VeronicaSawyer

I have two kids at Goodrich, far enough up the school to have had experience of more than one head teacher. No-one would ever say MrV was a people person, but he is a fantastic head. He may not be available for meet and greets, but that's fine wih me; his priority is the pupils, and seeing as he's doing such a good job with them I'm ok with the fact that he regards the parents as a bit of a burden. The couple of times I've had concerns about things, I've been surprised and impressed to have had a call back from a member of the senior leadership team within a couple of hours of sending my email. On both occasions they had already put measures in place to rectify the issue. I can't speak for every child in the school, but both of mine, and their classmates and other friends think he's great. His singing in assembly comes in for particular praise. He seems to have a great network of old colleagues and contacts, who he has drawn into teach or help out at the school and also (very importantly for a head) knows where to dig out funds. I had real concerns when he started that his priority would be SATs to the detriment of non-academic subjects, but couldn't have been more wrong. The children have been doing some amazing artwork and I understand that music will be one of his next priorities. And the academic improvements (for children of all abilities) in the school are there in the stats for anyone to see. Sorry, bit of a hagiography, but I like him!

Excited by the thought of a cinema on Lordship Lane, but disappointed to find out Picturehouse isn't as progressive as I'd assumed: http://ritzylivingwage.tumblr.com/post/79916615964/a-response-to-picturehouse-cinemas-recent-statement

Good luck! Mine was a refuser and had to have paracetamol suppositories when she was small. There were a couple of courses of antibiotics where I just had to give up as there was no was I could get the stuff down her. I remember googling and discovering a pharmacist forum where they were talking about amoxicillin. It turned out most of them had never even tasted it despite having had numerous parents complaining that they couldn't get their child to take it. When they did try it they suddenly had more sympathy. It does seem crazy that no one has ever taken taste into account when developing a medicine for children. But my daughter is now fine with even the foulest medicine. We started with giving her a chcolate or sweet to cram in to take the taste away as soon as she'd swallowed it down, and now, as long as she's got a glass of water in her hand, she's happy.

Try ringing the school to see if you can have a look around some other time. I have two girls there and they, and I, love it. There were some problems between the governing body and the previous Head, but they are very much in the past. Academically the school is on the up and up; recent results were great. The current head is also very keen on art and has brought in a specialist art teacher who's got the children doing some amazing stuff. On the negative side the music provision and communication around it isn't great at the moment. There are free instrumental lessons in KS2 and paid for individual lessons in woodwind and strings across the school but they are not well advertised; but I understand that the head has music in his sights for improvement.

I second John Lewis. They're the only ones that have ever stayed up on my extremely skinny 7 year old.

There is a very small art shop in Dulwich village, but Cowling and Wilcox in Camberwell is your best bet. Just behind the post office.

"A few years ago it was suggested a 'go left' voice the same as a ' this vehicle is reversing'" This would be great, but only if it is conected by electrodes implanted in the drivers brain. Sometimes drivers just don't indicate. Great post, Polla.

I think everyone understands that there are no catchment areas set in stone. If there were things would be a lot more straightforward; none of this uncertainty, parents would know from the off which school they would get into and which it would be pointless applying for. As it is, we have to take a gamble on what schools to put down; put a close but popular one down at the top of the list and it might mean you don't get any of your choices. Trefford's map just gives you the previous form and makes the gamble a bit better informed.

Mirrors are a useful extra reasurance (and yes, anything that gives extra width helps) but should nver be used in place of the 'lifesaver glance' over your right shoulder before you indicate to go right and before you pull out or turn. Actually looking over your shoulder not only ensures you've got any blindspot covered, but also indicates to the traffic behind you that you're about to manouvre.

Glad you're ok, Josephine and I really hope you've reported this hit and run now. Silverfox, the reason a lot of cyclist wear high viz and have their lights on even in the daytime is because "sorry mate I didn't see you" seems to be the most common excuse given by drivers who have injured or killed cyclists, and it's one that appears to be accepted by the newspapers and the courts as a ligitimate defence. Unfortunately you can be lit up like a Christmas tree and some drivers will still fail to notice you. Or, more commonly but bizarely, will see you are there but forget you are actually moving. So they treat you as a stationary object in the road and pull out to go around you but then pull back in or make a left turn directly in front of you, seemingly not realising that you have moved forward. If you're lucky you'll realise what's about to happen and manage to slam on the brakes or jump on to the pavement in time. If you're not then you'll end up knocked off, like Josephine, or worse. -

Further update...I've just ordered a Celtic Choices Dairy Free Calendar from ocado. Only ?3.50. They're also doing the MooFree one cheaper than Amazon. Seems like places are finally getting their acts together and realising the size of the market.

Sainsburys had a free-from advent calendar when I was in there the other day [On edit: It's not soya free, I'm afraid]. Even better, divine are doing dark chocolate coins this year! http://www.choc-o-holic.co.uk/shop/divine-chocolate/70-dark-chocolate-coins/ESS263932/detail I'm not going to have to spend this Christmas eve cursing the chocolate coin maker. Hooray!

