Is this a safe guarding issue?

[evanley]

I have just heard our summer fayre has been opened up to the general public. Usually it's only the children and parents/carers who are invited. Parents have been contacting me saying how unhappy they are with it. Highly unlikely anything would happen but in this day in age can we be sure? The school is opened up to everyone and people could scope out the school for abductions or terror attacks. It was only Tuesday a lot of schools in this county were getting bomb threats. Surely this cannot be ignored. Would love to hear other people's thoughts and any info anyone has. Maybe I am being an over protective parent but children walking around without supervision for example they need the toilet and having strangers in the school makes me uncomfortable. Thank you for any afdvice and like I say I am probably over reacting.

It must be tiring seeing everything in life as such a threat!

It’s a way of School rasing extra funds. No risk

Massive overreaction. Totally normal for school fete to be open to the public.

It’s no more risky than going to a local park/fayre/any activity outside of your home with your children.

Aren't most school fayres open to the general public. It's an important way for schools to raise funds... it is not a safeguarding issue anymore than taking your child to the park or walking around the town. Please don't worry and enjoy the fayre!

I would not even consider sending my kid to a school that wasn't part of the community such that it controlled who came to a summer fair!

I've never actually heard of a school that controls it though, most of them advertise and encourage as many locals as possible.

DD's Primary school opens its school fair to the wider community. As did my primary school 30 years ago. I honestly thought this was the norm

I can’t think of a single summer fayre I’ve been to that hasn’t been open to the public! Anyone can request a look around a school simply by saying they’re a prospective parent so theoretically could ‘scope out’ for these abductions and terror attacks. Why are the children walking around unsupervised?

Has the sun gone to your head op. It’s normal to be rude open to the public.

School fairs are usually open to anyone, children are supervised by their parents.

I don’t even understand how you would make a school fete closed to the public?

Honestly, I think you are over reacting. Our school summer fair is open to parent's and carers but the doors are open and no one is checking who comes in or out. A lot of families fetch grand parents as well. School can't possibly know all five hundred parents, carers and relations of the children who attend.
It is sensible to assume you are responsible for your own children at the event like you would anywhere else.

If you don't want your child walking around unsupervised, then you don't stop supervising them. It really is that simple.

It's a major fundraising event.

How on earth would they police it so that it was only pupils and parents anyway Would aunts, uncles and grandparents be excluded?

I often wonder how some posters manage to leave the house

Our school summer fair has always been open to the public. Mainy people in the village go. I went for years before we had the children, or before they were pupils at the school. Hel is maximise profit, bit of community cohesion. It all happens outside, not in the school building.

Why are parents contacting you? Are you that parent?

No safeguarding issue, any more than a trip to asda.

over reaction. I take it the school has cctv, locked gates, security at break and lunch time and police checks for daily visitors of which there are many every day. Nope. It is likely there are some unscrupulous people in and around the school on a daily basis that are dropping off their kids anyway. Sad but true.

I'm fairly sure parents/relatives of children are just as likely to be paedophiles/ terrorists as the general public.

Wouldn't even give it a second thought. I thought it was normal for a fair to be open to the public rather than invite only. Wouldn't have thought people would leave young children unsupervised at that sort of event tbh but I would be worried about them wandering off rather than terrorists or abductors lurking.

A lot of parents can't make it due to work as it's a week day afternoon. I have just had parents measaging me worried and I just want to put there mind at rest with the bomb threats being received etc. . I will be there with my children and would never leave them unsupervised anyway as I will hold my hands up and say I am over protective. However the parents are who are not there on the day are really concerned. No summer fayres are open to the public here. I don't want a big thing at school on Monday as I feel there will be and they are messaging me due to being on the pta but had to step down due to being heavily pregnant. Also although the teachers do an amazing job there is only so much they can do and if a child needs the toilet there is nobody to supervise. I was going to suggest portaloos so that the public won't need to go into the school then putting parents mind at rest. It's just advice I am looking for to help out the school.

School fairs are normally open to all.
Supervise your child just like you would at a park, zoo, fair or any location and I'm sure you'll be just fine.
I don't think school fairs generally have too many issues with attendees scoping for bomb attacks or abductions. I think you possibly need to relax a bit on that one.

I’m pretty paranoid about school security and have compulsive/intrusive thoughts about school shootings but even I wouldn’t be attempting to stopss many people as possible coming to the summer fair to spend money