pin' on some of the online maps wasn't actually showing accurately where we lived. I emailed the council and they responded within a couple of days.

I don't have any direct experience of local schools yet as I also have a preschooler but I've been to a few open days mainly around Forest Hill and this is what I've thought: Horniman is great for being so small and for having it's own forest area which seems to mean they do more of that sort of thing than most other schools. They also run a lot of lunchtime and after school clubs. Very small catchment though. Fairlawn is raved about by lots of people in SE23, it seems to get great results and has been consistently good for a long time so it's a pretty safe bet. Catchment is very small - about 300 metres max I think. It's likely to be bigger in 2017 as they are apparently having a bulge year. Downsides - There is limited outside space so I think one of the two weekly PE lessons is often held in the classroom. And lunchtime play is or will have to be staggered as there is not enough space for the whole school to be playing outside at once. Harris East Dulwich is new and increasingly popular as confidence grows. The catchment may shrink massively over the next couple of years because of this. Harris will also have to stagger outside play I am told as the playground is small but I believe they are negotiating use of on another school's playground. The children learn mandarin which was extremely cute to see and probably more useful than French which is still taught elsewhere. I think some people still feel it's a bit of a risk as it's a new school but parents of children there speak highly of the school. Ivydale (Nunhead) will be very big but split over two sites so may not feel that way. The catchment should grow for 2017 as they are taking an extra form. My favourite of all the schools I saw was Eliot Bank which is more the Sydenham side of Forest Hill so may be too far out of your chosen areas. It gets great results but at the same time just seemed so friendly and relaxed. For a school that is academically high acheiving I found that really refreshing. Sadly we do not live near enough to that one. Hope that helps a little!

You can text Lynda on 07973 360068 and arrange to go and visit. She's pretty good at responding quickly.

Hi All I wondered if anyone knows of any week day afternoon clubs/classes for small children - my son will be 4 in April. I'm not too fussed what it is but keen that it is a team activity and not at a weekend. Perhaps even a holiday club if there's nothing weekly. Most things seem to be at weekends. Thanks, Jemma

Another recommendation for Magic Moments. My son loved it there and it was perfect preparation for him being away from us as he'd been at home full-time until that point. We started sending him not long after his younger sister was born so that I could have some time with the new baby and my son could have some more 'grown-up' time away from his baby sister. He went just two mornings a week for a couple of hours. He's moved on to a pre-school now and settling in was much easier having got used to being away from us. It's really good value too. Please check it out if you are a parent needing a little time off or you think your toddler needs some time around other toddlers.

Hello I looked into getting one last year but I ended up getting a cargo bike which is not by the sounds of it what you are looking for at all! But I did spend a lot of time looking at trailers and after a lot of research I thought the Croozer trailer looked best for price/space/safety. Thule seems to be the most popular more expensive brand. Both of these are expensive but there are a lot of second hand ones on eBay. I saw that Balfe's Bikes are selling some trailers but I'm not sure which brands/price range. If you are going to be off-road then I'm sure there are cheaper brands that are perfectly good. But if you are going on busy roads maybe a second hand better built one might be better. I presume that your children are too young to ride alone but if not there is also a thing called a tail-gator or trail-gator (something like that) which is a post to attach your child's bike to the back of yours and you can detach it once you get to the park so that they can ride alone. But obviously only any use for one child. I have a Nihola cargo bike which is a massive thing to store and tough to ride up hill but it's a lot of fun and the kids love it - you can hire them in Dulwich Park if you are tempted to give that a go. Hope that helps a little!

The amtico we have is really hard wearing. But it's a light colour so perhaps doesn't show scratches so much. It's in our kitchen/diner which is the room we spend all our time in and we have two small children so it gets a lot of wear. The Karndean we have is a dark wood-effect in the living room. We've had it less time and it gets less use and its already got scratches from toys etc being thrown at it. I'd definitely say it's less hard wearing.

We have both and in my opinion the amtico is harder wearing and looks much better. That said, the karndean was cheaper and there's nothing wrong with it - if we hadn't ale tried the amtico we would have been completely happy dirt the karndean.

