Children to be banned from riding bikes without number plates.

[Cunobelin]

The other issue is that like most schools there are problems with parking, and especially inappropriate parking in the local area. Number plates don't seem to have enabled this Head Teacher to address this issue.

[Cunobelin]

Indeed. Perhaps it's time for shaming badges to be worn by the staff, so we can all report them to someone or other for being hopeless at teaching or even damaging to the educational prospects of their charges?

This may also be a good notion for politicians, fatcats and other authority figures. It would be good to be able to know them as what they are should one come across them in the street or in the park. I have several lectures about my person that I feel they would benefit from should I deliver them the contents, in a loud and persistent manner.

Cugel

You are closer to the truth than you know....

Teachers in a 'drunken brawl' on school trip to Barcelona
Pupils at Stanley Park High School were left terrified as their supervisors allegedly came to blows after a drunken night out in Spain

The holiday included a tour of the Nou Camp, Barcelona FC’s home stadium, and a trip to the Aventura water park, but was allegedly ruined after a late night row between teachers scared the pupils.
According to reports, staff members, who were lead on the tour by Head of Performance Paul Stapleton, went out for drinks on the eve of their return home.

They have been accused of becoming drunk and rowdy, waking up children late at nights and leaving one sick pupil without her medication.
Parents have claimed the teachers started fighting in front of the children and shouting offensive comments at each other. The ensuing bust up is said to have left one member of staff with a black eye.
It is claimed that at least one punch was thrown before the fight was broken up.
Mr Stapleton declined to comment but the school confirmed it has launched an investigation into the incident, which it described as “extremely serious”.
One parent whose child was on the trip said the fight broke out between teachers just before the end of the holiday on May 29, while the group were staying at Hotel Samba in Lloret de Mar.
She said: "My child sent me a text message saying how scared she was to go to sleep because there were drunk teachers fighting. She said they were all teachers and were calling each other very rude words.
"They hit each other and the students were all very scared. One teacher came away with a black eye"
She added: "There was another girl who wasn't very well on the trip and they couldn't find the teacher who had their medication because they had gone drinking."
Another parent said: “If the pupils managed to behave themselves for a week then the teachers should be able to restrain themselves. They should not be going out and getting drunk when they have 75 children in their care."
A spokeswoman for Stanley Park High said the teachers would be sanctioned if an ongoing investigation “deemed it appropriate”.
“The school has taken all matters very seriously and we have been conducting a thorough and detailed investigation upon the return of the school trip into the allegation made,” she said.
"The safety and well being of our students is always at the forefront of what we do and action will be taken if deemed appropriate."
The 1,100-pupil school was found to "require improvement" in its latest Ofsted inspection, which was completed in July last year.
On the issue of student safety while outside the school's premises, the report concluded: "The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements and the school’s record-keeping is exemplary. Off-site provision is carefully monitored."

Maybe that should be added to the Wikipedia entry for the school. Do you have a source for the story and then it can be added (they'd need a reference). If you don't want to add it let me know (and the link to a source) and I'll add it (I've been flagged as not needing patrolling when making changes/additions on Wikipedia so I'm not so closely scrutinised).

Ian

A number of sources, in my original post I linked to the Telegraph rather than the local

[kwackers]

Apart from the obvious daft policies that should be blocked, I would be interested to know how they intend to implement this to achieve their justifications. How/where are they going to fit a number plate such that others can see and read and record that numberplate when some child is allegedly riding badly. Has to be big enough to be read from a distance, aligned to that passers by can read it quickly, etc.

Can't read a number plate if the bike is on its back wheel and some of those kids can wheelie for England.

[brooksby]

Teachers in a 'drunken brawl' on school trip to Barcelona

That is an awful story. I think their staff need to have name/number badges at all time to help identify poor behaviour, possibly even when *not* on school business...

