PeckhamNicola

Here is another article from the excellent Special Needs Jungle (SNJ) with tips for responses to the SEND conversation survey. Including shoe horning in EHCPs which they "forget" to ask a question about in the conversation. And living as we do in Southwark with the huge misfortune of 100% academy secondary schools, some thoughts on this and how unlikely inclusion in mainstream is within the current education landscape. Closing date 14 Jan 2026. And please consider a donation to the excellent entirely run by volunteers SNJ. In my view the government could save money by creating some smaller mainstream secondary schools for kids who can cope in primary school but not with the scale of secondary, and need a calmer less busy setting. The funding would have to be different - it is currently on a per pupil basis which favours larger schools. But it would undoubtedly be cheaper than specialist provision, and the huge cost to individual children and families (emotional and financial) and to society. https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/tips-help-complete-governments-send-conversation-survey-law/ If anyone wants to take a radical step to help their struggling child, my tip is to move far away: these are the best two schools I have ever visited and in a beautiful part of the country. I only wish we'd moved there before it was too late for my son who had to suffer multiple failings at Charter North and then at the hands of Southwark SEND, out of education from February to October in year 10-11, having already suffered the enduring trauma of a very difficult early life, which in combination with ADHD made his time at schools which just don't care so very unbearable for all of us. https://www.cartmelprioryschool.co.uk/ https://settlebeck.org/ As an add on, I would say to anybody considering adoption, please take into account the education battles that you are very much more likely to face than the average parent. First you have schools to deal with, already terrible; then being passed from pillar to post within Southwark Education, SEND, Education Inclusion Team, round and round as they all do their best to explain why they are not responsible and you need someone different, let's hold another multi-agency meeting, never for one minute considering that if they put the child at the centre and used common sense they would achieve a lot more in much less time without loads of Southwark employees sitting in endless meetings with long suffering parents. It is hard to fully imagine this at the start of your adoption journey, full of hope as you are, but truly education is not for the faint hearted, and should be factored into your decision. You'll never hear from people who are really struggling and continue to do so, only from those who've had challenges but overcome them and it's all lovely. And education, the very people who should be there to help, are the ones who make your lives the most hellish out of everything your child and you face.

I attended the first 1 hour online session. Not a conversation at all. This is a good summary: https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/performative-chaotic-desperate-dfes-national-send-conversation/

https://participate.libraryofthings.co.uk/canadawater maybe here?

Track cycling https://www.hernehillvelodrome.com/track Athletics https://www.hernehillharriers.org/ Jiu jitsu https://www.dulwichbjj.com/

I've got an enormous red bean bag you can have which has been thoroughly pounded over the years but was a recommendation from Sensory Smart Child so might be of use to you.

The signage is really poor, it's just not that visible amongst everything else you're looking out for as you're driving along, especially if you're just turning a corner onto a school street. Obviously you're going to be looking around at street level for any hazards you couldn't see before you turned the corner, not upwards at a sign. If you already KNOW it's a school street well and good, but if not it's easy to be caught out. Even police have said that to me.

Falling school rolls in London might mean catchment areas expand. Kingsdale (secondary) operates a lottery rather than catchment area and a lot of people like it.

You have to use the right extinguisher for the type of fire - water/foam not to be used for live electrical fires for example. A quick Google says powder extinguishers can be used on the most different types of fire. In a public/commercial setting fire extinguishers have to be serviced every year. Not sure the recommendation for residential ones, but when you buy extinguishers and fire blankets check if there's an expiry date.

I have one in pieces which you can have for free, i would be grateful to have it taken away! Collect Nunhead.

It's worth paying for someone who is properly qualified in my opinion. We did when we bought, but unfortunately the people selling to us had used some sort of mass conveyancing centre in Wales to save a few quid and they were rubbish. When I looked into selling our place I asked the estate agent who came to value it whether we could stipulate that a future buyer should use a proper conveyancer. They reckoned yes, so something you might consider asking for from your buyer if not too late. I guess it depends on demand, if there's a queue of buyers you're in a different place to make demands versus someone's been trying to sell their place for a year. I've used Wendy Burgess several times, it seems she's recently moved to a different practice: https://www.hcnlaw.co.uk/attorney/wendy-burgess/

Air b'n'b has lots

I would leave London, or at a push move back to north London. In SE London if you want to get away in a car you are trapped, always an hour to go the first 10 miles, chugging up to the M4 or round the south circular, which is really just a line someone drew connecting a load of roads. and I know there are trains but first you have to get to those mainline stations, unless you only want to leave London to go to Kent. which I don't.

my bet is it's the same group and no amount of talking to is going to make a difference.