intexasatthe moment

With some pushing my teenage son has resumed bike riding . He is currently using a standard MET cycle helmet but is hankering after something more ( in his eyes ) stylish - noteably a BMX style skid lid type ( not full face ). I'm keen to maintain his interest in cycling and helmet wearing but am worried that this may not offer adequate protection . Can anyone tell me whether a BMX helmet would offer adequate protection in the event of an accident on the road ? Should I be looking for a particular sticker denoting some standard ? May sound silly ,but posting in case relevant ,he has very large head and lots of thick hair .

Thanks for replies ,think cd-rom will be the way to go . Alan - PM on it's way !

Oh Woody that's just awful - heartbreaking to loose your dog ,but for it to happen like this is dreadful .

Can anyone advise on best method - download to PC ? ,buy CD rom ? Showing my complete ignorance I expect ,but any help welcomed . Will also do a search for recommended driving instructors ( for charming but lazy teenage boy ) - but hugely grateful if any spring to mind .

less successful schools nearby? - or one of these ?

Not that the school's success has anything to do with Cameron ,or his Government .

Thanks , but I think I'll reserve the right to lob my brickbats in a direction of my own choosing .

But Loz why should Southwark be involved in this type of work in the first place ?

Bleedin' Nora! We got off easy -- no TRIM OR DIE notices, just our front gardens whitewalled -- and no bills sent in afterward! - but still time for Southwark to track you down and make you parade outside Sainsbury's with my handcrafted sign " Guilty of hedge neglect and wasting tax payers monies " round your neck . :)-D

James - in the past I believe that Southwark would attend to the problem of vegetation overhanging public footpaths etc by cutting the offending vegetation back ( presumably after some prior warning to householder ) and then seeking to recover the cost from the householder/s . Could you tell me if this is still the case and how overhanging vegetation is dealt with now ? Surely it can't really be the case that if you happen to live near a park or area tended by Southwark that you get a " free " trim because workers are in the area ?

Oooh do you think Southwark will nip round to my back garden and trim my hedge for me ? I'm too lazy/can't be arsed and didn't realise that part of my council tax is spent on offering this service .

How odd ,I clicked on this thread expecting to read comments about "the Lounge " bit of the EDF ,but it's about General Ed issues etc section . Which ,yes I do find dull.

until 7pm as far as I know .

In the interests of the school ,the headteacher ,parents ,children ,PTA could we let this thread die ?

I agree with Bob's post but think that maybe the governor should be cut some slack - voluntary role with minimal training , carried out in spare time .

"Mind you, it seems to have been resolved now, so probably best to let it go."

Looks fab - what a great idea !

Confusion I think - I was referring to a hit and run on Tuesday evening about 6.40 pm ,near the library /The Plough .

oh Pugwash I hope that's not true .. No mention of accident in today's Southwark News .

MissS ,where did they land ? Have been thinking and wondering where there is enough space for them to land up by the Plough. Does anyone have any news on how the pedestrian is doing ?

But we don't know for sure that the child was left alone .

Can't help feeling that a faster resoloution would have been achieved if we were talking SE21 ....

But the person hitting the child isn't going to hang around waiting for the police to turn up are they ? I so wish I knew what to do in these circumstances .... I wonder if NSPPC has advice ? ( must check )

Lolly sticks in the spokes ?

. From what I've seen I believe Katharine is utterly committed to children from disadvantaged backgrounds - far more than she is to children generally I'm afraid this grates on me . Two decades ago when Kingsdale was not the school it is now ( no sixth form ,not mixed in any sense ) and was the only offer made to us ,we chose to send our son to Pimlico . Long distance ,socially isolating for son but we were happy with the all inclusive feel of the school and the way all children ( disadvantaged ,middle class ,academically able ,those struggling ) were valued as individuals . Sadly it became an Academy a couple of years ago and we've been flooded with patronising twaddle about " building the social capital " ,faux public school emphasis on houses ,rugby and rowing ,World Challenge ,talks from bankers etc. The after school club my son enjoyed ( the ageing hippy board game Dungeons and Dragons ) has been ditched in favour of police cadets ,street dance etc . All fine ,except it's so one size fits all - it's no longer a school that caters for all comers . That emphasis on aiming to help the disadvantaged really worries me ,it's so patronising and it can also lead to really heavy handed discpline where all children are treated as semi feral and as though they are gun carrying gang members . Edited to say - of course I'm not saying that it's wrong to aim to help the " disadvantaged " ,it's just that I'm wary of someone who makes it the main/sole focus .