intexasatthe moment

I asked James B about this over on the ask a councillor thread . At one point he says it's an option and then he says he's not aware of it being a new rule . So who knows . http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,336529,1382419,page=125#msg-1382419

Thanks James . Bit of a mystery then ,maybe a misunderstanding has become a rumour ?

"Southwark have a new rule that you have double line any new dropped curb and then to 2 meters either side " James is this true ? I note that you say that this " is one option but a number go in without such double yellow lines every year locally " . In what circumstances would double yellow lines be extended beyond the dropped curb ? Obviously excluding cases where there are double yellow lines already .

Could be over watered and it's suffocating . Is it in the ground or a pot ?

Our bedroom is a loft conversion - cheaply done before we bought the property . There is a large cold water tank in a cupboard ,no insulation . we've never been bothered by the noise and i'm a light sleeper ,woken by foxes ,cats ,motor bikes etc

They're at the end of Rye Lane where the T junction west/left to Camberwell and right/east to New Cross in that canopied bit ( Peckham Square ? ) with the library behind and Peckham High St in front . Very breezy spot ,nice on the hottest day ,otherwise wear something warm .

Balance it on a bike ?

Amazing photos on the Fen Farm campsite site http://www.fenfarm.co.uk/project/90-years-of-fen-farm/. I've seen static caravans with fences around them ,but never tents . Perhaps they bought the pitch with a view to " upgrading " to a caravan ? Or stayed with the tent ? some of the structures/tents are pretty ingenious .

Just posting link re criteria from New Schools Network ,as requested https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mainstream-and-16-to-19-free-school-applications

Here's my reply from the New Schools Network . I had asked what criteria they would use to decide between the two bids for a secondary school and a possible third bid for a primary school on the hospital site . I also asked whether Nash or the EFA would make the final decision . " Thanks for getting in touch with NSN regarding the Free School application process. Although groups applying to the DfE to open a Free School are asked to outlined their preferred site, this aspect of the application is not assessed by the department. What would be considered when assessing two applications in the same area, is how many schools were needed to meet the level of need in the area as well viability of each bid. The details of the criteria can be found here. Post approval, The Education Funding Agency work with all approved groups to acquire a suitable site. While the group?s preference will be taken into account by the Education Funding Agency post approval, there is no guarantee that a group will be given either their first choice site or any of the sites they may have expressed a preference for in the application. Therefore, if two groups had expressed an interest in the same site, it would be a decision taken by the EFA post-approval as to which, if either, project was given the site. I hope that answers your question. If there is anything else you need, please get in touch."

Landline still out ,internet BT infinity ok ,but I'm concerned that the problem is our phones . But can't tell .

hp - when you say things are up and running ,do you mean your landline is back on ?

Well I'm sure Harris are on it and working out a solution .

" One of the main goals of banding is to create a comprehensive intake " should be . But I suspect that some Academy chains deliberately manipulate the system to give themselves a good intake . Harris use different banding systems in different areas and not to the effect of achieving a comprehensive intake as at Crystal Palace . They have a lot of money and can call on extensive professional advice so I don't think this is an accident . Nor their failure to explain their admissions policies clearly . And although it may no longer be a statutory requirement for LA's to have Admissions Forums surely we need them more than ever now to achieve coordination . Oh well .

Thanks all ,especially Penguin for the detail in his/her post . I'm taking that as a yes .

I'm sorry to be incredibly dense but could our landlines be affected by the fault but our broadband - BT infinity - be unaffected ?

I think what worries me is how little detail is given about the bands - are they equal in size for instance ? And how opaque the system is unless you're familiar with banding . And apologies for saying earlier that they dont use a lottery system - I see they do ,within the bands .

