Bottom gate closure
23rd September 2022
Dear Parent/Career
Re: from Monday 26th September 2022 the bottom gate will be shut permanently.
Following a review of the safety of Year 8 and 9 students using the Bottom gate / St Johns Road gate we have taken the decision to permanently close the gate.
As many of you are aware our school is at full capacity with a number of students on our waiting list.
We now have 400 plus students entering / leaving through the St Johns Road gate which has caused the following safety concerns:
- The entrance/exit is on a blind bend;
- The blind bend has cars parked down it;
- There are no traffic calming measures to slow passing traffic;
- There is no designated pull in for parents / carers to safely pull in and drop their children off;
- The road is not on a primary gritting route;
- There is no lollipop person there and no pelican crossing lights for students to cross the road on mass;
- We have worked with the Highways Agency via the Local Authority and there are no immediate plans to make any adaptations to the area.
Our students manage themselves very well at this gate and are well behaved however we have taken the decision to close the bottom gate / St Johns gate to all students permanently.
Year 8 will now enter / exit through the top gate and year 9 will enter exit through the middle Bessingby Road gate.
To facilitate increased numbers through these gates they will be opened at 8.10am. We will be able to allocate more staff to support students entering / exiting at these gates.
| Entrance / Exit Gate (open at 8.10am) | |
| Year 7 | Bessingby Road – Side Gate |
| Year 8 | Top Gate at Reception |
| Year 9 | Bessingby Road – Side Gate |
| Year 10 | Top Gate at Reception |
| Year 11 | Bessingby Road – Side Gate |
| 6th Form | Top Gate at Reception |
We do appreciate that for some students this will mean a longer walk of 5 minutes but we are sure you will agree that the safety of our young people must be our priority,
Thank you for your support in ensuring we keep our students as safe as possible.
Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01262 672593 or email [email protected] and we will do all we can to help.
Yours sincerely
Kate Parker-Randall
Headteacher