intexasatthe moment

they meet at 7:00 to get there at 7:30 to make sure they are not late for 8:15. If that's really what's happening - rather than say meeting up before going to a breakfast club - that's insane .

Renata ,sorry to have 2 subjects going on here - school improvement and secondary school admissions - but is there any way of a break down of the GCSE figures quoted above ,refering to East Dulwich Harris Girls ? Just wondering about the exams actually taken to achieve the 90% figure . How many were GCSEs and how ,many were other GCSE equivalent exams ?

I'm sure that there are others who can give more specific advice but my experience of appeals is that ,to be succesful ,you have to show either that the admissions process has been incorrectly applied or that your child has some exceptional need ( social,medical ) to go to a particular school . This site is helpful http://www.ace-ed.org.uk/ Good luck .

nunheadmum - most secondary schools offer the same curriculum ,nonwithstanding any specialist status . I think the specialist status is a hangover from a few years ago when schools could access a bit of extra funding if they applied for this ( I'm sure someone on here will know more about this ) I think some schools that aren't vey popular /struggling to climb up the league tables do offer less academic exams alongside the traditional GCSE's . And I think such schools focus their efforts on those students who are struggling to achieve the magic C grade and that this is at the expense of children who can get a C but would benefit from extra support etc to get a B . So maybe don't stretch the just above average student enough . Don't know if that helps .

mrrafs ,just posting to offer sympathies . I know from experience how awful this is . Hope Renata can offer support and help.

What Help-Ma-Boab said .

I'm not an Earl Grey fan but drink other loose leaf tea from The Tea House in Neal St ,Convent Garden . You can do mail order ,but a bit expensive ... http://www.covent-garden.co.uk/SITES/theteahouse/

Well if the school have advised his mum to " work on his concentration and.. " at home ,perhaps she should ask them for techniques ?

Hear hear Pugwash .

Rye Lane works - At which point lane rental comes into play in Sotuhwark which should act as a strong disincentive to road works. sorry ,what does this mean ?

Oh yes Alex - and the starry dogs ,I so love the starry dogs !

It might be different with these new style Academies ,but the old style ones also have Funding Agreements that set out how they must operate . And with the old style Academies - yes complaints go to the Sec of State ,so it would be Gove . My experience was that prior to opening the Academy " stakeholders " could only access a draft FA . And that lots of key issues like make up of Governing Body weren't in the Funding Agreement but in an annexe to it . Some Academies are more open than others ,and hopefully DH will be . But I guess my message is be careful ..... None of Southwark's secondaries are under the LEA control - they're all Academies ,Faith or Foundation schools . It takes some time for the true effect of this to become apparent ,but personally I don't agree with fragmenting the education system like this ,and I think any idea of a level playing field ,good schools for all becomes more and more remote .

Southwark's Healthy Homes /Handy Person service for over 60 year olds which will come round and do small maintenance jobs for very small charge - ?10 or ?20. http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200093/support_in_your_home/835/a_helping_hand_around_your_home/1 Though I believe it's being decimated from 6 to 2 workers next month. And I agree about the bulky items removal service which is fantastic . ( just wish my neighbours would use it )

Sternhall Lane ?

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Thank you John - that's really helpful .

Thanks ianr - then I guess I measure and scale it off the map ? But will the data it's based on be valid in the first case ?( photos I guess ok ,but ....what else ,extrapolations from other distant points ? ) I just can't quite get my head ( aged and neither numerate nor technlogically up to date ) round depending on something that feels remote and dependent on variables ( photos v.other measurements ... )as producing results that are accurate to within the odd half ,and less ,metre .( a unit which I'm not even sure I know how to spell .)

Thanks . Well given Southwark's reluctance to visit and use a tape measure ,I'm guessing that this GIS will be dependent on photographs ,or ( head hurting here ) working back from a marker that designates a point that someone did actually measure ? So do you think that modern technology can give a measurement from a photograph which is accurate to within 0.1 of a metre ,or as I tend to think of it ,nearly 4 inches ? ( no comments please about the contradictory nature of my desire for accuracy and my use of the term "nearly ".?

I have no idea what GIS is ,but currently involved in discussion with Southwark planning about disputed width of access road . Going on for some years ,relates to access to backland . Planning dept always refer this particular point over to Highways ,I always ask for site visit and measurement ,but this never seems to happen . Various figures have been quoted by council representatives ,architects et al . Latest response is from Southwark quoting reference to GIS mapping . Does anyone know if this is equivalent of visiting site and measuring ? Sorry if I'm being dense here .

It's tricky isn't it - if you have worries about a school and voice them on a public forum you run the risk of damaging that school's reputation and making a bad ( or possibly a perceived bad ) situation worse. On the other hand if you feel that your efforts to address your concerns with the school are falling on deaf ears or even being thwarted ,I can see why you might want to discuss that on a thread about East Dulwich schools . My experience of a range of schools - primary and secondary in this and other local authorities - is that when it comes to dealing with parents ,individually or in groups ,they are very able to suppress genuine concerns and to manipulate both people and statistics . But I hope that any problems that exist at Goodrich can be resolved within the school to the satisfaction of parents without more recourse to public forums .

Ann ,I think Emily was referring to a poster ,as in a notice ,being displayed at the school .

inner turmoil on this point is at stratospheric levels just so loving this phrase . Think you should buy the new bike - it's an investment ,will make the ride easier .

Does anyone have ,or know of anyone with a child at the school ? Would be good to know what they think. I was a bit dismayed to see just what constitutes a playground when I walked past it the other day .Seems such a shame that the pupils can't have a break in larger and more salubrious surroundings .

My husband was employed by the contractors who built this police station . At the time he told me that it was designed to keep people out as much as keep people in .

Wow that is peculiar ! Maybe some technical forumite with central heating expertise can shed some light .