Telford council says school pupils must travel 200 yards - by mini bus
Teachers at a Shropshire school have been told they must pay for a mini-bus to take children on a 200-yard field trip – after education chiefs ruled it was too dangerous for pupils to cross a busy road. Teachers at a Shropshire school have been told they must pay for a mini-bus to take children on a 200-yard field trip – after education chiefs ruled it was too dangerous for pupils to cross a busy road. Classes of children at St Peter and St Paul Roman Catholic Primary School in Newport have been walking the short distance to enjoy their studies outdoors at the neighbouring Chetwynd Deer Park. But road safety rules have seen bosses at Telford & Wrekin Council step in and object because the year five and six children have to cross the busy Chetwynd Road – despite doing it safely in the past. Instead, the school now has to pay £160 for a minibus to pick them up and drop them off just over 200 yards down the road. Karen Lamb, a parent of a year six pupil at the school, said the council's move was "ridiculous".
Teachers at a Shropshire school have been told they must pay for a mini-bus to take children on a 200-yard field trip – after education chiefs ruled it was too dangerous for pupils to cross a busy road.
Classes of children at St Peter and St Paul Roman Catholic Primary School in Newport have been walking the short distance to enjoy their studies outdoors at the neighbouring Chetwynd Deer Park.
But road safety rules have seen bosses at Telford & Wrekin Council step in and object because the year five and six children have to cross the busy Chetwynd Road – despite doing it safely in the past.
Instead, the school now has to pay £160 for a minibus to pick them up and drop them off just over 200 yards down the road.
Karen Lamb, a parent of a year six pupil at the school, said the council's move was "ridiculous".
Hilda Rhodes, council cabinet member for transport, environment and community protection, said the authority has applied the same safety criteria it would for a school crossing patrol or a walking bus.
In a letter to parents, the school wrote: "Unfortunately due to the speed of traffic on Chetwynd Road, Telford & Wrekin Council feel unable to endorse our previous practise of walking the pupils to the site once a week for a six week period.
"Therefore we will be using coach transport to and from Deer Park in order to overcome these difficulties."
Mrs Lamb said: "Telford & Wrekin Council are advocating walking to school and a number of children use this road to school everyday."
Councillor Rhodes added: "We consider that the layout of the road has poor visibility for drivers coming from Newport and therefore we do not consider the crossing point to be safe.
"We have therefore been working closely with both the school and the police to identify a long term safe solution to enable children to get to the Deer Park safely.
"One of the options that has been raised as an alternative is the use of a bus to ensure the safety of the pupils. This is purely a temporary measure and we look forward to establishing a proper safe crossing point."
By Jason Lavan
