School parking plea to parents yields results
A letter sent to all parents of a primary school, asking them not to park illegally or use the school car park when dropping off or collecting their children, has worked.
Long Melford Primary School has noticed a drop in the number of parents driving to school.
Headteacher Sandra Hoskin recently wrote to parents asking them to refrain from parking on yellow lines in front of the school, as well as not parking where staff park, because parents’ cars posed a significant road safety danger to pupils.
She has also advised parents about road safety activities in the school, including a design-a-road-safety poster task for children.
She said: “The layby and the roads adjacent to the school are, in the eyes of the law, no parking areas.
“We have asked parents to park away from the school and walk their children in and from school.
“We have an arrangement with the British Legion to use its car park at school times. There is also a walking bus route in operation which can also be used by children not directly on the route.”
Alan Anstead, a governor at the Cordell Road school, said teachers and governors had previously recorded an increase in the number of parents and carers who dropped off their children on yellow lines. But recently it had reduced.
“When school governors observed the situation on Monday, they were pleased to see a considerable drop in the number of parents driving to school,” he said.
“Lots of parents are now walking with their children or using the walking bus. It is great to see parents and carers responding to the plea to park and drop-off their children with consideration for others.
“This has resulted in a much safer environment for the children.”
Great Waldingfield Primary School has experienced the same issue.
Headteacher Angie Jones said: “It’s a huge problem for a lot of schools because there are lots of children coming from out of catchment to village schools and parents have no option but to drive.
“If there was a policy of parents using their local school instead of having the choice to travel, it would provide a solution.”
She said the parish council had tentatively agreed to allow staff to park their cars on the playing field near the school.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sudbury
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Thunderstorm
Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
