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TEACHERS LEAVE BOY OF 5 STUCK UP A TREE FOR 1 HOUR
Rescuer Kim Barrett outside the school where she helped the stranded youngster
Thursday March 25,2010
By Donna Bowater A DAREDEVIL five-year-old boy who got stuck up a tree at school had to stay there for nearly an hour – because health and safety rules banned teachers from rescuing him.
Instead, the staff retreated indoors to “observe from a distance”.
The stranded pupil was finally rescued from the 20ft tree when passerby Kim Barrett spotted his plight and helped him down.
SPRING HAS ARRIVED! GET YOUR FREE GARDENING DVD HERE
But instead of being thanked, Kim, 38, landed in trouble after the school reported her to the police.
Yesterday, the bizarre health and safety policy at The Manor School in *Melksham, Wilts, was blasted as “pathetic”.
Alex Deane, director of campaigning group Big Brother Watch, said: “Any teacher faced with a crying five-year- old stuck up a tree should ignore the pathetic guidelines.
“The poor woman who helped the child should be given a medal, not prosecuted. The school should feel ashamed for reporting her.
“Usually stories like this are the fault of stupid rules. This time, it’s down to both stupid rules and stupid staff.”
Good Samaritan Kim, a part-time cleaner, said she was “shocked” when she was visited by a police community support officer and given a verbal warning for “anti-social behaviour”.
Kim said: “I felt really angry because I felt I had saved the school and this boy from something that could have been far worse, but instead of thanking me I was under investigation.
“He was at least 6ft off the ground, but someone taller than me could easily have reached in from the pavement and plucked him off the branch.
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“I am a mother myself and I find it a bit ridiculous that the school’s policy is to leave a child up a tree.
“I would be very angry if this happened to my child.” A letter sent to Kim by Wiltshire Council told her: “You may well have acted initially out of concern for the safety of the child but any such concerns should have been raised with a member of staff.
“You subsequently behaved in a verbally aggressive manner to a member of staff.”
Headteacher Beverley Martin said: “The safety of our pupils is our priority and we would like to make it clear that this child was being observed at all times during this very short incident.
“Like other schools whose premises include wooded areas, our policy when a child climbs a tree is for staff to observe the situation from a distance so the child does not get distracted and fall.
“We would strongly urge members of the public not to climb over a padlocked gate to approach children as their motives are not clear to staff.”
A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said Kim was given a warning for “anti-social behaviour”.
He said: “It was simply a matter of a visit and a verbal warning.”
A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive said: “HSE expects schools to exercise a common sense approach to health and safety.”
Rescuer Kim Barrett outside the school where she helped the stranded youngster
Thursday March 25,2010
By Donna Bowater A DAREDEVIL five-year-old boy who got stuck up a tree at school had to stay there for nearly an hour – because health and safety rules banned teachers from rescuing him.
Instead, the staff retreated indoors to “observe from a distance”.
The stranded pupil was finally rescued from the 20ft tree when passerby Kim Barrett spotted his plight and helped him down.
SPRING HAS ARRIVED! GET YOUR FREE GARDENING DVD HERE
But instead of being thanked, Kim, 38, landed in trouble after the school reported her to the police.
Yesterday, the bizarre health and safety policy at The Manor School in *Melksham, Wilts, was blasted as “pathetic”.
Alex Deane, director of campaigning group Big Brother Watch, said: “Any teacher faced with a crying five-year- old stuck up a tree should ignore the pathetic guidelines.
“The poor woman who helped the child should be given a medal, not prosecuted. The school should feel ashamed for reporting her.
“Usually stories like this are the fault of stupid rules. This time, it’s down to both stupid rules and stupid staff.”
Good Samaritan Kim, a part-time cleaner, said she was “shocked” when she was visited by a police community support officer and given a verbal warning for “anti-social behaviour”.
Kim said: “I felt really angry because I felt I had saved the school and this boy from something that could have been far worse, but instead of thanking me I was under investigation.
“He was at least 6ft off the ground, but someone taller than me could easily have reached in from the pavement and plucked him off the branch.
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“I am a mother myself and I find it a bit ridiculous that the school’s policy is to leave a child up a tree.
“I would be very angry if this happened to my child.” A letter sent to Kim by Wiltshire Council told her: “You may well have acted initially out of concern for the safety of the child but any such concerns should have been raised with a member of staff.
“You subsequently behaved in a verbally aggressive manner to a member of staff.”
Headteacher Beverley Martin said: “The safety of our pupils is our priority and we would like to make it clear that this child was being observed at all times during this very short incident.
“Like other schools whose premises include wooded areas, our policy when a child climbs a tree is for staff to observe the situation from a distance so the child does not get distracted and fall.
“We would strongly urge members of the public not to climb over a padlocked gate to approach children as their motives are not clear to staff.”
A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said Kim was given a warning for “anti-social behaviour”.
He said: “It was simply a matter of a visit and a verbal warning.”
A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive said: “HSE expects schools to exercise a common sense approach to health and safety.”
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