wletters-school

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 23 November 2007

Give us a break! School lunch changes will help

• I AM disappointed that industrial action is set to take place at Pimlico when just 23 of the school’s 140 staff voted in favour.
A clear majority of teachers, pupils and parents told us they wanted to change the school lunch break when asked this summer. Yet despite the fact that 10 of the 33 NUT members voted against a walkout and about half of the 60 members balloted did not even return their ballot paper, the union’s Pimlico members are set to walk out.
In effect, a tiny minority of staff are holding the school to ransom and are set to cause widespread disruption to lessons throughout the day.
Pimlico School is due to be completely rebuilt as part of the council’s £152 million Building Schools for the Future programme.
When the work begins in the new year, the school’s 1,500 pupils will have access to just a small playground, about two-thirds the size of a football pitch.
Coupled with the fact that four classrooms are now being used as canteens at lunchtime, we feel the less time pupils have to spend indoors during the break the better. Pupil behaviour in afternoon lessons has already improved as a result and the new arrangements will make it easier for building work to be carried out.
Lunch break has been reduced by 20 minutes, but the school day is starting and finishing earlier and break time has increased for the benefit of pupils and teachers.
We are reviewing this situation on a regular basis.
At the moment, Pimlico is showing real signs of recovery and I urge NUT leaders to recognise that the vast majority of students, teachers and parents are in favour of the changes made.
They should work with the council to make sure we provide a first-class education for all the school’s pupils.
Cllr SARAH RICHARDSON
Cabinet Member for
Children’s Services
Westminster Council

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment:

Your comments: