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Posted By Tracy Hawkins
My daughter's primary school currently allows parents to drive onto school grounds to drop off and pick up their children. The school has very limited grounds and parent's driving, manoeuvring and parking leaves a lot to be desired and sometimes is downright dangerous! The school recognise the risk to the children and have proposed to prohibit access to parents vehicles during peak times. They are currently consulting parents on this issue. I have suggested to them that a risk assessment is likely to support their decision (given the existing environment and current lack of controls) and they have indicated that they may need my help at some point! Education is not by background so I wondered if any of you in the schools sector would be able to share any risk assessments you may have on this. I appreciate that the issue is fairly straightforward but just in case I've missed any obvious factors, it would be helpful to see how other's have approached this. Hope you can help.
Many thanks
Tracy
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Posted By James Lawrence
I'm not in the schools' background and I would be concerned about this myself.
I would have thought the school would seek advice and complete this task with the designated LEA / County Council H&S team.
I can imagine the school run and the stories that go with this....classic cliche of waiting for an accident to happen.
Hope it get sorted soon for everyone sake.
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Posted By David Thomas
also not from a schools/education background, we had slates and chalk in my day.
However, agree this should not be carried out on an ad hoc basis but should be pushed through the LEA/Educ Auth/Local Govt route where they are qualified and - more importantly - insured to ensure the correct result.
I drive past Junior, Secondary & Primary schools in my 3miles drive to work each day and the parking and driving at that time is appalling, illegal and CRIMINAL. This should also be addressed when stopping the parents from dropping off on school grounds. The amount of double parking, blocking traffic is astounding, as to the thought I am invisible - that is why I drive with my headlights on!!
We gave the secondary school a pedestrian crossing and the kids think they are immune when using it or anyspace up to 30ft away from it!!
sorry - rant over.
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Posted By Heather Aston
Tracy
Also not from an education background but I have been involved with a local school. Definitely speak to the LEA Safety Advisor - this is a very common problem. and they will be very familiar with it.
When you do restrict access, you will probably have to have some kind of lockable barriers/gates to actually stop parents driving in. (It's amazing how many 4X4 drivers think because they have an off-road vehicle they have a divine right to drive it anywhere they damn well please - I DO speak from experience). You will then have to consider access for emergency vehicles during the prohibited period.
Restricting access will have a knock-on effect to parking all over the road outside the school. Consider what this will mean in terms of your neighbours. Again in my experience many parents wiil park blocking access to private homes, old people's homes and just about anything else in order to drop little Johnny off 20 yards closer to school.
We managed to negotiate free parking at school drop off and pick up times at a council-run car park just across the road for parents. Astonishing how many did not use it because they might then have had to get off their fat backsides and out of their hermetically sealed little worlds to walk 50 yards with their kids.
Might have gone on a bit there....
Heather
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Posted By Chris Pope
I'm a cosultant to an independant school which imports by parents car several hundred a day. presumably due to the fee the parents area responsible people, but with time pressures they fail to appreciate the risks to others as a result of their driving.
The Facilities Manager has introduced an effective one way system, and a "lollipop" lady is fulfilling a far greater role by directing traffic and intervening when poor unloading takes place.
So far very effective. Two or three years ago a I remember up country somewhere a toddler was killed by a reversing parent in just the circumstances you describe.
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Posted By Tracy Hawkins
Many thanks all for your replies, I feel equally as strongly about this too! The local LEA are involved and my part is just as a parent participating in the consultation exercise, but as a safety adviser (emergency services sector) the Chair of Governors thought I might come in useful at some point! I'm happy to give my opinion but would make clear to the school that this was only in the capacity of a concerned parent, not in any official advisory role, as I agree this responsibility definitely lies with the LEA H&S team.
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Posted By Lilian McCartney
I would have thought that the local authority would have a road safety officer and road planner who would be the people involved with this - certainly is here in this part of Scotland with unitary authorities. Would try your local road planners and get them involved.
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Posted By John Hannon
Your LEA might be involved with the Safe Routes to school award scheme. They deal with parking and travel issues ie Road signs etc.
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Posted By Fornhelper
All the schools in our LA have yellow zig zag lines painted at vicintiy of the entrance (probably the length of standard 'pedestrian crossing zig zags) and all parents are instructed that thay are not permitted to stop on these when dropping off kids. Seems to work very well and the vast majority of parents observe the restrictions.
Stevie
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