This half term the Kings' Student Council has been very busy. Early in June we held a meeting with our P.T.A., updating them with what we are doing, to improve the safety of our students, staff and the local community.
Eventually, we would like to expand our Main Entrance on Station Road, so that it can allow one bus to enter and one bus to exit at the same time. In order to do this, the public conveniences on Station Road would need to be demolished. Their demolition would hopefully also cease the congregation of undesirables, outside of school; many of whom are not Kings' students, but due to their location give the school a negative image. We would also like restricted parking opposite the school, to ease congestion at peak times.
We are also looking at developing a 'Park and Stride' system and a car-sharing website, where parents can arrange for those students who need to travel by car, to share lifts; reducing the amount of traffic and the strain on the environment.
Following on from the positive response we received from the P.T.A., we invited Cheddar Parish Council to a meeting at school, hoping to gain their support in helping us with our plans. As only three representatives from the Parish Council attended, we were told, "No decisions can be made today...We will simply report back to the full Council." Despite this, we made a breakthrough when we were told that they would certainly put the parking restrictions in place.
Next term we are going to invite Cheddar Parish Council, Sedgemoor District Council and County Highways representatives to try and further our solutions.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Enclosed with the Kings Messenger is a letter of support concerning the demolition of the Station Road toilets which we would like as many parents as possible to sign, add in your address details and post to the Cheddar Parish Council. A copy of this document for printing out is also available in the list at the bottom of this page. There is also a version in Misrosoft(c) Word(c) format which you can download and fill in your Name and Address on your PC prior to printing and sending to the Parish Council.
A flavour of our Work
As you many of you are aware, School Council was awarded £10,000 as part of the Green Travel Plan Government initiative during the summer months last school year (see below)
The School Council have also launched our 'Text Someone' anti-bullying service where vulnerable young people are able to text, email or fax a helpline to ask for confidential advice or support. This is supported by our Peer Mentors scheme where younger students have Sixth Formers assigned to their tutor groups to act as a critical friend if necessary. Additionally, a "home-made" anti-bullying video was created.
We are also looking into improving the fences around our large tennis courts to stop balls getting stuck on the roof and prevent windows from being smashed.
The School Council also held a 'Politicians' Open Day when Parish, District and County Councillors would be invited to see the school in operation, with a view to proactively engaging with the local community to re-invent the 'myths' that unfortunately, sometimes surround the majority of young people in today's society.
We are always happy to hear of suggestions for improvements in and around school from parents & students alike, so let one of your student reps know!
Green Travel Plan
In 2007 The School Council launched a Road Safety campaign, where they made a presentation to local businesses, both Parish and District Councillors and also representative from the Local Authority's Highway Department, and another presentation at Cheddar Parish Council's AGM.
In September they began work on their ambitious Green Travel Plan which engaged with Governors, parents and students to investigate safer routes to school. Having received feedback from students, it became clear that a lot of them would like to walk or cycle to school but currently do not feel able. The Green Travel Plan was envisaged with the aim of improving walking and cycling conditions, as well as diminishing the problems of traffic outside of school.
We recently completed student and parent surveys looking into this matter. In the fullness of time Student Council students will be looking at how we can encourage more people to walk and cycle to school. They will be liaising with SUSTRANS about how we can improve local cycle-ways, looking at improving cycle storage facilities at school and how we can encourage more parents to lift share. One possibility is 'Park and Stride' areas to help decongest the centre of Cheddar at peak times.
We are delighted to report that as a result of the School Council's work in this matter, Kings was awarded a grant worth over a staggering £10,000 to help fund various projects, including a "cycle and walk to school" campaign. We very much look forward to the implementation of this grant!
Important: We ask parents to be mindful of the road safety risks when dropping off and picking up their children at rush hour in Station Road. Parents are also asked to think before they use the Memorial Car Park for pulling in and dropping off their children at the start and end of school. There have been a number of occasions when a combination of congestion and cars turning round has increased the risk of potential collisions.
Thank you for being alert!
Contact Us
Do you have any questions for the Student Council or would you like to find out more?
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