Apart from the 10% for the technology speciality I don't think there's any suggestion of lottery or being pulled out of hat ,might be fairer if they did . Here's a fuller extract " All applicants to the Academy will be required to sit two tests: 1. A Non-Verbal Reasoning Test (NVRT). Applicants will be allocated to an ability band on the basis of their NVRT test score. There will be 9 ability bands with the percentage of places available in each band being determined by the profile of the distribution of ability of the applicants for the Academy. (Any student ill on the day of the test will be provided with an opportunity to sit the test on an alternative day, provided the illness is supported by an official medical note). Exceptions to this rule will only be made for children with Statements of Special Educational Needs and looked after or former looked after children. 2. Technology Aptitude Test. This test is designed to produce an objective ranking of their aptitude for Technology as a subject. (As the Academy has a specialism in Technology). (The National Foundation for Education Research NVRT practice papers are produced by NFER and are widely available at stationers. The unique nature of the Technology Test makes it difficult for students to prepare for the tests as they test technological capabilities. Past Technology Test papers are not available). 90% of places will be allocated to Zone A - a zone up to 2 mile radius from the fixed point highlighted on the area map. 10% of places will be allocated to Zone B - a zone over 2 miles radius from the fixed point. The fixed point is from the gate at the main Academy entrance on Maberley Road.

Thanks Fuschia . Very interesting read . I do wonder how they operate their banding system for this school . Maybe it helps that Crystal Palace Harris have a wide geographical catchment area and don't limit themselves to closest walking distance . Their oversubscriptions policy http://www.harriscrystalpalace.org.uk/uploads/asset_file/hcacp-admissions.pdf says this "There will be 9 ability bands with the percentage of places available in each band being determined by the profile of the distribution of ability of the applicants for the Academy " "Applications will then be considered against the ability band in which the applicant is placed by the NVRT test score. The number of places available in each ability band will be determined by NFER by matching the percentage of places in each band to the ability profile of the applicants for places that year. Those percentages will be applied to the number of places for the year available after deducting the 10% allocated to those applicants with the highest scores for aptitude in Technology (i.e. 162) " I can't pretend to fully understand these statements - to me it reads as though they take each years applicants ,rank them into highest performers and then divide that group into 9 bands . But I must be wrong .

Thank you James . I've sent a query and will "share" when I receive a reply .

Thanks parentsteeringgroup for that . I have looked on the New Schools Network site - it doesn't seem to cater for general questions or have any info about the decision making process ,but I may well have missed something . Or possibly you have to register with them and start the process of making a specific application before this kind of question can be answered . Like others I feel either Habs or The Charter would be an equally good choice but I was wondering how the powers that be and which powers that be decide . I remember something of a kerfuffle when Nash was reported in the press as vetoing a new secondary school in Holborn that was to be sponsored by The Institute of Education on the grounds that they lacked experience in running secondary schools ( bit rich coming from him but that's another story ). I suppose politics is always wheels within wheels ,hidden from us ordinary folk . And of course I understand that it's unusual to have more than one sponsor ( sorry I find it hard to say provider as it's the tax payers who are providing the funds ) so I guess there may not yet be a mechanism for dealing with such a situation . edited to say I'm not asking for answers to questions in this post ,though obviously if anyone has any that's great . I'm just voicing concerns about how the process seems to be unclear .

parentsteering group - does the EFA decide on finance for buying the site ? does it also decide on which sponsor to go with ? do you know how much influence Lord Nash has on choice of sponsor ? sorry if this is really silly post ,I'm feeling rather ill this morning ( health ussues ,not drink relate ! ) and probably shouldn't be posting at all !

Do you know if the cyclist was female ? I saw a woman on a bike about this time cycling up Barry Rd v close to Goodrich . She had no lights and was on wrong side ( admittedly quiet and straight rd ) for some time . Not that it matters really ,just curious .

People who think they've msrked their space in the supermarket queue by leaving an item on the side . And on their return with arms laden ,shoulder past you and your solitary packet of butter without a word .

What happens to MOL is determined by the Secretary of State . He/she takes into account advice from the LA . But the fate of MOL is not in Southwark's gift .