Scruffy Mummy

Yes, I think one of the neighbourhood teams is based there but they are centrally coordinated out of Guy's Hospital - they look after a range of patients who can't get into the surgery or who find it extremely difficult. I hadn't even known of their existence! But after a few times of really struggling with husband to get to the surgery for leg ulcer treatment (he actually had a fall in the surgery itself the last time we were there) after I told the the Parkinson's nurse at the hospital about all this, it was she who said he really should be under the district nurse care now... once we finally got a GP appointment (see my other thread about that saga) they agreed that this was best course of action for husbands care and made a referral. You need a GP referral to get under their care. https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/our-services/neighbourhood-nursing

Brunswick Family Practice in Camberwell.

My own GP has full waiting rooms with GPs coming out and calling people in. I prefer this to my husband's GP (TJ) because bascially, I know at my GPs people are getting appointments and GPs are in the surgery and seeing people! At my surgery you can book appointments in about three different ways - via the NHS app where you can book advance appointments, via the telephone and by pitching up. I prefer to wait in the waiting room because when I see my GP they will take their time with me and I will be seen! What I also have discovered is that some GPs at our ED surgeries are actually fully remote and never see people in the surgery. This is fine if you have a problem like say a wart and you just need to talk to someone, get a prescription or referral to freeze it. But if you have something more complex... it's not great. Anyway, I resolved the problems for my husband and he is now under the care of the Guy's District nurse team (who work in all our neighbourhoods) who come to our house and they can do quite alot that we would have used to go to surgery for (with great difficulty) and tell us what is going on... if a GP is needed for example to run a test or something, they let me know I can call and then they can write the prescription or order a urine or other test. And two of the GPs at TJ are familiar with my hubbies case so I can look to book an appointment with them (using the app of course but I can be quick on it) But all this was a result of my own persistence - and also the consultant at the hospital he is under the care of telling me he should now be under care of District Nurse team... I never even knew the about the existence of the District Nurse team before.

I have and the GPs are amazing - I've actually been successful now in getting support and some continuity of for my husband and that is down to the two GPs I spoke to. They didn't say any of this but MY perception of the situation is that there has been high turnover of GPs, many of the current GPs are younger and less confident perhaps to demand change and that the company running the surgery is very resistant to change.

Yes, he loves that podcast! Lots more high profile people with Parkinson's bringing awareness to it - it is a strange disease because someone with Parkinson's can manage ok for years and be out and about and live their lives with not much interruption but then when it gets to the later stages of the disease it all becomes much more stressful and worrisome.

UPDATE: I did get an appointment this morning with a lovely GP. That's the thing - the actual clinical staff there IMO are great and get it. She has now marked his file as URGENT now so it should flag up to the non-clinical staff. But the fact that it was so difficult to get to talk to her - and that the reception staff just couldn't recognize the challenge that for many people - particularly those with a disease like Parkinsons - that using apps and mobile phones just doesn't work. And that when a carer is standing in front of their desk, they aren't intending to make the reception staff life difficult - they are worried sick about their loved one and just want some reassurance that they will be seen and supported in a timely way. Being able to make an appointment for them for the next day or two would help - rather than being forced into this 'race for your life' to get an appointment on the app or have to stake out the doctors surgery. Anyway, we should be getting some treatment soon from the district nurse team.

My husband had been at at an excellent GPs practice which was the Hambledon - behind the statium and then they got merged in with Tessa Jowell GP and it was fine up untill recently... I am at a very good GPs in Camberwell... he could move to mine but the issue is that Tessa Jowell is so close to us and with his limited mobility (we don't have a car) TJ is so easily accessed and I don't want his care to fall between two stools when he is being transferred I had a wonderful conversation with a GP there last week and she was very reassuring and said we could call anytime - not just at 8am as he had a chronic condition. We had an appointment at Guys and they uncovered a number of things but it needs the GP to organise the district nurse. I don't think the reception staff really understand the seriousness and when they should get the GP involved. I think I will make a poster and sit outside in the lobby from 7:30 with a sign or something saying 'GP Help urgently required'

I just posted above about my husband with Parkinsons. I'm so upset at the moment. I think I am going to go very early morning to Tessa Jowell and jump on anyone who looks like a GP just to get past the reception staff and get someone to help us/

I'm so upset. My husband has late stage Parkinsons. He has suffered from low grade infections making him susceptable to Falls. We have a letter from Guy's asking the GPs to send a district nurse to run a number of further tests on him but I can't get any appointment. I keep getting the run around. Today they rang the wrong number and then rang me but unfortunately I couldn't get there on time. Rang straight back and receptionist said she would speak to GP. But they never got back. I went in there and a male receptionist was very patronising. I don't know what to do. This infection is really making his Parkinsons worse. Please if there is any GP out there reading the forum please message me and help me get my husband seen properly.

