Archive for the ‘Health & Safety’ Category

Their eyes crudely blacked out to disguise their identities, these little girls look as if they might be the victims – or perhaps perpetrators – of a crime.

But this disturbing image was actually issued in a school yearbook.
It is the result of the bizarre ‘photography policy’ of headmistress Vicky Parsey, who bans parents from taking pictures in school for fear children’s faces will be superimposed on obscene internet images.

Now two mothers of pupils at the school are stepping up their campaign against the ban in the hope they will be able to take photographs of the school’s nativity play.

Last night local MP Grant Shapps said the ‘absurd’ ban created a ‘climate of fear’ that effectively branded all parents paedophiles.

Housewife and part-time exam invigilator Natasha Stannard, 39, and husband George, 42, have two children among the 450 pupils aged three to 11 at Applecroft primary school in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.

They used to enjoy sending photographs of school pantomimes and sports days to grandparents in South Africa – but three years ago Mrs Parsey declared it had to stop.Mrs Stannard said: ‘I was looking forward to taking photographs at the school’s annual Christmas performance.

‘We were told in a newsletter “We will no longer permit the use of videos, photographs or mobile phone camera pictures of any children by parents/carers/visitors during performances and school events”.’

Ban: Headmistress Vicky Parsley won’t allow parents to take photos in school
Mrs Stannard and her friend Caroline Baynes, 44, a project manager whose two children also attend Applecroft school, began lobbying the school to relent.

Instead, the school produced a 17-page ‘photography policy’ which states: ‘The proliferation of internet web pages and social networking sites has given rise to increased concerns that images will be misused and that a child’s face or body could be used to represent matters wholly contrary to the wishes of their parents.’
The photographs of children with eyes blacked out were issued in ‘yearbooks’ given to the parents of four-year-olds in the school nursery.

Photographs of classroom activities were enclosed, but teachers had blacked out the eyes of all children other than the parents’ own. In effect, each parent got a customised yearbook.

Mrs Baynes said: ‘This “photography policy” has created an unnatural situation where you can’t take a photo of your own child. It’s the nanny state gone mad.’

Mr Shapps, a Conservative, said he had taken up the issue with the school with no effect. He said the blacking out of eyes was ‘creepy’, adding: ‘This is absurd – these pictures look like the kids have been taken prisoner. They have created a climate of fear, suggesting that every parent is a paedophile.’

Mrs Stannard and Mrs Baynes are surveying all parents’ attitudes to the draconian policy. They are being supported by campaign group the Manifesto Club, which warns there is a national problem with schools imposing such restrictions.

Manifesto Club director Josie Appleton said: ‘There is no law banning nativity photos. Parents and children now have massive gaps in their family photo album.’

Mrs Parsey, 43, was not available for comment yesterday.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333454/Nativity-blackout-Parents-banned-taking-photos-pupils-eyes-covered–child-protection.html#ixzz16b2uBtGo

It is an autumnal hazard that mankind has successfully negotiated for millions of years.

Not that you would know from the latest advice from hospital health and safety chiefs who reckon that, after all this time, we need a little help in dealing with the danger of acorns.

As a result signs have been put up around an oak tree warning ‘Caution Please Be Aware Of The Falling Acorns’.

Staff at the Brentwood Community Hospital in Essex erected the sign after a patient stepped on an acorn last year and suffered a slight sprain to her ankle.

Although the patient did not sue, gardeners have also now been ordered to collect fallen acorns in the hospital grounds.

Andrew McGowan, 28, who was visiting a patient yesterday, said: ‘It’s health and safety madness really. You don’t need a sign to warn you about things falling from the tree. It happens at this time of year and you can see acorns on the ground.’

Details emerged days after visitors to a park in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, were warned of falling conkers with a sign that proclaimed: ‘Beware Falling Conkers – Please Proceed with Care.’

The Brentwood hospital yesterday defended the move, citing the slip last year.

A spokesman added: ‘Our groundsmen now sweep acorns up and they have put the signs up just to be on the safe side.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1320214/Beware-falling-acorns-Health-safety-lunacy-reaches-new-peak-warning-sign.html#ixzz12ND6ImlG

Pupils who want to play conkers in the playground have been ordered to wear safety goggles – because of health and safety fears.
Headteacher Polly Broadhurst has insisted that children playing the traditional game at her school should wear goggles to protect their eyes.
But parents have condemned the ‘nanny state’ ruling and even health and safety bosses say the school has gone too far.

Parent, Peter Fancy, 44, a father-of-two, who manages a pub, said: ‘It is an absolute farce. It’s a joke. We have a lot of kids coming into the pub so does that mean we have to give them goggles to wear when they eat their peas?
‘Or will we have to hand out shin pads when they use the pub garden for football? Where is it going to stop?
‘I played conkers when I was a kid for years and years and I don’t ever remember anyone getting bashed in the eye from it. It was your knuckles you had to worry about – maybe they should all be wearing steel gloves.’

One mother, who did not want to be named, said: ‘We are wrapping our children up in cotton wool. The risk of damaging your eyes while playing conkers must be a million to one.
‘Are we going to stop our children playing sports or taking part in other playground games? It is ridiculous.’
And Keith Flett of the Campaign for Real Conkers said: ‘There is a very small chance that a piece of conker might fly into your eye but you could get a piece of grit in your eye walking down the street – and you wouldn’t wear goggles for that.
‘It’s been a good year for conkers this autumn but I have seen a lot of them lying around uncollected and this health and safety obsession may be part of the reason.’
Last night even the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the dangers of a game of conkers had been exaggerated and there was no national ban.
A spokesman for the HSE said it had even produced a poster showing children playing conkers in a bid to end the ‘myth’

He said: ‘This is one of the oldest chestnuts around, a truly classic myth. A well-meaning headteacher decided children should wear safety goggles to play conkers.
‘Subsequently some schools appear to have banned conkers on ‘health and safety’ grounds or made children wear goggles, or even padded gloves.
‘Realistically the risk from playing conkers is incredibly low and just not worth bothering about. If kids deliberately hit each other over the head with conkers, that’s a discipline issue, not health and safety.’
But Miss Broadhurst, headteacher at Adlington Primary School in Macclesfield, Cheshire said: ‘We are quite an academic school and were determined the kids should have some fun – but we do it safely.
‘In terms of wearing goggles we just considered it was better to be safe than sorry. Conkers are generally frowned on now because a child somewhere in the country, at some point, has been hurt playing a game. I suppose it does really show that health and safety has gone over the top.’
A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: ‘We are keen for children to look back on their schooldays with fondness and the games they play at break times will form happy memories.
‘While the safety of schoolchildren is our first priority, it is a matter for individual schools to decide on their policy over conkers.’
Children at the school said they were happy to wear the goggles.
Jake Gilfillan, 11, said: ‘I covered mine in vinegar so it couldn’t break. The goggles made it safe and I’ll wear them again next time I play.’
Calum Kendal, 10, said: ‘It was only my second time playing conkers and it was fun. I think the goggles made it safer because they can fly off the string and it could get you in the eye.’
Children each paid 50p to enter a tournament and the cash raised was used to buy bulbs to plant around the school.
Ironically no one won the competition because the children could not smash each others’ conkers.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223537/Pupils-ordered-wear-goggles-play-conkers-school-nanny-state-ruling.html#ixzz11QSKRGoI