As you will be aware we are very sad to say goodbye to our much-loved School Crossing Patrol Person Ms Eida Andriusiene at the end of this week. We will miss her and wish her well as she returns home.
Further to liaison with the Education Authority Transport Section, who recruit and employ staff for School Crossing Patrol duties, we have been informed that the Ballyhannon Road crossing is subject to a review prior to a new person being deployed. We have not been given a timeframe for this review and have been informed that they are conducted expeditiously in date order, as their resources allow within the Transport Section.
Despite raising this on 23rd September, it now seems unlikely that EA will have completed the review and appointed a replacement in time for our return to school on Monday 4th November. EA Transport have asked the school to inform parents that if no School Crossing Patrol (SCP) is available it would be recommended that the school “…communicate to parents that there will be no SCP in operation at the site and parents should be encouraged to follow road safety guidance which is publicly available at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/road-safety.” Additional information is also provided on the EA webpage at Safe School Transport. They have also highlighted that “It is important to note that even where an SCP is in operation, parents remain primarily responsible for their child’s safe journey to and from school. Parents should be encouraged to follow road safety guidance which is publicly available at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/road-safety.”
Clearly, we are very concerned about the safety of our pupils crossing the Ballyhannon Road and will be vigorously arguing for the retention of the SCP on the Ballyhannon Road. I would also ask that full use is made of our crossing patrol this week in the event of the review/survey being conducted during the last week of term – this will be unannounced. It will be the outworkings of the review/survey that will determine the future of the SCP. In the interim I am asking all parents and carers to make suitable arrangements after half term to supervise their children crossing the Ballyhannon Road from 4th November onwards. Unfortunately, as a school we are not permitted to employ a replacement ourselves. I will keep parents/carers informed of the progress of the review and how we can lobby for its retention.
Unfortunately not the ones with chocolate chips.
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