intexasatthe moment

Edmummy - good summary ,people were bandying the notion of kids using public transport but suggesting that it's outrageous that private schools have private coaches is rather overstating the case .

overwhelmingly it would seem, the students come from the local area too - so why would " hundreds of cars " be needed to replace the coaches ?

James - thank you for your reply regarding admissions to secondary schools in Southwark. My enquiry was initially prompted by your remarks about Caroline Pidgeon securing a common admissions policy . I agree ,we do now have a system that uses a common application form ,it's just the admissions criteria that vary so much. With a child who went through secondary transfer prior to 2002 ,I don't recognise the situation you describe - yes ,individual application forms ,but state schools weren't all asking year 6 to take tests. I note your remark that you don't approve of Academies in principle and that it's the Governments choice that this is the " only show in town ". But didn't Lib Dems support the Academy movement until recently http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6008298 ? Isn't it a bit disengenous to distance yourself from the fact that Southwark now have so many schools that control their admissions policies and are not accountable to parents or Southwark ?

Thanks for up date James. Townley Green - quite what the number of employees and whether living locally or not has to do with parking illegally I don't know ,but - there must be over 3000 students in local state schools - no doubt they employ local people as well. But no doubt there will be lots of whingers anxious to point out that state schools don't have local teachers ,cleaners ,caterers ,security ,maintenance etc staff .

So why so many coaches ? And I still don't get the argument that if you employ lots of people it's ok to let employees park illegally.

Thanks for your efforts Curmudgeon ,I agree - situation greatly improved this week. ( so if they can do when asked ,why not all the time ? ) I thought James Barber's remark about private schools being one of biggest industries in Dulwich was bizarre - are they ? if they are so what ? Should we all be tugging our forelocks ? And as I've said on other thread re Southwark refuse vehicles ,illegally parked in Northcross and surrounding roads , should we take fact that Southwark employs lots of people in the borough as a mitigating factor ?

Think the flat coke is a substitute for rehydration stuff/ dioralyte. Maybe get mum or someone to get from chemists ?

But Southwark Council is one of the largest industries in the area and this apparently is a factor to be taken into account when considering this type of parking offence.

I believe that the recommended response to problems of this nature is to find an alternative route . ( as in coping with overparking of coaches in Townley Rd ).

re cost of Southwark Life - as far as I can tell ( perhaps the situation has changed since 2007/8 ) Southwark seem to spend much more than other local authorities ( of the 20 highest spending LA 's in the country Southwark appear at nos 8 ,ahead of all other London boroughs http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/files/csu2-publicity.pdf ) I think this issue is actually quite important and deserving of James's attention.

blainiac - for the record ,as you seem to think that the main point here is for people, when faced by thoughtless and illegal actions ,to bow out of the way and remove themselves from the scene - I do take alternative routes. And I'm annoyed that I have to do so. By the way ,thanks for the heads up that lots of things in life are annoying and dangerous . Who'd have thought .

Well we're all different and affected by different circumstances . As a cyclist I find it annoying and dangerous to have to weave around the coaches and the cars that are driving on the wrong side of the road. Changing my route increases the distance I have to travel ,is inconvienient and tiring. Just because it doesn't have a negative affect on you doesn't mean that it's not a problem for others.

I would be interested to hear more . Have heard the following and would be interested in first hand accounts - Kingsdale - teachers overly strict ,giving detentions for minor infringements that could be dealt with more constructively - bullying still a problem Charter - parent has told me that streaming means pupil's aptitude in one or two subjects ( Maths + English ? ) dictates stream. Different streams study different sets of subjects with lower sets following vocational subjects and only top sets allowed broader ( ie + languages and humanities ) range.

James - OP has been in touch with police ,this should be sufficient shoiuldn't it ?

Posted in wrong thread !

Emily - I'm another one not able to help ,but I'm so sorry for you and your dog. Well done for getting it together to post on here and for involving the police.

Mightyroar understands me so well. Families round here have always tended to flee to the burbs when their children reach teens, but some stay and since there are far more primary children here now than for decades, expect more teens soon. Worth thinking about where they'll be expected to hang out And where they'll go to school ?

The coaches are a pain in the neck ,they obstruct Townley Rd and also make cycling past JAGS a hazard. I thought obstruction was an offence . It's strange but in Peckham I often see delivery vehicles ( who've obviously done there best to park considerately ) being ticketed . I appreciate that the parking restrictions are different in Townley Rd ,presumably to ensure that this road can be turned into a car park for hours on end. I'm surprised that the school haven't found a way to just annexe Townley Rd for their own uses 24/7 . After all aren't they're busy trying to change traffic flow in Hillsborough Rd - or have they already done this ?

broadcast through bus PA. How common is this charming practice ? Just had incident described to me - bus route nos withheld in case of repercussions for driver .

Oh Ian ,that's shocking . Two week old baby .... What terrible landlords !

re toilets in Peckham . Toilets in Peckham Pulse - but these are not really near the main shopping drag. And toilets in McDonalds. No others. Used to be public toilets at end of Holly and Elm Grove junction. Ideal situation ,sadly missed.

All sounds just like our experience in 1997 - plus ca change ! Good luck everyone - it's a horrible way to start school life and I sympathise with you and your children .

Same applies in parts of Peckham ,eg Bellenden Rd . They just have signs to indicate that you are entering a zone ,but if you don't know about them it's easy to assume that single yellow ok after 1.30 on a sat.

James I'm still waiting ( since Nov last year ) for your clarification on entrance requirements for Southwark secondary schools. At the moment we have Faith Schools - individual entry requirements Charter - geographical Kingsdale - 3 bands ,lottery within those bands + scholorships Bacons - inner and outer catchement areas + banding Harris Federation - 9 bands reflecting national rather than local attainment How can parents make sense of this ? How can schools "results " be compared when there are so many different criteria for entrance? How is it helpful for primary school kids to sit assessment tests for the schools that band ? How can this be described as a " common entrance policy " ?

I gave the letter we all got with contact details to my neighbour - silly me . Maybe try this Southern Gas Networks: 0845 070 1431. Lines are open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, except Bank Holidays.