Petition · PE01583 · Session 4
Primary School Playground Supervision
Signatures
0
Comments
11
Considered
2 meetings
What it asks
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review and amend national legislation and guidance given to local authorities to ensure that all primary schools are required to provide playground supervision in the twenty-minute period before school starts.
What the petitioner did first
Since 2010, I have been in several discussions with my local primary school and local authority in Aberdeenshire about concerns regarding safety and supervision of children arriving on school transport up to 20 minutes before the start of the school day.
Both have said they are satisfied that they are meeting their obligations to the safety of pupils under current Scottish Government guidance and legislation on playground supervision by having a “member of staff point of contact inside the school building during the 20 minute period before school starts”.
The Director of Education, Leisure & Learning at Aberdeenshire Council also stated in a meeting, that the Council do not have sufficient funds to pay staff to supervise playgrounds at all 150 primary schools for these 20 minutes.
Interestingly, I have discovered that Glasgow City Council have addressed the issue by utilising Janitors to provide supervision during the period before school opens, in accordance with The Safety and Supervision of Pupils (Scotland) Regulations 1990 Supervision of Pupils by Janitors (see https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=12337&p=0). Whist this enables headteachers to request that janitors provide supervision before, during and after school, legislation does not appear to make it compulsory
- hence why there is such huge variation in practice.
In 2011, my local MSP contacted the Scottish Government on my behalf. The Minister for Children and Young People, Angela Constance MSP, replied stating that the Scottish Government had no intention of amending the relevant legislation at that time.
I subsequently set up a Facebook page called "Keeping our Children Safe at Primary Schools in Aberdeenshire", and through this, identified a matter of nationwide interest and importance. The page name has now been changed to “Keeping our Children Safe at Primary Schools in Scotland”.
Through a series of freedom of information requests this year, I have compiled a list of data regarding individual council policies on early morning playground supervision throughout Scotland, as well as incident statistics at this time of day (where available). I hope this information will highlight to the Public Petitions Committee the considerable variation throughout the country on this matter. The results are attached in a spreadsheet, entitled "Data relating to Early Morning Playground Supervision
* at Primary Schools in Scotland".
In summary:
1. Of the 28 councils contacted, only 5 have a formal policy in place regarding playground supervision in the period before school starts.
2. Where policy is left by councils to the discretion of each head teacher, there is huge variation from just 7% of Aberdeenshire schools offering early morning playground supervision, to 89% in South Ayrshire.
3. The number of early morning playground incidents (accident/injury, bullying disappearance/wandering off) from 2007-2015, vary significantly from 551 in Argyll & Bute to 11 in Orkney.
North Ayrshire Council's Playground Supervision Policy summarises very well their own assessment of the safety risks to children arriving in the playground before school starts and the justification for implementing a blanket policy on supervision at this time of day. (See https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/267775/response/652241/attach/html/3/Playground%20Supervision%20August%2014.pdf.html).
I believe national legislation based around the same considerations would serve the whole country well and ensure that the safety risks to all primary school children in Scotland are minimised.
Both have said they are satisfied that they are meeting their obligations to the safety of pupils under current Scottish Government guidance and legislation on playground supervision by having a “member of staff point of contact inside the school building during the 20 minute period before school starts”.
The Director of Education, Leisure & Learning at Aberdeenshire Council also stated in a meeting, that the Council do not have sufficient funds to pay staff to supervise playgrounds at all 150 primary schools for these 20 minutes.
Interestingly, I have discovered that Glasgow City Council have addressed the issue by utilising Janitors to provide supervision during the period before school opens, in accordance with The Safety and Supervision of Pupils (Scotland) Regulations 1990 Supervision of Pupils by Janitors (see https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=12337&p=0). Whist this enables headteachers to request that janitors provide supervision before, during and after school, legislation does not appear to make it compulsory
- hence why there is such huge variation in practice.
In 2011, my local MSP contacted the Scottish Government on my behalf. The Minister for Children and Young People, Angela Constance MSP, replied stating that the Scottish Government had no intention of amending the relevant legislation at that time.
I subsequently set up a Facebook page called "Keeping our Children Safe at Primary Schools in Aberdeenshire", and through this, identified a matter of nationwide interest and importance. The page name has now been changed to “Keeping our Children Safe at Primary Schools in Scotland”.
