St Anthony's Catholic Primary School - (traffic congestion caused by a stupid parent)

[Jamma]

If this issue is genuinely nothing new then why hasn't it been tackled? My suggestion to them (which I still haven't been able to email them) is to put a teacher on the gate then when there is a problem that person should know whose car is causing it and can find them quickly. So I don't have to go wandering into the school grounds asking who is holding up the traffic with their dumbass parking.

And while this is a problem around other schools it's particularly troublesome at St Anthony's because it's on 2 bus routes. The 12 and the 40 were held up yesterday, that means people have to wait for their bus to work, that buses are more crowded etc etc.

[Devonlass15]

Eater81, your message has just really irritated me - enough to reply which I don't normally bother to do!

Please don't be narrow minded enough to tar all parents with the same brush.

Me and my daughter walk a half hour journey every day to reach her school off Lordship lane, no matter what the weather. It's actually really enjoyable to avoid all the horrible congestion on the roads and walk peacefully through the park and it gives us a chance to have a giggle together on the way.

Why are so many people on this website so eager to put down parents and stereo-type children as 'screaming brats?'

There ARE parents who drive every where and are a hazard to pedestrians when they park directly outside the schools and block visability to other children. But it isn't ALL parents. It is a minority.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Elly - well posted but I would say there aren't that many people complaining about parents and spoilt brats - a few misanthropes like eater81 aside, the forum seems dominated by parents, so take some comfort from that

[James]

Why should a teacher have to give up their free time to do this? (Or worse, do it when they are being paid to educate children instead?) I am amazed at this "blame the school" attitude when it seems pretty clear that:

1) They have asked parents not to do this

2) They cannot police them!

This weird arse-wiping nanny state attitude is worrying. It's bad enough when parents expect schools to raise their children for them. Now it seems we are expecting them to be responsible for parents' behaviour as well!

[SeanMacGabhann]

Fair point James but ultimately there is little to be gained from all parties stepping back saying "not my jurisdiction". Whatever works, works for me

Interestingly we have had nobody come on and post a defence of parents parking outside schools - anyone? anyone?

[Keef]

Both of James' posts have been the most sensible on this thread.

Eater81, you're an offensive little person, and I've seen nothing from you that suggests that you belong in an intelligent debate either.

[James]

Oh my God, I am going to get a reputation for being sensible!

[HonaloochieB]

And as for the title of the tread, I think it's called SEN these days.

[Gimme]

Having said that eater81 does make the debate more interesting for the amused neutral bystander....

I liked Bellerophon's comment that eater81 was amusing until suddenly he was attacking what Bellerophon believed.

Aren't we all like that. It's amusing until we care, then suddenly it's not amusing anymore.

Interestingly though, this debate has pointed out another reason why state funding for faith schools should be withdrawn (apart from the fact that education is about the child learning and Sunday should be kept for indoctrinating impressionable youngsters with mumbo jumbo written by 'inspired' people back in the day before people knew anything about anything beyond their village). The state should not be funding schools that are go so completely against their stated aims of reduction in car usage and reduction in congestion and which encourages parents to drive their children sizable distances to go to a distant school when there is a perfectly good one in walking distance.

[Jamma]

James - I think you've got the wrong end of the stick. I'm not talking about nanny-statism at all, quite the opposite. I went into the school yesterday to try find the offending parent simply as a decent citizen. It made no difference to me that the traffic was backed up, didn't affect my bus route. But since no-one else seemed to be doing anything about it I felt I should. But as the balloon who'd done the bad parking and all the yabbering and disinterested parents showed not everyone is a good citizen. Hence a system to cope with the diddies is needed. I'm not suggesting a teacher give up their free time, it would only be needed when school is starting/finishing so the teachers should be there anyway. And a decent teacher should care about how their school is perceived in the community it serves, so they should be keen to help out I'd have thought.

[Keef]

Gimme, I don't really have any strong views on this, and eater81 can believe whatever s/he wants. But to basically insult everyone who believes differently is offensive, and ignorant.

[Moos]

Well, that saves me a post.

Or, almost.

[Timster]

Are there any parents out there who can explain why they drive their kids to school? And is it right to say that St Antony's takes children from outside of the area? There must be some EDF posters with kids at St Antony's who could offer some enlightenment on this.

Also, I'm quite up for a debate on what place religion has in schools, but I really don't think this is the right thread for it - Drawing Room anyone?

[silverfox]

I know Etherow Street well and use it almost daily. There are many problems with this busy thoroughfare, not just selfish parents dropping off children, who I have to agree are a nightmare, stopping in the middle of the road, car doors flinging open, while other impatient drivers try to squeeze past.

1. Buses are a problem. It would be better to take them off this road altogether by terminating them in Forest Hill. This would allieviate pressure on Friern Road and Etherow Street a free up much needed parking space for parents to drop off children (which is inevitable).

2. The parking drives belonging to the houses on one side of the road are not always used by the residents adding to the cars parked on that stretch

3. It is a rat run for drivers coming off Lordship Lane to avoid the lights by the library.

4. It is used as a convenient parking spot for some commuters who park up and then catch the buses into town to get to work.