It's because all secondary schools in Southwark are academies. Education authorities have very little oversight or power now that so many schools are academies. Not all schools have the same admissions criteria either - some like Kingsdale are lotteries so it really doesn't matter where you live. Some like Harris Girls ED have more complicated geographical admissions rather than where the crow files. So even if you could get a comprehensive list, you are not comparing like with like.

There are many good secondary schools in the area. The two Charters are just two schools and they certainly have their weaknesses! If you have a girl, Harris Girls is very much on the way up and I think they have a wonderful, holistic approach. Harris Boys has got a very good reputation. Further afield, St. Thomas the Apostle is an outstanding school although boys only... Deptford Green has a great deal of promise as well.

There are three very good secondary schools in the area which aren't over-subscribed I believe - that's Harris Girls East Dulwich, Harris Boys Peckham Rye and St Thomas the Apostle College (which is an outstanding school - boys only) . All have really good Ofsted reports and both seem to be growing in popularlity. Obv not everyone's first choice is a single sex school but they are good schools. I really thought St Thomas was exceptional and at least 50% of their school population isn't Catholic. If you really don't want single sex or religous schools, Deptford Green is a mixed school is just outside the area but if you are the Peckham Rye side of ED it's not to difficult to get to - again gaining in popularity. I do think everyone can get into a reasonably good secondary school - but not everyone can get into the most desirable secondary schools but ironically, the most desireable aren't neccessarily the 'best' in terms of education or even for your child.

In the summer, the garden at the back is a wonderful sun trap and a much nicer place to sit than at the front of the EDT. I've enjoyed many a G&T in the back garden of The Cherry Treet.

I do this in the Coop and elsewhere including Sainsbury's - I am also a shareholder of the coop btw Basically, it is alot easier to put your shopping in a shopping bag that you are carrying rather than carry an awkward basket around with you as well as the canvas bag. I asked the staff the first time I did it and they are fine with it. I don't find the baskets easy to carry when I also have my own canvas bag and possiblily another bag too. I wouldn't do it in a small shop but usually I'm just getting one or two items so it's not an issue. It's really none of your business how other shoppers choose to shop frankly.

Just a couple things: 1. There were many kids who have gone to Charter ED who live in the Bellenden area and they would have never got into the Charter North. That's the same with all the kids who live on the DK Hill Estate. 2. It may free up places at Kingsdale as there will be people who choose Charter ED over Kingsdale, freeing up those places. Visa versa, there will be people who would get into Charter ED on distance but choose Kingsdale, particularly if their child gets a scholarship (I've known a parent decide to do this for this upcoming year and therefore a place opened up at the Charter ED to someone on the waiting list.) 3. Most of the single sex schools do have a mixed sixth form. St. Thomas the Apostle is an amazing school and, although it is boys only, it does have a mixed sixth form. And I think the Harris single sex schools have a mixed sixth form? 4. Charter North are currently doing a consultation on their admissions which would see them putting the point for measureing distance nearer the Sunray Gardens end of Red Post Hill (i.e. main vehicle entrance of the school (where the main driveway to the vehicle entrance joins Red Post Hill opposite Beckwith and Elmwood Roads) thus meaning that there should be alittle less overlap in the catchment areas of the two schools... although I don't think it was a massive overlap anyway.

