BellendenBear

My daughter in Y8 also got G+T. As Hoonaloona said, they seem to get the same opportunities as those with scholarships, the only difference is that G+T doesn?t increase your chance of getting a place at the school. There are loads of sports clubs at lunchtime, after school and sometimes during lesson time, above the usual PE lessons, which are open to all kids. Those with scholarships/ G+T have an additional session each week where they rotate different sports. Last year this was after school, this year it?s at lunchtime. They also have occasional guest speakers. I don?t think there?s a requirement to play for a team if they can?t or don?t want to. My daughter does about 13 hours of sport outside of school and still benefits from school opportunities (and mostly gets her homework done!). Feel free to PM if you have more questions.

rkj Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Good tip. I may swap to TJ. Had to make 2 written > formal complaints to DMC. Formal complaints get > recorded/declared so I now have a template letter > 😳 let?s not forget, these surgeries are > for profit?they claim a missed appoint fee if you > don?t get to your telephone when they call you. > They called me 30 mins before my appointment. I > was on a call. They say call can be up to an hour > before or after the given time. Hour after I > understand?.not before 🤷 GP surgeries can?t claim a missed appointment fee.

This isn?t a new thing and it isn?t specific to vaccines. Young people can access health care without their parents knowledge and against their wishes providing they are deemed competent to make that https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-protection-system/gillick-competence-fraser-guidelines

My daughter (year 8) cycles too. On days when she had too much to carry she gets the train from Peckham Rye to Gipsy Hill.

I would also recommend the vet on Highshore Road. She saw one of our guinea pigs at short notice a few weeks ago after an accident. She gave good advice and he recovered slowly over the next few weeks exactly as she described.

Do you think that ED parents drive their kids to Kingsdale? I don?t think that?s the case. My 12 year old daughter goes there and all her friends cycle or use public transport. Her primary school friends ended up at 6 or 7 different secondary schools and the ones at state schools all walk, cycle or use public transport. The LTNs, while not being perfect, make it safer for many kids to cycle to lots of schools. I have been walking and cycling through Greendale to drop kids at primary school for the past 8 years and the number of secondary school kids and families with primary school kids cycling to school has increased massively since the LTNs on Champion Hill and in Dulwich Village were introduced. I don?t live in or next to an LTN, but the benefits of them are felt more widely than for a few wealthy people in Dulwich village. Some people seem to use the idea of the LTNs only benefitting a privileged few as a worthy narrative for their cause rather than being honest that they don?t want to make changes to their behaviour.

This year?s year 7 haven?t been streamed. I don?t know whether this was linked to Covid and keeping them in tutor group bubbles or whether this is what always happens.

Jellybeanz, that?s not true. My daughter was offered a music scholarship without having any grades and only learning one instrument. There are others with similar experience on the thread linked by redjam above. I wouldn?t want someone not to apply because they hadn?t reached a certain grade.

Haberdashers offer some music places. Unlike Kingsdale, if your child is offered a scholarship and you put them as first choice you are guaranteed a place, distance doesn?t come into it. The scholarship involves an aural test and a certain number of kids are then offered an audition where they play/sing 2 pieces.

tomskip Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > According to the school, "getting in" without a > scholarship is a pure lottery (unless of course > you have an older sibling in the school). So I > don't think you can do anything to help. This is correct, they use a banded lottery for non-scholarship admissions.

They aren?t looking for grades or qualifications. Same at Haberdashers which has a brilliant music department. My daughter got music scholarships for both after having 1 year of saxophone lessons with her year 4 class then just over a year of private lessons. She hadn?t done any exams. She ended up at Kingsdale and so far it?s been great.

Please make sure that she knows how to access professional support and advocacy. In addition to the national DV helpline mentioned above, she can contact Solace if she is based in Southwark https://www.solacewomensaid.org/get-help/other-support-services/solace-advocacy-support-service-southwark. Unfortunately risk increases rather than decreases immediately after leaving an abusive relationship, so she and her family might need advice on safety.

We got our 2 guineas from Ark Rescue a few months ago. As well as the obvious reasons to rescue rather than buy, I think getting slightly older ones is better for kids as they will be less skittish and more happy to be handled. We?re really happy with ours.

Metallic Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It occurred to me last week that many of the > cycling families taking their children to school > won't have time to do it when they have to start > their own work commute again. It will be back to > unwilling nannies and au pairs round in SE21/SE22 > until it gets too wet and cold, and dark. We cycle our kids to school. If/when we have to go back to the office this will still be the best way to get kids to school and on to work. I realise this isn?t the same for everyone. It has been lovely to see more families cycling during the last few weeks. I don?t know whether this is because of the road closures or people taking up cycling when roads were quieter or both. Either way I really hope it continues. For me the biggest consideration for continuing to cycle with kids through winter isn?t the weather but safety when it gets dark. It seems to be in everyone?s interest, including those who really have no other option than to drive, if more people feel able to cycle safety. It would be great if this discussion could focus more on how this can be achieved and the role that we can all play in this as well as our local leaders. So far there seems to be a lot of ranting that the current changes don?t work with no alternatives being put forward. I say this as a car owner and commuter cyclist (non-Lycra wearing).

That?s what I thought too. At open day last year Charter ED said that their intake will increase possibly for 2021 but more likely for 2022. He catchment was smaller this year than last year but I don?t know the exact distances.