Hi All I am looking for a recommendation for someone who might be able to do a few jobs for us, the first of which is to fill the massive holes in our hallway floor boards (just discovered we have mixed so need his done quite urgently. Possibly sand them too. We have a few other jobs that need doing including finishing our new loft room, possibly making some basic cupboards etc. And also possibly putting a gate at the end of our garden. The key thing for now though is the floorboards and we are looking for someone with availability sometime soon. Ideally looking for recommendations rather than companies/individuals recommending themselves. Thanks so much, Jemma

Hi Thatiana I would hope that any half decent nurseries wouldn't leave children unclean, I haven't heard of that happening. I have heard often of pressure being put on parents from some nurseries to potty train children quite early, presumably because it saves the nursery the time/effort of changing nappies. On the other hand I know a lot of parents who have been happy to have the nursery help with potty training. There are also nurseries who refuse to take children who are not potty trained and therefore parents rushing to potty train in time over the Summer. I think the only thing you can do is speak to any nurseries that you are considering and test their reactions when you ask about it. I agree with you that it all seems really unkind - there must be plenty of children who are just not physically ready. I'm not sure where you are but my son is at Chelwood Nursery which is towards Nunhead/Brockley. It only offers the free 15 hours (morning or afternoon sessions) so not much use for parents who work during the day but it's really an amazing place. They put so much thought into all the children's activities and really take care over settling in etc. When we first visited last Spring my son wasn't potty trained and they said there was no pressure at all, we should do it when he is ready. As it happened he was ready and potty trained by the time he started. But it was a weight of my mind that it didn't matter either way.

I'd recommend Cryssanthi at o25 architects - she's a friend of mine and local mum but she has lots of independent recommendations on here and SE23 Mums - search 'Chryssanthi' on here to see contact details and recommendations.

Like everyone else has said, you should definitely go and speak to the nursery. I don't think they are necessarily doing anything wrong, but it's more to make sure that your son is feeling happy and included. Also I think it's important to check that they have a reason/view/plan and that it is not just that he is being forgotten because he is not one of the noisy ones. My son never participated in music sessions when he was that age - even if I took him myself to classes he would try and escape. He's 3.5 now and enjoys singing etc a bit more now but he still cried last week when his key worker tried to sing him a song. Just not his thing. What I'm trying to say is that children all have their quirks and likes/dislikes and maybe, for example, the nursery have noticed that he is not interested in particular activities and decided to let him have the freedom to join/participate in his own time. But the important thing is that they are considering his needs so I think you should find out if they have any plans/ideas for helping him to join in and how they usually help children who are a little shy etc. I think once you've spoken to them you will get a gut feeling about whether you are happy with their response and you will know what to do. Good luck with it.

This won't help if you have to find childcare because of work but Magic Moments at the top of Lordship Lane offer 2.5 hours a day. My son went last year before starting preschool and it's run by lovely people and was a great first experience away from parents. I think there are plenty of recommendations for it on here and it often has places because the limited hours don't work for parents who work.

The Albany in Deptford always do something for very young children around Christmas time - I think I heard they are doing the Snail and the Whale this year which doesn't sound that Christmassy but sure it will be good.

I made a fab pair of leggings for my daughter on Saturday - thanks Charlotte. I'll add a picture when they are out of the wash! I highly recommend this class - Charlotte is very patient with beginners. I feel confident to try making a few pairs of leggings for my daughter at home now. Great thing to do if you are a mum looking for a productive and relaxing way to spend a few hours off. I've tried two classes now, each one from 11-2pm and I've come away with a completed item in that time. It would be a great thing to do with a small group of friends.

Hoping to move stuff into storage from Honor Oak to Forest Hill tomorrow... Thanks.

Hi We need someone to screed our floor sometime before Wednesday and then lay a vinyl floor on Wednesday. We have ordered the floor so just looking for an installation price. I would be grateful for any recommendations. Thanks!

We have been on their waiting list for quite some time and were led to expect a place in April this year but Piplings have recently sent an email to all parents on the waiting list to say that there aren't any places before Sept 2016 (unless of course any current children leave). I think you have to pay to be on the waiting list so make your own mind up if you need a place before Sept 2016... I had also heard negative things about the admin and that was before this latest update from them.

Hi Does anyone know if there is a difference between the V1 and V2. Is it just the colour scheme or is ther more to it? I've looked on their website and googled and can't really see the answer. I've ordered thhe 'chilli' colour which is think is v1 but I'm not entirely sure and now wondering whether to send it back and exchange for v2. Thank you!

Hi Just wondered if anyone has contact details for this guy - his name is Dave and he does floor laying for Lordship Lane Carpets but also has his own business selling rugs at North Cross Road market? He has done some work for us previously and we took his business card and then managed to lose his details. If anyone has a contact number or email address that would be great! I'm sure we can find him at North across Road if not but we can't make it down there for a few weeks. Thanks, Jemma

Hi. Just wondered if anyone has experience of sending a little one to this preschool of has heard anything - positive or negative - about it. I'm thinking of sending my son a couple of mornings a week once he turns 2. We visited last week and I liked what I saw but it was a settling in day for new joiners so I didn't see a 'typical' day. Thanks for any comments!