Three quotes sum up my approach to the cleaning of chez Scruffy: 'My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance' ?Erma Bombeck 'At worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived' ?Rose Macaulay 'I hate housework. You make the beds, you wash the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again' ?Joan Rivers

My child goes there and here are my two pence worth! Positives: - High quality of staff - most are experienced teachers and all recruited in the first year are still there which contributes to sense of stablity in the school. - Staff really KNOW the children - probably because it's small but I feel like my teachers really know my child. He had been abit disaffected and had abit of a attitude in year 7 - now he is pretty engaged and in his weak area he has been encouraged and had targetted intervention so he is much more confident. - Community and family feel of the school. - Fantastic music programme and arts focus. - Alex Crossman is an excellent leader, obvisously brings so much from his background managing in other sectors. He always seems to be reflecting and improving on what is working and what isn't which is fantastic. - Lots of committed parents helping with everything from fundraising (both community fundraising through the Friends and professional fundraising parents helping to write substaintial bids) to helping with sustainbility in terms of design at the new school to organising an annual Southwark to Sea walk - Diverse intake of children and families. Downsides - Temp premises has been limiting particularly in terms of sports and DT. - Lack of dedicated PE teacher has been frustrating, doesn't feel like sports particularly after school sports has had someone 'at the helm'. They are recruiting a dedicated PE teacher for next year so this could change. - There could be a danger of school becoming complacent with it being so oversubscribed. Founder parents and families were really involved and reached out to and encouraged to feel like they were part of the vision of the school ... feels less so the following year. However, this is only a danger and it feels like the potential to be more of a truely community and family school has alot of buy in. - While there is a great focus on high achieving students (they do a PhD type project as a way to stretch them) and on interventions for children that are struggling has meant that some children who are in the middle could be overlooked (not my experience but I've heard this from a couple of people)

If anyone is interested, the Quakers and the charity Forces Watch have campaigns challenging militarism in public life and particularly in schools. Find out more here: Forces Watch (focuses on militarism in schools) - https://www.forceswatch.net/ Quakers Challenging Militarism Website - https://www.quaker.org.uk/our-work/peace/challenging-militarism-1 Briefing Paper: https://quakers-production.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/store/ad773bc324db6aacbd11526a24d9268b4c8431260273f5d0fc2c452989ca Video 'The Unseen March' (5 minutes)

Harris Girls has been rated outstanding and I know a few people who have sent their girls there who are extremely happy with the school. I also had a good look around Deptford Green a few years ago and I was very impressed with this school. It's interesting the St. Thomas Apostle (another outstanding school on our doorstep), after years of being overlooked by East Dulwich parents is now oversubscribed this year. The reality is that there are many more good schools in the area that many people realise! This admissions year is the first year of the primary school 'Bulge' classes hitting secondary school age so it's true that fewer people will get into those traditionally popular schools. However, this may mean that schools that are good and even outstanding may be finally recognised as such by parents in the area.

We shouldn't be surprised. This is another example of the entitlement attitude of private school culture - massive resources go to the 7% of the population going to private schools and basically the attitude to the rest of us in 93% is to just 'suck it up'. Getting rid of private schools altogether is never going to happen but why should they be allowed to keep charitable status when all benefit is to a tiny minority who then proceed to treat the rest of the population with an arrogant dismissiveness.

Everyone has different approaches and different things work or not for different people. As parents we make decisions that we think our best but we never know. Communication is key and being good role models for our kids is the most important thing.

I agree. We had ongoing mice problems for years living in ED - tried everything suggested above and since we adopted our lovely cat from battersea dog & cat home we are mice free. She caught a few in her first few weeks and now I think her very presence keeps them away. My partner was very against having a cat for years but is now a complete convert to being a cat owner.

Cool ap! Just downloaded it as go to cinema about once a week - really useful!

You're right - some schools completely collude in this game. Look at how Charter complete excluded children from the Champion Hill estate for years, children who more likely to be from deprived backgrounds in fabour of children from sharp elbowed middle class parents who can afford to purchase a place at a state school by being able to afford to buy or rent. It's pretty disgraceful all round and a sad state of affairs when schools & well off parents muscle out poorer children from good schools. It's also what drove schools in Brighton to go down the lottery route. It's what more schools in London will do I think frankly.

A couple of years ago I had to make the trip to Peterborough a week before we were due to fly to North America because of this. Apparently they DO often turn it around in a couple days so you might be lucky... in my case, having gone to Peterborough, been assured by the official that everything was ok and I had everything correctly..... a couple of days ago I got a call from a friend who had signed off on my son's photo (she is a barrister) and they had decided to do a random check on her as a verifer and needed her to send a fax or scan to them ASAP with her ID!!! It was ridiculous as she was in court and they hadn't even called me! If she hadn't been a friend, just my doctor for instance, I doubt she would have acted in haste! Anyway, she did this and I got the passport in the nick of time - the day before flying out.