As you are aware our playground is icy. Pupils love this and it is great fun. In school we encourage pupils to explore different aspects of the world around them safely.
Unfortunately this is obviously not totally safe, and the enthusiasm for ice wears off, even with children, and they just want to run and play again.
West Lothian Council Policy is clear that a single path of entry is gritted to allow safe access to school but that playgrounds and other public spaces are not gritted as this would place an unreasonable demand on the facilities management workforce.
April Edwards, mum of a P1 pupil, and a member of your Parent Council approached me with a novel solution which I think is a great idea and could work – with your support.
On Monday we will receive a delivery of grit-salt which will be in the playground. There will be a selection of shovels in the shed and some High-Visibility reflective vests. In order to all work together to solve the problem, which so many of you have discussed with me, we need to muck in – grab a shovel – and spread the grit on the playground.
Five minutes of your time in the morning, or after school would see us working together as a community to fix a problem. What a great idea, and a great chance to be involved in supporting your school and all of our children. I hope you agree that this is a practical, community-based solution to a problem which we are not able to fix alone.
Steven Eagleson
