ClaireClaire

Hi, just thought I would post the conclusion to our story for anyone who is interested re. this or next year. We were originally (4 April) offered Goodrich, our 2nd choice. We started off at 1st place on the waiting list for Heber, moved down to third, and in the last few days have been offered and accepted a place there (thereby freeing up a place at Goodrich). I hope others also get their desired school place before September.... Claire

Oh dear. It is very depressing to have to be going over this basic stuff in the year 2011 in a supposedly modern and progressive country. It reminds me of discussions I used to overhear 20 years ago when people used to discuss in very heated terms whether women should be allowed to have jobs, or whether they belonged in the kitchens.

Hi, I assume you are just being provocative now for a laugh... right?

Maybe this will help http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/03/15/faq-what?s-wrong-with-suggesting-that-women-take-precautions-to-prevent-being-raped/

Hello all The Royal Society is looking for young people aged up to 14 to judge the winner of the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize. http://royalsociety.org/sciencebooks/young-people/judges/ The idea is for young people from local schools or communities around the UK to get together and form mini judging panels, led by an adult who can help them co-ordinate the process. The group would have to read the six books shortlisted for the prize and then submit its choice to the Royal Society. The results from all the groups around the UK will be collated by the RS to determine the winner. This sounds like such a fun little project! I am trying to get a group of around 6 young people together to take part. I have 2 people signed up so far, so there's space for 4 more. The Royal Society is a fabulous institution to be associated with. It was founded in 1660 and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. All young people who take part in the project will receive a certificate from the Royal Society and of course we'll get to read and discuss six great books about science along the way! I anticipate that we'll meet 3 or 4 times between now and the end of October, when the judging panels' recommendations have to be sent in. I will try to get a meeting space at Dulwich Library for this. I am local ED resident, I have two kids aged 4 and 2 and I work part-time as a tutor for GCSE Maths and Science for a local authority. I have an ScB in Physics with Neuroscience from an ivy league college in the USA. Participation in this project is absolutely FREE and books will be provided. If your child might like to be involved, please do get in touch.... and soon! Groups need to declare themselves to the Royal Society by next Wednesday 1 June. Thanks, Claire PS: Admin, hope I am in the right section here.

Hello, I would like to just step in quickly and defend Pocket, because I am in a similar situation to her and I have to admit that I agree with her point of view. I also think she expressed it quite gently and diplomatically, and I don't understand why there has been such a negative backlash against her comment. Ruth did ask for insight, and she was offered an opinion that was different from her own. With all respect and goodwill (truly not meaning to stir things up here), if you really only want certain kinds of comments or feedback, maybe you would have been better off asking this question to a personal group of friends, rather than an open public forum? Claire

Sorry to add evidence that you probably don't want to hear... but I also tried everything. Eventually I went in to St Thomas's for an induction at 42+1. After it had gotten started with pessaries etc, I went out walking for 3 hours all around the embankments, going up and down every set of stairs I could find, on a last-ditch effort to get things moving. My husband still talks about how far we walked that day and how sore his legs were. But I have no recollection of fatigue, only desperation. Like someone else said above, I too was like a woman possessed. Unfortunately it was to no avail and it all ended in an emergency cs the following day. I had a similar situation with my second child, and my conclusion is the same as others' above, which is that babies come when they're ready! I hope this doesn't seem negative, and I do wish you the very best and that you go into labour naturally. In an ideal world, we would all be tranquil and serene and ready to deal with whatever unpredictable circumstances arise, but I know only too well how agonising it is to sit there waiting as the days tick by. I will have my fingers crossed for you for a peaceful birth and healthy baby. xx

If you see suspicious activity, call the ED Safer Neighbourhoods Team. They come in plain clothes with no flashing sirens. I also saw suspicious activity on my street several months ago. The details don't matter -- my instinct told me that the loitering people were up to no good. However, I told myself to mind my own business and I tried to ignore it. Lo and behold, that afternoon, my neighbour was burgled. When the police came later to take a statement from me, they encouraged me to call the police even for situations exactly like this, where you suspect something dodgy but feel a little awkward about calling 999. East Dulwich Safer Neighbourhoods Team [email protected] 0208 721 2447

