APPENDIX E FULL CONSULTATION ANALYSIS 1) Survey Reponses
Which of the following are you? (Please select all that apply)
Answer Options Response Count
Parent / carer / guardian 220 School governor 5 School staff 24 Pupil 5 School Crossing Patrol staff 3 Other (please specify) 20 answered question 256 skipped question 1
Which of the following are you? (Please select all that apply)
250
200
150
100
50
0 Parent / School School staff Pupil School Other carer / governor Crossing (please guardian Patrol staff specify)
Are you attached to any school(s) in particular? If so, please tick them here. Response Answer Options Count Alexandra Primary 1 Arts Educational School 1 Ashton House School 0 Beavers Community Primary 1 Bedfont Primary 3 Belmont Primary 1 Berkeley Primary 4 Blue CE School Primary 13 Brentford School for Girls 3 Cardinal Road Infant & Nursery 0 Cavendish Primary 0 The Cedars 0 Chatsworth Primary 2 Chiswick and Bedford Park Prep 0 Chiswick School 1 Crane Park Primary 1 Cranford Community College 1 Cranford Primary 1 The Eden School 0 Edison Primary 1 Edward Pauling Primary 0 Fairholme Primary 0 The Falcon School for Boys 0 Feltham Hill Nursery & Infant 2 Floreat Brentford Primary School 0 The Green School for Girls 11 Green Dragon Primary 1 Grove Park Primary 1 Grove Road Primary 0 Gumley House RC Convent school 1 Gunnersbury Catholic school 0 Heathfield House School 0 The Heathland School 1 Heston Community School 2 Heston Primary 0 Hounslow Heath Infant & Nursery 1 Hounslow Heath Junior 0 Hounslow Town Primary 6 International School of London 0 Isleworth & Syon School for Boys 9 Isleworth Town Primary 49 Ivybridge Primary 1 Kew House 0 Kingsley Academy 1 Lady Nafisa Independent School for Girls 0 Lampton School 2 Lindon Bennett 1 Lionel Primary 3 Logic Studio School 0 Marjory Kinnon 0 Marlborough Primary 28 Nishkam School 0 Norwood Green Infant & Nursery 6 Norwood Green Junior 2 Oak Heights Independent School 0 Oak Hill Academy West London 9 Oaklands School 0 Orchard Primary 0 Oriel Academy West London 10 Our Lady & St John’s RC Primary 2 PPP Community School 0 Reach Academy 1 The Rise Free School 0 Rivers Academy West London 4 Rosary RC Primary School 2 Smallberry Green Primary 4 Southville Infant & Nursery 30 Southville Junior 9 Space Studio West London 0 Sparrow Farm Infant & Nursery 0 Sparrow Farm Junior 0 Spring Grove Primary 0 Springwell Infant & Nursery 9 Springwell Junior 17 Springwest Academy 2 St Lawrence RC Primary 6 St Marks Catholic school 0 St Mary’s RC Primary (Chiswick) 1 St Mary's RC Primary (Isleworth) 2 St Michael & St Martin RC Primary 0 St Paul’s CE Primary 1 St.Richards Primary 0 Strand on the Green Infant & Nursery 0 Strand on the Green Junior 0 Suffah Primary 0 The St Michael Steiner School 0 Victoria Junior 0 Wellington Primary 0 Westbrook Primary 25 West Thames College 0 William Hogarth Primary 0 Woodbridge Park Educational Services 0 Worple Primary 1 answered question 239 skipped question 18
How often do you and / or the child in your care use the School Crossing Patrol?
Answer Options Response Count
At least once a day 146 Most days each week 50 Once or twice a week 15 Less frequently than once a week 7 Never 14 answered question 232 skipped question 25
How often do you and / or the child in your care use the School Crossing Patrol?
At least once a day
Most days each week
Once or twice a week
Less frequently than once a week Never
As explained in the consultation document, the proposal to cease funding of the School Crossing Patrol is being made due to a significant fall in the funding the council receives from central government. With this in mind, please select your level of support for the proposal from the list below.
Answer Options Response Count
Strongly Support 22 Support 8 No opinion 6 Oppose 19 Strongly Oppose 184 answered question 239 skipped question 18
Level of support for the proposal.
Strongly Support Support No opinion Oppose Strongly Oppose
Comments received (protected characteristics are highlighted for purposes of equalities duty)
Response Text Number 1 These crossing patrols are very much needed for the safety of all adults and children crossing to go to and from schools, especially children travelling alone, they are very important, the schools will not get budget or funding and will not afford this service without help leaving children to judge the busy crossing for themselves, this will lead to more accidents and deaths each month and year, hope the council will be pleased when they have blood on their hands, but they will pass the buck to schools, this is a joke, and putting families lives at risk
2 Times when I, as an adult have used the crossing to cross the road with my child and cars do not stop. It is dangerous enough due to vehicles parked causing a havoc during morning/afternoon school run. Removing the funding for a school crossing patrol is not in the school children's interest for the borough. The amount saved the council would save is not worth a single child's life. 3 Regarding Hounslow Councils proposal to cease funding for the school crossing patrol service. I am particularly concerned about the proposal to cut the post of our patrol officer outside Oriel Academy. I was only recently made aware that 1 child dies and 37 are seriously injured each week in the UK as a result of pedestrian road traffic accidents.* In 2013 there were 15,756 child casualties of all severities.* Oriel Academy is a primary school and children between the ages of 4 and 10 years account for 39% of children killed or seriously injured as pedestrians.* As you know, child pedestrians are particularly at risk when travelling to and from school.** 82% of all children killed or seriously injured were pedestrians travelling between the hours of 07:30am and 08:59am or 3:00pm and 4:59pm** You may also be aware that 14% of pedestrians killed or seriously injured occur at pedestrian crossings** In 2013, 120 pedestrians were injured on Hounslow roads. The Hounslow child casualty rates are higher than most other ares in london including neighbors. There has also been a 12% increase in total casualties in Hounslow since 2008*** Temporal analysis shows that areas where Hounslow resident child casualties are injured shows higher percentages in the Hanworth Park area *** Oriel Academy is appoximately 2 minutes walk from Hanworth Park. 45% of all child casualties who live in Hounslow were injured as pedestrians*** Again, child casualties killed or seriously injured in Hounslow are more likely to be killed or seriously injured on weekdays (74%) and there are definite peaks in casualty numbers in the morning and evening rush hours. The peak between 3:00pm and 6:00pm is much higher and represents 29% of all child casualties***In The Hounslow Guide To Road Safety it states: Hounslow Council is commited to reducing casualties on our roads. However it seeks to remove a guaranteed method of achieving this aim.I understand the councils need to reduce spending and £7000 pa for Oriel Academy’s Crossing Patrol Officer will go some way to reducing the council’s spending. But at what cost? If having a Patrol Officer stops just one child a year from being killed or sustaining life changing injuries isn’t that worth £7000? I would urge you to reconsider your decision to cut the post of School Crossing Patrol Officer at the pedestrian crossing at Oriel Academy. Sources:* Facts on child casualties June 2015 Office for national Statistics, Dept of Transport** Facts on Pedestrian Casualties, Dept of Transport*** Hounslow Collision and Casualty AnalysisAlso: Hounslow Guide to Road Safety. 4 I believe that school crossing patrols help to keep children safe and think it's pretty appalling that this is being given the go-ahead despite the relatively small saving to be made. 5 I would like to add my voice to the large number of parents and carers at Oriel Academy who have expressed concern and dismay about Hounslow Councils proposal to cease funding for the school crossing patrol service. In particular the post of our patrol officer who has become not only a part of the fabric of the school but also of the local community.I was only recently made aware that 1 child dies and 37 are seriously injured each week in the UK as a result of pedestrian road traffic accidents.* In 2013 there were 15,756 child casualties of all severities.* Oriel Academy is a primary school and children between the ages of 4 and 10 years account for 39% of children killed or seriously injured as pedestrians.* As you know, child pedestrians are particularly at risk when travelling to and from school.** 82% of all children killed or seriously injured were pedestrians travelling between the hours of 07:30am and 08:59am or 3:00pm and 4:59pm** You may also be aware that 14% of pedestrians killed or seriously injured occur at pedestrian crossings** In 2013, 120 pedestrians were injured on Hounslow roads. The Hounslow child casualty rates are higher than most other areas in London including neighbours. There has also been a 12% increase in total casualties in Hounslow since 2008*** Temporal analysis shows that areas where Hounslow resident child casualties are injured shows higher percentages in the Hanworth Park area *** Oriel Academy is approximately 2 minutes walk from Hanworth Park. 45% of all child casualties who live in Hounslow were injured as pedestrians*** Again, child casualties killed or seriously injured in Hounslow are more likely to be killed or seriously injured on weekdays (74%) and there are definite peaks in casualty numbers in the morning and evening rush hours. The peak between 3:00pm and 6:00pm is much higher and represents 29% of all child casualties***In The Hounslow Guide To Road Safety it states: Hounslow Council is committed to reducing casualties on our roads. However it seeks to remove a guaranteed and unquestionable method of achieving this aim.I understand the councils need to reduce spending and £7000 pa for Oriel Academy’s Crossing Patrol Officer will go some way to reducing the council’s spending. But at what cost? Do you or any of your colleagues have a child that attends a school that may lose a Patrol officer? If having a Patrol Officer stops just one child a year from being killed or sustaining life changing injuries isn’t that worth £7000? I use the pedestrian crossing outside Oriel academy myself and know that the traffic reacts and responds to the presence of the patrol officer more than it might do for children that drivers may not even see . Can you imagine how much safer the children feel. Would you consider retaining the School Crossing Patrol Officer at the pedestrian crossing at Oriel Academy?Hounslow Council is in a position where unlike other councils, it can show that it genuinely cares for the safety of its children and doesn’t place a monetary value on their lives. I believe that If children believe their community cares about them they will grow up to care about their community. Sources:* Facts on child casualties June 2015 Office for national Statistics, Dept of Transport** Facts on Pedestrian Casualties, Dept of Transport*** Hounslow Collision and Casualty AnalysisAlso: Hounslow Guide to Road Safety 6 The roads are very busy with car users having no concerns with pedestrians or there safety. Taking away school patrol crossing will put people's lives at risk I'm sure you will see an increase in accidents. The council should provide this service not schools. 7 The Green School is on a major crossroads. I could understand if it was one road but here there are several roads that apply here. It would be great if you could re-think this. Thank you 8 I think it is very important for safety of the children to have School Crossing Patrols. Victoria Road in between two schools - St Lawrence and Victoria road school is very busy, with people parking illegally and has got very narrow pavements. Very unsafe for all those pupils and parents to use yet main exit for those schools. Patrols were very needed and on the top the council should make the parking impossible by red line markings, make it one way traffic with wider pavements!!!!!
