Bede Academy pupils in Blyth face expulsion if parents park badly

Nov 21 2009 by David Black, The Journal

YOUNG pupils could face expulsion from a £30m North East academy if their parents are caught repeatedly flouting parking restrictions in force at the flagship school.

Controls were introduced on streets surrounding the Bede Primary Academy in South Beach, Blyth, Northumberland, to protect local residents from illegal and indiscriminate parking by parents dropping off and picking up youngsters.

The controls aim to prevent parents from blocking driveways, clogging up roads and causing danger and general nuisance for locals.

But now the Emmanuel Schools Foundation, which runs the 630-pupil school, has introduced a “three strikes and you’re out” policy for people caught continually flouting the regulations.

It has written to parents saying that – as an ultimate sanction – they will be asked to have their child educated at another school if warnings are not heeded.

The letter says: “If persistent offenders continue to bring the school into disrepute with the local population, we will be forced to name and shame those who are regularly breaking the law and upsetting residents.

“If this does not prevent the situation we will operate a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ arrangement, whereby parents will be asked to have their child educated in another school.

“We cannot expect the young people to be responsible, observe the law and be courteous to their neighbours when this is not being demonstrated by their parents.”

Parents spoken to by The Journal branded the expulsion threat as too heavy handed, while voicing their support for action to protect neighbours from illegal parking.

Jessica Dixon of Blyth, whose children Charlotte and Zak attend the South Beach academy, said: “This is not a nice threat to have hanging over people. If you park across people’s driveways then something has to be done, but perhaps the school should be providing more parking here rather than threatening expulsions.”

Joanne Stobbart of Blyth said: “They need to make parents aware of where they can and can’t park, and they have made some of the streets resident-only. However, this three strikes and you’re out idea is just not on.

“I have sympathy with the local residents but every child has the right to go to school, and it’s not their fault if their parents don’t park properly.”

Academy principal Liz Clubbs said: “An important part of our children’s education is to learn respect for the law and show courtesy to others. What has been demonstrated by a small minority of parents, who are parking illegally and abusing residents, is not the kind of example we want to see set to our children, and goes against the ethos of the academy.

“Exclusion is clearly not something we want to resort to but parents need to know that if they don’t obey enforceable laws, or our requests, we have to have a final sanction we can impose.

“Our neighbours are very appreciative of our efforts to make their lives better, and the fact that the police issued 27 parking penalties in one week indicates the scale of the problem.”

But retired teacher Barrie Crowther, a Liberal Democrat county councillor for Blyth Valley, said the Foundation’s threat appeared to be in breach of recent Government guidance, which says exclusion from school should not be used to punish pupils for behaviour of parents.

He said: “Bede Academy should withdraw its bullying threat to parents and accept the law of the land.”

A spokesman for Northumberland County Council said: “At this stage we are unable to comment on arrangements that the academy has put in place on parking.”

An important part of children’s education is to learn respect for the law and show courtesy to others