Sanne Panne

Good one from the Huffpost. Of course these are just first world problems and not worth genuinely stressing about but it's surprisingly addictive to analyse all the variables when it comes to school allocation ;)

Hi Goocha, I don't know if they went to open places. Not even sure if your current position was determined before or after these 5 offerings were made, I would imagine it was before. I do think there may be more movement in the open places waiting list than in the faith applicants' waiting list (if there is one) as I would assume that parents who go through the effort of applying on a faith basis (with letter from vicar etc) are pretty motivated to get into the school in question i.e. less likely to decline a place if they get one. I can imagine more of the community places being of a more tentative "hey you never know" basis with parents not so keen to change schools after the school year has started.

And it's not like parents with a DVI place are typically on the waiting list for other state primary schools hoping to get into that other school... maybe one or two that feel that living 600 meters away is a bit much and/or don't like the idea of DVI having a faith element to it. This could apply to those living between Rosendale and DVI as Rosendale is very popular too. Just a thought.

We're quite a bit higher up than you are but we're not counting on getting in. They told me on the phone this morning that they just sent out 5 "late" offerings based on the only 5 "decline" messages they received. Most if not all private school offerings for the coming school year have been made already so most parents who had their kids down for DVI and are sending them private will have declined by now (i.e. before we were told where we are on the waiting list). This means the only real movement in the list is probably of people moving out of the area... and as people move out, others may move in. I would guess only the top 10 in the current "community" waiting list have any chance, maybe even just the top 5 (Renata is that even realistic, with 5 "late" offerings just having been made? Or is any parent with experience willing to share?). Thinking about it, if the top 10 on the community waiting list all get in this would mean that almost a quarter or all current community places that have already been accepted by the parents would drop out. Not likely. But not based on personal experience...

I'll go first... Before buying anything for your first baby, ask a parent of two or more children which items they would use if they had another baby. You will see that pretty highchairs that don't turn into toddler seats are not on their list. Either get a cheap Ikea one or go straight for the Tripp Trapp. To name an example. For items some parents swear by and some never use, consider borrowing one off the forum first. Swings are a good example. Neither of my kids cared the slightest bit.

Anyone care to share some good money saving tips? I'm mainly looking for savings in the area of family expenses (big and small) but anything goes. Or links to websites that you've been using. I really need to start being more careful with what I spend. :)

My nearly 21 month old still has a bottle before her nap and one before bedtime. Pure habit that we haven't made the effort to break yet. At naptime she holds it herself in the buggy. If we're out walking she falls asleep without her milk. At bedtime we sit in her room, she holds the bottle while on my lap. I love the intimacy of it. She sleeps/eats/develops fine so we'll keep doing it until we think RIGHT and now you're too big for this :) She gets Yeo Valley skimmed milk as that's what the rest of us drink. Our eldest moved on to straw cups at 12 months. Different kids, different preferences...

Thank you

So again, just to be absolutely certain... accepting a school you're pretty happy with definitely doesn't take you off the waiting list of that one school higher on your list that you still have a faint chance to get into during the "shakeout"?

What worked for us is to stick to the same bedtime but not expect that the little one goes straight to sleep (and communicate that to her). E.g. leave a little light on and say it's fine to look at books and play with toys a bit longer and get into bed when tired but stay in the room and not make lots of noise... (and be firm about her staying in the room). When they're this small they may sometimes fall asleep on the floor so it's a good idea to check after a couple of hours ;) Of course, limiting nap time a bit and using black out blinds could help too although the benefit of the blinds was mostly to keep the kids from waking too early in the morning as we leave a light on at bedtime anyway. Good luck, every child and every situation is unique.

That's very useful feedback too, loveED86, thanks for sharing. Would you classify your experience as related to teachers not doing enough about kids' misbehaviour (like the other parent you talked to) or was your daughter's incident unrelated? I'm sorry you had to go through something bad enough to make you change schools. Feel free to pm me if you prefer. Thanks.

(deleted, sorry misunderstood a message)

Absentminded, I'm so impressed by your husband's story, that must have been truly life changing. I had my surgery done on Saturday, the procedure is a bit freaky but hey what's 15 minutes out of your life? My eyes stung for a few hours after surgery but I've been fine since. On day 3 I was down from -8 or -8.5 to 20/20 vision (which is sharper than driving standard but not as sharp as before the surgery with lenses in) and it's expected to improve further over the next few weeks. Curious to find out how sharp my vision will be in a month's time. The aftercare is doable, lots of eyedrops throughout the day (at scheduled intervals), you need to avoid getting water in your eyes in the shower and you have to put shields on your eyes at night to prevent accidental rubbing. But the soreness is mostly gone and I can see. Crazy!

I love swimming and long hot showers and the occasional bath but the idea of giving birth or even just labouring in a pool never appealed to me at all. My first was an unplanned homebirth so a pool wasn't an option to start with - but with the second I didn't even consider it. My labours were both very fast though so I didn't have any stretches during which I needed (or had time for) a change of "scenery". Really a matter of personal taste so if you think there is any chance that you may like having a pool available try to get your hands on one just in case you do get the opportunity to use it!

Thanks for the great feedback all. I did the tour today and really liked the classrooms and the outdoor space. All very bright and cheerful and I liked how the kids were learning and playing. So far so good ;) Totally up for organising some playdates later on. Sanne

I've been quoted much higher prices recently... had hoped ?55-?60 a day would still do :(

We got Bessemer Grange, wasn't our first choice but I'm quite happy with it based on the location, the looks (umm.. from outside the school gates), the Ofsted rating and the little bit of feedback I could find on this forum. I'd love to get some more input though, either from parents with children already at the school or those who did visit the school already (I'm going tomorrow morning) and have a bit of a feel for it already. Positive or negative stories, everything is welcome, I'm not a stick my head in the sand kind of person ;) Am happy with anything you're willing to share, private messages are obviously very welcome but if you're happy to share your thoughts with the wider community it would be great if you could reply to this thread. Thanks!

Pickle Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > jennifaah Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > we've got to endure the primary applications > > process next year and I'd be interested to know > if > > anyone actually got into heber this year on a > non > > sibling place?! > > > > thanks > > I know of quite a few that got non-sibling offers > there today Do they live 5 meters from the school gates? ;)

Kaska make sure you stay on top of those waiting lists, or appeal straight away, this is a clear case of an unfair outcome.

Kaska Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > None of my choices,a school 3 miles away in Herne > Hill...sob Oh no!! 3 miles is a lot! Which school did you get? St Judes, St Saviour? Not aware of any other schools that are technically in Herne Hill??

Go straight to the website https://www.eadmissions.org.uk/eAdmissions/app?page=UserHome&service=page Scroll to the bottom portlet

pandb Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Didn't get 1st choice either and only live 100 > metres away... WOW! Can I ask what your first choice was, i.e. which school is going to leave many, many people disappointed? I can only imagine that would be a non-sibling community place at DVI...

Got my results (not the email yet). Did not get first choice but it may work out pretty well... must visit the school soon though. Never been!

Since when do libraries have book sections?

BrandNewGuy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sanne Panne Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > People with umbrellas. > > Umbrellas. > > Especially golf umbrellas... Are you playing golf > (which in itself causes me irrational rage)? Oh > no, that's right - you're going to the bloody > office, among busy rush-hour crowds, making sure > no-one can walk within three feet of you without > being spiked. If you're going to use an umbrella, > get an ordinary small one, you selfish eejit. All umbrellas should be small and transparent. I don't understand why we don't wear hooded raincoats more often. I do. Two hands free and in nobody's way. And that comes from a woman with long hair so no excuses, ladies.