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.
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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.
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“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.”
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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.
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Entertainment union Equity makes £1 bid for Manchester Pride to protect workers from ‘further exploitation’
Emily Sergeant
Performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity has made a £1 bid for Manchester Pride.
You may remember that, back in October last year, Manchester Pride – the charity / organisation that ran the Manchester Pride Festival – entered into voluntary liquidation, and news emerged last week that the assets were being sold off to the highest bidder by liquidators.
By offering a ‘symbolic’ £1 for the assets – which include the Manchester Pride brand name and associated domain names – Equity says its bid has been made to give workers the opportunity to ‘decide the future’ of the event.
The bid is also said to have been made to prevent a repeat of 2025 – which apparently left Equity union members more than £70,000 out-of-pocket in unpaid fees.
Equity’s variety organiser, Nick Keegan, warned that selling the Manchester Pride brand to a commercial buyer risks ‘undermining the values’ of the event and the community that built it.
He worried it could also leave performers and workers ‘vulnerable to further exploitation’.
“Manchester Pride is not just a city-wide party,” Mr Keegan explained. “Its roots in protest are as important today as then.”
He added: “Manchester Pride was built by the LGBTQ+ workers of Canal St and beyond who provide a space and a community for LGBTQ+ people all year round. The event should not be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold off to the highest bidder.
“The cultural workforce are at the heart of Pride, without them, there is no festival.
“After what happened in 2025, with members left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket, we don’t want to see history repeat itself.”
Equity says that if its bid is successful, the workers will have control over who the ‘asset’ goes to.
“Our bid is about protecting Pride as a community asset, not a commercial one,” the union’s statement continued.
“Allowing the people whose labour was used to build this ‘asset’ to decide how the trademark of Manchester Pride is used in the future will help protect them from further exploitation, as well as preserve the values and the longevity of the event itself.”
Featured Image – Manchester Pride (Supplied)
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New police hub to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour
Emily Sergeant
A new police hub is set to be established in Piccadilly Gardens.
In case you missed it, it was announced last week that council tax in Greater Manchester could be increased to help fund improvements to policing, and that a consultation on it has been launched – with local residents urged to have their say.
The police precept helps Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to build on a range of improvements, including the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls, road and transport safety across Manchester city centre, and bringing more sex offenders to justice, among many other things.
Greater Manchester council tax is set to be increased again to help fund improvements to policing, and a consultation is now live. 🏘️🚔📝
But on top of this, Mayor Andy Burnham has also pledged to deliver a new police hub in Piccadilly Gardens as part of a wider drive to improve policing.
GMCA says its ‘top priority’ is to build strong communities where people feel safe, and it is Mayor Andy Burnham and his Deputy Mayors’ responsibility to enable GMP to be an ‘effective and efficient’ police force.
Local leaders say their ambition for 2026 is to maintain a ‘high-performing’ police service by tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and protecting residents and businesses along the way – and part of this ambition is to increase police visibility in Piccadilly Gardens, which is a much-maligned part of the city centre, by launching a new ‘prominent’ police hub.
The increase in the police precept is also being touted to help increase ‘hot spot policing tactics’ in town centres and other key locations to help drive down theft and other violent retail crimes.
A new police hub is to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour / Credit: Gerald England (via Geograph) | Rawpixel
“We need GMP to be properly funded if it is to continue to deliver an effective and responsive service for people in Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham. “The cost of running a modern police force is going up and this is at a time when our city region has become the fastest-growing economy in the UK, with visitor numbers increasing year after year.
“So much is happening here and that includes a number of major and complex incidents over the past year, including a terrorist attack. These incidents added significant pressure to police resources.
“We recognise the ongoing impact of the rising cost of living and do not take the decision to increase the precept lightly. But right now, this increase is our only option to ensure GMP can continue delivering an effective police service that ensures that people feel safe in their own communities.”
The Manc -
26th January 2021 