9 The speed limit of 20 is never adhered to and care often travel at over 30 and actually seem to drive faster when you need to cross. I've seen our lolly pop man save a life of two by getting in between the cars and children. 10 My children have strict instructions to only cross the road with the school crossing patrol. They are taken to school and collected by a parent each day, and one day last week the SCP wasn't present. The difference in the safety was stark, with cars turning into Westbrook road either at speed or so preoccupied with navigating the traffic the drivers were not paying full attention to vulnerable others on the road. Plus, the surrounding traffic flow was severely impeded. Please ensure that the crossings are retained and that the lives of children are not put at risk.
11 School crossing patrol should be on all routes of school.First we were living on the school patrol crossing side so it was quite helpful but now on other side and there is no school patrol crossing so we face difficulty with small kids to cross road. So me and my family highly support school patrol (lolly man) on all sides of school. Regards
12 As a driver I believe the School Crossing Patrol controls the traffic to enable people to cross the road safely and in good time. 13 I belive that those schools who are based near main roads like westbrook primary and not back roads like Alexander primary shoukd keep their school crossing petrol. This is because as a parent, with my child going to westbrook, the cars that drive along there dont stop nor do they drive at a slow speed i have seen a few kids try to walk out in the road whilst their parents are chatting to othet people. The school crossing petrol has stopped these kids from getting run over. Not only has he done this, he also takes him time to talk to the kids and is friendly with them which makes the kids happy.
14 I oppose the idea of cutting all funding supporting the school crossing patrols due to firstly the fact Victoria Road alone has seen a few, (I can think of at least two) incidents where a child was knocked down by an oncoming car. One was a school child attending Cardinal Road and was making his way when he was knocked down on his scooter,luckily he was ok but this could have been so much worse! Parking alongside Victoria Road is also a nightmare at school time, causing even more danger to children trying to get across the road to school, cars speeding down from the high street, with parents also trying to park as close to the school as possible rather than park in the Cinema as advised... There are two schools alone on this road Victoria School, and St Lawrences, with probably near on 800 children therefore passing through this road. Aswell as others making their way to Springwest Academy, Reach ect...I feel this- along with the fact it is a dangerous road proves that a school crossing patrol is most definitely needed along this road, this will save lives...too many children are at risk making their way to school, you will be increasing the risk of danger by cutting this crucial funding. The crossing patrol's working hours are the most limited too- being around 20 mins in the morning, and around 20mins in the afternoon...surely this is worth the peace of mind knowing our children are getting to school safely. I know our gent would be greatly missed I feel alot safer knowing he is helping me and my 3 children across each morning. I really hope this is reconsidered for the safety of the children in our community.
15 Only last week a woman was knocked over on road he patrols. It could have been a kid from the school. 16 That is the best way to cross the roads (in our school two roads) safetly for children and parents/careers as well and there should be a possibility to find finance for saving lives. 17 School Crossing Patrol is a must due to the number of cars and vehicle which are on road at the peak hours. Patrols have been very helpful and caring to make sure children are safe on their way to and back from school. So according to me we should continue the services of the School crossing patrol. 18 This is currently not in offer to me at the school my children go to, either it should be for all or for none, why should some schools have this and not all? It is parents responsibility to get themselves and their children across the road and I would rather see this service go than a vital service such as children's centres or rubbish collection to fortnightly. Can't believe £160,000 is wasted a year in this!!!
All schools I am sure could arrange for a member of staff to man a crossing if they see it as essential. 19 The safety of the children is my concern with ever increasing traffic and lack of danger with an uncontrolled crossing. With further development and another school opening on the same stretch of road things are only getting worse. 20 Vital service for a highly congested vicarage farm road. No traffic lights to monitor the flow of cars and people. It's highly dangerous without SCP as cars don't stop anymore. Council has also approved development of another school 100 yards away, situation is out of control. 21 Families and children rely on this service, it is a fundamental part of our communities. Without them, children will be knocked over, more cars will be on the roads and more parents will be forced to spend money on before and after school clubs so they can drop off around work. This will also lead to more pollution. This cut affects far too many of our future generation for this to be allowed. In the grand scheme of this the savings are peanuts....Perhaps not building the new civic center and you should plough money back into school crossing patrols; mental health; community support? these cuts do need to end!
22 Without them, road will become impossible to cross, risk of children getting into accident will highly increase. Amount of traffic and accidents will increase as more people will start crossing the road without responsibility. We need them for children safety. 23 This is a critical service directly linked to children safety, therefore it cannot be eliminated. 24 While I appreciate that the council must make some difficult decisions about how it reduces its spending, this cut is unacceptable and could have terrible consequences. To say that crossing patrols are not a statutory duty is simply not good enough - ensuring children arrive safely to school each morning must surely be a priority. London Road is used by children on their walk to a number of local schools and is incredibly busy with traffic. Sadly, too many drivers on this road speed, or talk on mobiles or text while driving and many do not stop for pedestrians on the zebra crossing by the parade of shops. Would the council consider imposing a 20mph speed limit on the stretch between the junction with Twickenham Road and Smallberry Green school to make the road safer for children walking to school - and would it be prepared to ensure any speed limit is observed?
25 I use the lollipop lady outside Oakhill Academy in Feltham every day to take my grandchildren to school.See invaluable as the road outside the school can be very dangerous. I have seen cyclists go behind when she is on the crossing, they just can't wait a few seconds. Also drivers dgo much too fast along this stretch of road. Only last week a driver sped over the red light at the junction by the church pub, church and cemetry. (don't know the names of the roads). Without a lollipop lady/man it will be an accident waiting to happen. There are a lot of children who walk to school on their own and use the crossing in question that come from both directions. If the Council must do without the school crossing patrols, perhaps you might consider putting in a pedestrian crossing (ie Pelican crossing) so parents of children unaccompanied going to school will at least have peace of mind that there is some form of crossing for their children. My grand children won't be walking on their own that is for sure! 26 There are various amendments to places like Windmill Road that could be done to make it safer for children. Removing crossing patrols will only further lower the current standard of driving in that area as people race and queue for the a4.
Removing the crossing patrols will further increase the incidence of drivers racing over crossings in front of pedestrians, putting more and more children at risk. 27 As a car driver who travels around school starting and finishing times I feel that this an essential service. It should not be left for schools to fund as their budgets are already stretched. We encourage parents to leave cars at home and children to walk to school. There needs to a fair service across all schools but especially on main roads. 28 The pupils of Isleworth Town Primary school and many other surrounding schools, make use of the crossing patrol on the corner of St. John's Road and Grainger Road on a daily basis. This is an extremely busy crossing point which has seen an increase in traffic since the closer of Church Street. Many parents choose to walk and also let their children walk alone in the knowledge there is a safe place to cross. Without this crossing patrol parents may be less likely give pupils the independence they need prior to attending secondary school. I also recently attended a meeting where proposals were discussed regarding residents parking in and around the St.John's park area and possible one way traffic on Linkfield Road, whilst I would support any attempt to reduce traffic, in and around the school area, this can only be supported by a regular crossing patrol. With regards to funding this the council needs to continue to provide the crossing patrol mentioned above. Schools are expecting significant cuts this year and therefore this additional expense can not be expected to come from school budgets.
29 The roundabout surrounding where the patrol service currently operates is dangerous for families using the crossing and extremely busy. 30 The pedestrian crossing outside Oriel Academy is on an extremely busy road and is not always observed by motorists. There is no camera etc to monitor/prosecute motorists who fail to stop at the zebra crossing so the crossing patrol person is the only way that we can ensure that children and families are able to cross safely. There is a potentially significant risk to child safety if the crossing patrol is withdrawn unless a traffic light (pelican crossing) system is to be put in place.
31 Church Road is very busy and cars do not respect the 20 m/h signs.
In this corner is very frequent to see trafic incidents 32 the road in front of school is very busy especially a the morning time, in my point of view the road patrol plays an important role in children's safety 33 It is a very dangerous junction outside Westbrook primary between Westbrook road and Sutton court road and the volume of traffic is huge (traffic heading towards great west road) and there is no way these young children can cross the road safely without a patrol of some sort. Please reconsider your proposal, at the very least please consider providing patrols where there are no zebra crossings?
34 St Johns Rd in Isleworth is a very busy one with only one pedestrian crossing at the top end, our crossing patrol officer is vital to the safety of our children and would be a disgrace to lose her.... 35 We are meant to be helping elderly people reintegrate in society so they are not always alone this job gives them socialisation so not so isolated and you are going to take that away also the road we cross to go school is so dangerous it needs a lollipop man or lady to help kids and adults cross safely please don't cease funding 36 Traffic has got worse and more dangerous on the roads surrounding Twickenham Road since the Church Street closure. If we are taking away a safety measure in School crossing we should try to create less traffic around the schools. RE-open Church Street would help this. 37 Without School crossing patrol it is a serious health and safety risk to children. What safety measures or proposals are in place to safeguard childrens. What assurance has council put in place to control the traffic. Why can't the council planners and councillors stop calling overseas and safe budget from calls. Why there is no audit of temporary accommodation revenue and landlords involved since ages. Cars come at around 40 miles after leaving a316. Only a visible presence of a lollipop lady can deter and stop any incidents. Please think practically and stop councillors expenses . Pls think of something practical Do not put young lives at risk
38 I fully sup[port the SCP as a way of continuing teaching children to cross the busy roads safely especially as we are encouraging children and parents to walk more to and from school.
