Lollipop ladies/gents - do schools have to pay for them, or are they provided by the council?

[Fauve]

Someone must know this! I think they're provided by the council according to need, but I'm not sure. We have a very nasty crossing point opposite our primary school, exactly the sort of thing for which lollipop ladies/gents were invented. Sooner or later a child is going to get run over - as everyone keeps saying - but nothing effective is done. So will we be able to get a lollipop person? A parent governor has just told me she thinks the school would have to pay.

[ButtonMoon]

It is the council as i have seen an advert in paper recently. Anyhow, what about crossing patrols that are not near to any particular school?

[notasheep]

dds lollipop gent is also the school caretaker-saves money

[DumbledoresGirl]

They are council employees. Not paid for by the school.

[Fauve]

Thanks - so it's just a question of the school convincing the council that a lollipop person is needed? No nasty nicking of bits of the school's budget?

Notasheep, I don't think our caretaker would like your suggestion!!!! To be fair, he's very good and very busy already. But interesting to know that some schools do do that.

[Marina]

Council employee. Ours is a total gem.

[Fauve]

Yes, another fab person for the kids to love - sounds good! And it is a good employment opportunity for people who want/need to work flexibly, isn't it?

[getbakainyourjimjams]

council- and whether they employ someone or not depends on the number of children crossing the road. 90% of kids picked up by car=no lollipop lady. They will come out and count children, but I don't think they look at it from a risk point of view.

[Fauve]

Oh, thanks for that, gbjj. It doesn't actually make sense, does it, since it's the parent drivers that the kids are at risk from? I think we'd be Ok on numbers at our school - must be nearly 80% on foot on a dry day. Anyone else know if the same rule applies everywhere?

[getbakainyourjimjams]

It's a local council- who said anything about sense? :o

[nutcracker]

Not sure who pays but ours slowly dissapeared.

There are 3 crossings by our school, 2 of which are quite dangerous, but all the crossing wardens were removed about a year or so ago.

[Fauve]

Well, yes, exactly, gbjj. That's v sad, nutcracker, and bad. I know some councils say they have trouble recruiting people, but only because they're too daft to ask their press offices to publicise vacancies.

[Ellbell]

In my area it's the same as GBJJ said... They are paid by the local council and the crossing has to be assessed in terms of volume of traffic and numbers of children crossing. If not enough, no lollipop! The one directly outside our school (road with industrial estate at the end with lots of maniac lorry drivers... no offence to any hairy-arsed truckers present, obviously ... but these really do have the 'I'm bigger than you and I'm coming through' mentality!!!) was cut years ago and we've been told that volume of traffic doesn't justify bringing her/him back. The lollypop lady on our route to school was knocked over in a hit-and-run incident about a year ago. She stands on a zebra crossing, ffs! It's a nightmare - she broke her leg, but imagine if it was a child that had been hit! Sorry not much help, Fauve, but lots of sympathy.

[charliecat]

Our school caretaker does the lolly-popping too :)

[nikkie]

very difficult to get people to do the job (round here anyway) there is now an age limit (65? ) which deters the fit elderly people which used to take the job, younger people are picking the kids up or working long hours and can't do it.

[Fauve]

Oh shame about the upper age limit. Maybe you need to be fit to dodge the maniac drivers - but you can still be fit at 80.

I've heard about dinner ladies/gents doing lollypopping too - a sort of portfolio career. Thanks for all responses - I'll take it up with the school when the moment's right. I think we do have the 'traffic/no. of kids walking' combo.