A school in Oldham has warned that it will withdraw places for pupils who have told teachers they are visiting people outside their households.
Yew Tree Community School in Chadderton – which has about 660 pupils aged between four and 11 – took to social media, as well as contacting pupils’ parents / carers / guardians direct, to say that there have been several instances of children admitting to teachers that they were visiting friends, neighbours and family, contrary to coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown regulations.
Headteacher Martine Buckley said she would take the action when “parents were putting staff in danger”.
As per the rules set out for England’s third national lockdown, schools are only open to pupils who are listed as vulnerable and the children of key workers.
Families can however form “childcare bubbles” with one other household, and children who live with two parents who live separately can also move between households for care purposes, but other than that, any further mixing is prohibited.
In the letter to pupils’ parents / carers / guardians posted on the school’s Facebook page, Mrs Buckley said she was “upset” to be writing, “but I feel I must”.
“Our lovely children are open and honest and they tell us about their lives and activities,” she said.
“A number of them are telling us that they are visiting friends, neighbours and family which is against the law.”
She continued: “Our teachers and support staff are putting their own safety at risk to look after your children and they should be confident you are doing your bit to follow the lockdown rules.
“I am afraid I will have to withdraw the offer of a place in school to children whose parents are putting us in danger.”
Despite receiving support from many – both parents, and members of the public on social media – as well as closing out the letter stating: “I know that home learning is nigh on impossible for too many of you and we all sympathise and feel for you, [but] we will get over this much quicker if we all follow the rules”, the school’s comments have gone on to receive some backlash.
A quick scroll through the comment replies under the post show a clear divide, with responses coming from several perspectives and ends of the spectrum.
One man told the BBC that his two grandchildren were at the school and children as young as four have been asked about their activities at home, which was “out of order”.
“My granddaughters are pretty intimidated by the tone,” he said.
“Asking them questions like that and then the answers off the back of that. They come to a decision of whether they are going to displace them or not.”
It has been confirmed that the Department for Education has been approached for a comment.
News
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
The Manc -
26th January 2021 