Hello! This looks like a fun project http://royalsociety.org/news/Inspire-young-people-to-read-about-the-exciting-world-of-science/ The Royal Society annually awards a "Young People's Book Prize", and they are looking for groups of young people aged up to 14 to form their own judging panels and submit their recommendations to the RS for the winner. The idea is to get a group of young people together (aged up to 14) who will have to read 6 books on the shortlist, supervised/co-ordinated by an adult, and then submit their recommendation by the deadline. Anyone interested? I'd be happy to be the co-ordinating adult. (My kids are only 4 and 2, so too young to be involved in this one, unfortunately!) Claire

Hello I stumbled on this v useful thread and thought I would add a few more suggestions... For kids who like fantasy, don't forget: Ursula le Guin - Wizard of Earthsea Alan Garner - The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Owl Service, Elidor, etc Jonathan Stroud - Bartimaeus trilogy Diana Wynne Jones - already mentioned, and she has lots of others which are much better than Howl's moving castle, e.g. The Ogre Downstairs, the Magicians of Caprona etc And for animal lovers you just have to have: Gerald Durrell - My Family and Other Animals, A Zoo in my Luggage, etc James Herriot - lots And for the lovely sentimental stories that you secretly go back and re-read as a grown up: Paul Gallico - The Snow Goose, Jennie, The Small Miracle, Flowers for Mrs Harris, etc Meindert de Jong - The Wheel on the School, The House of 60 Fathers E Nesbitt - The Phoenix and the Carpet, Five Children and It, etc And for older children ready for more mature books don't forget Ian Serraillier - The Silver Sword Robert Westall - The Machine Gunners Makes me so nostalgic thinking about all these! I envy my kids, having all of this ahead of them. Looking forward to the reading years!

Hello all, just wondering if anyone has any updates on primary school admissions? We are very lucky to have an offer from Goodrich, which we are of course very pleased about. However it was our 2nd choice school, and I am wondering how long to hold out for our 1st choice, which is Heber. We were initially at number 1 on the waiting list for Heber. However when I checked about 2 weeks ago, I was told we had moved down a space and are currently number 2 on waiting list. Are there any key dates I should be watching out for, when waiting list positions might change? Goodrich has just sent us our enrollment and settling-in information, and I am wondering how long it is sensible to keep holding out for Heber. (I know we are in a fortunate position and I hope this doesn't seem insensitive to parents who are unhappy with their school allocation. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome for everyone before September.) Thanks Claire

Well done Sciencetastic! We will definitely try to fit this in. It'll be on a Saturday, I'm assuming? When will you be starting? Claire

We have flown to NZ and Asia a couple of times with kids, though not as young as that. From one point of view, 6-8 weeks is actually a great time to travel, especially if you are breastfeeding, as the baby will just nurse and sleep. However, if you have had a c-section and are having a difficult recovery, you might find the long flight hard on you, never mind the baby! I think it depends in part what your own fitness is like before the birth. If you are generally fit beforehand, you should be pretty much back to normal physically by 6 weeks. I wouldn't worry too much about baby's routine at 6-8 weeks, their routines are constantly changing throughout the first year due to teething, illnesses and growth spurts etc, so you kind of just have to take it as it comes. We prefer to fly straight through without stopping over. It just adds so much time on, getting out of the airport, getting taxis/trains or whatever to your hotel, then finding something that your children will eat for the day you are there, then getting back to the airport again for another 3 hour check in, etc etc. About a 3 hour layover en route is best, IMO, if you can find it! Good luck! Claire

I should also have said that if anyone might be interested in an Italian au pair for the summer, please PM me and I can send you the link to my friend's profile page on the Au Pair world website. She is only looking to work for the summer, though, as she is back at university in September. Thanks again for the helpful responses. Claire

Oh dear! Well thank you very much people for these responses, everyone. I shall pass them along to my friend. Much appreciated Claire

Maybe it is a cultural thing. I never got "The office", I am ashamed to say.