5. It's used for parking by some of the teachers, by some local shopkeepers during the day, by those working at the hostel on the corner and by those visiting the church with the cafe on Barry Road. Sundays can be busier than a week day at times as the church is well-attended with services that appear to last for a couple of hours or more.

6. Delivery vans/postal vans need to drop off supplies at the school.

7. Particularly at weekends, cyclists ignore it's one way system and mums, dads with kids in tow are often seen cycling the wrong way as they return from the park (when they're not using the pavements that is).

And I understand it's going to get slightly worse as the council have plans to extend the yellow school parking lines up to the newly installed disabled parking bay to allow for a handicapped/disabled drop off zone outside the school gates.

Jamma is correct when she says the perception of a school in a community is important and the selfishness of a few can undo the good work of dedicated teachers and staff. Yes, traffic wardens and PCSOs should be required to patrol school roads at key times. Teachers are not so precious that they couldn't take it in turns to stand outside the gates for 10 minutes to stop parents parking illegally or stopping dangerously. The parents themselves could take it in turns to patrol the drop off parking rush.

Shame about the clumsy wording of the thread though.

[*Bob*]

At the school I went to, many of the parents got off their arses and made a concerted effort to support the school and the teachers, thus allowing the teachers to spend their time doing their job, which was teaching. This in turn had the effect of encouraging the teachers to offer to do more for the children above and beyond regular teaching hours.

Parents are also 'not so precious that they couldn't take it in turns to stand outside the gates for 10 minutes to stop parents parking illegally or stopping dangerously'. Unfortunately the current trend seems to be an unhealthy obsession with 'getting THE best school at all costs' followed by chucking Junior out of the car in the morning, collecting in the evening and then blaming the school if anything goes wrong with perceived development of said sprog.

[Ted Max]

Parents these days, eh? I blame their parents.

[Fuschia]

WEll we moved further away,since our son started at Heber. But Mr F takes him each morning on the bus, I collect him by car (with the twins in tow, don't get me started about trying to get a double buggy on a bus!) but I would never, ever park on a zig zag or obstruct traffic. eeven when I was 37w pregnant with twins I still parked nearby and walked (staggered!) to the school...

[SeanMacGabhann]

That would certainly be the Wrong Place

;-)

[Jamma]

I don't want to get personal but I have to wonder just how far away Fuschia lives from Heber. I'm inclined to think that if it's further than walking distance then move to a school nearer your house. Walking distance to Heber I'd say is anywhere between the Horniman museum and Sainsburys.

(I appreciate I perhaps am getting a bit personal. Sorry.)

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Easier said than done, Jamma. My daughter was at school in Bermondsey. We moved to right opposite St John's, and I couldn't get her in, so for three years had to toot her over there and back everyday.

[Have to say, when we couldn't afford the bus fare (pre Ken's free children largesse), we walked - which means I have little sympathy for those moaning how they've been allocated a school two miles away!)

[????]

Jamma Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I don't want to get personal but I have to wonder

> just how far away Fuschia lives from Heber. I'm

> inclined to think that if it's further than

> walking distance then move to a school nearer your

> house. Walking distance to Heber I'd say is

> anywhere between the Horniman museum and

> Sainsburys.

> (I appreciate I perhaps am getting a bit personal.

> Sorry.)h

Yup. You can just 'move' schools.....i think you're just showing you know nothing about the schooling situaion in Soutwark/London/England...

[Keef]

*bob*'s post is good.

[buggie]

Seconding Keef, seconding *Bob*!

Find it maddening how self-centred parents can be on the drop-off/pick-up - Etherow Rd often looks like a big box of cars has just been dropped into the road at these times... while it doesn't affect me (if I was to needing to drive anywhere then I'd avoid that end of Friern Rd) it does amaze me that so many drive - even at the junction of Friern/Goodrich St Antony's parents park and walk their children up the road (saw one Mum this am as was returning from my night shift!).

Maybe the school have become a bit apathetic in recent terms and need to remind new families of their responsibilities to their fellow parents/local residents if they are driving their children to school.

Maybe if there are particular enclaves of St Antony's pupils in other areas they should organise mini-bus pick-ups for them.

[Fliss]

SeanMacgavhann is often the voice of reason on this forum, it seems to me. Following on from what Sean said about no driver parents having posted - as a parent newly dropping off and picking up (by bus or on foot, depending on the weather and what time it is) from the school in question (I don't know the school that well yet, or the other parents) thay all seem to arrive on foot, or else I see one or two I recognise on the bus..... I haven't seen many cars outside the school.

[LibraCarr]

Hi,

Just a quick point: The zig zag lines are enforceable outside of all schools due to the number of accidents involving pupils.

My advice would be if you see a person commiting an offence take a photo of the vehicle, clearly displaying the VRM and the zig zag lines and email it to the local council parking enforcement section, noting the time and date of the offence. They can pusue this via the DVLA.

By doing this you will be helping the local community and freeing up time for the warden's for more coffee brakes or the ticketing on Lordship Lane.

Regards,

Libra Carr.