Adam

From Alleyn's:

The incident that caused me to write to some parents over the weekend involved the robbery of two phones and an aggressive confrontation from a group of pupils at a nearby school. I do want to reassure you that our pupils are physically safe. This took place at a bus stop and involved a number of our pupils, in a large group, some of whom were able to return to school. We called 999 as a result. Following this incident, I have been in touch with the school and the police, who are undertaking a criminal investigation. I have been able to send film footage that I received, and the incident was reported independently in addition to our own call to the police.  I have maintained contact with the police after two similar incidents, although with no robbery or issues of physical contact, in the early days of this week. We have also maintained contact with senior leaders at the nearby school.

I also wanted to summarise some of the additional measures we are putting in place in response to this.

1. We have requested a greater presence of police at particular times of the day – just as I have done before when reports of attempted or actual robbery have regrettably occurred.
2. We have spoken to all the pupils in a whole-school assembly, in tutor time and in a year group assembly, passing on the advice from police that we pass on regularly to parents (at the end of this AP I shall reiterate that advice).
3. Because one particular pressure at this time is the re-routing of the TfL bus network, thanks to roadworks continuing on Lordship Lane, we have asked children not to congregate at the bus stop near the Tessa Jowell Health Centre on East Dulwich Grove although we understand, of course, that this is a route for many pupils to walk home or to find their (re-routed or usual) bus.
4. We have reminded them all to be mindful of their surroundings as they travel, and to know that we have staff here until later in the afternoon if they have any concerns.
5. We were already in the process of recruiting additional security staff to join our team, and X is also targeting trained staff who can take a role in having a presence in the streets near the site. Again, we recognise, of course, that some incidents occur far away from the School, but we hope that this additional staff presence will provide greater reassurance to our pupils as they travel.
6. We remain in close contact with other local schools and we will be reporting our concerns to our MP and working with the police and neighbourhood groups to raise community attention about these matters.
7. Our Schools Liaison Police Officer will be coming in to school to speak directly to our pupils in the coming days.

Alleyn's pupils have been told (in school assembly) to not walk via East Dulwich Grove because of the problem. It's a very sad situation when kids can't take the bus home because they are being targeted by other kids.

Don't assume that kids are being obvious with their phones. They know about the risks yet are still being targeted. I agree it's for the schools and police (and parents) to do something about it, but it's also useful for people to know what's going on. With my original post I was hoping to better understand the situation and if anyone knew of any action being taken.

I'm told pupils from Alleyn's School were mugged by some Charter School pupils on Friday on East Dulwich Grove at the bus stop. Does anyone know any details of what happened and if Charter School is doing anything about it?

@EDResident2018 - how are you liking the ID.4? How long does it take to charge on a lamppost? Is it a lot cheaper than petrol?

Thanks everyone for the replies so far! Very useful info!

We hired a Tesla for the day and loved it! I didn't try charging it but I took the cable out and saw that it wouldn't stretch to my house across the pavement from the road, so I am interested to know whether it is possible to get longer cables or extensions, but without having to go down to the slow charging of the 3-pin household plug.

@Stuka - the gulley solution in Oxford sound very interesting! Anyone from the council know if this could be trialled in ED?

We are thinking of getting a fully electric car, but we don't have off-street parking so I am keen to learn more about the realties of charging in the area! We're on Friern Road.

What are the different local charging options, and how easy is it to use them? Do you have to sign up with lots of services? Do you have to book? How much do they cost? What charging speeds do they offer?

I have just read the app store reviews (1 star average!) for Source London who have the chargers on Townley Road and there is a lot of unhappiness with the service. People are also saying the cost (70p/kwh I think) is a total rip off.

How about the lamppost chargers? Are they far too slow?

Trying to work out whether getting an EV without off street parking is going to be too much hassle.

What is the council doing to make EVs more feasible?

All tips and insights welcome! Thank you!

Thank you all very much for your responses. Much appreciated!

Hi all

My parents are looking for a good solicitor to advise on obtaining the ?right to manage? from their freeholder. Situation is particularly difficult with freeholder being MYN (awful to deal with). Others may have useful experiences to share. This is a big ongoing stress for my parents and the other leaseholders.

Grateful for any help or advice.

Many thanks!

Anyone know of any good clubs or activities for older Primary running over the summer? Sports, music, art, writing, etc...

Thanks for the replies guys. I am curious to know who?s behind it. The guy on this occasion seemed a decent fella, which is why I bought something. Horrible to read about the other cases where the guys were abusive or threatening.

Just had a guy come round selling household products in Friern Road at high prices out of his hold-all. Said he was on a rehab scheme where he gets accommodation paid for but said he couldn't discount his prices. He said the organisation was called Helping Hands. Felt bad for him and bought something for a tenner. I bought something from one of these guys some years back and other times I have told them I'm not interested. But looking online many think this is a scam. Some people even think the guys could be burglars casing properties. There are organisations called "Helping Hands" online but none that seem to involve criminal rehab or this type of selling. Anyone know for sure? I called 101 (as advised on another online thread) but the woman I spoke to was no help.

