We recently learned that Solihull Council, our local authority, are running a dramatic new pilot scheme called School Streets, and that three schools in the region are taking part.
The school streets campaign, which aims to tackle what has been termed a ‘growing traffic problem’ around local schools from September involves:
Traffic exclusion zones around the school for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening (timings based around the school day).
Only residents will be able to drive within the exclusion zone between those times.
20 mph speed limits
The aims of the school streets campaign are to:
Reduce the number of children being driven to school and encourage cycling or walking commutes.
Reduce on street parking, and illegal parking (e.g. blocking driveways, parking on pavements etc).
Make journeys to and from school safer and more pleasant.
Later in April the council will be engaging with local residents to gauge their views on the pilot, which has successfully been implemented in other parts of the UK.
My Thoughts
As a Mum to a 3 year old, for whom we will shortly discover the outcome of our school application, this is a VERY topical issue! I am a working mum, and will be responsible for my daughter’s journey to and from school most days each week.
Whilst I am all for anything that reduces accidents and keeps our children safe, I have a number of concerns about this pilot! Firstly, I should point out that this is being done to reduce illegal parking following complaints from local residents, and not, it seems, due to reports of accidents or safety concerns as such.
I completely sympathise with the occupants of houses on the school route, who probably resent parents completing the school run, particularly those who have been parking inconsiderately – ignoring road markings, blocking driveways or restricting pavement access. Trust me, as a Mum who is regularly walking with a pushchair the latter frustrates me beyond belief. However, I would like to think those instances are from the minority of parents attending the school.
The majority, like me, would like to ensure their children get to school safely and on time, whilst enabling us to continue the rest of our personal commute to the office.
Whilst my local schools aren’t on the pilot (Oak Cottage is one of them), my concerns about the school streets scheme would be this;
Creating an exclusion zone will surely just have a displacement effect, moving the parking and traffic ‘issues’ to the roads around the periphery of the zone. Parents will park as close as they can in a non restricted area, and walk from there. It is therefore not solving the issue of inconsiderate parking, it is simply moving it somewhere else. If anything, by restricting access to the roads closer to the school, the demand for the spaces closest to the exclusion zone will increase, making the situation potentially WORSE in a new area.
If I lived on one of the roads just outside the exclusion zone, I would be particularly concerned by this. Whilst you expect school traffic when you live on a road with a school, you DON’T expect this to be an impact when you are further away. The impact on house prices could be noteable too.
I do not feel it is fair to enforce alternative modes of commute – We all know that cars are not the most environmentally friendly way to travel to school and that more sustainable methods are preferable. That is not rocket science, but for many parents it is just not practical to commute by any other means. I would LOVE to be able to walk my daughter to school every day (ok… maybe not in the rain), but unfortunately, due to my job starting at 8.30am in Coventry, there is no way this will be possible. Restricting traffic on a reasonably wide scale so I have to park a distance away and walk to school, would put significant pressure on me as a working mum, and potentially result in me being late for work. It is hard enough to get flexible employment as it is, and this may be enough to cause some real problems for a number of parents.
I would be VERY interested to learn other’s opinions on this subject?
Are you local to one of the Solihull Schools? Does your local area run a similar school streets scheme? Are you in favour of such changes? As a working parent, how would these changes affect you?
Back in May last year, we shared the story of Jon Platt, who successfully challenged his council over an £120 charge for taking his 6 year old daughter to Florida during term time. Today, after the Isle of Wight council appealed against that judgement, Jon Platt lost his case in a landmark hearing at the Supreme Court. The Court has now ruled that Jon acted unlawfully taking his daughter out of school during term time, and as such he will be required to pay the fine, or face a jail sentence.
We shared the painful truth of the cost of a family break in the school holidays – with breaks costing between 8% and 99% more during the peak summer period compared to the exact same holiday during term time.
Whilst I completely understand the concept of “demand based pricing” – something surely has to be done!!
So what are the facts now for those with children in school?
Can I take my child on holiday during term time?
Based on today’s decision, the strict answer is No. The Supreme Court have ruled that a parent should not, or even must not, take their child out of school during term time unless given explicit permission under the individual school’s attendance policy. This applies to all children across the whole of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
So if I ask the school, then I can go?
It’s not quite as straight forward as that – you can ask the school for ‘leave of absence’ to take your child out during term time, but unless unavoidable or under a significantly mitigating circumstance, it is unlikely to be accepted. If nothing else, whilst a head teacher maintains some of the ultimate discretion, they have also got to be seen to be acting fairly, and cannot approve every single request they get – for obvious reasons. The National Association of Head Teachers has advised that any absence during term time should be rare, significant, unavoidable and short. In other words, you may be far more likely to get a day or two of term time holiday granted as opposed to a two week break slap bang in the middle of term.
What happens if I just decide to go anyway?