39 Oriel Academy, as you know, is based on a very busy road. I myself live on this road (Hounslow Road) and frequently cross the road with AND without the crossing lady when it is out of school hours. Drivers on this road never take heed of the speed limits and FREQUENTLY carry on driving despite someone trying to cross the zebra crossing. There are also many buses and lorries which need longer to brake. I have even had abuse hurled at me from drivers for simply using the crossing. This behaviour is significantly less noticeable when the crossing patrol lady is present (though even then I have seen cars carry on driving with her on the zebra). Without her I feel that there will be a disaster waiting to happen. I realise that the council are trying to save money, but this is a small drop in the ocean compared to some funding costs. Why should schools take money out of their budget to 'buy back'? Surely this means they are then going to be lacking in other areas? Perhaps some exceptions should be made for schools that are on roads with a higher volume of traffic? Thank you for listening
40 It is essential that the school crossing patrol is there to make crossing the busy road at peak times safe and help our children understand the importance of road safety. 41 Children safety should always be a priority. 42 It relates directly to the safety of children and their families and is valued by them . The area around the school is extremely congested with traffic and is being accessed by upwards of 1000 pupils and parent accessing the site. Since we have lost our crossing patrol parents and children have raised concerns that it has become more difficult to cross the road safely. The role of the school is in educating the child and its energies should focus on this along with its funding.
43 Safety of children is something the council should take seriously and not be seeking to make savings from. I know that savings need to be made within the council but putting children's safety at risk is not something that should be part of cost cutting. Schools are already facing huge cuts and it is not fair to try and shift the responsibilities onto them. Please re-consider these proposals.
44 I understand that cuts need to be made, but the school crossing patrols keep children safe, and not just children - all members of the public on the roads at peak times each school day. The patrol keeps traffic moving and on many occasions I've seen the prevention of quite serious incidents, these were averted because the patrol was present.
If there is no school crossing patrol, there will need to be significant investment in safe crossing places around all schools, which will give right of way to children and others crossing the roads, but which will also take into account the flow of traffic and associated factors. 45 For safety of children crossing the road. Children's lives are endangered due to impatient and rash drivers. 46 [FYI I am an Isleworth resident]
Since the closure of Church Street, traffic on affected roads in Old Isleworth is completely ridiculous- my son attends The Blue School, walking down Worple Road & crossing by the Co-op to get there. Marion [the lollipop lady whose job has been saved thanks to other funding- including school budgets- because THAT’S HOW IMPORTANT SHE IS] stands at this crossing which is beyond busy at peak times, particularly the morning school drop off. Traffic queues down Worple Road trying to join the traffic already queuing both ways on South Street, while at the same time traffic is trying to turn into Worple Road. Cars turning right out of Worple Road unfamiliar with the junction do not always immediately notice the pedestrian crossing, leading to a few near misses. *Please remember that this crossing leads pretty much DIRECTLY to the school entrance* At least once a week during the morning walk to school I witness cars mounting the pavement to get down Worple Road. It does not help matters there are quite often cars already half parked on the pavement to use the Co-op or the cash point. What Marion does is basically prevent this impatient, infuriated traffic from queuing across and driving straight over the pedestrian crossing- she keeps children and other pedestrians SAFE. She does this EVERY DAY. The lollipop lady on St John’s Road from what I understand from friends living nearby regularly puts her life in danger to negotiate and stop the traffic again involving a busy junction to allow people to cross safely EVERY DAY. Cutting this invaluable service is completely irresponsible and gives out the clear message that our children’s safety is of no massive concern, otherwise it would be held in higher regards above other things wouldn’t it? Sure, you are experiencing budget cuts [who isn't?] but why is it that children always seem to bear the brunt of these, most detrimental being the relentless cuts to state school budgets? No worries- the parents will make up the shortfall while we spend it on…? Do you look at other areas to cut first before turning to services affecting the borough’s children? A quick google of ‘Hounslow Council spending’ brought up a story from June 2016 reporting “reckless” spending in respect to your new waste disposal service- estimated implementation cost £11.5 million, oops we *actually* meant £28.15million. Totes worth it. How much did the 'consultation' and subsequent trial closure of Church Street cost? How much did the signage, planters, ongoing surveys and all the other admin cost? How much money does the council give in support of the events held on Church Street in the past year? How much do all the other traffic consultations e.g. Linkfield Road and CPZ discussions cost? I could go on. I really could. Wanting to get rid of the SCPs is such a depressingly predictable move by a council who have already shown complete contempt for the health & safety of Isleworth schoolchildren by failing to act to lower dangerous levels of pollution, preferring to argue and deny any issues exist and ultimately continue to prioritise council vanity projects over the needs of everyday Hounslow residents. 47 Because I feel its safer for my kids. 48 With increased traffic using our roads and a higher number of children attending and, therefore, travelling to and from school, this service is needed now,more than ever. 49 I use the lollipop crossing to get my child safely to and from school by bus on a busy road. St John's Road. 50 The safety to all using the south ills school crossing is important. It is a busy and dangerous road and with out the crossing patrol getting not only children and parents across the road but the general public everyone morning and afternoon there could be a serious accident that can be prevented by keeping the school crossing patrol 51 The safety of my child and other children is paramount 52 I feel that if the lady is not present I will not be able to use the crossing as if won't be safe to cross! There will be lots of accidents as there is already! 53 I think that crossing patrols arę the must for children safety and well being.Children feel definitely safer when crossing roads with someone standing next to them who make sure that road is clear and safe to pass.IT is horrifying that w Council has such a proposal on cutting costs starting from our children's safety! This should never happen! Many people arę often in hurry in the mornings whether for work or other matters SO therefore patrols arę needed!
54 We are crossing the Road at least four time a day. And the traffic is quite heavy during School Time. We definitely need a crossing Patrol as without it would be dangerous. 55 The safety of our children should be the governments first priority. 56 The safety of our children is paramount 57 I have witnessed first-hand the benefit in safety to children of using the crossing guard. In my role as an LBH policing officer I spend time outside schools for traffic calming measures and child seat education. I have on several occasions seen traffic become impatient due to high volumes of children leaving schools at one time. This puts children at risk which I feel is unacceptable. Crossing guards provide a real life mind to risk access situations in real time. This cannot be beaten and as I accept there is always a need to cut funding I don't feel child safety should be compromised. Richard White outside Westbrook School is very diligent and works two roads next to each other on a very main road. I am sure there would be accidents without his effort and others efforts.
58 Safety for the kids while there are so many careless drivers on the road also there is no zebra crossing on the road next to the school which force the driver to stop 59 The School Crossing Patrol is an exceedingly important service which should not be compromised. I would suggest that the council make savings elsewhere - perhaps by exploring efficiencies. 60 As The Blue School has agreed to pay for the service, I am speaking for the other schools affected. Especially those where there is no crossing at all. I would consider pelican crossings to be compulsory outside schools. Particularly junior and infants. Zebra crossings are not as safe, in my opinion. Because children could just expect cars to stop. It is betted to have the traffic light/green man safety net.But where there are no crossing aids at all, it is imperative that there be a crossing guard in place. You cannot put a price on a child's life. It is one thing to cut funding for public services such as waste collection. It is unacceptable when it affects the safety of human beings and vulnerable children. As a parent, I always take my children across the road. They are 6 and 8. But older children and those with working parents, rely on the crossing guard to keep them safe. Expenditure comes down to the same thing ultimately. An increase in Council Tax or income tax. This kind of safety measure cannot be made disposable. There are people in management positions. Corporate executives and bankers who earn more than £160,000 per year individually. How many 6 figure bonuses are paid out every year?Why is it always the people at the bottom of the pile who must suffer because of cuts? The Government needs to find the funding from higher up in the chain. How much money is wasted every year because of inefficiency? Because proposals costing thousands, even millions of pounds are scrapped? The money needed is out there.Unfortunately, the Government has it's priorities in the wrong places. 61 We have to cross st John's rd everyday to get to school after getting off the H37 bus. The road is often so busy with traffic at that time. Although there is an island there is no crossing as such. I would feel very nervous trying to cross without the lollipop lady there to stop the traffic for me and my young 6yr old daughter. 62 It helps in the safety of children whilst going and coming from school 63 The school crossing patrol (lollypop lady) has ensured the safety of every child that's ever crossed with her. Myself and im sure every other parent feel reassured by her being there. 64 The crossing on St JOHN's road is treacherous with ever rising volume of traffic, especially after the closure of church street. I personally have witnessed potentially fatal accidents narrowly avoided, especially at rush hour and involving children. There are no crossings after the top of the road, and a high number of children/parents use the crossing to access Isleworth Town, Blue School, St Mary's, Worple and Gumley schools. Do not withdraw this service without replacing at least with a pedestrian crossing at the same point. 65 As a parent of two children that attend West brook Primary school its very important to keep patrol service for our children. It is a big safety issue for the children without them there would be so many accidents for children because everyday when we are crossing we see how fast people drive on the streets they dont stop or give way to the children. Its very disappointing see how this council to can come to this conclusion does not the future mean nothing the kids are future and safety big issue. Its a.big help for children help them learn safely issues that we need place. On daily basis see how close kids come hit by car without patrol service there would be lot of accidents and can be drastic . Just few months boy 11 years old lost his life comimg back from school. It happened so quick touched our hearts. As a parent my child is austic he looks up to them as a safety measures. Sorry drivers in Hounslow are all always in rush and drive fast too many close calls so we need work together and keep the patrol service money is not everything when comes to the well being of children. Results can be tragic if they are gone and will be sad and devastating. So please consider our children our hearts. This is not fair and good .
66 The School Crossing Patrol makes crossing busy roads, outside of schools, a lot safer as cars are going by constantly from parents picking up children. Having the School Crossing Patrol ensures that children and parents get across busy roads safely without any hassle of problems as well as waving off the lollipop man/woman and to also thank them. The staff working as the lollipop men/women are lovely and are very kind and caring to our well being and to give back we'd all like to support the funding so they are able to continue to contribute to the community making it a better place.
