Back to school - twice in one day

Today I've been in two schools but for very different reasons. This morning I had the great pleasure to go up to Yarnfield with Jill Hood to visit Springfields First School on behalf of the Food and Drink Festival. Last year we ran a competition amongst the local schools to see who could grow the biggest pumpkin - the plant on the Festival's logo. The winner was a pupil from Springfields so today I presented her and the school with winner's shield and plaque. And afterwards we were taken on a tour of the children's garden. This is a recent addition and has been created with a lot of support from parents. Raised beds for growing vegetables, flower beds, a sensory garden and, under construction at this very moment, a log cabin which has been heavily sponsored by B & Q. Very impressive! The In Bloom judges visited the garden last week so everyone in Yarnfield is crossing fingers and toes. Good luck, Springfields!

This afternoon I went into St. Dominic's First School in Stone for a very different reason. The school has announced plans to change the arrangements for children entering and leaving school. Instead of using the entrances in Station Road and Margaret Street, children will have to use the gates in Newcastle Street. Not surprisingly, this has caused uproar amongst the parents and today the school was showing the plans and proposals to parents. I was asked by a couple of parents to go along to hear the school's explanations.

I am disgusted by the school's attitude. The move, it is said, is necessitated by plans to build a new extension and move the staff car park. They justify the Newcastle Road entrances by stating that they've had a Risk Assessment carried out and they 'spoken' to the Safer Routes to School team. Frankly, the answers to my questions were evasive or irrelevant. The only direct answer I obtained was when I pointed out that parents collecting children often parked along Newcastle Road and would inevitably cross Margaret Street at the junction and not use the recently installed crossing half way up Margaret Street. The response was "we're not responsible for the children once they've left the school premises".

Newcastle Street is a major road entrance into the town. It is busy with traffic, some of it travelling at speed, at all times of the day. The pavement is narrow. Margaret Street has recently had tens of thousands of pounds spent on traffic calming measures, remodelling of kerbs and the installation of a pedestrian crossing all perfectly positioned to service the existing Margaret Street gates. To change the entrance position now is absolute madness and places the children at a much greater risk. I am determined to do what I can to stop this stupidity.