You may see yourself liable for a fine if you take you child out of school for more than 5 days every term as a result of unauthorised holidays. This will vary by your local council’s ruling, but in theory, ANY unauthorised holiday during term time could result in a fine. The initial fine is £60, which can be doubled if not paid within 28 days. Parents should also be aware that failure to pay any fines could result in jail time, as it is a breach of the 1996 Education Act.
The maximum fine in extreme cases would be £2500, a three month jail sentence and other penalties.
But it’s cheaper just to pay the fine, as the fine is far less than the difference in holiday price. What if I just pay up?
Understandably, having seen the difference in prices, many parents would ‘take the risk’ and simply offer to pay the fine if caught out. The number of people doing this in 2015 went up by 21%, but the average fine was just £176. That said, 8 people did go to jail, so not something to be taken lightly.
So what are exceptional circumstances?
Clearly this is open to interpretation. You would need to write to your head teacher outlining your reasons for wanting to take your child out, how many days for, and the dates. There are many people that would argue that their holidays are educational, that their child is learning about languages, history and culture. Is a visit to see elderly relatives abroad exceptional? What about a parent with health problems who would benefit from the cathartic experience of a family trip away from the stress of their treatment at home? The answer is – there is no set in stone ruling on this.
Sadly, in some cases I have read previously, even a bereavement is not an automatic free pass to a child being taken out of school. I personally find this a little shocking!
What other options do we have?
Some head teachers are becoming quite savvy about this – with one school reportedly moving all their inset days to the end of term, creating an extra week of annual leave that didn’t technically fall into the standard summer holiday period. Whilst this may sound like a perfect solution, regional employers also have to be considered. If a whole city all suddenly wanted the last week in June as annual leave, there would ultimately HR departments declining these requests – a large proportion of their workforce are likely to be families, and lets face it, they still have a business to run!
What’s our view?
Personally I am so disappointed by this ruling, as I was hopeful that the petition last year requesting up to 10 days authorised would be considered. My view is that if your child has a good level of attendance throughout the year, that the odd day of absence here and there would not have a massive impact on their education. I am obviously not a teacher, and I am sure there may be some who disagree, but for me it is all about reasonableness. That lovely vague word.
We are having our last ever family holiday in term time this year before my daughter starts school in September, and it is quite sad to know that I will probably NEVER be able to afford to take the girls to the same standard of holiday again.
Unfortunately the holiday companies appear to be retaining their trump card for now, in that whilst people continue to pay the rocketing prices, there is very little motivation for them to change.
We will be keeping a close eye on the story as it evolves, and share any updates that may cause these findings to change (but I wouldn’t hold your breath!)
Today is budget day – but what does that mean for you and me?
We’ve cut through the waffle to outline the elements of the budgets that are of key importance to families…
Salaries:
The amount you can earn before paying income tax – the personal allowance – is currently set at £11,000 and will increase to £11,500. In other words, you will be able to earn an additional £500 a year before paying tax on your earnings.
National Living Wage
The National Living Wage will rise from £7.20 to £7.50 in April, for those aged 25 and over. A small increase, but a step in the right direction.
Childcare:
This is a biggy – working parents with three-and-four-year-olds will see their free childcare entitlement doubled from 15 hour to 30 hours a week from September – which could be worth as much as £5,000 a child. To qualify, parents will need to be working at least 16 hours per week, and earn at least £115 per week. The free hours kick in the September after their 3rd birthday.
Please note that private nurseries retain ultimate discretion and may continue to charge for extras including but not limited to food. The free hours also apply to the 38 week year (to mirror school terms) and not the full 52 weeks, therefore it will not be entirely ‘free’.
This is a massive benefit, and in my opinion a fab step in the right direction towards helping families with the cost of childcare. It may also enable some mothers who couldn’t otherwise afford to return to work to return to part or full time employment.
Child Benefit
Child benefit levels remain unchanged and have been frozen in 2017-18 at the existing rate of £20.70 a week for the first child, then £13.70 for other children. With inflation rises expected, this is effectively a cut in terms of the value of this benefit.
Child Tax Credit
From April 2017 will be limited to two children. Any family which has a third or subsequent child born after April will not qualify for Child Tax Credit.
Helping Teenagers Save for First Home:
The budget today talked about the launch of a new Lifetime Individual Savings Account (LISA) for those aged between 18 and 40. Individuals can save up to £4,000 a year, and the government will provide a 25% bonus if the money is used to buy a home.
Education
The Budget has specified an upgrade fund of £216m for existing schools as well as funding for 110 new free schools and grammar schools.
Obesity
Sugary soft drinks are to be taxed at 24p per litre as part of plans to reduce childhood obesity. Proceeds of this tax will be used to help fund sports in primary schools. Personally whilst I do think something needs to be done, I don’t think sugary drinks are alone in being the issue here – I’ll be interested to know how this is implemented – as some of the more ‘healthy’ drink options are as sugary as a can of Coke!