67 Children's life is more important than any other funds 68 This is a very busy road and I have witnessed several incidents where children and adults have narrowly avoided being hit by passing vehicles. This service is vital to keep our children safe, to take it away is putting our children's lives at risk. 69 I'm using patrolling services every day while taking my children to school. The Westbrook road we have to cross gets very busy at the school run times and I think crossing without help will put children's lives in unnecessary danger. 70 We need school patrol as its safer for kids to cross the road. 71 The roads around St John's/ Linkfield area are getting busier with the school expansion and new developments in the area. As a result, there is more traffic and I have safety concerns for the number of children crossing the busy roads. 72 I am writing to express my deep concern at news that the lollipop man outside Westbrook Primary School (Heston) will be made redundant from April 2017 due to funding cuts. Both my children attend Westbrook Primary. Mr. White provides a vital service to parents who are often ferrying more than one child to the school crossing busy roads at peak hours. Cars very rarely stop for parents/children and Mr. White works tirelessly to ensure the children’s safety. His presence means that traffic and pedestrians cohabit the space efficiently and without incident. Please can we review this decision immediately as I am among many parents who remain extremely concerned at this news. 73 I have 2 small children and these roads are very dangerous to cross insteed of removing the crossing patrol you should install a speed camera or a pelican crossing you would get the fund that you need. 74 For the safety of kids 75 We use this crossing service every day and when there is no one attending it is a dangerous crossing . 76 London Road, Isleworth is a very busy road. The school crossing is in constant use in the mornings and afternoon. Yo wi 77 I support to keep the School Crossing patrol. 1. Pensioners who cannot get there pension until they are 66 upwards have these jobs as it gives them some way of creating an income and they also fine it rewarding.2. They do a brilliant job of getting all parents and children across.3. Not only, do they do the above but they also move on cars which are double parked because you never see a ticket man at anytime.I saw a car doing 50 miles an hour down a school road at a weekend, camera there but I bet he was not caught.
78 Though the need to reduce cost is mentioned there is no indication of the prioritisation of the proposed cuts and why the council proposes this over any other. 79 A lot of Isleworth Town pupils use the St John's Road crossing. There is no other safe place to cross the road especially for children walking to and from school on their own. It is a very large school with a lot of pupils coming from the Woodlands and Worton Road estates, and so there is a considerable amount of pesdestrisn traffic. Despite speed bumps cars travel at speed up and down the road and there is congestion with buses and parked cars. I am sure the council spent considerably more than the amount this would save on the closure of Church Street
80 How can you even consider transfering responsability of a childs welfare yet again to the Schools when they are not even inside the premises. We already have Teachers patrolling bus stops ( which is outside thier remit )
Considering the amount of money you receive in not only parking fees but parking fines as well if you had a finance Manager who could control the Councils budgets more effectivelly then there would not be a problem.
All Councils are so quick to blame either lack of Government funding or having to cost cut their own budgets through thier own miss manegement is outragious get your act together Hounslow it's pathetic. 81 This is a crucial service due to the amount of traffic in the section of road where we use it and feeds 3 different schools. 82 The crossing on St Johns Road is used by many parents and children at Isleworth Town. The traffic along St Johns Road is a nightmare as school times, most probably as a result of the continued closure of Church Street. There is now also a proposal to make changes to the traffic management of Linkfield Road which could potentially lead to more cars using St Johns Road. I think a school crossing patrol is essential at St Johns Road.
83 It's very important we consider children's safety first. The crossing patrols are safe gard's. They standing their regardless of the weather to protect the future of the country. On the other hand we are talking about to people losing their job. They have a family like all of us. May be it's hard for the council too cover the growing cost but I personally don't think this is a right measure. Instead why don't council consult parent in school to pay £3 every month to support the council. In this way council don't take the pressure on its on. I think we should all share the cost better than stopping it totally. Thank you
84 It's people's livelihood and also makes children crossing roads a lot safer. 85 With greater emphasis on everyone walking to school - Beat the Street, possible part-closure of Linkfield Rd, CPZ proposals - providing a safe way of crossing is essential. Children walk unaccompanied to school, part of their personal development and fitness, and will be at risk if the road crossing is not patrolled. Cars are hard to spot on Linkfield Rd sometimes. The crossing keeps local children away from the route along Twickenham Road, avoiding the pollution caused by congestion, which they are particularly at risk from. I am aware of central government funding cuts, and have much sympathy for the predicament of LBH, but this is a resource for young people which should be retained, for their safety and development. 86 I am parent of three children and with my eldest now going on to my younger children I have been using this crossing twice a day for 13 years, I think that the school needs a school crossing patrol as the hatton road is very busy and I have seen for myself a couple of children been run over at different times when the school didn't have a school crossing patrol.Although there is a speed limit down this road there is still cars that go fast or ignore the fact there is a crossing there for the children to cross.Bedfont school need the school crossing patrol as since she has been there I have seen no accidents she helps the children cross safely.
87 London Road is a very busy road, especially during rush hour. There have been a number of accidents over the years. The local schools need a crossing patrol for the following reasons..... - Health and wellbeing, we must continue to encourage children to walk to school - A new secondary school, the Green School for Boys, so more school children in the area from September 17 onwards. - New bus route E8 started in Sept 16, due to the relocation of some NHS services to West Middlesex Hospital. This has added to traffic in the area. So has the closure of Church Street in Old Isleworth. I walk my child to school everyday, unfortunately traffic calming measures don't work, most people drive like idiots and don't care about safety.
-
88 As I feel it's very important 89 I strongly oppose the proposal to cease funding of all the School Crossing Patrols as it is paramount to safeguarding the children walking to and from school independently.
The traffic through and around Isleworth - in particular, since the closure of Church Street - has made the roads very busy and dangerous especially at peak times when children and families are walking to and from school. 90 2 Schools, 2 corner shops, daily commuters, 1 very busy road that accesses the train station. It's a no brainer.
The crossing patrol is also an important part of the community. A friendly, welcoming and welcomed face that represents the local council and acts as positive representation of a good working relationship between the local community and local government. What kind of numpty idea would prioritise withdrawing funding for such an important and relatively inexpensive community function, when we can clearly see road budget getting spent for the sake of it at the end of the budget? 91 The SCP outside Marlborough School helps Parents and Pupils cross an extremely busy road in a safe and orderly manner. It seems lunacy to remove this service and I strongly believe that doing so will lead to an increase in accidents 92 School crossing support makes children traveling to and from school safer to walk. Thereby reducing the number of children being driven. 93 I strongly oppose this as the patrol is vital for children from a number of schools in the surrounding area and not just Isleworth town school.
I think with the proposed plans for limiting access to Linkfield road, more families will be forced to use public transport which will also require use of patrol when crossing.
I urge you to look at cutting funding in other areas perhaps looking at cutting housing benefits.
94 The crossing at the school is not safe. The lollipop person has been narrowly missed twice and they wear very visible outfits. Imagine little people with dull uniforms. 95 Because without the School Crossing Patrol on St Johns Road we will be putting my children and all the other local school children at serious risk. There is no zebra crossing on this road and the road is very heavy with traffic during these times when the School Crossing Patrol is essential. 96 The school crossing patrol is an essential service to the safety of all children when crossing the road, she is never angry or upset she always says hello to all the children and is a friendly familiar face, she assists the students to respect the road, not to run out but to wait until she says it is safe to cross it teaches the students the fundamentals of road safety. 97 The school crossing patrols are critical for children's safety. In particular, the one on London Road near Tesco Express is used by several primary schools and a secondary school - with another secondary due to open shortly. This crossing patrol is crucial due to the volume of traffic on this road. 98 Stopping any crossing support for children on the busy roads of today would be dangerous and lead to accidents. there are lots of parents who are unable to take their children to school and rely on crossing patrol to help there children cross busy roads , The government insist on both parents working to survive and take enough council tax of working parents to pay for these kind of things and therefore should at least provide something to ensure the safety of those children whose parents can't take them to school !!
99 For all the children and carers that needs this support for crossing a road at such a busy time, children. Walking to school carers get of mind that their child/ children. Use this to cross the road safely, 100 It's one the most busiest stretches of road that our Lollypop lady works on, there is no lights or Zebra crossing to cross our children. Our Lollipop lady has taught our children road safety awareness and she would be hazardous to our children to our safety to lose. 101 We use the crossing every school day it gives me reasurance that when my son is old enough to walk to school on his own he will have the lollipop lady there to help him cross 102 We live in Isleworth and have to cross bridge road to get to Hounslow town primary school (in pears road). There is always a constant flow of traffic on bridge road and it's very dangerous to cross especially for the children going to school alone without an adult. A lot of drivers do not want to stop and you have to take the chance and cross the road when you can.
103 St jonhs road has become very busy unfortunately there is no other safe way to cross this road. I am a mother and a childminder I collect 5 children from Isleworth town and this is the safest way for us to cross. 104 They are required. Very busy roads outside of the school 105 Due to cars speeding along St johns road it only takes a split second for an accident plus on heavy traffic the children have no safe place to cross... and without the help our children do not feel safe 106 The road is very busy on school run 107 Children's wellbeing and safety especially where roads are concerned,having a human being showing them the way,is of great importance in the knowledge of road safety. 108 Without the lollipop lady outside Southville School, i fear theres going to be lots of accidents and loads of chaos! I would feel uncomfortable using that crossing if she was not there because the traffic does not always stop and without her there would be a serious accident! 109 Funding should remain in place as it is important for the safe-guarding of children for them to be able to cross safely. 110 It will be impossible to cross St. John's Road without our lollipop lady. Many children walk on their own and will end up taking unnecessary risks with the huge amount of traffic going along the road, increased due to the ridiculous closure of church street. 111 Crossing patrol safeguards our children on roads and on major crossings. 112 The crossing is on a busy road & children cross during peak times & many cars are not inclined to stop otherwise & if they are able to they drive very fast past. There is not even a zebra crossing there to get cars to slow down or stop. The zebra crossing lady is not there for that long it can hardly break the bank having her there & she is necessary, not a waste of money at all. I assume the proposal has been made by people whose children are older or have finished school hence not being able to see the clear value in it for young children.
113 Before the lolypop person was on the London road by Marlborough sch/ Tesco children and parents would run across the road in front of cars. Accidents happened at this site involving children Since the lolypop lady as been there this does not happen. The council should fund this post a persons life is priceless! And road safety should be an important priority not cut back on. 114 The lady is very helpful, especially when the older children walk to school on their own. She keeps an eye not only on them crossing the road but also on any strangers and other dangerous/new situations. The children practise their manners saying good morning or thank you but also learn to respect others that arw there for them to help.
She knows most of the children (some by their names) and their families and can usually tell who drops them of and when so she knows the community really well.
