Quote of the day
“An unsavoury character could have come in and we just can’t put the children in the event or the students at the host school at risk like that. The ultimate fear is that a child is hurt or abuducted, and we must take all measures possible to prevent that.”
- Paul Blunt, development manager at the East Beds School Sports Partnership, explaining why parents were banned from attending their children’s school sports day to protect pupils from potential child abductors and paedophiles. More than 270 pupils from four primary schools in Bedfordshire took part in the East Beds School Sports Partnership Athletics Day, but there were no spectators present because the organisers said allowing them would make it impossible to prevent “unsavoury” characters from attending. A risk assessment concluded that the host school, Sandy Upper School in Biggleswade, could not “guarantee the children’s safety”. Parents have condemned the ban. Mother-of-three Emma Collett, 33, of Biggleswade, has a child at St Andrews Lower School in the town. “I would have taken time off work to support my child. It would have meant a lot to me,” she said. “I’m all for measures to protect the safety of children but lines must be drawn and common sense must prevail.” (fat chance – Ed.)
Paul Blunt, development manager at the East Beds School Sports Partnership, explaining why parents were banned from attending their children’s school sports day to protect pupils from potential child abductors and paedophiles.
WTF! What’s the next stage after bizarre?
Paul Blunt being arrested for being a paedophile, I suppose.
Ah, well.
It was probably one of those ‘all must have prizes!’ affairs anyway. God forbid one child should be shown to be faster/better at jumping/better at holding an egg in a spoon than any other child….
I was well miffed when they said I wasn’t allowed in..
‘(fat chance – Ed.)’
Nice one LFAT. Nearly missed it. Made my day.
My 3 year old nephew had a sports day earlier this week and although parents and grandparents were allowed in (shock horror – think about the children!!) H&S had obviously still got to them as there was no sack race, no egg and spoon race or my personal fave, the three-legged race!
“Mother-of-three Emma Collett, 33, of Biggleswade, has a child at St Andrews Lower School in the town. “I would have taken time off work to support my child. It would have meant a lot to me,” she said. “I’m all for measures to protect the safety of children but lines must be drawn and common sense must prevail.””
And would she still be saying that if her child was abducted? or would she be claiming that not enough had been done to protect the children.
Its a great game poking fun at these H&S fetishists but look at the shit that happens whenver anything goes wrong – someone is always to blame.
The parents have to take control. A group must form promising all their Tesco vouchers to other schools. Promising to ‘go slow’ on collecting their kids, say around 5pm. The parents must pledge not to support the school in any way in its extra activities. No cakes for fetes, no costumes for plays, no old toys or books. They must refuse every after hours activity,dancing, music .. arranging them privately amongst themselves. No support of any kind must be given to the head teacher. In fact ten parents a day must write to the schools board and Ed Balls complaining about their treatment. All parents must refuse to attend any school trips. If the school arranged a trip to the museum, the parents arrange one themselves instead.
Inform the teachers that pupils will no longer be wearing uniform, or if they don’t wear it, demand that they do.
Then once the head teacher agrees to allowing parents to attend events the boycott can stop.Its the only way. Without parents support these schools can’t function.
Bill’s idea appeals to me a little, but I don’t think it would need to get that far.
Had it been my son’s school, they would have found that the teachers would have been racing each other on sports day, because none of the children would have attended!
Schools are no longer untouchable as they were in my day. They have failed in so many cases to provide the right environment for children and the parents are startng to protest. We know what we want for our children and have got past the point of believing that the eductionalists know everything and we know nothing.
Although Bill’s idea is good, surely a simpler protest would be for parents to stop helping their kids with their homework – then the teachers might actually have to teach them at school instead..
@The Great Simpleton – The Great Simpleton – Ha !
Methinks the name says it all! How many children have been abducted from a school sports day? For goodness sake, get a grip!!
Protect the children, by all means, but to ban their own parents? Whatever it is you’re smoking/drinking/eating/believing/advocating, take a step back and look at what you’re saying! Or are all of us doting parents/grandparents a danger – in your world?
I think it’s a good thing that peados are kept away from kids – what’s your problem?