School headteacher bans my bike from school ground-I am the only cyclist from 270 mums

[Yvette Obertelli]

[QUOTE 2751661, member: 45"]With respect, if the letter is anything like your opening post (SHOUTY CAPITALS,!!!!,.... Etc) then it's a rant. She won't read past the first paragraph and it will just wind her up.

There's a thread here from recently where a parent had a similar problem with a head teacher over cycling. She kept calm, composed, succinct and focused and got the right result.[/quote]
you haven't read my letter- no capitals in there -except the beginning of the sentences.

 

[Yvette Obertelli]

my opening letter is my rant to let the steam out here as I am really frustrated over this matter. I lived in cycling paradise countries like Belgium and Holland, finally in the past few years I saw a major improvement in the UK's attitude towards cycling and cyclists and then I get this brick wall... If you have notices unlike many commenters I did not call the headteacher on any names.... I don't need to be attacked - I just appreciate advice on this matter especially from people who had to deal with similar issues.

 

[Sara_H]

I only threatened to get naked (again) as a last resort, tis a bit cold out there atm for nakedness!

Hmm...... true. I suggest we postpone all naked protests until at least spring.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

If this is the school, I'd follow the letter to the chair of the governors path first. Together with demands for risk assessments. After that, if necessary, go public. And be loud, very loud. Much though I dislike the Romford Road, I'd cycle over in the event of a demonstration of cyclodarity.

 

[buggi]

OMG i cant believe this. User is right tho, 3 pages is too long. Keep it short, concise and ask for risk assessment etc, then ask for a meeting with the governors and present your case. Or, as said, ignore her. What she gonna do? Even if she stands at the gate, take your child out the seat, hand her the bike and tell her to look after it until you have taken your child in.
lol

 

[Yvette Obertelli]

thank you for all for the advices and comments I take aboard the views and will keep you updated with the progress of this issue.

 

[Tin Pot]

So, the head mistress asked you to dismount your child before wheeling the bike into the school and put the bike with the scooters, so it's out of the way?

 

[Puddles]

Right back from my dash

Schools can ban anything from their grounds in reality.

I would ask the Headteacher to send you in writing the reason for the ban on bicycles in school grounds, or more to the point, adult bicycles as I am assuming from your post that children can take their cycles or scooters on to school grounds. Do not flim flam rant or elaborate. Simply write

"Further to our telephone conversation on blah blah please could you send me a letter stating I am no longer allowed to bring my cycle on to school grounds and the reasons why"

Simply that, I know how you feel I know you want to scream from the roof tops how dare you etc and feel annoyed and picked on etc etc. Do not expect other parents to back you.


Then once she has sent you that contact, your local Travel to School Team (They will be part of your local councils Department of Transport) love them lots, be nice to them they are lovely and they are also the key for turning the screws on the Head Teacher. Send them her letter and ask they simply can she do this? Explain children take their bikes/scooters on school ground, explain you do not ride it on school property then see what they say and go from there.

I notice you have posted this all over the web, I know you want a magic wand, I know you want it fixed now, I know how frustrating this is. This will take time to sort, maybe several months, so rip up your 3 page letter to the head it will be as much use as a chocolate teapot and simply ask for a letter saying you are not allowed to x,y,z and the reasons why.

 

[Profpointy]

Let's get back to the basics

To make a Health and Safety decision there needs to be a formal assessment of the risk

The first step always to write and ask for a copy of that assessment

Yebbut .. I could write a "risk assessment" to ban wooden spoons in a kitchen, so making wheeling bikes sound risky would be no challenge at all . Just to be clear, such a risk assessment would be bollocks on stilts, but very easy to write, and sound plausible to (say) school governors, who will be minded to back the head, pretty much regardless

 

[Profpointy]

You are a star, thank you! That is her only issue- I only walk about 10 meters within to the school ground- from an easy direct access instead of the busy main entrance- my daughter is strapped in the seat and I remove her from it on the school grounds, same picking up time.

Although I very much side with you on this, just like rest of the forumites, but something about this point above slightly undermines the story perhaps. Are you wheeling your bike, plus kiddie, along a (perhaps narrow) walking-only back alley short cut into school, rather than via the main gate - and is the latter still "allowed" as it were?

 

[classic33]

I only threatened to get naked (again) as a last resort, tis a bit cold out there atm for nakedness!

Its not that cold, stop exaggerating...

 

[Yvette Obertelli]

Although I very much side with you on this, just like rest of the forumites, but something about this point above slightly undermines the story perhaps. Are you wheeling your bike, plus kiddie, along a (perhaps narrow) walking-only back alley short cut into school, rather than via the main gate - and is the latter still "allowed" as it were?

no there is no alleyway, short cut is a side entrance straight from a busy road, normal gate but it opens right to the back off the school where my daughters collection point is (As she is 5 , they not walking into the school alone)

 

[Yvette Obertelli]

Right back from my dash

Schools can ban anything from their grounds in reality.

I would ask the Headteacher to send you in writing the reason for the ban on bicycles in school grounds, or more to the point, adult bicycles as I am assuming from your post that children can take their cycles or scooters on to school grounds. Do not flim flam rant or elaborate. Simply write

"Further to our telephone conversation on blah blah please could you send me a letter stating I am no longer allowed to bring my cycle on to school grounds and the reasons why"
In my phone conversation I have already asked her to do this- with the same words- and yesterday she sent me a letter.she states: "We recognize that adult bicycles can be health and safety risk to pupils. I am sorry that you find my request discriminatory , but please be assured that it is not the case- just a reasonable request as a result my personal observations."

 

[Puddles]

In my phone conversation I have already asked her to do this- with the same words- and yesterday she sent me a letter.she states: "We recognize that adult bicycles can be health and safety risk to pupils. I am sorry that you find my request discriminatory , but please be assured that it is not the case- just a reasonable request as a result my personal observations."

Oh loving the "reasonable" and "personal observations"

Right so now you have a letter go to your local Travel to School Team at the councils Department of Transport and talk nicely to them, they can tell you if she can do this and why and also how they can help to sort it out, be nice this is very important, even if they say she can do this, they can still twist her arm to change her mind, they are usually anti-cars on the road for the school run.

You need them to be your friend and see you as "Nice lovely parent"

 

[Yvette Obertelli]

This is the side entrance of the school - wooden frame- you can see in the background how far i dare to push my bikein till the black metal fence