The council website calls it the "Chivalry Road Playground for juniors and toddlers" and then has age groups listed as 2 to 7 and 8 to 16. I assume the 8 to 16 is for the ball games area.

I haven't been for a while but it always used to have a sign to say it was for children up to age 8, I always told my (slightly) older children to be on their BEST behaviour or they would get kicked out .

Either way, it's stupid to ride bikes in a playground full of toddlers when there is a massive Common where you can ride your bike for miles.

The OP was not terribly well worded,and was emotinal, but it was pretty accurate. The behaviour of some of the Academy pupils is not at all complimentary to the school.

Here are my thoughts:
1. bicycle riding in the playground is dangerous. Small children don't always react as you might expect an older to ( i.e. be able to get out of the way quickly). Hence it is prohibited.
2. using the equipment as a 13 yo is not the same as a 3 year old using it. I have seen it wantonly damaged and
3. leaving the gate open is unsafe too - dogs get in and children get out. A bad combination.
4. if there isn't an age sign (and I thought there was, up to age 8) then the sooner WC puts one up the better.
5. the language used to adults (incl me) who confront bad behaviour, physical or emotional or challenge us/ damage to the playground property, is disrespectful and needs to be stamp on, hard.

I have also noticed incidents down by Salcott Rd busstop. Filthy language, littering. All bad.

This is not about being "teenage". This is about instilling a sense of community and respect, and older children being a role model. Dare I also say some respect for elders (I am not yet 40!)

Please, Ark, take some firm action before someone gets hurt (not least to save your reputation BTC). Send these kids home after school - one of the things you boast about is keeping them in school until 5pm - discourage them from going to the small children's playground!

@petal

Have you been to the Chivalry Road Playground ?
It is for children of all ages and there is no sign to indicate otherwise.
Further it states on the Wandsworth Common website that it is an open playground for all children.

Just to let you know, we saw this post and Bolingbroke Academy are aware of the incident. They have contacted the OP to discuss what happened. Good pupil behaviour in and outside school is really important to us. If you are aware of any issues involving our pupils, do please let us know and we shall investigate.

You can find contact details for all of our schools on our website http://www.arkschools.org/schools

The ARK Schools team.

I live on a local Estate and some of those kids come from here. Do not make excuse for them too quickly just because you had a smoke of dope when you were young, because they behave very badly with their close neighbourhood too. They squat staircases or sit right in front of people's kitchen windows smoking dope and chatting for hours, so you can smell marijuana while you're cooking and you have no more privacy. They move from block to block while people get annoyed with them. As there is no CCTV they also use the parking to deal drugs. They once stole a 4 years old frisbee and threw it up to the roof. When the dad went to speak to them they laughed at him. They are only about 6 of them but they rally more at times from other estates. They are often cycling around Northcote Road. Sadly I have spotted them in the CHilvary playground too. Do not excuse them too quickly, because yes, we've all been teenagers, but you just don't know. They don't care about you and won't make excuses for you! Wake up! It is good to call the police, because they don't care whatever you tell them, so save yourself stress. They need social care and the school isn't to blame, though it's good they are kept informed.

As a parent of a 13 year old child at Bolingbroke I can assure you that the school takes the behaviour of its students both inside and outside of school very seriously. The vast majority of kids at Bolingbroke are polite and well mannered but there will always be a few who will misbehave at any school. I am sure the school will deal with this swiftly and appropriately.

As a parent of a 13 year old child at Bolingbroke I can assure you that the school takes the behaviour of its students both inside and outside of school very seriously. The vast majority of kids at Bolingbroke are polite and well mannered but there will always be a few who will misbehave at any school. I am sure the school will deal with this swiftly and appropriately.

Just to clarify the playground is for ALL children and no age limit. It includes a Tarmac 5-a-side pitch. There is no age limit and the children are all entitled to be there.

The problem about posts like the OP are is it always seems to descend in to a "class" debate, and the original point about older kids misbehaving in a playground is quickly lost.
As we have seen here, the rude children are usually deemed to be the ones from the estates, because the middle/upper class kids are obviously far too polite to mess around in a playground or be rude.

The people that are quick to point the finger at the "estate" kids are no better than the ones they are tarnishing with their snobbish viewpoint.
If you think the attitude of the kids in the playground was bad, you should have a look closer to home.

I am literally stunned at some posts... Cannot believe people would actually write these things, or maybe i should given the results of the UKIP...

