Interesting article in local evening rag
See
eveningnews24.co.ukstory.aspOpen ↗
ime=13+Apr+2004 +11%3A51&tbrand=ENOnline&tCategory=NEWS&cat-
egory=News&brand=ENOnline&itemi
d=NOED13+Apr+2004+11%3A52%3A05%3A320
or
"Congestion plan will hit small schools April 13, 2004 11:51
EDUCATION bosses have criticised the Government for "moving
the goalposts" on funding for initiatives aimed at cutting
school run congestion.
Last year, millions of pounds were promised to encourage
pupils to walk or cycle to school rather than rely on
parents for lifts.
The Government pledged £5,000 per primary school and
£10,000 per secondary school to implement travel plans,
improve safety and buy equipment.
In all, 52 Norfolk schools met the Government deadline for
applying for the payout before the end of last month. But
now the sums available have changed to £3,750 plus £5 per
pupil for primaries, and £5,000 plus £5 per pupil for
secondary school.
Critics argue primaries with fewer than 250 pupils would
lose out under the new rules. Secondary schools would need
1,000 pupils or more to make up the shortfall.
Tony Mulgrew, county spokesman for the National Union of
Teachers, said: "They are moving the goalposts again.
"This is another of the Government's endless initiatives
which they then don't fund.
"It's typical — they say one thing and then they
change it later. I think this is a good idea which
deserves to go ahead.
"Of course, there are some cases where parents need to
drive their children to school, but most pupils would be
better off walking, and there are ways of organising it so
it does happen."
Sarah Grainger, a governor who worked on a travel plan for
pupils at Cringleford First and Middle School, said: "It
sends out mixed messages. The Government is saying it wants
to reduce car use and introduce obesity task forces, but the
message must be consistent.
"If they do not send out a clear signal of their commitment
to this scheme it is frustrating for schools that have
worked so hard to put these plans together.
"It has been a long haul at Cringleford. We have worked for
two years to formulate our travel plan, but sometimes it
seems next to impossible to make any progress.
"If the Government is serious about improving public health,
it needs to make the healthy choice the simple choice."
Green party councillor Adrian Ramsay added: "If the
Government has promised a certain amount of money and that
gets changed, it might cause problems if schools are banking
on receiving a particular sum.
"It's extremely important to ensure we maximise the number
of children using alternative travel methods to get to
school, both for health reasons and to combat congestion."
Nick Williams, city councillor for Mousehold and former
governor at Mousehold First School, said: "Some schools
could well lose out more than others — it depends on the
size of the roll.
"Obviously for bigger schools it might be better, but for
the smaller ones it could affect them adversely.""
Cheers, helen s
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