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Another recommendation for Mike from HomeCert. He came in at short notice for a small job; arrived on time (early!)sorted the issue and was very polite and friendly. Would use him again! Mike's mobile number is 07989 878787.

Apart from a party at someone's house, what do people with children usually do on New Year's Eve? I'm trying to think some things we could do as a family with a 7 year old and am struggling with ideas! Are there any events etc. happening that are geared towards families? Any tips would be greatly appreciated :)

ElaineED, my son goes to Bellenden (now year 2, has been there since nursery) and whenever something's happended to him or he's had an accident, the teachers have been there to help him and I've always been told what happened at the end of the day. The only time they've sent letters home has been when he's bumped his head. I would definitely have a word with the teacher, like Monkey said.

My son goes to Bellenden, is in year 1 now and has been there since Nursery. We've always been happy with Bellenden; it's a really small school and generally the staff are very caring. My son likes it there and is doing well so we're happy :). Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

For Peckham Pulse the current term will finish the week ending May 20th I believe (at least our last class is that week). Therefore the enrollment for new joiners would probably be the week before, starting May 7th? Don't quote me on these but if you have no luck with the other classes and are still looking at that time, drop by there at the beginning of May to confirm. It is a nightmare but once you're "in" it gets a bit easier...

Bowling? We had a bowling party at the Surrey Quays Hollywood Bowl which was very popular with the kids, girls and boys. Also, it worked out cheaper that a party with an entertainer the year before :)). See http://www.hollywoodbowl.co.uk/Bowling-Parties/Childrens-Bowling-Parties/#Scene_1 if you're interested.

If you've had the Micro then I'd definitely go for the Maxi. We made the mistake of ordering the Sprite when the time came to move on from the Micro and my son was not that excited... Luckily they just came out with the Maxi at that time so we swiftly got that and the Sprite has been in storage unused :'(. Now that the Maxi is alternative colors as well, I'm almost tempted to "upgrade" :))

Do a search by the school's name and you'll probably come up with some other threads mentioning at least some of these schools, I have definitely commented on Bellenden before. My son goes to Bellenden (starts year 1 and has been there since nursery) and both him and us parents have been happy there. Feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions about Bellenden.

My circumstances were not the same as yours (I was short sighted) but I had the laser eye surgery on both eyes earlier this year and have been really pleased with the results. From experience I know that Optical Express are very pushy & high pressure with their sales pitch when you're having a consultation with them; I had one a few years ago and decided not to go ahead with the surgery back then. If I were you and feeling uncertain, I'd go for another free consultation with Optimax or Ultralase before making a decision. I had mine with Optimax and their consulation was so much more relaxed than Optical Express, no pressure to make a decision. I was pretty happy with their service overall and their prices were more competitive than Optical Express as well. Good luck whatever you decide!

There is a petition on the HM Government website asking that any persons convicted of criminal acts during the current London riots should have all financial benefits removed. No tax payer should have to contribute to those who have destroyed property, stolen from their community and shown a disregard for the country that provides for them. Here's the link in case anyone on the forum is interested in signing it: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/7337

I'm not entirely sure about the starting age for most of the martial arts classes but I remember that when I was looking for a class for my then under 3 I couldn't really find anything as most of them seemed to start at 4. My son has now been doing taekwon-do with Mazuki for quite some time and he really enjoys it. Their classes start from 3 years up and are always well organised, well staffed and fun. They also teach about stranger awareness and anti-bullying. Have a look here if you're interested: http://www.mazuki.com/. There have been other recommendations on the forum before as well, may be worth doing a search.

Good for you Fuschia for saying something! We had a similar experience at Legoland when we went, only that time both I and my toddler got soaked and we weren't near the water cannon but apparently still within the reach... two kids were randomly aiming at strangers while their parents stood nearby and apparently found it very funny as they were laughing when their kids soaked other people (6). It pissed me off big time and in this instance I actually told off both the parents and the kids...

Hi, Little Kickers do football classes for 5-7 years old on Saturdays at the community centre on Darrell Road from 12.30 to 13.15ish. Our son has been going to Little Kickers since he was small and really enjoys it. They also do classes on other days in different nearby areas so you may want to check http://www.littlekickers.co.uk/ out if you're interested.

Have you tried any of the websites yet? I think quite a few of us on the forum have found au pairs using the Aupair World website http://www.aupair-world.net/index.php/. Definitely worth a try if you haven't tried already.

Don't know much about iscooters but read somewhere that the iscooter is only able to support riders of up to 35kg (don't know about the age range) where the Maxi Micro takes up to 50kg (up to 12 years) so if you are buying for a 7 year old the iscooter may not be the best choice? You'd definitely get longer use out of the Maxi Micro. I know the Maxi is pricey but I'd say worth every penny, we got one when they first came out as a follow up for the Mini and have not regretted spending that amount of money on it!

There is a group for au pairs in London on Facebook. We also have an au pair who probably wouldn't mind meeting up/introducing your au pairs to her friends. PM me if you or your au pairs are interested and I can give you her details.

Chantelle, my son is thriving there and is well ahead his age group in e.g. maths so personally I'm not worried. Having said that, I'm not British (I'm from Scandinavia) and the school system I'm used to is different from the UK and I'm not a great believer in the Ofsted stats anyway. As for absence rates, I'm not sure how much an absence rate says about the quality of the school, isn't it parents' responsibility to make sure that their children go to school? I still think Bellenden is a great little school :)

My son goes to Bellenden, he's in reception now and also attended the nursery at Bellenden. We live on Lyndhurst Way so for us Bellenden is our closest school and about 5 minutes walk away. My son has always been very happy there and it is a lovely small school, I find the staff very caring and helpful. If I was you and was offered a place at Bellenden I wouldn't worry about sending my child there.

Mazuki taekwon-do at Goodrich school on Tuesdays or Thursdays. My son goes there and loves it, very well organised and taught, can highly recommend. http://www.mazuki.com/

We have one of these (older version of this) and I think it's quite handy. You can put the metal wire through the wheels and/or wrap it around the steering bar a few times and then tighten it up. We mainly use is to lock the scooter up to a bannister in a communal hallway where the front door to the street doesn't always close properly. Don't know how robust it really is if someone tried to take it apart and really put their mind to it (the metal wire is quite strong though) but I'd imagine it would be ok for locking up the scooter at school. The scooters are otherwise quite difficult to lock up as bicycle locks are too thick to go through the wheels etc.

I was wondering if anyone would have ideas for suitable activities for 5 year old boy for the Easter break? Not as a substitute for school or childcare, mainly to keep him occupied especially if the weather turns out to be less than accomodating for days in the park/playground :)). Any ideas welcome!

Well done Mellors! I have to admit that I've done the same (in pretty harsh tone too) with some school kids in Myatt's Fields on two occasions... Also, number of occasions in Soft Play (throwing the balls drives me mad!). I'm pretty strict with my son about hitting, pushing, kicking etc. and luckily he is generally kind and gentle with other kids and I don't see why he would have to put up with that sort of naughty behaviour from other children so I tell everyone off (not in a rude way) if the parent/carer of the other child doesn't notice/care. The way I see it is that I we have to stand up for our own the same way we tell them off if they are in the wrong.

Maybe an au pair for the summer only or a student?

Another vote for Simon, he did our son's 5th birthday and the kids loved him.