Soylent Green

We are looking to update our house alarm and would like to hear which companies people have used and whether they would recommend. Yes, I know this is a lazy approach rather than getting lots of quotes, but if someone else has already done the donkey work and wishes to share...

We had ours built by a local craftsman - and it proved to be very competitively priced because his prices for the better cupboard carousels and other interiors were lower than Howdens. The advantage of getting a custom built kitchen is that the build can be flexible to your needs as you do not have to stick to the custom cabinet sizes. He was great at coming up with suggestions and we are delighted with the result. Please PM me if you would like his number.

Since the introduction of the DKH CPZ parking has become a real issue at the Grove Vale end of Oglander and Copleston. Whilst I would have preferred no CPZ anywhere in the area, once it starts the problems increase as adjacent roads fill up with displaced commuters (and people who rarely use their cars and so are happy to park them several streets away in non-CPZ spaces). I find parking near my home very stressful as I often have to drive around the block a couple of times to find somewhere, and I fear that if the Lordship Lane CPZ comes in, the West Peckham area will become even less tolerable. What is more, if the closest streets to you are in a CPZ which you are not part of, you are really stuck, which I fear will happen here. Unlike some who say the parking issue is evenings, our street empties out between 6pm and 7pm and is full of spaces at the weekend, so this is a commuter problem. And I don't mind helping out a cash-strapped council which has been unable to increase council tax to fund essential services gaining a few extra pounds in the coffers through CPZs.

Thanks, I am looking for slightly more than a basic will. I need someone who can advise on inheritance tax.

Looking to write our wills and would like to hear of any recommendations of local solicitors who specialise in estate planning and wills. Would also like to hear of anyone offering first session free! TIA.

Reluctantly, I have to consent to this CPZ. Since the DKH CPZ was introduced, this area has become so congested with displaced vehicles. The opening of the new Charter ED school will mean more cars parked around here during the day (teachers and other school staff who commute by car). We need to force the question, how much do I need this car/car journey? and encourage people to use alternative forms of transport. I know the low emissions zone will do this, but CPZs can help stagger this impact. Moreover the 75% discount on hybrids' permits, will quicken the conversion to low emission vehicles in the area. Finally, I know most of the income from CPZs will be spent managing them, but this will create jobs which is a good thing, and any residual income can be used in other cash strapped areas of council expenditure, which are suffering from never ending Tory cuts.

midivydale Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thank you so so much so much valuable information. > Thank you everyone! I have been wondering about > dyspraxia but it does seem pretty specific. For > example he has no issues with coordination what so > ever. Excels in karate, boxing, dance, football > etc so it is literally small handmovements that he > struggles with. Soylent Green, thank you! So much > for your information and reassurance. Very > helpful. Do you think as a teacher that he is > still able to catch up? Ie could it correct > itself? Pls if you can find out what the app is > called kindly let me know. I?m not from the uk so > unsure about the standards and targets. In y1 he > was exceeding and at expectations for everything > apart from his writing he was below +. According > to his teacher he has zero chance of passing ks1 > sats for writing in May which made me very > concerned. If he does fail (fail, the boy is 6 > 😰), then what happens? That is wonderful news. With your comment that his coordination is good in other ways, it might just be a matter of hyper-mobility which is holding him back. The OTs will advise on this and possibly give you some finger/hand exercises for him to do. Of course he is able to catch up! And don't fret about the SATS - that is what his teacher is doing, hence the crazy claims. Keep him happy, keep him enjoying school, keep his self-esteem intact and it will quite likely all fall into place.

Hi there, I am a local teacher and tutor. With your reference to clumsiness, my first thought is also dyspraxia. If you have had no joy from the SENCO, you might want to share your concerns with your GP and see if a referral can be made that way. Unfortunately with schools' budgets being slashed and changes to the SEN funding, receiving a diagnosis (and subsequent support) has become a prerogative of only those who are seriously behind, and it seems your son is meeting expected standards. As regards the pencil control, I would suggest that you continue to focus on the fine motor skills, see if you can find something that he likes (or at least tolerates!) which involves fine motor skills, especially if it involves using a pen. Things like dot to dot, maze patterns or simple colouring using a book or sheets with a character he likes. Perhaps use some blackboard paint and create him a graffiti/street art chalk board. Praise his every attempt. Ask his teacher to give him highlighted lines to write on. (This is a common strategy to help children whose writing is inconsistent in size and formation). I would not waste money on a handwriting tutor, but if he needs some letter formation support that is an ipad app called Fuzzy something, which he might enjoy. The chances are his penmanship will improve with more practice (his school are certainly right on this) and that practice is better if it comes from something he enjoys doing rather than sees as a chore. He is still very young, so please do not worry too much, instead focus on building his confidence in order to lessen the frustration.

I noted the comment from the Copleston resident. We are adjacent and are finding the same. It is not just commuters cars which are packing our streets, but people from the CPZ are who do not want to buy a permit and do not use their cars very often! Why doesn't the council see that a CPZ has to cover a full district, not just a couple of streets?