I'd definitely recommend Brio, or (as we did) a basic set from ikea or tesco which the grandparents added to with more expensive Brio bits and pieces. My daughter is nine now, but still occasionally plays with the set we gave her for her second birthday.

As the youngest of four children, I'm relieved I managed to survive my childhood relatively intact. My mother's Norland nanny training obviously prepared her well.

Is this linked in anyway to the survey carried out by Dulwich Young Cyclists, that was promoted on a previous thread? The schools involved in that were: - Alleyn's School (including Junior) - Bessemer Grange Primary School - The Charter School - Dog Kennel Hill School - Dulwich College (including Junior and DUCKS) - Dulwich Hamlet Junior School - Dulwich Infants School - Dulwich Prep London - Dulwich Wood Nursery - Herne Hill School - JAGS (including JAPS) - Kingsdale Foundation School - Langbourne Primary School - Oakfield School So most of the East Dulwich schools were not included. As someone who cycles across the Townley Road/East Dulwich Grove junction on a daily basis, and sometimes with my children (aged 9 and 7), I would say that was one of the safer juctions to navigate. They should try Dunstans/Underhill or Townley/Lordship Lane.

Fantastic work, Trefford. I've thoroughly enjoyed poring over it even though my children have been safely settled in primary for years now. And you have also prompted me to go and have a look at the distances for the secondary I've got my eye on*, so many thanks all round. . *it's looking good, so even if it's popularity increases enormously in the next two years we should be safe. Phew.

My husband was picked, too, so can confirm that they are all real (and not necessarily willing.)

This was a favourite of ours when we had to do egg and dairy free: http://southernfood.about.com/od/chocolatecakes/r/bl01018c.htm It's quite dark and chocolately, so might not be suitable for a first birthday, but older kids and grown ups love it and it was the closest to a real cake of any recipe I found. For something less dark, you can replace the egg in any recipe with 50mls stewed apple/1 small banana/50mls thick custard, whichever flavour fits the recipe best. Use SR flour and add half a teaspoon of baking powder to make up for the lack of rise.

Not another one! You're the fourth I know locally in the last 3 months. I can't help with where to get a sling as we were given one by Kings when mine broke hers. It's probably a bit scruffy, but I can see if we still have it when I get home. Don't worry to much about it curtailing his activities. Cycling could be tricky because he might not be able to reach the handlebars, but a friend of my daughter's still managed to scale a climbing wall with a cast on her lower arm. Once he's used to it I can't see it stopping him playing tennis and at least having a go at basketball, particularly if it's on his non-dominant arm. Another friend's daughter had a waterproof cover for her cast which meant she could still swim. I don't know where she got it from but I'm sure a pharmacy could advise. We didn't have anything like that so did without showers and had shallow baths with a plastic carrier bag over the sling, tied round her neck by the handles. Dressing wasn't a problem for long, either. I rushed out and bought shirts that did up at the front, so they could be eased on over her full arm cast, but after the first weeek they were discarded and she had no problems getting into normal t-shirts and tops over her head. Simmilarly I only needed to chop food for one handed eating for a very short while. Once any pain has gone, they seem to be able to use the arm pretty much as usual, only constrained by the shape it's forced into.

Push usually have to order in tap shoes. What size do you need? I have a red pair (size two) and a black pair (Can find out the size when home at 3pm, but small, possible 8 or 10?). Might either of them be any good for you?

My youngest loves the Museum of Transport. It's quite expensive, but the ticket gives entry for a year. (Luckily, as she nags us to go there on a fairly regular basis.)

It's a while ago now, and before their policies changed, but I was allowed to go to 42+5 before induction, and was only induced then because monitoring showed a slowing of my daughter's heartrate. I'd made it very clear from my first booking in appointments that going by family history I was very likely to be overdue, and wanted to avoid induction if at all possible, and they were very supportive. In the days following 42 weeks I was up being monitored one way or another more days than not but came under no pressure to be induced, until there was a valid reason for it. Crossed fingers that it's not an issue for you.

All Southwark primary school children up to Year 4 (or possibly more now) qualify for free school meals. If you want your child to have packed lunches then that's absolutely fine, but certainly I've found in my children's classes that pretty much everyone has school meals now.

Wellies get most use in winter; the water from the hose will be close to freezing; your fingers will go numb long before the boots are clean. Next time you wont bother to clean them at all and you'll end up with dried mud coming off all over the floor/car boot. It's never even crossed my mind that a utility room wouldn't have a sink, and if I were looking to buy a house one with a sinkless utility would be be down with those with no utility at all.

I'm finally getting a utility room and the main purpose is to house a sink. I'm perfectly happy with the washing machine being in an upstairs cupboard but I hate having to clean muddy wellies and soak clothes in the kitchen sink or bathroom. Good idea about the freezer though, Scareyt. I wonder how I could fit that in.