I believe the lady is like a guardian half way to the school, not only a lollipop lady!! 115 This dangerous road is used daily by myself and my family
The lollipop lady is invaluble in preventing accidents 116 The traffic around isleworth is getting worse and worse especially since the closure of Church Street. Drivers are frustrated and drive dangerously especially now on side roads trying to avoid the nightmare of Teickenhan road. In turn this had made St. John's road and south street a complete nightmare to cross. No one stops for you. So many children use St. John's road especially primary school children. We need the safety of our lollipop lady to ensure there is no casualties to our young children. If you cease funding for this essential role in our society I fear we would start seeing fatal collisions on St. John's road before too long. And I would personally hold the council responsible. Especially when the seemed to be able to find £120,000 for 4 huge plant pots to block Church Street. I'm sure they can find the money to fund our lollipop people.
117 How very sad that we should put children's safety at risk and for all the lovely people who do the jobs the children love them have things really got that bad that we have to do this to the children it's so sad 118 Whilst maintaining funding of the School Crossing Patrol may not be a legal obligation, the safety and well being of children in this borough are certainly your moral obligation. Whilst I can't speak for every site, at Marlborough Primary School the SCP Officer provides an invaluable service and proposing to remove her without providing an alternative crossing is dangerous and unethical at best. An alternative crossing could easily be installed at Marlborough without disruption to residential parking. Even if that were the case at the remaining sites, £0.5M is a small price given the potential cost of a child's well being. It would pay for itself in just over 3 years. Passing the burden onto schools or parents is not acceptable. Please reconsider. 119 May children walk home by themselves and the roads are very dangerous to cross 120 I strongly oppose the cessation of funding as I feel having a crossing guard for St Johns Rd is essential to the wellbeing and safety of many local school children. Currently there is no zebra crossing or traffic lights to assist in safely crossing the road, therefore the crossing guard is providing an invaluable service to the local community. I think that if funding cannot be provided by the council then the local schools and or the parents should contribute to the funding. I know I would certainly consider paying a nominal fee to ensure the continuation of this vital service.
121 Due to south street closure the traffic is now horrendous on St. John's road. The crossing lady is vital to allow the children to cross safely 122 I feel very in the middle about this - Well I do believe they are needed at certain crossings but their are some where their used by traffic lights (south street isleworth) i think this is pretty pointless and a waste of money - u have a light system for a reason. I think out side schools with very busy roads where their is zebra crossing these should be used with a lollipop lady.
Maybe have them where their r busy busy roads near schools.. 123 The crossing patrol on the London Road is vital for the safety of children and their carers crossing a VERY VERY busy road which is only set to increase with new builds (large blocks of flats) popping up everywhere. We fought hard for our school crossing patrol (the first one of which was actually knocked down herself by a reckless driver). Will it take a fatality to make you see sense?
124 London Road is extremely busy particularly around school pickup/drop off time and there are 3 schools in very close proximity to our lollipop lady. It is reassuring and helps safeguard the pupils from all 3 schools.
125 Removing this wonderful service will cause chaos on the roads and endanger our children. 126 Lollipop staff keep our children safe I always say to my children cross with the lollipop lady's and over the years have built up a bond with the lollipop ladies as they see them twice a day this is important to us as well as our children 127 The danger the London Road causes to having such a busy and large primary school next to it, is immense. The lolypop lady is a real safety net and it seems you are saying that children's safely comes last. 128 As a young mother, I feel that removing the safety for crossing roads just to save money is a situation that only parents or people that don't care for their children or the community will agree! Knowing that there is someone to help the elderly, young, disabled and those who are less unfortunate to cross roads makes my mind as a mother and a person of this community feel more at ease when my child grows up and becomes independent. Maybe if our government didn't spend majority of this country's money on war, then there wouldn't be cut backs on things that generally are important to people of this world.
129 safety of children is paramount. 130 safety of the children is very important . keeping in view the number of current Britain in old age is quiet significant . we should guard our children as our next generation . safety and good health is very important for it any accident will degrade child confident and going out to school independently.
131 because it helps us to cross safely without harm so parents feel safe that there is people to help their children crossing the road safely. 132 If SCP is going to be withdrawn, then council must ask central government to pay for zebra crossings to provide safe crossing to pupils of the schools. As this is going to be one-off investment. Pupils safety should not be compromised over funding issues. As the volume of traffic on Thorncliffe Road has increased since Tesco express is opened in this area.
It will be wise move to introduce zebra crossing near schools. The cost of zebra crossing will be recouped within over three years by saving the cost of SCPs. 133 As a child I was hit by a car on my way to school and perminantly injured a service like this was never available for Me as a child this would have made a huge difference for me 134 The cars on this road drive too fast, without the support of school crossing patrol children and parents are going to find it extremely difficult to cross over, the main issue is the roundabout heading towards springwell infants, this is a totally nightmare, some drivers are not even willing to stop and can be rude when we cross over. The support is not just for springwell but also for the Berkeley school crossing over to the other side, there are no zebra crossings or traffic light system.
135 absolutely disgusting getting away with lollipop wardens!! it will only take one child to be knocked down and then what is the council going to do??? there is no harm in keeping the patrols and all your seeing is the money signs..... well you will be when a child is knocked down and you will be sued!
disgrace!!!!! 136 If the School crossing patrol people are not there vehicles will not stop and will will have a serious accident on your hands. Possible a fatality 137 1. There are other cutbacks that the council could make whigh are preferable to this proposal. For example, the council should immediately stop spending money on translation services as all residents should speak English. If not, then it is their responsibility to learn the language and it is not for the council to compensate for this basic lack of integration into foreign languagespecially. 2. Safety of our children is paramount and 160k savinge is relatively immaterial.If the council cannot find 160k saving elsewhere then please contact me and I will do the job for them!
138 Due to the increase in traffic on the roads during last few years specially in the busy hours when school starts and finishes...parents face difficulty in crossing roads and drivers get so impatient to stop unless a SCP tells them to do so. Therefore its too risky for little kids to cross roads without SCPs supervision.....i would request to please continue SCP funding for the sake of saving lives. Thanks. 139 I have been the School Crossing Patrol Officer for Springwell Nursery and Infant Schools for 23 years and I have made a huge difference to the safety of the children walking to and from school. There are many other children attending other schools who I see safely across the road. In fact it is my duty to help all members of the public cross the road safely. I am very worried that if I am made redundant that there will be accidents because the standard of driving is extremely bad at times.Some drivers are in such a hurry that they have no intention of stopping, even for me. How is a young child able to recognise these drivers?
140 The crossing patrol is vital in ensuring the safeguarding of children. The junction at Cranford Lane and Springwell road is extremely busy. The presence of the cross patrol officer, ensures drivers slow down, stop for pedestrians and drive in a safer manner. The pavements are very narrow, without a patrol crossing officer drivers are more prone to road rage incidents, dangerous driving by making haste without concern for the young children and families crossing. Accidents would most certainly go up! At worst someone will be injured or worse. 141 The roads are getting busier. The school intakes are becoming larger. There are more children trying to cross roads to get to school. Councils should remain responsible (in part) for the welfare of children travelling to schools within the Borough. The introduction of 20mph restrictions are very welcome. However, unless these restrictions are enforced, I fear they will make little difference.
142 It is extremely important we keep the school crossing patrol as more often than not drivers do not slow down when driving near the school and there are lots of small children crossing with parents that struggle to get their children across without assistance when the roads are busy.
143 To ensure the children are able to cross the road safely. 144 I oppose bcz drivers are always in hurry nd don't care for stopping while kids wants to cross nd that puts children in danger. 145 Taking away something that keeps children safe is wrong. The drivers on this road go very fast and there isn't even a zebra crossing 146 Bedfont Lane is a very busy road. With the school entrance on this main road it would be tragic to end this service. This road is also used by pupils from Southville Junior and Rivers academy. Actually the service is being used by 3 schools which is a big saving. Please do not take this service away. 147 Makes children walking home from Isleworth town on their Own more vulnerable to traffic accidents as they cross the busy St. John's rd 148 After years of walking to school with me, my three children have all started walking to school alone or with a friend from Year 5. We live about a 15 min walk away from Isleworth Town School and generally walk to the back gate down Linkfield Road. However, when they've started walking alone, or coming home via the shops on Twickenham Road, it's been good knowing that the crossing supervisor is on St John's Road. I've taught my children road sense from when they are very young, but feel so much more confident letting them go alone knowing that there is a main walking route and some supervision. I think it's shortsighted, in view of the healthy lifestyles and tackling obesity and pollution agendas, to cut a small, fairly inexpensive intervention that makes a big difference to so many families. Having a supervised crossing is more than just road safety; it's someone else in the community keeping an eye on our children, another trusted adult for them to greet, learn manners, learn road sense and become more confident about being in their local area without a parent/carer. Without the crossing supervisor, fewer children will walk, more parents will drive, there will be one less friendly face for our children to know. It may seem like a small service, but I think it has a huge 'soft' impact on top of the safety outcome. I am also sure that there will be more road accidents if this supervision is removed.
149 I and so many of the people who use this service, are totally appalled by this proposal and cannot understand why the Council would wish to put the safety and lives of children and other pedestrians at risk.
The London Road is a particularly busy road used by heavy goods vehicles, buses and of course all other vehicles. The traffic controller provides a vital service not just for the children of Marlborough Primary School, but also children crossing the road on their way to Isleworth Town Primary, Smallberry Green Primary School and the Green school too.
I am certain there must be cost savings that can be made elsewhere and I struggle to understand the justification.
That said, if this is definitely to happen, then I assume that in its place there is the intention to erect a pelican crossing instead? 150 I and so many of the people who use this service, are totally appalled by the proposal and cannot understand why the Council would wish to put the safety and lives of children and other pedestrians at risk. The London Road is a very busy road with heavy goods vehicles, buses and of course all other vehicles using it heavily. The traffic controller provides a vital service not just for the young children of Marlborough Primary School, but also children crossing the road on their way to Isleworth Town Primary, Smallberry Green Primary School and the Green school too. I am sure there must be cost savings that can be made elsewhere. If cost is an issue, then a pelican crossing at that junction should be a must.
