bornagain

Use the internet! The element went on ours and I repaired it by using one of the many step by steps written by Dualit enthusiasts. I got the spare element from their official site. It was really straightforward. http://www.dualit.com/support/toasters

Thank you simone, so it is far from a done deal then. Is anyone looking at a plan B? I hope so as it is the kind of thinking/planning that should be going on.

James said: The Belham school is in the Camberwell area and is needed to cope their equally huge extra reception places demand. I didn't realise that primaries were assigned to such a small area. Does it affect it's intake/catchment? Also you did not answer my other two questions: Will the report of 19th March be circulated? When will there be a public consultation about the proposed new school? Have local residents (ie not parents) opinions been canvassed? I am particularly interested about the latter quesion. Thanks.

Thank you James. Will the report of 19th March be circulated? You mention 2 primaries. I thought there was going to be a Dulwich Hamlet sponsored primary in Bellenden too? The thing with secondary schools as compared to primary is that the students can travel much further so the schools do not have to be on their doorstep. When will there be a public consultation about the proposed new school? Have local residents (ie not parents) opinions been canvassed?

I have roughly put together two maps with catchments of local schools in place. The size of the circles represent 1km from each school (which I believe is about the last distance given for Charter, the most popular school). I think all schools in the locality - Charter, Peckham Academy, Harris Boys, Harris Girls, Haberdashers, Elm Green, Evelyn Grace, Forest Hill Boys and Sydenham Girls - all select on distance. The bottom right hand corner is covered by Sydenham Girls and Forest Hill Boys but as the actual schools are (just) off the map, I couldn't put accurate circles there. I think you can take the Harris Boys and Girls together so that they cover the combined area for the provision of places for both boys and girls. Don't forget there are places at Kingsdale, grammars and private schools on top of this. The second map adds the proposed new school in grey. What strikes me first of all is that although people keep talking about the educational black hole that is East Dulwich - where is it? The map shows that most people living in ED is in catchment for at least one school at the moment. Doesn't quite make sense. My guess is that many people rule out single sexed schools wanting coed (especially if they have a boy and a girl so one can get in on sibling). So we add the new school. If it is going to be the hospital site, it is so poorly positioned that some people are in catchment of 3 schools but others in the areas nearer Honor Oak and Nunhead it hardly makes a difference. An option that is often discussed is to get Harris Boys and Girls to merge. I think the site that the Girl's school is on is large so perhaps there is potential for expansion there. If the education system was run in a strategic way through a central planning body, then you could probably force the school to do that. As it is you can't.

I think you have got to the nub of it, bawdy-nan when you say 'The bigger, political picture isn't going to be altered by a small scale resistance in this instance.' But this is where we disagree. The bigger, political pictures IS MADE UP of all the small scale resistances all over London and the rest of the country. The more free schools that are set up willy nilly where locals take a view that there is a demand, the more fragmented the system becomes and further we get from a properly planned, strategic system. For instance, someone mentioned about the school provision in Nunhead. If the proposed school does go ahead on the hospital site, this will not help the children in the bulged classes in Ivydale not one jot. They will simply not be near enough to get into the new school. So will there be another new school in Nunhead? Instead, we should be looking at provision of secondary places not just in ED but in Nunhead, Peckham and all the surrounding areas together and planning how they will all be provided for.

OMG bawdy-nan! I so agreed with your post and then? I nearly fell off my chair! Did you really mean to say 'I actually don't see any need for a proper constitution, terms and rules and regulations in this instance. The aim is to set up a new school and as far as I can see this is happening swiftly and efficiently and with, as far as I can gather, very little internal opposition as to the direction of travel.' I am speechless!

Do you have a credible plan for winning the ideological battle and building a much needed school in the next year or so? This phrase has repeatedly come up in this discussion. Everyone is thinking about their own children who will be seeking secondary education in the 'next year or two'. I am not convinced that it is possible to set up a school properly in such a short time. You do not have a site let alone buildings yet! I am worried that decisions will be rushed, corners cut, mistakes made. Please consider more pragmatic options such as revitalising the Peckham Academy as suggested by intexas as well so that the school (if it does happen) is done properly.

Very good post, intexas you are spot on.

James Barber Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi bornagain, > You are so wrong. Many families move away from the > area for decent school places. This fragments our > community and means many move here expecting to > not make long term plans. The numbers mean we need > another local secondary school. > > The Tony Blair education act created the situation > making what he called academies what the current > government call free school academies the main > route for new schools. By leaidng a cmapaign we > can select who we want to open a school rather > than waiting around for any provider to make it > happen. > James, in what way am I wrong? Wrong for challenging you or wrong for speculating about the situation? If you can come up with some firm data about the demographics of the area now and projected into the future (and not just the next few years) then we can have a real discussion. I am sorry that I'm being pedantic but saying nebulous things like 'The numbers mean we need another local secondary school.' is just not good enough when embarking on such a major undertaking. You are proposing that we spend a very large amount of tax payer's money and I think that as our elected representative you should take seriously your responsibility to be accountable. The parents on this thread are quite rightly anxious about the education of their children, but we have elected you to represent all of us - not just the parents and their families. And Tony Blair doesn't even come into it!

