Primary School Plans To Charge Parents A £45 Annual Fee To Drop Off Kids

Primary School To Charge Parents £45 To Drop Off Kids

A primary school is planning to start charging parents £45 a year to use a car park to drop off their children.

The fee is being introduced at St Gregory's Catholic Academy, in Longton, Staffordshire, after traffic problems that have "plagued the school for years" led to concerns over pupil's safety.

Principal Margaret Yates said: "The safety of the children has to be put first, above everything else.

"There have been instances of people parking disrespectfully, blocking residents drives, and also some stopping in the middle of the road to let passengers out."

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The school is planning to create a 50 space car park, but want to charge parents £2 a week or £15 a term to use it.

The scheme has received a mixed reaction from parents.

Some say pupils are being put at risk by inconsiderate drivers, while others feel the school should foot the bill.

Dad-of-two Michael Underwood, 43, said: "I've never heard of anybody being charged money to just to drop children at the school gates - it's like a parent tax.

"Surely the school has a duty to protect the pupils and should pay for a car park in order to facilitate this.

"I think it's outrageous really."

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Mum-of-one Holly Barrett, 30, added: "I'm a single mum and can't really be doing with extra charges - especially for just dropping off my daughter at school.

"I don't think it is a good idea."

But Tracy Gregory, 46, who has two children at the school, said: "People park dangerously or park on double yellow lines and that shouldn't happen. It is wrong.

"As parents we want what is best for our kids and we don't mind paying a little extra. I'm very happy with what the school is doing."

It will cost the school up to £3,000 to install new fences, signs and gates, along with the ongoing costs of maintenance and hiring a warden to monitor the site.

Principal Yates said: "We have a budget for the education of our children and of course safeguarding comes into that.

"But we can not spend that money on a car park, which is why we must look elsewhere to cover the costs.

"Because a temporary car park [we had] was so successful, we decided to continue with it and monitor it very closely every day to determine the parking provision.

"It has improved pedestrian safety and we received support and also less complaints from residents."

Residents living near the school have called on Stoke-on-Trent City Council to deal with the parking problems in Spring Garden Road, where the school is based.

Neil Jones, 64, who lives on the road doesn't feel the school should have to solve this problem. He said: "I feel sorry for the teachers for having to sort this problem out. It should not be theirs to solve.

"You would not believe the amount of chaos caused by cars parking on Spring Garden Road. There are times I, and other residents can't even get off our drives.

"I know these proposals will ease the problems and I'm happy to see someone trying to solve the problem, but it should not be the school doing it."

18 Games To Get Your Kids Ready For School
Letters And Shapes(01 of18)
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Teach your child to recognize letters and shapes by drawing some on a sheet of paper. Then, hand your child some stickers and ask them to find all the As or circles, for instance. Once they find one, they can put a sticker on it.

This simple activity can also be used for numbers and math when your child gets older. For instance, you can write short equations on a page (ie. 2+2) and have you child find all the equations that equal a certain number.

Source: B-Inspired Mama

(credit:B-Inspired Mama)
Numbers With Lego(02 of18)
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Any activity involving Lego will surely engage your kids. Help them practice their numbers by writing numbers in one colour, the number word on another, and the number in dots on another. Then scramble the pieces and have your kids match all three together.

Source: Teachers of Good Things

(credit:Teachers of Good Things)
Number Wheel(03 of18)
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This number wheel will help your child practice counting and numbers. Simply print and cut out the free printable and have your child match numbered clothespins to the slice with the same number of dots.

Source: Kinzie’s Kreations

(credit:Kinzie’s Kreations)
Glowstick Game(04 of18)
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Tracing letters and numbers is always a good way for kids to learn to recognize them. But if you’re looking for a fun twist to make this activity more exciting, try using glow sticks. Simply write out large numbers and letters on a piece of paper and have your kids trace them with glow sticks and tape them in place. Then turn out the lights and watch them glow!

Fun tip: Challenge your kids to spell a word with their letters in the dark.

Source: Creekside Learning

(credit:Creekside Learning)
Alphabet Bingo(05 of18)
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This can be a fun game with two or more kids, but can still be played with just one. Just like bingo, the game requires you to draw a letter and have your child find it on their board. If they have it, they can place a sticker, foam animal, or any other kind of marker on top of it. Once your child gets five stickers in a row, they win!