Hopster is the app that makes screen time smart. Our content helps develop kids? literacy, numeracy and encourages their curiosity. Your little one?s learning is at the heart of everything we do.

We?re looking for parents of 2-6-year-olds to help us test some new features in the Hopster app.

Testing will take place at our London office, 54 Commercial Street E1 6LT, between 3-14 June 2019.

The session will last 45 minutes. You will be reimbursed for travel expenses (within London) and will receive a ?40 Amazon voucher.

If you are interested in taking part, please DM me.

Many thanks,

Adam

Just wanted to recommend a lovely family place in northern Brittany which we have been to the last couple of years: lerhun.com run by 3 generations of the same family who run crepe evenings, know the local area well etc.

It's a converted cider farm with 5 or 6 converted farm buildings, shared pool, woods and outdoor play area like pirate ship. Great value and in a really peaceful part of Brittany with beautiful and empty beaches.

Hi Loungers (is this the right place for this kind of question?!)

Can anyone recommend someone who can supply good quality bi-fold doors/panels to divide a room in two?

The quote I have had from one firm is ?4600, which seems a tad high...

Thanks

Adam

We used a very nice man:

Richard Atkinson Associates

Chartered Surveyors

56 Appledore Crescent | Sidcup | DA14 6RQ

T: 020 3260 2021 | M: 07912 108080

W: www.RichardAtkinsonAssociates.com

Hard to say what the cost would be as each situation is different. I would guess maybe ?1000.

About 6. Which shop is that? Is it Alltype?

Thanks guys. Anyone know if trade places offer discounts? I saw that the timber yard near ED station sells Velux. Supplier recommendations appreciated...

Can anyone tell me... Do I need to shop around to get a good price for Velux rooflights, or are they a standard price?

Also, is it cheaper if I get my builder to buy them at trade price?

Finally - any recommendations for suppliers?

Cheers

Adam

Blast from the past but our 5 year old has really been enjoying Enid blyton. Started with mr pink whistle and The Faraway Tree when she was 4 or so and after she enjoyed those we moved onto adventures of the wishing chair and naughty Amelia Jane. She finds them real page turners! Only downside is the bizarro 1940s language she has picked up!

More recently we have enjoyed various Roald dahls (starting with George's Marvellous Medicine and also listening to some great Recordings), Titchy witch (short enough text for them to read themselves) and Worst Witch ( more for slightly older kids - nearer 6 maybe). We've been given Pippi Lngstocking and Ottoline but I don't think she is ready for them yet. It'll be fun when she is though!

Will enjoy checking out those websites - thanks everyone for the links

We have a child who started at Alleyns last year in Reception. We are in ED (not clapham, battersea etc) and a number of the other kids also live nearby. We are very happy with the early years provision which includes plenty of running around time, woodland school outdoors and other fun.

I second the comments above - you cannot tutor (and would not want to). It helps though that your child is used to sitting and listening to a story, holding a conversation, following instructions, mark making etc - all things they would be doing in a decent nursery. Being active is also important as apparently gross motor skills help with learning, and so may form part of the assessment.

Different schools have different styles. Alleyns seem to focus more on communication skills in assessing at the earliest stages whereas some other schools seem to be looking at writing etc. - which seemed wrong to us aged 4.

If thinking about nurseries/ pre prep you could ask Alleyns (or whichever other schools you look at) where they take kids from at age 7, 9 or 11 - at that age it probably makes more of a difference. I think Herne Hill school sends a lot to Alleyns and the other foundation schools at age 7.

I hope your child will be very happy wherever they go - I am sure they will be given the thought you are already putting into this.

Can anyone recommend a good value/quality place to buy wheels (not just tyres) for an Audi A4?

Thanks!

We have a buggy board attached to our Maclaren which our toddler loves. It was meant for his 5 yr old sister while he went in the buggy but they usually end up the other way round!

Interested that you're not considering Herne Hill? Which we love and seems to get pretty general praise on the Forum.

They also have a good record (better than Oakfield I think?) of helping children into their first choice schools when they move on after Year 2.

We use Abbeville, for the same reasons as Claire29. Expensive (especially if you change your kind about nanny - I understand it is quite difficult getting the upfront fee back) but we are very happy with the nanny they found for us, on very short notice

@stephen509 - that was my thought, but there's nothing here I want

@KidKruger - I asked for one, but he persuaded me that he didn't work that way!

@Chillaxed - yes

@DJKillaQueen - wise words

@right-clicking - nice idea

@MrBen - yes, I liked him too. Spoken to him on a few occasions before giving him the stuff. I do occasionally use eBay, but it seemed like too much hassle for these items.

@Annette - Yes, he's a very mellow, friendly guy (even when he's telling you he won't pay you!) And yes, the stuff was definitely worth at least ?60 - it was all good quality.

@Gidget - I'd rather not do that

I'm going to keep asking him for my cash (or stuff back) whenever I go past. One day he may pay. Just thought others should know in case you are entering into a similar "deal" with him.