PARENTS at a primary school in Edmonton are demanding action to end a year of violence in the school playground.

Latymer All Saints CE Primary School in Hydethorpe Avenue has seen a dramatic rise in bullying and a high turnover of both pupils and staff, parents have claimed.

The last straw came when headteacher Barry Scott resigned on the day before the Easter break under a barrage of criticism.

The school, which has more than 700 boys and girls aged between three and 11 on its roll, has been under strain since a damning Ofsted report in May 2002.

Now the group of parents, who have asked not to be named, are calling for immediate action after a series of serious injuries to children in the school playground.

The parents allege one girl spent eight weeks with her leg in traction in hospital after damaging her hip in the school playground. Another child was hospitalised with a broken leg.

One of the parents took her five-year-old son to North Middlesex hospital after bullies forced a stone down his throat during a lunchbreak. On another occasion, an asthma pump was sprayed into the same boy's eye.

Another of the complainants said her son was regularly punched and kicked in the playground. She said: "Children are staying at home afraid.

"The whole thing started with the Ofsted report. Over the last 14 months school bullying has risen unbelievably. The management has not stuck to the behavioural and disciplinary codes."

The Ofsted report said the behaviour of pupils was 'unsatisfactory' and 'disorderly', with many pupils showing a lack of respect for each other and the adults around them. The school was subsequently put under special measures.

But since then, violence in the playground appears to have escalated.

Earlier this month, the group of parents spent two days demonstrating outside the school gates with a petition.

Over March 10 and March 11 they collected 96 signatures from parents dissatisfied with the running of the school. They plan to send the results to the Local Education Authority (LEA).

Edmonton MP Andy Love said: "The LEA and each individual school should have an anti-bullying policy and I would hope that they would implement that in order to get some stability to the situation.

"Action needs to be taken to ensure that problems in the playground are being dealt with as quickly as possible."

In response to Mr Scott's resignation, the LEA and the Diocesan Board met on April 14 to discuss the future direction of the school. A spokesman for the council said they were hoping to put the school's recent past behind them.

He said: "We are working together with the Chair of the board of governers and the school and we are looking to the future to make sure kids get the best education they can in Enfield."

The group of parents also hope for a brighter future for the school and plan to take over the Friends Committee which raises funds for school trips.

April 30, 2003 10:00