Through a series of freedom of information requests this year, I have compiled a list of data regarding individual council policies on early morning playground supervision throughout Scotland, as well as incident statistics at this time of day (where available). I hope this information will highlight to the Public Petitions Committee the considerable variation throughout the country on this matter. The results are attached in a spreadsheet, entitled "Data relating to Early Morning Playground Supervision
* at Primary Schools in Scotland".
In summary:
1. Of the 28 councils contacted, only 5 have a formal policy in place regarding playground supervision in the period before school starts.
2. Where policy is left by councils to the discretion of each head teacher, there is huge variation from just 7% of Aberdeenshire schools offering early morning playground supervision, to 89% in South Ayrshire.
3. The number of early morning playground incidents (accident/injury, bullying disappearance/wandering off) from 2007-2015, vary significantly from 551 in Argyll & Bute to 11 in Orkney.
North Ayrshire Council's Playground Supervision Policy summarises very well their own assessment of the safety risks to children arriving in the playground before school starts and the justification for implementing a blanket policy on supervision at this time of day. (See https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/267775/response/652241/attach/html/3/Playground%20Supervision%20August%2014.pdf.html).
I believe national legislation based around the same considerations would serve the whole country well and ensure that the safety risks to all primary school children in Scotland are minimised.
Where it was considered
Official Report-
15 Dec 20151 mention
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23 Feb 20161 mention
Signatures by country
306 online signaturesComments
11 comments, oldest first-
Doreen Miller 28 Sep 2015My son started primary 1 in August. The school bus drops off around 0840hrs. He is in the playground with one other p3 child alone. No staff on duty till 0850 in playground. I wouldn't leave him alone anywhere else. After complaining bus now comes a wee bit later and we don't rush out the door! As an ex police officer involved in Dunblane I can't believe that this lack of supervision is allowed.
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Wendy Palmer 28 Sep 2015Over the past year, while dropping my own daughter off at school I have 1. Aided injury, 2. Stopped a 4yr old wandering off school premises, 3. Stopped a child running into the road to retrieve dropped money and 4. Broken up some bullying. This is the reason I wont allow my daughter to be unsupervised in the playground prior to school. I strongly believe that schools should be given resources to provide an appropriate level of supervision for those children who's parents devolve responsibility for their safe arrival at school.
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Zandra Stuart 29 Sep 2015My 4 year old and 8 year olds are dropped off school transport at 8.40 in the morning, it is an absolute disgrace to think they will not be supervised. My children are never left alone at any other time why does authorities think it is right to be unsupervised when our children are under there care at school where it's supposed to be a safe environment! What tragedy needs to happen before someone listens to us!
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elizabeth oates 29 Sep 2015I thought every school has a duty of care from the time the first bell goes until the home bell. Who else would be responsible for the children at this time?
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Abigail Wilson 3 Oct 2015This should absolutely be the case
- there could be 4 year olds getting off school transport with no supervision. We should be waiting for something terrible to happen before this is changed. I would be in serious trouble if I left my 4 year old unsupervised so that absolutely shouldn't be the case where they are dropped at school
- to save a few pounds! -
Nicola dalgarno 4 Oct 2015There is also breakfast clubs so yes in my opinion there should be school attendants supervising 20 minutes before school
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Paulene Grant 7 Oct 2015We have this facility already in West Lothian and can't quite imagine dropping a young child off at the school gate with no adult supervision. Assumed that this was normal... Cannot believe it is not in this day and age!
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Anne Wilson 7 Oct 2015Primary 1 children up 90 children are left with one PSA to supervise them for around 1 hour each day. Where else could this happen i adult to 90 children ratio and how do their parents feel about this. In large open spaces too. We need to get his sorted as this is so unsafe and so unfair on the single adult trying to look after them.
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Joanna Stebbings 11 Oct 2015At our school-Children are the responsibility of the parent until the bell goes and children should not be dropped of early unless a parent stays. However I do agree with supervision of children who get the school bus-maybe school bus times should be altered. Who is going to pay for supervision before school starts?
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Joanne Meneceur 14 Oct 2015Worrying.
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Maureen Brodie 21 Oct 2015Yep I totally agree.