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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to think school should secure their boundary

33 replies

Fullofregrets33 · 03/01/2019 17:21

Hi looking for opinions. Happy to be told I'm wrong as I have no idea!

We live next to a school. We live on a residential estate and the school is in the middle of the estate.
Our property runs adjacent to the school carpark at the front of our house and adjacent to the school field at the back.

The boundary is trees which shed leaves in the winter and leaves huge gaps a grown man could walk straight through. You can also see right through into the school and they can see us.
We fenced on our side the length of the back garden but the front is harder to do and has the biggest gaps. The fence posts are in the middle of their trees so would have to rip it all out, plus it will cost us a fortune to fence our side if we can do it at all. I'm concerned about security for the school and also for our property. They also don't maintain the trees properly, cutting once a year and missing a lot of ours.
Am I able to request that they make their boundary more secure or is there no requirement for this? Pic attached to see the massive gaps

Aibu to think school should secure their boundary
OP posts:
FuckingYuleLog · 03/01/2019 17:37

If it’s a primary school I’d expect it to be more secure.
It doesn’t surprise me though. A friend of mine was called into school for a dressing down because her dd who has quite severe Sen and was in year 3 at the time had gone through a pretty big gap in a fence into a neighbouring garden. The head didn’t seem to see a safety issue and said it was the neighbours responsibility to repair the fence and until then it would have cones round it and the children would be told not to go through it.
They weren’t too impressed when my friend pointed out that if her dd could get out then other people could get in and could they guarantee anyone entering the neighbouring house had been dbs checked? The fence was fixed the following day.

Jamiefraserskilt · 03/01/2019 17:41

Who do the trees belong to and where does the boundary lie?
If them then you can either fence your side or approach the head teacher and mention your concerns about security and safety of school premises. They may not have the money but may be able to either go halves or approach their pta for wish list funding.

RedHelenB · 03/01/2019 17:46

I remember the days before schooks were prisons!

ThePants999 · 03/01/2019 17:49

@RedHelenB indeed. I used to walk through a field and climb over a stile to enter my primary school's grounds. Anyone could get in or out at any time. But nobody did, other than those who were supposed to.

FuckingYuleLog · 03/01/2019 17:55

Well yes it didn’t used to be the case but these days there’s not a lot of point in dbs checking all adults who will be unattended with children in the school when any Tom, Dick or Harry can walk in off the road.

bookmum08 · 03/01/2019 17:55

Better for a school to have a fence around it and be 'a prison' than have another Dunblane. (it was that tragic event that led to so much security around schools)

RedHelenB · 03/01/2019 18:25

Actually it was quite a bit after Dunblane that schools had security fencing as routine. People view it as safer but I'm not sure it actually is.

PaquitaVariation · 03/01/2019 18:28

There are plenty of schools which don’t have security fencing all around. They will have done a risk assessment.

Tes24 · 03/01/2019 18:30

People view it as safer but I'm not sure it actually is.

How could it not be ?

ApolloandDaphne · 03/01/2019 19:10

There is no security fencing around Dunblane PS. Take it from me. I know this. They made it harder for people to actually get inside the building but you can enter the grounds easily as you can other schools in Dunblane. You cannot make schools like prisons. I say that as someone who lost a child at Dunblane.

BarbarianMum · 03/01/2019 19:32

Sadly the sort of man that would kill children is unlikely to be deterred by 6' of wooden fencing. And I'm sure that there is always a way open to members of the public wanting to approach the main doors to a school. At least, I would hope so.

OP if you want to fence your property, do so. I dont think a small gap bw two bushes makes it the schools job.

bookmum08 · 03/01/2019 19:43

ApolloandDaphne I hope my comment hasn't offended you or upset you in any way.
I am genuinely surprised that there are schools that don't have fences around them. It is a difficult thing to consider - the best way to protect children and not make children feel fear at the same time.
I am so sorry for your loss Flowers

ApolloandDaphne · 03/01/2019 19:51

I am not offended by much Bookmum.

MigGril · 03/01/2019 19:52

Actually I don't see it as a security risk at all. The issue I would have is if the school has children with SEN who can't be safely kept on the school grounds. This didn't used to be so much of an issue as a lot of the children now supported in mainstream school would have been in special schools.

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 03/01/2019 19:53

I remember the days before schooks were prisons!

This was because of Dunblane andd rightly so, and yes it did take some time for the added security to become into force, after a huge fight to ensure the government protect our children.

It doesn't happen overnight, most schools now have key pad access/electronic door access and secure grounds. (normally by 6ft wooden/fence panels.

ApolloandDaphne · 03/01/2019 19:53

Thing is schools like the ones in Dunblane and I assume many around the country are not in heavily populated inner city areas and are surrounded by fields and semi rural types areas. It would be ridiculous fencing such schools. I can't think of any schools with fences all round them.

FuckingYuleLog · 03/01/2019 20:03

Yes people are allowed in the main entrance of schools - parents etc but if they aren’t dbs checked they aren’t permitted to be alone with the children. I don’t think many parents would be happy with their children playing on a school field/playground from age 4 with minimal supervision and public access.

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 03/01/2019 20:11

Apollo what area do you live? just with you saying none of your schools are fenced.

My area in the North East, ALL of our schools are heavily fenced.

In my hometown in Scotland (North Lanarkshire) All of the schools are heavily fenced also.

ApolloandDaphne · 03/01/2019 20:14

Currently in St Andrews. Was a social worker in Fife for a long time. Very few schools I went to were fenced or hard to access.

ApolloandDaphne · 03/01/2019 20:15

I will need to name change again now!

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 03/01/2019 20:23

Nah St Andrews is a pretty big area, im sure you haven't been outed, done some training there a good 10 years a few years back, also when I was a former social worker.

Beautiful town

ApolloandDaphne · 03/01/2019 20:26

But in a Venn diagram of the population of St Andrews and people who lost a child at Dunblane there will only be me on the little cross over bit! Grin

Nicknacky · 03/01/2019 20:30

haud I’m also Scotland and my children’s school isn’t fenced. That doesn’t worry me at all, if anything it will give people a false sense of security.

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 03/01/2019 20:31

Im such an idiot at times, Sorry Apollo, I've just read your comment, and only just put 2+2 together Flowers

Yes , but please dont change it too much tho, would still like to recognise you Grin

Nicknacky · 03/01/2019 20:31

Apollo I think we have spoken on another thread, I send my thoughts to you Flowers