Also re: the proposed site, I know that it appears to be pretty much the only available site in the surrounding area but I have reservations about its suitability for a secondary school. I know that area well and have used the roads before and after school. There are three large secondary schools in very close proximity already and you are proposing a fourth. At the moment the entry and exit of the students are carefully orchestrated so that the students from the three schools are not all disgorging onto the streets at the same time. This will be much trickier with a fourth added to the mix. Many of you have a romantic notion of children walking to school peacefully with their friends but the reality is that this is the time when bullying happens the most - on the journeys to and fro the school. The teens are no longer under the eagle gaze of their teachers and some quite horrific incidents happen. I know, I have been a secondary school teacher. Added to that there tends to be a gang-like hostility between neighbouring schools (eg. there is one between Charter and Kingsdale) so local residents may not be that happy with hoards of squabbling teens walking up and down East Dulwich Grove. Which leads me to the question, has any opinions been canvassed around the locality of the proposed school? Does anyone know what the procedure is? Will there be something like a planning application so that local people can express an opinion?

Do you have a plan B if the hospital site is not available or is it pretty much a shoo-in?

I don't think I've ever said that this area does not need a new school. All I have said (again and again) is that we need to look at education provision for the region as a whole (ie not just ED) and look at the provision not just for the next few years but for the future. Everyone seems so fixed on this proposed new school that any other ideas to provide places seems to be rejected. What happens to your children in the next few years concern those of you on this thread. But there needs to be someone out there that should be looking out for what happens in education not just in the next few years but in the years beyond that. And there isn't because the system is now a free for all because of the current government policy. That is all.

I am sorry to have wound you both up - probably a step too far. As I have said before though, I am very interested in the educational provision in this area and it is important to put other points of view out there and have a discussion. I am so sorry that you are both so stressed about your own situation.

Building a new school is not to be undertaken lightly. I am not saying don't build the school but we should think and plan on a regional level before we do. Unfortunately as the current education policy and their use of academies and free schools have meant that really no one is in charge of the overall set up for the area. It costs tens of MILLIONS of pounds to build and staff. It is not just for the next few years, but for the next few decades. It is an investment for the local community - one that we should ensure that we (ie the community) really needs.

You can get to Pimlico Academy by just sitting on the 185 bus and getting off just after Vauxhall. It is much closer than the Oratory or Greycoats to which many children go from here. Also I am not quite sure what you mean by 'being part of a wider community'? Surely travelling to an area outside Dulwich will combine you with the wider London community? I do see your point that there have been several bulge classes in the last few years which will have to be accomodated in secondary soon but who knows whether this is going to be a permanent increase in school age children in this area or just a blip? Has anyone tried to find out? This is the kind of information that a strategic body could gather so that wise and not knee jerk plans can be made. There could well be a scenario in few years time where property in ED is so expensive that most young families other than those that are very rich are priced out of living here. Those that remain will send their children to private schools. What will happen to the proposed school then - they will be half empty - what a waste!

"And a school run by Southwark which I note that James is now saying is possible but would take longer ." Intexas, which school is that?

Your poor son, ghastly isn't it? My teen has similar problems and she uses this. Quite pricey but it does work. May not clear all but enough to make a real difference. http://www.skinmed.co.uk/uk/AKNICARE__4_Product_System_with_Remover.html

But DenmotherSmith, to be fair to Southwark education, they are largely toothless due to the current government's policy. All the secondary schools in the borough are academies which basically means that they can do what they like to a certain extent. It is a mess.

Education provision like health provision is far too important to be left to the whim of elected politicians and local pressure groups. I don't blame local parents for wanting good education for their children. Of course they will put their all into agitating for something fantastic to be provided. And of course those with the loudest voices and best connections will be heard. But the system should be robust enough to take a dispassionate view of the whole picture, both geographically and also into the future. Education provision should not be decided by elected politicans campaigning with their next re-election in mind (sorry James, but if you are honest with yourself, this does play a part in your activities). Who is to say that East Dulwich is going to remain nappy valley for ever. If you read other threads on this forum it appears that families are moving out in droves. We have to only look at Kingsdale to see an example of a school that was at one time so unpopular that no one locally would touch with a barge pole. Kids were bussed in from as far as away as Bermondsley. Now look at it. It took a team with strategic vision to turn it around. This is what we should be doing with these less popular schools in the borough. But this can only happen if there is an institution - Southwark comes to mind - that can taken a strategic view and taken ownership of the entire education system both now and into the future.