If I ever witness bad behaviour in a child playground caused by teenagers I would confront them and ask them to leave unless they can prove they are in charge of a little one.
The playground is for up to 8yrs old end of.
No matter your background, walk of life or faith the rule is the same for all.
Like i always say, respect goes both ways. What i don't like is that the attitude of teenagers seems to always be excused by "never mind they are just teenagers".

Having said that, OP I would have never reacted like you. Seem a bit OTT to me.

I also vote for an adventure playground aimed for the 8+. I absolutely agree there is space and we should support their need of blowing off some steam.

No you can't and shouldn't wrap children in cotton wool, but I do agree that teenagers shouldn't be riding bikes in a children's play ground and they shouldn't be vandalising trees or smoking there either. Teenagers can be a right pain in the backside (I know I was!) but they still have to follow the rules, let them go and be hormonal and teenagery somewhere away from small children.

If they are Bolingbroke kids (and who cares what feeder school they come from ) then the school should be told and they can have a word at an assembly and then monitor the situation. The same goes for Emanuel kids, Northcote Lodge kids etc... doesn't matter who is doing the bad deeds, the perpetrators need to be told off. No need to get snobbish about it....

I find some of the posters' attitudes on this subject hideously snobbish, and quite reprehensible.
I have a 13 year old son who attends Bolingbroke Academy; he previously attended Honeywell and we don't live on the Winstanley estate, but in the sanctity of Between the Commons. Despite this, he is no angel, just a normal boy who is sometimes aggressive and rude, and sometimes a vaguely normal human being. I don't think that bad behaviour is the preserve of the proles, as the OP seems to suggest. Bolingbroke is extremely hot on discipline, with no talking allowed in the corridors between classes, and the kids need to let off steam somehow - the last thing they need is a teacher supervising them out of school time too.
The OP needs to chill out and toughen up; you can't wrap your child in cotton wool - well you can, but it will be ultimately to their detriment. We're not living in the Bronx, but a very wealthy part of inner London, with the usual share of attendant social problems. A minority of kids from Bolingbroke may be trouble makers, but whatever school you analyse, there will be an element of bad behaviour, even dare I say it amongst the pampered little darlings at Northcote Lodge!

Scientist: your first post left me literally open mouthed. Your suggestion that the trouble is caused by pupils from the more deprived parts of Battersea beggars belief. Very few of the pupils come from Falconbrook Primary and, if you have ever stood outside that school at the end of the day, you would realise that the behaviour described is not typical of that school. I can't be bothered to find last year's figures but: http://www.nappyvalleynet.com/mums/view ... 46&t=23439

To suggest that, because a child comes from a deprived background, it will be badly behaved and rude is, frankly, outrageous and arrogant. Rudeness and lack of consideration can be found in all strands of society. I shouldn't have to mention the Bullingdon Club, etc.

FirsttimerSW11 - how wrong you are. The top two feeder schools for Bolingbroke are Belleville and Honeywell - how much more local could it be ?? As for your comment about Northcote Lodge, well it just confirms what I hinted at in my post. This is developing into a tale of two halves, with the better-off half thinking they now own this part of Wandsworth to the exclusion of any riff-raff.

Part of the point of Bolingbroke is to help change the lives of the other half for the better and to give them a chance that maybe some of their parents were not given. Very few people have the financial resources or social confidence for Northcote Lodge and its ilk. But given the domestic backgrounds of many of the pupils, one would jolly well expect them to behave politely. It is up to those who have good manners to teach those who haven't how to behave - not to exclude them from society. This is the mark of civilisation.

The intake of the Bolingbroke is far more local than any other secondary school in Wandsworth, including all the private schools.
Last year 40 children from Belleville and also 40 from Honeywell went straight to the Bolingbroke, around 10 went from each of the other 3 feeder schools and 10 went on distance of up to 500m. Truly local.
I see children from the Bolingbroke every single day and their behaviour is always excellent and whilst the behaviour of riding a bike and kicking a football around a park (that is meant for all children of any age) may be inappropriate when toddlers are around it's hardly cause for calling the police. Please let our children be children.

Bad behaviour can be seen at drop off and pick up time every single day around many private schools between the commons, the awful driving, parking and bad manners of parents and children has to be seen to be believed. I believe the schools in question send out emails/letters every year asking for better behaviour and consideration from their parents/pupils so it's not one type of school.