151 My son will shortly be making his way to school on his own in preparation for the transition to senior school and as the driver's on London Road don't seem to adhere to speed limits I am petrified he is going to get run down Our previous crossing assistant was run down by a motorist with. Our regard for public safely so what chance do the children have. Why is this about saving money and not about the safety of our children. This is an outrageous idea and should not be for the schools to fund.Please tell me what I am paying my council tax for? My street is dark with limited lights and feels unsafe, the bins are too small to get the rubbish/recycling in and there are alcoholics drinking at the end of the road that no one does anything about. Now you want to remove someone who is there to keep children safeIts a ridiculous idea 152 As a tax payer I think the savings should be made somewhere else eg. by cutting benefits and free housing for lazy people instead of cutting services. Putting children's safety at risk to safe money and then give them away in benefits is not a good idea. 153 With traffic already at breaking point along Twickenham Road, there is increased levels of traffic already on St John's Road, making it dangerous for children to cross without the help of the lollipop lady. With the council's proposals for Linkfield Road also being touted (something else that has been badly thought through and also poorly communicated, along with the trial closure of Church Street), this could make St John's Road busier still. There must be other areas where the council can save costs.
154 Children need a safe place to cross. If children are being encouraged to walk, cycle and scoot to school we need to make it as safe as possible for them to do so. Crossings also encourage independence at the secondary school level. 155 This is a very busy crossing and needs the patrol at school times 156 southville school is on a very busy main road leading into feltham high street. This makes crossing the road for parents and children difficult as there is a lot of cars on the road at this time of the day especially in the mornings. having a patrol isn't just beneficial to southville school but also to the children who are coming out of rivers academy.The amount of children crossing is doubled. i would be very worried if our school crossing patrol was taken away and would advise not to do so as i feel the consequences could be fatal.
157 The crossings near many schools are dangerous, with heavy traffic and many cars going well above the speed limit. Protecting our children must be a priority for the council. 158 The school crossing patrol helps protect our children on main / busy roads, its a necessity within the community and helps teach children the importance of road safety. Save our lollypop lady!! 159 i feel that the school crossing patrol is very important and is needed at all schools .. they help people to get across the road safely. some children are able to walk to school by themselves but still need that extra encouragement to cross a road properly and safely and having a lollipop lady there to help them cross safely can prevent so many accidents or worst case scenario death.. when my children get older I would hope that they would still have a lollipop lady to keep them safe crossing the road if they were by themselves. 160 The current SCP is at a very busy roundabout junction (where two of the roads need to be covered by the SCP). Not having the SCP would seriously endanger the children crossing the junction. 161 Putting there lives in danger 162 Some very young children that have disabled parents walk themselves to school and have to cross the roads not all children are road awareness 163 The crossing patrol person is needed as Cranford Lane / Springwell Road are very busy to get traffic to stop and there are no zebra crossing/ lights as a safe alternative for children getting to & from school. 164 They help traffic control and the safety of familys old and young.... 165 you are putting lives at risk 166 The lollipop lady is a friendly face. They are someone the children know, an adult outside the gate so not only (which is very important)do they insure the safe crossing of roads for our children but they are also someone the children can go to if in trouble who is a familiar safe person. I have seen this on a numerous occasion outside my daughters school. 167 I walk with my Daughter to and from School on a daily basis, and use the crossing at the beginning and the end of the day. During these times, the roads are very busy, full of cars, and like myself there are lots of pedestrians commuting in the area. I feel it would be very difficult and unsafe to cross this busy main road without the lollypop lady being there, as there are no other crossings nearby and no pedestrian crossing with lights either. With the lollypop lady in use it is the only way I am guaranteed to get across the road safely with my Daughter, as no cars are courteous enough to stop and let you cross, and it is just so busy with hundreds of adults and children on a daily basis with both Southville School and Rivers Academy being so close to each other. If the lollypop lady was no longer there, I feel the road would be very dangerous indeed for both commuters and students, and I don't really know how I would get across the road.
168 I believe that Crossing Patrol is MUST! I personally have seen lots of vehicles who don't stop at the crossing, especially at school run times! 169 Not benefiting from school crossing patrol service means putting our children lives at risk. As responsible grown-ups we can find other ways to make up ( e.g. raising parking ticket charges ) that shouldn't affect the most vulnerable. " The lollipop lady / man " is not just someone who supervises road crossing; she/ he is a person of trust for any child suddenly finding himself in a dangerous situation on his way to school or home.
170 Because the children will suffer, so many struggle trying to cross the roads as it is with all these cars etc on the roads sometimes it takes 5 minutes or so trying to cross the road and this results in lateness or school with a 'lollypop/lady/man there it is much easier to cross. 171 Kids have to cross the road twice a day , dont stop this 172 This is a very essential service and should not be shut for any reason. This holds a great priority as it is about safety of children. 173 There is still an alarming amount of drivers who wont stop when they see children/adults waiting at the Zebra Crossing. 174 I am deeply concerned as the school patrol are very useful as they prevent any serious accidents or collisions happening during busy school busy periods at the begging of the day and later upon finishing time 175 This is a basic principle that we keep our children safe, and encourage walking and sustainable travel to school. Removing these, even when your review has considered them necessary is clearly morally wrong. Putting up Council tax for higher brackets would be a far better way of retaining the provision. 176 Children safety should come first and councils must think about other options rather just simply withdraw saftety officers that helps children to cross street. Oak hill academy is based near main road where traffic is heavy. Each day I noticed that cars won't stop even when traffic officer walks out. I have been almost hit twice by car on crossing path when I was collecting my child from after care when traffic officer has finished for a day. It's just a joke when no one wants to think about kids safety , cars won't stop at 20 mph sign as they don't want to stop now when physicals person walks out on crossing path with massive lollipop and bright coloured cloths on. It will be just short matter of time when something bad will happen if there is no one to support crossing path. I would urge someone from council get up from seat and monitor for a day what happens on crossing paths with lollipop officer support before making some decision especially for schools based on / near main roads.
177 They are very useful and provide safety for children especially the ones that are not atteneded by a parent! 178 Children need assistance to help keep them safe. There are other council provided services which could be cut before this important offering goes e.g. translation services, interpreter services, removal of project spend on non core activities e.g. solar powered roof lights on London buildings (covent garden).School crossing patrols are especially important on dark nights and mornings - especially as the standards of driving and respect for crossing pedestrians is minimal nowadays.
179 Although my children are no longer using this service I think it is very important that the council remain responsible for a service which saves lives of young children and gives parents confidence in allowing children the right to walk to school. Asking schools to allocate their education budget to cover a council service is unacceptable. Schools may also have the ability to opt out which would make the service untenable.
180 Although my own children do not use the patrols, many others do and depend on them for safe access to education.
This is a disgraceful, politically motivated proposal and those who put it forward should be ashamed of themselves for playing politics with the safety of children. Those responsible are not fit to hold public office. I cannot believe that there are no more suitable ways of saving money. 181 My daughter attends The Green School for girls in Isleworth. The Green School is situated on and near some extremely busy roads and the School Crossing Patrol Service provides a safe and secure way for all children to cross without fear of being knocked down or run over by a driver not paying full attention, running a red light or not stopping at a marked Zebra or Pelican crossing.
182 As a resident of St John's road and a parent of children whom I walk to and from school daily, I feel strongly that the SCP person serving the parents and children to help them cross St John's road, should not be removed. There has been a significant increase in traffic since our residency in the borough 10 years ago partly due to an increase in the population, housing and traffic (including the closure of church street). The St John's SCP is a pivotal crossing post for ensuring the safe crossing of children to and from The Blue school; Isleworth Town School; St Mary's school and Gumley school. There are no zebra crossings or other safe crossings for children walking to school particularly towards the Twickenham road end of St John's road. There are no signs encouraging traffic to slow down and stop for children crossing the road. I feel sure that if the current SCP service was not on St John's road, traffic would not stop for pedestrians attempting to cross the road putting children at risk of injury. The SCP service has also provided a safe haven for lost or sick children and I think that children feel safe knowing that the SCP person is present and operating in the local vicinity. 183 Children need to be kept safe irrelevant of costs, especially in light of the increasingly dangerous conditions of our roads and its hapless drivers. 184 The safety of children is paramount. It is clear that the cost of injury is borne by the NHS rather than the council and therefore it is cheaper for the council to allow people to be injured rather than kept safe but it is immoral and a dereliction of the council's duty of care to its community. 185 This cut will directly put our children at risk. While I appreciate that the council needs to make cuts, savings should be made from services that will not leave our young children vulnerable.
I do not believe that the schools should be held responsible for providing this service and it is unfair to expect schools to fund this out of already very tight budgets.
186 The lollipop ladies in the Isleworth area are members of our community who make our streets feel safe. Not only do they provide increased safety for those crossing but also create a sense of identity and warmth into the local area. It would be a huge loss to us to lose them. 187 It is very risky for us to cross the road at school times! I feel safer when there's a lollipop lady!
188 I use the southville junior school zebra crossing twice a day, mon-fri at lunchtime when there is no lollipop lady/man & at least once a week a car does not stop to let me cross or as i have stepped onto the crossing, as they are far enough away to see me, & still dont stop. I have been on the zebra crossing in the morning with the lollipop lady stood in the middle of it in her high viz jacket & me halfway across when a car has not stopped! Children of ages 9, maybe younger are crossing this rd at busy times of the day & I think this is a very dangerous zebra crossing to not have a lollipop lady/man. I think you should put a camera on this zebra crossing for at least month & see for yourself how many drivers do not stop. I feel so strongly against this happening & believe it will actually cause death.
189 If the SCP is stopped Lives will be put at risk( due to driver negligence ,since drivers are waiting in traffic a long time), would the council be responsible for the casualties arising from the ceasing the SCP? Hounslow is yet to fix the piling traffic coming in from Worton Road which feeds into the A310 - with traffic issues not fixed, its hard to comprehend why drivers would be any less agitated when driving via the A3004. The SCP currently allows mothers with prams,mothers with more than one child to safely cross. Removal of the SCP could/will increases risk to children and parents alike, when they do cross the road. 190 The crossing near Blue school is near a turning onto south street. Turning cars do not always see the crossing without the lollipop lady there. It is dangerous.
Marian is also part of the community spirt of our area. It would take a v friendly element of the area away.
I feel extremely strong about this. 191 Because the council is allowing houses and flats in great numbers throughout the borough and this will not encourage parents and children to walk to school, they will get in cars and cause congestion 192 The local SCP (Lollipop) staff provide an important service to the parents and children of local schools. Not only do they help to maintain a safe crossing environment for the above, they also help to keep the traffic flowing along busy roads during school time. If you just rely on the Zebra Crossings, the traffic ends up getting backed up (increasing frustration and pollution in the areas near schools). Feltham High Street is a perfect example of this, I've been stuck there for 5 minutes due to school kids crossing.