Hello Came across this thread which is a few months old, but thought I would add a little note here to say that I had CP during my 2nd pregnancy at 26w. It was something I was concerned about all the way through, as I was sure I hadn't had it myself as a child, and of course all the kids at nurseries and playgroups around me were coming down with it. I spoke to GPs, midwives and nurses and of course no-one took me seriously. Everyone tried to tell me that "I must have had it", because 96% of the adult population has had it or whatever. The most I could do was vaccinate my older child, in the hope that if she didn't get CP, then I wouldn't get it either. But no such luck, I still came down with it at 26w. Luckily baby turned out unscathed (and possibly with some CP immunity???). But I will say that it is much more unpleasant as an adult, and unfortunately two years later I still have scars :-( My message is: don't let it happen to you! Check your immunity and if necessary get the vaccine (go to MediCentre at Victoria or Waterloo) BEFORE you get pregnant. Claire

Hello forumites I have a friend-of-a-friend in Italy who is coming over to London for the summer to work as an au pair. She has had an offer from a family who seem nice, and is wondering about the pay that they have offered her. They have 2 children, aged 8 and 9 years old. She is told she will have to work 5 hours max per day. They are offering ?100 cash each week, as well as ?1000 salary per month. They live in London just outside the north circular. Am I right in thinking this is above average? Any advice appreciated! Many thanks Claire

I'm also fundamentally anti-royal but I'm also encouraging my kids to watch it. I think it is just one of those events that there will be a globally shared memory of - the others have mostly been sad events such as twin towers, Diana's funeral, etc. You have to make the most of a happy event, I think, whenever it happens! I grew up very far away from here, but even I remember, as a small child, seeing Diana going to her wedding 30 years ago... I think will be nice for my children to be able to look back on this wedding and say, "I was in England when that happened!"

Thanks for these replies. We have family coming from NZ who want to be here for 1st day of school, don't want them to be disappointed! thanks

Hello all, I'm trying to work out what day my lo will be starting school in September this year. Southwark council's published date for the first day of term is 5th September 2011. But I was wondering, will all reception children start on this day, or do schools sort of stagger the intake over a few weeks or something like that? (I may be imagining it but I feel like I've heard of this happening somewhere.) We have a place at Goodrich and are on the waiting list for Heber. Many thanks Claire

I haven't read all the posts in this thread so this may already have been mentioned. IMO the parents who are most likely to hit their children in public tend to be people with low levels of education, and they may not have the resources to (a) learn better parenting techniques and (b) obtain support for themselves when in difficult situations. Some of these people may be in inadequate housing, have insufficient funds to live on, have adult abusive relationships in the home environment already etc. Learning appropriate parenting techniques is simply not a priority for them. Of course I do not condone their behaviour, I have also witnessed similar situations and also find it very distressing and have not known what to do. Having reflected on it (because of this thread, thank you OP-er), now I think I would try to treat both the parent and the child with some empathy and compassion, and recognise that the reason this is happening is due to poor education and lack of resources on the parent's part. Having said that, calling the police I think IS the right thing to do, mainly as a route to the family being linked up with social services, who can put some support systems in place as well as monitor the child's welfare. (Telling the parent off isn't going to change their behaviour - much more sustained support and guidance is needed, which you as a passer-by simply cannot provide.) It is of course a judgement call that you have to make on the spur of the moment. IMO it is better to err on the side of caution and call the police, even if you feel slightly uncomfortable about it. The police and social services are very busy, and if the case is deemed to be low-risk, then it will probably be closed quickly and end of story. On the other hand, it could turn out to have been an important intervention in the life of some unfortunate little kid. Claire

Hello, anyone know if this is open today? My daughter lost a shoe yesterday so we have to hotfoot it to the shoe shop! Have tried phoning but no answer. Claire

http://www.artasticartclub.co.uk/index.html Annabelle runs sessions on a Saturday and also during the school holidays. Lots of arts and craft equipment, and a large open room, perfect for messy activities with paint, glitter, etc etc.

Hello I've actually got the answer to this now from the school admissions email address, in case anyone is interested: 317 metres is the last offered on distance on 4 April at Heber School Claire