Mum petitions school after son falls off (From Gazette)

Mum petitions school after son falls off

12:00pm Friday 23rd October 2009

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MORE than 300 people have signed a mother’s petition to get a piece of play equipment removed from a school playground.

Lawrence Zulu-Macdonald fell off a scooter board at Powers Hall Infant School, Witham, when another youngster bumped into him, his mother said.

Ann Macdonald wants the equipment removed from the playground after the five-year-old suffered grazes to the right side of his face.

Miss Macdonald said she had tried to see Claire Edwards, headteacher at the Spa Road school, after the accident, and had ended up putting her concerns in a letter when she couldn’t get an appointment.

When she received a reply “that avoided the subject of getting rid of the scooter boards”, she decided to collect signatures to see if other parents agreed with her.

Miss Macdonald, of Orchid Avenue, Witham, said: “Lawrence wasn’t himself for a few days and he was very upset.

“He is a pretty child who loved looking in the mirror and, since it happened, he has only looked in the mirror twice – and with a look of fear on his face.”

Miss Macdonald said the grazes had cleared up reasonably well, but the sit-on, wheeled scooter boards were still dangerous as they were used on concrete.

She said she appreciated youngsters were supervised when they were on them, but she claimed other children had had similar accidents.

Headteacher Mrs Edwards said the scooter boards had been chosen by the school council in the summer term this year.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of all of our children and we are sorry that Lawrence had an accident while using a scooter board,” she said.

“All children enjoy using the scooter boards that were chosen by the school council.

“Children are monitored when they are in the playground to ensure they are using the scooter boards correctly, and this is the only time there has been an accident of this kind.

“I have written to Miss Macdonald to apologise for Lawrence’s accident and have invited her to contact the school to discuss this further if she wished.

“She has not chosen to do so.”

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