Also, the propose savings of £160,000 comes to about 0.68% of the £23.6million savings, just a drop in the ocean. The cost of the SCP will be less than the cost of treating any accidents of kids that WILL occur with the with their removal; aka False economy. 193 My child goes to Oak Hill but uses the crossing by Feltham Hill as this is the safest place to cross. We even walk further out of our way to cross there and not by the park entrance as this is too dangerous.The school run time, particularly in the morning is extremely busy with traffic and many drivers are in a hurry or impatient and I have seen many times that they do not stop or slow down and that's even with a crossing lady. You say that around most schools you have reduced the speed limit to 20mph however outside Feltham Hill there is one sign on either side of the road as you pass the traffic lights coming from the Ashford direction. No signage on the road itself, the speed bumps that were there were removed when the road was resurfaced and never replaced so the first way to slow the traffic down is the speed bump on the zebra crossing! There are no lights that flash if someone is going over the 20mph and if people miss those signs there is nothing to reiterate the speed. There are not sufficient yellow lines around these main roads to stop people parking therefore forcing drivers on to the wrong side of the road. The safest place to cross is with guidance from our crossing ladies. I feel that you will definitely be putting our childrens lives in danger by cutting these posts. They ensure the safety of our children. I feel you honestly need to look again at the area around Feltham hill and Oak Hill academy to reduce drivers speeds.
194 I live opposite the zebra crossing and know the speed at which people drive on vicarage farm road, my son used to go to this school and we've had incidents where people didn't stop at the crossing. I think we need a combination of scp services and much stronger speed restrictions on all roads like this. 195 Because of us children's safety while crossing. 196 There is an actual zebra crossing in front of the school, still this is being constantly ignored by drivers (cars, motor bikes, bikes), even though cars etc. have time to act in a timely manner. When my child and I are earlier there than the lollypop lady we have to wait mostly a long time to cross the road. Barely drivers stop for people. It seems inconvenient to the drivers. It is not always the speed that is dangerous, it is the ignorance of people. I would never let my child cross this way on its own. No mother or father should be worried about their children trying to get some independence.
197 With the increase in commuter traffic on St Johns Rd and the stated aim of LBH to increase walking to school it seems entirely counter productive to remove the SCP on St Johns Road (servicing many local schools). The Lollypop lady on St Johns Rd is very valued and effective. She manages the increased commuter traffic in a no nonsense way and many children use the crossing both ends of the school day.
198 The road safety of young people is a priority. I do not agree that we should loose our lollypop lady as it is vital for the safety to our children. I understand that there are terrible issues with funding but the risk to fatalities is too high to remove the funding for lollypops ladies from ensuring safety on our roads. 199 I have stated that I strongly oppose the cessation of the SCP as the speed reduction measures that you have put into place on Bedfont Road do not work. There is too much traffic using this road as a cut through rather than using the bypass. The road is used as a speed track and for those of us who live along the road and stick to the speed limit there are idiots that insist on overtaking. The amount of signs indicating the speed limit need to be increased and more visible - ie - neon signs; and speed bumps reinstated that were taken away when the road was resurfaced. Also the yellow lines need to be double so that parents do not park along the parkside which causes backlogs of traffic creating more dangerous situations. If the SCP is removed another pedestrian crossing would help as the only one near the school is at the end of Chertsey Road. Parents who come through the walk through from Feltham High from the St Dunstans Church side need assistance to get across the road to the Parkside. 200 Based on the frequency with with drivers clash outside the school I think the potential for accidents will increase significantly with no one with perceived authority to control pupils crossing the road. The clashes are occurring because the road with parking on either side essentially becomes a single track during the school run mostly as well as outside these hours as well. Residents only parking might alleviate it combined with making the road one way only. The road running parallel to Heath Road, Central Avenue already has residents only parking restrictions. 201 For Berkeley Primary School, we believe that the Council could mitigate any additional risk associated with the loss of our SCP by: 1. Removing the parking bays which remain directly in front of the school (between the 2 entry gates on the school side of the road). Ideally this reduction would be achieved prior to withdrawing the SCP service on Cranford Lane outside Berkeley Primary School in March 2017. 2. Scheduling the mobile CCTV enforcement car to be present and visible much more regularly to properly enforce school keep clear markings. 202 We have not had patrol helper/officer since Feb2016 this year. This causes huge safety issues each day for all the children studying at Springwell Junior. The zig zag lines outside school are used by drivers all the time they tail back to zebra crossing at times. The double yellow lines on either side of The crossways road are blocked by drivers daily restricting H28 bus movement in and out. There are no CCTV camera's to prevent these and the traffic comes to stand still every day. some drivers don't even stop at crossing anymore, it is real safety issue which needs looking into. I will appreciate if you can re consider your proposal.
203 We understand the financial impetus but this applies to schools and not just the Council. School funding is also being cut significantly over the coming years. The council needs to take action to mitigate the risk of removing SCPs.
For Berkeley Primary School, we believe that the Council could mitigate any additional risk associated with the loss of our SCP by:
1. Removing the parking bays which remain directly in front of the school (between the 2 entry gates on the school side of the road). Ideally this reduction would be achieved prior to withdrawing the SCP service on Cranford Lane outside Berkeley Primary School in March 2017.
2. Scheduling the mobile CCTV enforcement car to be present and visible much more regularly to properly enforce school keep clear markings. 204 We understand the financial impetus but this applies to schools and not just the Council. School funding is also being cut significantly over the coming years. The council needs to take action to mitigate the risk of removing SCPs.
For Berkeley Primary School, we believe that the Council could mitigate any additional risk associated with the loss of our SCP by:
1. Removing the parking bays which remain directly in front of the school (between the 2 entry gates on the school side of the road). Ideally this reduction would be achieved prior to withdrawing the SCP service on Cranford Lane outside Berkeley Primary School in March 2017.
2. Scheduling the mobile CCTV enforcement car to be present and visible much more regularly to properly enforce school keep clear markings. 205 We understand the financial impetus but this applies to schools and not just the Council. School funding is also being cut significantly over the coming years. The council needs to take action to mitigate the risk of removing SCPs.
For Berkeley Primary School, we believe that the Council could mitigate any additional risk associated with the loss of our SCP by: 1. Removing the parking bays which remain directly in front of the school (between the 2 entry gates on the school side of the road). Ideally this reduction would be achieved prior to withdrawing the SCP service on Cranford Lane outside Berkeley Primary School in March 2017. 2. Scheduling the mobile CCTV enforcement car to be present and visible much more regularly to properly enforce school keep clear markings. 206 These are infants, who have no sense of judgement for speed until at least 7 years of age! No child should be put in danger because of budget constraints - I would suggest looking elsewhere within the borough for savings. 207 “Thank you for your letter of 23rd November 2016 concerning the withdrawal of funding for school crossing patrols in Hounslow. I am sure you will have received many, many complaints about the withdrawal of this scheme and this letter is no exception. But I just want to concentrate on one particular point. This service is being withdrawn on the grounds that there is no legal requirement for you, or any other borough for that matter, to maintain it. Be that as it may, this may all change in the future if there are accidents or near misses being reported at the locations where school children are currently crossing to go to school. Not all lollypop ladies are positioned at zebra or pelican crossings, many are at unmarked/undesignated crossings. Human nature will dictate that children will continue to cross at these same, unsafe locations when the scheme stops. It is therefore, sadly, only a matter of time before someone is killed at these locations. And it is at this point in time when organisations like the Health and Safety Executive will step in to review the sanity of this scheme in its current state. It is then that the law may be forced to change, although I sincerely hope that no-one’s life has to be lost in order for this to happen. So it would be highly fitting for Hounslow to set a moral example and show to the rest of London (perhaps even the entire country) that children’s lives are worth investing in, that Hounslow is prepared to set an example to the country. I do not need to explain the political ramifications this could have for your department, the positive press that it would receive, and the likely endorsement it would receive from the Mayor of London. So please consider this issue very, very carefully and forward this email to the relevant decisions makers at the Council.”
Contextual information of respondents
What is your gender?
Response Answer Options Count Male 49 Female 174 Prefer not to say 12 Other (please specify) 0 answered question 235 skipped question 22 What is your age?
Response Answer Options Count <18 3 18-29 17 30-44 144 45-59 55 60+ 8 Prefer not to say 9 answered question 236 skipped question 21 What is your ethnicity?
Response Answer Options Count Mixed background 6 White or White British 151 Black or Black British 6 Asian or Asian British 41 Prefer not to say 24 Other (please specify) 8 answered question 236 skipped question 21
Do you consider yourself to have a disability?
Response Answer Options Count Yes 16 No 207 Prefer not to say 12 answered question 235 skipped question 22
Please indicate the type of disability which applies to you
Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Sensory impairment 3.1% 1 Physical disability 9.4% 3 Mental health condition 12.5% 4 Learning disability 6.3% 2 Long-standing illness or health condition such as cancer, HIV, diabetes, chronic heart disease or 15.6% 5 epilepsy Prefer not to say 56.3% 18 Other (please specify) 12.5% 4 answered question 32 skipped question 225
2) Direct responses from Schools
Note: Some schools submitted their response through the survey reported in section 1.
26/9/16 - Head Teacher, Norwood Green Infant’s School
“The schools crossing patrol service was officially removed from our school in July 2015 and was vacant for a long period before this date as the member of staff was absent on ill health grounds. Initially there were complaints from parents but we have not received any comments from the community for over a year.
Support with crossing is appreciated and certainly makes the journey to school a safer place. Nevertheless whilst the link to wellbeing is clear, it is with regret that the school is no longer in a position to take on yet more of the Local Authority’s financial responsibilities.
I would ask that when this issue goes out to public consultation that it is made crystal clear that this unpopular decision has not come from schools.”
17/10/16 - Southville Infant and Nursery School
It is a service that we feel benefits our children and families and would like to see it continue. We would certainly consider covering some of the cost of a crossing patrol.
The letter from Mark Frost states the estimate cost of providing a patrol is £7,000 a year. Could you clarify the hours a patrol is expected to work and also if the £7,000 covers on-costs (NI, tax, etc.).”
20/11/16 - Headteacher / National Leader of Education and Philip Dobison, Chair of Governors, on behalf of the staff and the Governing Body of Berkeley Primary School
“Apologies for the delay in responding but there was no Governing Body scheduled in the timescale you allowed.