LauraHW Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Henry definitely. Much better than previous Dyson. > Plus James Dyson is a complete tw*t so wouldn't > want any more money to go his way! Love it Laura! I used to like my Dyson, but wouldn't buy one again because of Mr D.'s view on Brexit and the working hours directive.

I have two children at Kingsdale and both are very happy there. My son is quiet and a boy whose friends are all girls. he has thrived at Kingsdale and I think there is a positive in having a school that is big enough to get lost in - or to be able to keep yourself separate from those who see the world differently to you. My daughter has ADHD, anxiety and cerebal palsy and I was more concerned about the school for her, but she is doing fine and her heads of year have been amazing and extremely supportive. I have no experience of CED, as the school was not an option for us but we did turn down a place at Charter North, as we had heard of friendship issues and students forming cliques. No idea if this is still the case and it probably does not apply to the other school.

It could be that the school is strong on a subject that your child wishes to pursue - eg a sport, drama, art or because it does the international baccalauriat.

I have just been helping someone with a similar conundrum for a year 8 secondary place and have found that until you have a fixed address with supporting documentation (council tax bill etc) Southwark admissions will not find you a school place. They also do not deal with new applications over the long summer holidays. Apply in advance and as soon as you arrive and have your documentation, start chasing your application up. Once the schools have been contacted you can start to call them directly, but applications have to go through the council. Fortunately, there is not the pressure on primary places that there was a few years ago, so you will get a place which you can accept (even if not ideal) whilst you wait for a place to become available at one of your preferred choices.

We have recently done our loft and are in the process of doing a kitchen extension. We used an architect for the drawings and planning permission only. Everything else handled by a most amazing builder and a structural engineer. The builder also handled everything with Southwark Building Control. If you want our builder's details, please pm me.

Deptford Green

Ask your GP for a liver function test if you have also been feeling unusually fatigued. My liver problems started with itching and tiredness which I attributed to age and eczema, however they are also symptomatic of early liver disease. I now have borderline cirrhosis, so I wished I had known the cause of my itching sooner and asked for a test.

The first work experience placement is primarily to do with experience what it is like to have a job: dress code, part of a team with adults/strangers, travelling to and from place of work, following instructions, general public etc.. It is the second work experience placement in sixth form where they benefit from being somewhere relevant to what they wish to do in life, so do not worry about where. Lots of students go back to their old primary school for the first placement. My son went and helped out at Southwark Food Bank. If he likes animals, why not try Battersea Dogs Home with experience in the office as well as with the animals?

Our house has suffered with cracks from the moment we bought it. We are insured with RSA through a broker called Lansdown Insurance in Cheltenham, and had to have a full drains survey to prove seasonal movement. Hope this helps.

There are two easy to use schemes which might help you; Toe by Toe (so called because it progresses in small steps, and Stareway to Spelling (so called because it is about remembering the 'picture' the word makes rather than being phonics based). Both books cost around ?15 each and can be bought from the British Dyslexia Assoc. Toe by Toe is about mastering reading and the other is self-explanatory! They are designed to be used little and often; 10 minutes a day or 15 minutes every other day is enough. You do not need an expensive tutor as the scheme is designed to be done by parents or TAs, and short, frequent sessions are probably more helpful for 'sticking' new learning, than an intensive hour a week.

Trying to decide what type of cooker to put in our new kitchen; a 90cm wide range cooker with 5 or 6 rings, two ovens and a grill/3rd oven, or a 60cm cooker with 4 hobs and one main oven and one grill/second oven. If you have a range cooker, how much do you use the extra oven/rings? I like the idea of the range style, but just wondering how much I would use the extra cooking space. I am mainly cooking for a family of four, with occasional entertaining.

She needs something or someone to motivate her to want to learn and speak in French. Visiting grand=parents or cousins is a great idea as she would be immersed in the language and need to use it to communicate. The key is for her to be in a non-bilingual environment. I imagine the Saturday school is doing more harm than good as she probably feels that everyone can do it apart from her. Even a holiday where she has a chance to play with French children who do not speak English would help. I started learning French as a child because I wanted to be part of the gang of French kids on the camp-site, so I joined them and learnt like EAL children do here. Alternatively, you could wait until she starts to learn at secondary school (if she is not learning French at her primary school). In this environment she will learn quickly as she has been exposed to the language all her life and will benefit from being the 'one who can do it'. You also mention that you are not around to speak to her in French much during the week, so how about a French speaking au-pair to provide your child-care?

Local primary school teacher here thinking about starting a new kind of tutoring service. The concept is a weekly block of daily tutor sessions, in the morning or afternoon, to help boost a child's confidence in either maths, reading, phonics or writing. I have taken the idea from the popular intensive swimming lessons that have proved so successful in helping children improve their swimming ability. Do you think this is a good idea? Would it be of interest to you? I would love your feedback. It seems to me most tutoring is weekly and usually after a child has done a full day's school when they are often already exhausted. This concept will designed to boost children's confidence in whichever subject or area they find tricky so they can return to school upbeat and motivated.