Women
The budget has outlined funding of £5m to support people returning to work after a career break, which may include maternity. What form this will take is yet to be established, but in my opinion customer service and or IT skills for women returning from maternity leave would be a positive step towards helping the secure employment after raising a family.
And most importantly? Wine is increasing in price. By 4p!!! 🙂
Something super exciting is happening in Birmingham this Summer, and here at Real Mum Reviews, we were super excited to be invited to a behind the scenes press event to get a sneak peak of what is coming! 🙂
Over 150 professionals from across the city attended tonight’s exclusive Big Sleuth event at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where we got our first glimpse of the new ‘paw-some’ bears that will be leaving their mark across the city!
Over 200 designs were submitted by national, regional and local artists, of which 150 will now be bought to life, all thanks to the corporate sponsors who are supporting the initiative.
What is The Big Sleuth?
After the success of 2015’s Big Hoot, Birmingham Children’s Hospital is bringing the sequel in 2017 – The Big Sleuth – making Birmingham become Bear-Mingham for the entire summer!! 🙂
If you are not familiar with the concept – The Big Hoot Trail in 2015 consisted of 89 owl statues, 5ft 5 inches in size, scattered across the city, all of which had been individually decorated by businesses, brands or schools across the county. Using the app, the aim was to find all 89 owls across the trail, and scan them with a QR reader to secure them as “tracked”.
At the end of the summer, the Owls were auctioned off to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital – and the campaign raised over half a million for such an amazing cause! According to the Birmingham Mail – 78 per cent of visitors stated that The Big Hoot was their main reason for being in Birmingham. Collectively, these visitors spent an additional £8 million directly as a result! An amazing result for Birmingham! 🙂
So what is happening this year?
This year, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, working in partnership with creative producers Wild Art, welcome back the trail with The Big Sleuth, the collective noun for a group of bears. 150 bears, 165cm in height, will be taking over the city for 10 weeks this Summer, and tonight we were invited along to see some of the artist’s concept designs which may make it on to the trail.
The designs are simply stunning!! We were able to see a selection of bears in situ as well as concepts of all the artwork submitted for consideration. I was glad I didn’t have to make a selection as I would have found it impossible to choose! Here are some of my faves….
And these!
I can’t wait to hear which bears make the final line up, and will be supporting Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital every step of the way. Not only are we HUGE fans of the trail itself, but having spent some time at the Children’s with Neve in recent weeks, we wholeheartedly support the cause!
For all the updates on The Big Sleuth as they happen – follow the Facebook page here – The Big Sleuth
You can see some of my favourite pictures from 2015’s Big Hoot Campaign here.
Today is World Cancer Day- a day used worldwide to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.
As my regular readers will know, I sadly lost my Mum to secondary breast cancer in 2014. She was just 63 years old, and lost her battle just 9 months after being diagnosed.
Unfortunately for my Mum, despite breast cancer being one of the most treatable of cancers in this decade, she contracted a highly aggressive form of triple negative, which does not respond to some of the most effective drugs and as such, has the lowest survival rates.
Mum was ‘lucky’ in some respects that she found her lump very quickly. She checked her breasts daily in the shower, so was confident that she couldn’t have acted any sooner upon its discovery. This, if nothing else, gave her an additional 9 months with her family.
Today, I wanted to share a fantastic campaign that has been created to help women recognise the symptoms of Breast Cancer sooner, and thus enable them to get the treatment they need. Unlike other picture guides I have seen in recent years, this one is not easy to scroll on past and it is something that ALL women can relate to and understand. You don’t have to be a science expert to understand the message, or even be able to read – the images are clear and easy to follow.
The Know Your Lemons campaign has found a fantastic visual way of showcasing the symptoms and changes you might expect from breast cancer, without requiring imagery of the female body – something which is often censored – particularly in certain cultures.
For me the important message here is that it is not just a lump that you need to watch out for, but ANY changes to your breasts (as above) that aren’t ‘normal’ for you.
If you pay attention to just one message this World Cancer Day, please make it this one. It could just save your life #knowyourlemons.
You can learn more about Know Your Lemons and their mission, as well as donating to the charity on their website here.
The Co-op grocery chain has announced a nationwide recall of 165,000 hollow milk chocolate Santa figures after two alleged tampering incidents.
A spokesperson for the Co-op said two of the chocolate figures had been found to contain a small button-cell battery.
“The health and safety of our customers is our top priority,” said the spokesperson, adding that the Co-op was investigating and the police and Food Standards Agency were being notified.
No other products are affected.
The chocolates that had been subject to tampering were bought at two different locations, one in Suffolk and one in Essex.
The Co-op said customers with one of these products should not eat it, but call the company’s customer relations team for a full refund.
Anyone who is concerned should call Freephone 0800 0686 727.
Hi, I’m Lucy, a thirty something mum of two from Birmingham. A memory maker, tradition keeper, stationery addict and Mr Men fanatic. HR Advisor by day and sleep deprived Mama by night!
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