This response is on behalf of Berkeley Primary School. Please note that the school opted out of the letter sent on behalf of EIP Primary Central Partnership preferring to make its own response. However we have copied Tom and Michael into Berkeley’s response (below) so they also have a fuller range of perspectives.
The Governing want to acknowledge the fact that the Council has been supportive and proactive in improving road safety outside Berkeley Primary School with the establishment of a zebra crossing outside the school, combined with a 20mph limit, zig-zag lines and a reduction in the number of parking bays which obstruct the line of sight for vehicles and pedestrians. All of these required not insignificant investment by the Council and the support of Highways and local ward Councillors. We are grateful for that support and we believe our children and community are safer because of the decisive action taken by the Council after our child accident. Well done!
In our view, these permanent, physical improvements outside our school mean that the proposed loss of the SCP service is as risky as it would have previously been and we believe that any additional risk can be mitigated by the council taking the two proposed modest actions highlighted in bold below.
Whilst there are benefits of having SCPs, one of the concerns that this school has highlighted with the SCP arrangements has been that they are reliant on staff attendance and therefore the safety benefit is variable. Permanent road safety features are more reliable and cost-effective.
High levels of SCP staff absence, whilst genuine and unavoidable, was identified as a contributory factor in the one child accident that did occur outside the school. The SCP was not in attendance on that day due to illness but the young boy had become accustomed to cars being stopped automatically for him, and hence had not learnt to take some any responsibility himself.
Berkeley’s SCP has been absent again in the last week but my staff, who are also out in front of the school every morning and afternoon, report that parents have commented again on how grateful they are that there is now a proper pedestrian crossing in situ.
The parental community petitioned the council for the crossing and would acknowledge the positive response that their campaign received.
We also now have a fake crossing, road signs and other road safety equipment in EYFS so we train the children on how to use the real crossing you installed from the earliest possible point.
However, if schools are to lose their SCPs (and we fully understand the revenue funding pressures on the Council), then we would ask that the additional risk is mitigated on a bespoke basis reflecting the individual school context.
For Berkeley Primary School, we believe that the Council could mitigate any additional risk associated with the loss of our SCP by:
Scheduling the mobile CCTV enforcement car to be present and visible much more regularly to properly enforce school keep clear markings and
Most importantly, the Council must show the necessary resolve to implement a further reduction in the parking bays directly in front of the school (between the 2 entry gates on the school side of the road). Ideally this reduction would be achieved prior to withdrawing the SCP service on Cranford Lane outside Berkeley Primary School in March 2017.
You will be aware also that, as Executive Headteacher, I have recent personal experience of the devastation and trauma that losing a child in an RTA can have. I remain angry at the unnecessary loss of Aaron Singh Matharu’s life and his future even as I type this email. I am keen never to have to experience such a senseless tragedy again. I am truly grateful for the offer of support Michael made on behalf of the Council at the time. I/We were under considerable stress in the immediate aftermath of that tragedy but I want to acknowledge that the kind offers were made and trust that we will continue to respect and support the joint roles with have for the local community, regardless of status.
For Berkeley, I suggest the 2 steps above are easily achievable and that the Council will then have done all that it should to mitigate the risks of any decision to cease the SCP at Berkeley Primary School. We will go on record with the parents if that helps.
The school accepts that it also has a role to play in mitigating any increased risk if, as we expect, the SCPs are terminated. We will, for example, continue to contribute to road safety education through the training of children, we will work in partnership with the Council and highways (and other partners) to this end, we will enhance our messaging to parents through the newsletter, events and the school website, we will include road safety as part of the formal and informal curriculum and we will continue to provide staff in the mornings and afternoons on the pavements outside the school. The Council, Tom and Michael in particular I am sure, must also understand fully that school budgets are under the same pressures as the Council purse. It is not realistic, or helpful, to anticipate or suggest that replacement funding would be found from schools such as Berkeley Primary School. I wish this suggestion had been avoided in the first place but hopefully that will be a lesson learnt.
The Governing Body wish to remind the Council that the when we were invited to take over the leadership of Berkeley in 2012 and asked to sort out the myriad of performance, staffing, financial and organisational issues that the school then had, we immediately identified significant safeguarding risks with the school site which would require nearly an estimated £750,000 to remedy. Since then, in order to address these risks, we have had to cut maintenance work and rigidly save both capital and revenue funding to now be in a position afford the first phase of this huge expense of the school’s safeguarding capital project. This is at last being commissioned to properly safeguard the site by the end of 2017. The Governing Body are of the view that this was really the Council’s responsibility long before 2012 and it should have been funded and implemented soon after the tragedy at Soham in 2002 and not left unaddressed for so long. However we have now saved enough to make a sizeable start on the project and by the end of 2017, subject to tenders, we will have addressed the majority of the physical safeguarding issues at the school.
We are also committed, as an academy from 1st April 2017, to continue to work in even stronger partnership with the LA and Council to support the local community and we believe that the Council will welcome the plans we have to support the Council’s work in our area in the future.”
On 28th November 2016, the Public Consultation was opened. Schools were asked to send on a letter to all their parent inviting comments, local residents within 100m radius of a crossing site were written to and the consultation was added to our website all with a link to a short survey on Survey Monkey. Closing date was extended 23rd January 2017.
28/11/16 – Head Teacher Hounslow Town and Branch Secretary NAHT
“Very unhappy that this is a consultation with parents that is going to put pressure on schools to employ crossing patrol out of their already stretched budget.
The LA are shifting the responsibility from them to the schools, so that parents will perceive if there is no crossing patrol it is the schools fault.”
28/11/16 - Head Teacher Springwell Junior
“I am unhappy with the implication that crossing patrol service should be a responsibility for schools. It seems to me that the decision has already been made and that the consultation is a way of exerting pressure on schools to fund and deflecting criticism from the LA.”
28/11/16 - Head Teacher St Lawrence RC Primary
This is an issue purely of the council's making so surely if there is anything to be consulted on it is the withdrawal of the service. The buy back proposal is a decision for Governing Bodies and schools are facing enormous cuts to their budgets too and therefore I do not feel that including reference to a possible buy back option in the consultation is appropriate in this case and should be withdrawn
29/11/16 - Head Teacher Westbrook Primary School
The consultation should be about the withdrawal of the service not about buy back.”
15/12/16 – Mark Frost Head of Traffic and Transport LBH (response to school concerns on nature of consultation)
“Dear Head Teacher
A number of schools have confirmed that they have sent out the material and we have had a fair few responses in as a consequence. We are awaiting responses from others confirming or otherwise. In relation to your concern about the wording on the survey all I can say is that this is the proposal that has been approved by council for us to consult on. Some schools have indeed written to us to confirm that they do not have funding to take the SCP on and presumably have included a statement on this position when passing on these communications to their parents as you have proposed below. We certainly have no issue with that approach. Others have confirmed that they are able to fund this service and have similarly communicated that to their parents.
The decision to maintain the option of buying back the service is included purely for those schools that wish to take advantage of it. It is not intended in any way to deflect the ‘blame’. Whilst I can understand your apprehension on this point, based on the responses received so far I do not think it is being perceived as such.
Notwithstanding your concerns I would strongly encourage you to communicate the proposal to your parents as soon as possible so they are aware of it and can feed their views in for consideration by cabinet next year.” 3) Petitions
4 petitions were received during the consultation, all opposing the withdrawal of funding for the SCP service and containing a combined total of 423 signatories.
1 - Parent and Resident – Petition submitted opposing the removal of SCP on St Johns road, Isleworth. Concerns raised on lack of safe crossings on St John’s Road toward the Twickenham Road end. 221 signatures
2 - Parent and Resident – Opposing removal of SCP on Vicarage Farm Road, attached to Springwell Infant School. Concerns raised on the significant increase in both housing and traffic in Heston with no additional safe crossing for pedestrians. 148 signatures
3 - Resident – Opposing removal of SCP on Feltham Hill site. Concerns on the safety of children and motorists not slowing down or stopping at the Zebra crossings close to school. 4 signatures
4 - Parents and Resident – Appeal to council to withdraw the decision on the removal of SCP at Bedfont Primary School. Highlighting concerns on the safety of children and, speed and volume of traffic on Hatton Road. A further log of concerns by the SCP associated with Bedfont site was provided stating motorists not stopping at Zebra crossing and concerns on delivery vehicles along with waste recycle trucks parking near the school crossing. 50 Signatures 4) Other Feedback
As part of the consultation the council received feedback from the Youth Parliament (identified as a key stakeholder through the draft Equalities Analysis) and the London Road Safety Council.
Tofunmi Omisore MYP, Member of UK Youth Parliament for Hounslow
“I am writing on behalf of Hounslow Youth Council to express our concern about the proposals to cease funding for school crossing patrols in Hounslow. Most of us went to Primary school here in the Borough and have fond memories of "Lollipop Ladies".
The Youth Council have long been concerned with the levels of physical activity of children and young people in Hounslow - not just in terms of access to sport and recreation but also to developing healthy active lifestyles. In particular we believe that walking to school is not only good exercise but can teach young children to be "streetwise" and attentive to their surroundings. We are concerned that if School Crossing patrols aren't provided, more parents will drive their children to school.
We understand the Council's financial position but hope that a solution can be found where as many schools as possible can retain their SCP and that walking buses and other programmes will continue to be encouraged for Hounslow's children.”
From London Road Safety Council
The attention of the London Road Safety Council had been drawn to an item in the media that advises of your council’s plans to withdraw the School Crossing Patrol service, and to give only those schools that can afford it, the opportunity to pay for future provision.
I write on behalf of Council to express dismay and alarm at this decision. For more than sixty years the School Crossing Patrol service has provided a vital and much appreciated function, and over this period there will have been untold young lives saved from the potential of conflict with motor vehicles. At a time when much effort is being made to promote sustainable travel that you are proposing to remove such an important and much appreciated feature from the streets of your borough will expose young people to an unreasonable risk of death and injury as they travel to and from school.
I appreciate of course the financial pressure that councils find themselves under, and the difficult decisions to be made, but to withdraw funding from the School Crossing Patrol service is, in the view of the London Road Safety Council, a grave error of judgment.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Wendy Brice Thompson
Chairman of Council