Hermitage Primary pupils warn parents of parking dangers

Pupil committee members at Hermitage Primary are distributing leaflets to parents who are parking unsafely to inform them of the potential risks of double parking and highlighting the importance of maintaining the safe flow of traffic around the school.

The initiative has been launched in response to parents parking unsafely around the building at drop-off and pick-up times - and the school says it has already been successful in reducing the number of dangerously parked cars.

Marianne Docherty, acting head teacher at Hermitage Primary, said: “Our pupils care about their local community and environment so it came as no surprise that they were keen to be advocates for safe parking around our school.

“We appreciate continuing support from our parents to keep the roads around our school free from obstructions.

“The children on the committee take their role very seriously and we would like to thank our parents for helping by observing parking rules around the school and thereby making the roads as safe as possible at drop-off and pick-up times."

Pupils are keen to promote safe parking in the school area (Image: Argyll and Bute Council)

The children are also shedding light on the environmental impact of driving to school and hope to encourage parents to consider greener alternatives such as walking or cycling to reduce the overall carbon footprint of school runs.

Argyll and Bute Council’s policy lead for education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly, said: “It’s superb to see the children taking a pro-active approach to tackling this issue.

“There really is no excuse for double parking, especially outside a school.

“Not only is it inconsiderate, it is also extremely dangerous, and I commend the pupils for their efforts.

“I would urge parents to listen to their children and only stop where it is safe to do so. Or, even better, walk to school with their child if that is an option.”

The children's efforts have been praised by parents - but criticism of the poor parkers creating such an unsafe environment where pupils have had to interfere has also been raised.

One parent said: "I totally accept that the police simply cannot be present at every school at drop off and collection times to ensure parents act responsibly and park in a safe manner.

"Whilst I applaud the school in their attempt to involve students in asserting safety around their school environment, I am appalled by the fact that parents have created a situation where children have to do this.

"I believe that light should be shone on the fact that this is happening, of course applauding our children and the school for their attempts to solve this situation but mainly to reflect how dangerous the actions of these adults are."