Here is my chicken rice recipe - one pot dish, really easy. I serve it with either green beans or a salad. I wrote it out for my daughter hence the v. explict instructions! Turn the oven on to 180C Peel and cut 2 large onions into thin slices. Peel and cut 2 cloves of garlic into small bits. Take the chicken pieces out of the packet and cut off any fat. Leave the skin on. 4 chunky thighs with bones in should be enough for 4 people (1 each). Heat up a large pan that can go in the oven. Drizzle some oil into it and when hot, put the chicken pieces in skin side down. Leave them to cook without moving for at least 5 minutes until the skin is crispy underneath. Be patient! If you try to move them too soon, they will stick to the pan. Turn the pieces over and cook the other size for a similar length of time. When they are ready, they will be quite golden and crispy on the outside but still raw on the inside. Take the chicken out and put them in a bowl. Next, fry the onions and garlic in the same pan in the chicken juices and fat. Keep stirring until the onions are translucent. Do not let the garlic burn (black) or it will turn bitter. Now put in 2 small cups (size of a tea cup) of paella rice into the pan. Keep stirring. The rice will also go a bit translucent. Don't let anything burn. Cut 2 red/orange/yellow (but not green!) peppers into strips, making sure that you take out the seeds first. Put them in the pan. Take 2 handfuls of mushroom and cut them up if necessary. If the mushroons are small (size of small pebbles) keep them whole. If they are larger (size of conkers or bigger) cut them in half/quarters so they are all the same size. Put them in the pan. Fill the glass you used to measure the rice and fill up with water. Put it in the pan. Stir. Repeat this with another full glass and a half glass. There should be 2 and half glasses of water in the pot. Put in EITHER 1 stock cube OR 2 teaspoons of stock powder OR 1 tub of stock jelly. Stir again until mixed. Turn the heat off. Lay the cooked chicken, skin side up on top of the rice mixture. Also pour in any juice that has collected at the bottom of the bowl. Cover the pan and put in the oven. Cook for around 45minutes to 1 hour until all the liquid has gone and the rice is nice and plump and juicy. Enjoy!

Shuggy, I do not blame you for pressing for what you want. I would not expect any less. It is true though that there is a north/south divide in the borough socio-economically and it would be disingenuous to say otherwise. You may be happy to send your kids to those schools but many others wouldn't. My criticism really is towards the system - Southwark and the politicians. There is no strategic plan for education provision in the borough. From what James just said, with just a bit of pressure from him, Southwark has gone from one stance (i.e. no need for new school) to agreeing to having one. What kind of strategy is that? By the way do you have a site yet for the proposed school? Is it going to be on the hospital site?

re: Peckham Academy - there indeed are vacancies - James posted it himself - see one of the attachments of the schools with vacancies this year. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1278956 Actually for ED kids Aylesbury Estate is not hard to get to - one bus - either 176 or 40 - will take you there. I can understand why ED parents would prefer a lovely brand spanking new school in leafy ED compared to a school on a council estate in gritty Walworth (shudder - spare the thought!) BUT in the interests of the community as a whole (and this includes all those people who do not have children or have children who are no longer in education) politicians should be looking at ways of making these schools which appear to not to be that attractive, attractive. It is a waste of resources throwing money after new projects when there are ways of utilising existing resources.

Thank you Shuggy for a clear statement of where you are re: the new school. I think you are right when you say that from where you sit on the panel everything is clear and transparent - but from outside looking in, it appears less so. While those parents whose children will be directly involved ie those in years 3 and 4 currently have a personal interest in this venture, the proposed school because it will be funded through the public purse will be of interest to the entire community (whether they have children or not) and hence the need for transparency. I take an interest in the whole education debate locally and it does concern me that the drive to set up individual schools distracts from looking at the overall education strategy for the borough as a whole. For example there are schools that are not full in other parts of the borough - so perhaps efforts should be made to enable these places to be taken up first before setting up a brand new school? It is a great shame that the local authority who is in the best position to orchestrate a borough-wide strategy can't because of the current government's policy.

simonethebeaver (who I think is on the steering group) said: "Transparency is really important to the steering group and ways to engage with the whole community are already on the agenda of our next meeting in the next few days. " This is quite in contradiction to the last response from James who essentially told this thread (ie at least a part of the community) to mind our own business! ETA it wasn't just intexas and I who asked (I know we have badgered you at times re: education related questions :D) - others also asked the question re: Charter.