A few weeks ago, a school in the UK banned parents from taking photographs of their children during the school’s Sports Day, quoting ‘health and safety’ concerns for their action. The school authorities were worried that ‘undesirables’, namely paedophiles, would possibly take advantage of the event to photograph the children.
Now, a school in Bedfordshire has gone one step further, again in the name of ‘health and safety’, by banning parents from the Sports Day altogether!
Around 270 pupils from four different primary schools participated in a Sports Day at the Sandy Upper School in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. However, as none of the pupils actually attend the host school, it was decided to ban parents from the event as the security of the children could not be guaranteed.
A ‘risk assessment’ was carried out which concluded that it would be possible for an unsavoury character to gain entry to the school grounds during the event which could, in turn, lead to the abduction of a child.
The event was run by the East Bedfordshire School Sports Partnership, and their view was that if they let parents into the school they would have been free to roam the grounds and they would be unable to control that everyone was who they claimed to be.
Parents, who were none too pleased with the decision, are still trying to work out which planet these administrators are from. Surely they could have pooled their braincell and come up with a better solution, special passes or security personnel at the entrance, to name but two.