Source: No Twiddle Twaddle

(credit:No Twiddle Twaddle)
Letter Matching(06 of18)
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You can play a simple matching game using plastic Easter eggs. On each egg, write the upper case letter on one half and the lower case letter on the other half. Then, detach each egg and scramble the letters. Challenge your child to match both the upper and lower cases together to win.

Source: Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas

(credit:Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas)
Letter Of The Week(07 of18)
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This craft is a great idea because it does two things. First it helps your child recognize their letters, and second, the activity helps them practice their fine motor skills. The link below offers an easy craft idea for each letter of the alphabet.

Source: Kids Activities Blog

(credit:Kids Activities Blog)
Shapes And Patterns(08 of18)
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Using the templates found below, have your child match two pieces together to build shapes and recognize colours. To take things one step further, you can even have your kids cut out the templates themselves before playing so that they can practice their motor skills.

Source: Seven Thirty Three

(credit:Seven Thirty Three)
Math Hunt(09 of18)
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Write numbers on different pieces of paper. On another set of paper, write the word of something that can be found around the house and draw a small image of it. To play this game have your child draw a number card and a word card. These cards will then determine what item they have to find and how many of them! The items can be Lego, toy cars, spoons, shoes, and so on.

Source: Pleasantest Thing

(credit:Pleasantest Thing)
Popsicle Game(10 of18)
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We love this simple activity because it combines colours with words. Use popsicle sticks and construction paper to create this fun game. Write the name of a colour in that colour on one side of the stick and have your child match it with the popsicle. When your child has mastered the colour matching, give them new sticks that have the colours written all in black. This will challenge them to actually read the word, rather than just look at the colour.

Source: Nap Time Crafts

(credit:Nap Time Crafts)
Shape Flowers(11 of18)
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Using felt or construction paper, have your kids cut out a bunch of different shapes: circles, squares, rectangles, and even diamonds! Then, give your child a piece of paper to create fun flowers, or any other designs, out of them.

Source: B-Inspired Mama

(credit:B-Inspired Mama)
Beginning Sounds(12 of18)
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This is a great idea to help your kids learn how to sound out words. Using the free templates in the link below, print out the mats and give your kids the appropriately letters. They then have to identify each image and determine which letter goes where.

Source: The Measured Mom

(credit:The Measured Mom)
Math Games(13 of18)
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This game is great for simple number matching or for advanced kids to start learning to solve simple addition problems using numbers written on post its and construction paper.

Source: Hands On As We Grow

(credit:Hands On As We Grow)
Build A Robot(14 of18)
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Using squares and rectangles, this craft will help your child get familiar with shapes. The bonus is that it will also help them practice their motor skills, as they will have to cut out and glue the pieces on themselves.

Source: Education

(credit:Education)
Word Toss(15 of18)
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This motor sight word game helps kids learn words by sounding them out. Write a bunch on different pieces of paper and give them to your child to toss in the air. Your child then picks one paper up at a time and tries to read the word. Once done, she can place the paper in the basket until all words have been read. For better practice, challenge your child to do the activity as fast as she can!

Source: Learn with Play at Home

(credit:Learn with Play at Home)
Rainbow Craft(16 of18)
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This is another fun and easy craft for your preschooler to do. It only involves construction paper, cotton balls, and glue! This activity will teach kids to work independently and use their motor skills. It is also good for getting them to identify shapes and colours along the way.

Source: The Nerd’s Wife

(credit:The Nerd’s Wife)
Shapes(17 of18)
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Give your child some popsicle sticks and see what kinds of shapes he can make! To help, draw some shapes out for your child on a piece of paper. They can then copy them with popsicle sticks and you can count together how many sides each on has. When they’ve played the game often enough, you can then test them by asking them to make you a pentagon and seeing if they can remember.

Source: Rockabye Butterfly

(credit:Rockabye Butterfly)
Colour Sorting(18 of18)
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Colour sorting is a fun and easy activity. To do this one, provide your child with a few different coloured butterflies that are all labelled. Then, give them a variety of materials such as buttons, pom poms, coloured scrap paper, and more to sort out and glue on to the appropriate butterfly.

Source: Wait Til Your Father Gets Home

(credit:Wait Til Your Father Gets Home)