School remaining open during polling

Hello

Sepak with the head for reasurance etc!!

I'm sure they'd have conducted a 'risk management' assessment!!

The children in the school aren't unattended so it's fine. They'll be with their teachers so even if someone wandered into the school they couldn't do much.

If the school had closed for polling day, there would be people complaining about missing a day’s education too.

I'm so fed up with our school taking any fucking opportunity to close for the day that I'd be happy with this.
The kids are with their teachers op. They'll be fine.

What a massive overreaction. It’s better for schooling not to be disrupted

Totally. Unreasonable. This is a very sensible solution which will mean working parents don’t have to take a day off work that they haven’t planned for . The polling station staff might not be DBS checked but since they won’t be having anything to do with the pupils this has as much relevance as the people at your local supermarket check out not being DBS checked either . Does your school run a summer fair, when they open the gates to the local community, and does the headteacher share that risk assessment with you? No, I didn’t think so.

The only thing you need to ask is “If it is a hot day will you provide water bowls for the dogs who have come along to have a polling station dog picture taken?”

People in the suspended safeguarding area need not be DBS checked nor wear a staff badge.

We have situations like this all the time. School plays, parents evenings etc are all suspended safeguarding situations. Children are accompanied in those situations

What exactly do you fear might happen? I think you being a little bit dramatic.

It wouldn't mess up his attendance record. They don't need use the inset day. There's a code for schools being closed for things like snow or gas leaks or polling stations

Without seeing the risk assessment I couldnt say if there is an actual issue. It's a shame he isn't being more transparent with it. But I suppose sometimes you just have to decide you trust his judgement or not. And if not keep your child off.

There are schools round here that remain open as a polling station, but each school is different.

If an unaccompanied visitor (or just any adult without a staff badge, even a teacher who's just not wearing hers), is seen in an ordinary safeguarding area, they'll be challenged. In the suspended safeguarding area, they won't be, but no children will be there

They'll cordon off a route for voters to go straight to the voting room. That section will be what's called a "suspended safeguarding area". [It's a misnomer!!] That just means that any children in those areas must be accompanied, whereas visitors need not be accompanied. In the rest of the school, visitors need to be accompanied in the usual way, while children can be unaccompanied

I think you're massively overthinking this. They're the same members of the public the children are exposed to on the street and in the park. Many of the electorate are probably their parents, relatives, and friends.

Honestly sounds fine. It’s a small school, there will be staff about, the polling area doesn’t require people to walk through the rest of the school. Schools never used to be locked off like they are now. For one day I’m sure everyone will survive.