[Cunobelin]

The other interesting angle is the School's Confiscation Policy


A "random" policy chosen from the internet

The member of staff should make a judgment as to whether confiscation of the item is the appropriate action. If in doubt, the member of staff should consult the Principal of School or their deputy.
• The member of staff should ask the pupil to hand over the item concerned and explain to him/her why it is being confiscated. The member of staff should also explain that the item will be handed to Reception to be locked in the school safe or other appropriate locked cupboard etc.
• The member of staff should personally hand the item to the appropriate person at the earliest possible opportunity and explain the background to the confiscation. Where this is not possible, the item should be handed to the Principal.
• The pupil’s form tutor should be informed of the confiscation in person or by email.
• The staff should log the confiscation in the Sanctions Log and ensure the item is held
securely until it is returned to the owner or to a parent or guardian.
• The period of confiscation will depend on the nature of the item and the related offence. Generally, items should not be held for more than 24 hours; with mobile phones, for instance, it will usually be appropriate to return these at the end of the School day. It may be deemed appropriate to return the items to the parents rather than the pupil
(e.g. if cigarettes have been confiscated or repeated use of
a mobile phone, etc.); in these circumstances, contact should be made by the form tutor with the parents as soon as possible after the confiscation. If in doubt about the period of confiscation, staff should consult the Principal.
• Where a pupil repeatedly used a mobile phone, etc., they are requested to hand in the phone to reception at the start of the day and this is returned at the end of school. Parents will be made aware of this requirement by the form tutor or member of the senior team.

The individual confiscating the item is responsible for its security and safety, it would be interesting to se how this is to be done.

In fact it could be a brilliant "protest"

Rock up with bicycle with no number plate, gets confiscated, so school becomes responsible for its security, then pick up on way home....... a dozen bikes should overload that system

Far safer than a bicycle shed

It would also be a test casein a bike is confiscated to simply state, my child cycles home, you have confiscated their bike, how are you going to get them home?

[Mick F]

Is DVLA aware of this?
Who issues the registration numbers?
Can you just invent them yourself?
What's to stop all the children having the same number?
Will their bikes have to have an MOT and insurance?

[kwackers]

Can you just invent them yourself?

Lets hope so, the fun I would have had...

[fastpedaller]

And hasn't the head realised that kids will 'switch'the number plates around to other kids bikes? Can't see any benefit from this - other than the income of the number-plate maker?

[NUKe]

Why do Constables wear id numbers?

They didn't at Orgreave

[Pastychomper]

And hasn't the head realised that kids will 'switch'the number plates around to other kids bikes? Can't see any benefit from this - other than the income of the number-plate maker?

Bingo. Jack annoys Jimmy. Jimmy notes Jack's number plate, makes up a similar-looking one at home. The next day, Jimmy cycles to school and takes a short-cut through Tesco. How many witnesses will notice Jimmy's face, or the fact that the "number plate" looks slightly more amateurish than the rest?

[Cunobelin]

Interesting one about fixing it in place as well....

Mudguards... but Sir, I don't have one

Seat post... but Sir, where do I put my lights now.


.. and so on.



It is almost at the stage where I wish I was a parent at this School so I could play with the Headmaster*




* I know what I mean, and if you read anything else into it ...... that is your problem!

[fastpedaller]

What about the teachers? If they ride a bike then surely they have to set the example and have the number plate. Cue 30 kids (all with teachers number on their bike) doing wheelies in the local shopping centre

[Rob Archer]

Maybe the parents of kids who ride bikes to the school should inundate the head with reports of car drivers misbehaving (parking on the footway, driving whilst on the phone, not indicating, passing cyclists and pedestrians too closely etc, etc.around the school and demanding action against those drivers - Stopping them driving their kids to school? Maybe confiscating their cars?

[Cugel]

Is DVLA aware of this?
Who issues the registration numbers?
Can you just invent them yourself?
What's to stop all the children having the same number?
Will their bikes have to have an MOT and insurance?

When did the headmaster expand his domain of skoolrool and punishment to those expanses outside the school? How far does this new domain stretch and what new requirements with associated penalties for breaking them are established? Do they extend into the home, where certain skoolrools will apply whatever the parents decree?

What about in the car that mummydaddy is driving the child about in. Are there now skoolrools requiring the child to ensure mummydaddy have insurance and an excise license, don't break the speed limits and forgo parking dangerously near the school or even 23 miles away on a pavement somewhere? Will the bairn have to report the crimes, Stasi-like, to the headmaster each morn at assembly?

In short, is this some kind of headmaster coup!? Are there armed teachers marching about to ensure compliance? I think we should be told.

Cugel, bad at skoolrool causing me to have to write them out 12 times on a regular basis.

[softlips]

How are these numbers to be affixed to said bikes?

Has the method been tested to ensure no child could be injured if the plate became loose?