Latest news with #HullRoad
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Parents hit out at 'prison' shutters on toilets during lessons at York school
PARENTS have hit out after York's largest school installed shutters across all the main toilets to prevent pupils from using them during lessons. Archbishop Holgate's School has put in pull-down shutters so the five main toilet areas across the Hull Road site cannot be used by its 1,900 students when they should be in class and the toilets are unsupervised. Photos taken by pupils of the new measures prompted the launch of a 'scrap the shutters' petition. It has been signed by more than 343 people and calls on the school 'to help give our kids their basic human right to use a toilet in school back'. The shutters prevent access to the toilets during lesson times when the main toilet areas are not supervised. Image: teacher Lucie Pond sought to reassure parents, saying there was no toilet ban and no change to the toilet policy, but the shutters had been installed for 'safeguarding reasons'. Students are encouraged to take comfort breaks during the 20-minute morning break and the 40-minute lunch period when the main toilets are unlocked and monitored. An accessible toilet is also available in every building, in areas where staff are present, for anyone who needs it throughout the day. Mrs Pond told The Press: 'We have seen an increasing amount of vandalism in the toilets. That comes with a cost in terms of staff and repair and replacement costs. Equally, these are areas of school that are unsupervised during lesson time so for safeguarding, we feel it is necessary to not have them open." RECOMMENDED READS: 'The world is changing': head at top York school joins others in smartphone plea Top North Yorkshire school set to expand and change its name 'Fantastic news' as more than 5,000 children eligible for free school meals She said shutters were chosen because a door would not have been wide enough to fill the large gap that leads to the toilets. But some parents who backed the petition said the school now looks like a prison while others criticised the 'waste of money'. Others voiced concerns for children who need unrestricted toilet access for medical reasons; for girls at certain times of the month who might be too embarrassed to ask to go; and for pupils who may have accidents if not allowed to take comfort breaks when they need to. Andrew Fraser told The Press one of his daughters had sent him a photo of the locked-up toilets at the end of the first day back at school and he had contacted the school and board of governors. "They told me children have locked themselves in the toilets to miss lessons – but that's what every generation of children going to school has done. 'All the girls are disgusted by it. If they have a period, they are unable to get into the toilets. They are expecting the whole school to go in the break and lunch times. 'These shutters wouldn't have been cheap. They could have got two staff members to patrol the toilets instead. 'I have three children going through the school and a fourth who would be going there but, at the moment, we are not even thinking about it.' In her letter to parents, Mrs Pond said: 'Teachers are trusted to use their professional judgement when students ask to leave lessons to use the toilet. If permission is granted, students are issued a pass allowing them to access the designated toilets that remain open. 'Any student with a medical pass is allowed to leave lessons as frequently as needed and without question. 'We fully recognise that there will be times when students need to go during lessons. Our aim is to balance the genuine needs of students with our responsibility to ensure a safe, secure, and well-supervised environment for all.'
Daily Mail
08-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment frail missing pensioner uses cane to walk along street: Police release CCTV in hopes of tracing 89-year-old who vanished DAYS ago
This is the heartbreaking moment a missing pensioner is seen using his cane to walk along the street as police plea to the public for help. Footage shows Malcolm, 89, was last seen on Wednesday walking along Westfield Close in the area of Hull Road in Easington between 8am – 9.30am on the day of his disappearance. The frail man vanished days ago and police are 'growing increasingly concerned for his welfare.' Officers have trawled the area knocking on the doors of locals, diving through hours of CCTV and even used scent dogs - but have been unsuccessful in their search for Malcolm. The force have urged the public to check their gardens, sheds, outbuildings and any covered areas as they believe the pensioner could be found sheltering there. They are also keen to speak to pedestrians and drivers travelling along Hull Road around the time Malcolm was last seen and have said motorists shoul check their dash cam footage. Leading the she search, Inspector Will Knapp at Humberside police said: 'We have been trawling hours of CCTV and doorbell footage, conducting house to house enquiries and area searches of rural locations to try and understand which direction Malcolm may have travelled in since leaving his home. 'As part of those enquiries, the CCTV footage shows Malcolm walking along Westfield Close at approximately 8.10am that morning (Wednesday, 4 June). 'Malcolm is then thought to have walked towards the junction of Hull Road before heading west at approximately 8.15am. This is the last confirmed sighting of him. 'He is described as being approximately 5ft 8ins tall with grey hair and is thought to be wearing a grey gilet with brown trousers and carrying a walking stick. 'From this point, with support from specialist trained search officers, scent dogs and the Underwater Search unit, alongside partnering agencies and Malcolm's family and friends, teams have been extending their searches we continue to conduct further lines of enquiries to understand Malcom's movements and try and trace his next steps. 'As part of this, we are keen to speak to pedestrians and motorists travelling along Hull Road between 8am and 9.30am around the time Malcolm was last seen. I'd also encourage anyone who has any CCTV or dashcam footage around this time to please get in touch. 'We would also urge members of the public to check sheds, outbuildings and any covered areas, if your neighbours are away, please check their gardens too.' He added: 'Anybody who has any information, no matter how small, dashcam or CCTV footage, or who may know where Malcolm may be and can assist us with locating him to please contact us our non-emergency number 101 quoting log 177of 4 June.'
