Chivalry Road Playground / Bolingbroke Academy Post Reply

[wasateacher]

When I taught in a "challenging" school in a difficult area, staff from the school would do duty at any trouble spots in the area until the problem died away. The playground is hardly a distance from Bolingbroke Academy - why aren't they supporting the local community? If they put staff there (or got some of the parents to volunteer) for a short while that would sort out the problem.

[ANNA MARIA]

As a parent at Bolingbroke with a 13 year old son who goes to the park and rides a bike (not so sure about the marijuana but his pocket money just about stretches to Harry's newsagents and certainly not to buying drugs!) I would just like to say a) as an erstwhile mother of toddlers, older kids can seem scary and 'thuggish' compared to our precious little ones but they grow up too and life moves on b) Bolingbroke is a highly aspirational, caring school that goes the extra mile for its pupils to succeed. Please do not tarnish a whole school on the antics of a few.

[Scientist]

I totally agree with the previous three posters. These children (adolescents maybe, not yet teenagers) are quite possibly from some of the rougher feeder schools who supply pupils to Bolingbroke. It is hardly Bolingbroke's fault that they may come from challenging backgrounds - not all children are Honeywell-perfect and living in cosy middle class homes off the Northcote Road !! Please remember that the academy is not/can't be selective in its intake.

These troublemakers are not entirely representative of the typical intake of the academy, which gathers from some of the more "genteel" state primaries in the area as well. I get the impression that the majority of readers on this website have children at the more privileged schools, so they would be extremely uncomfortable with the rougher edges of Wandsworth as manifested here. Wandsworth (even "nappy valley") has not quite been ethnically/socially cleansed so as to be totally middle class professional yet, much as many readers of this website would like it to be.....

That said, I have first hand experience of trouble in this playground and only about 2 weeks ago called the police as there were intimidating youths creating mess and a bad atmosphere - which is a great shame in what has become a little sanctuary for toddlers between the commons. I agree especially with the last poster who suggests that staff from the academy could monitor the situation in a proactive way in order to assist the police. Personally, I believe that children over a certain age should not be allowed in the playground unless demonstrably in charge of a younger child and this should be both monitored and punishable by an on the spot fine.

Lastly, I think there should be a fund raising to build an adventure playground for older children on the common - let's be honest there is loads of space, an acre out of 200 or so is all that would be lost.

[firsttimerSW11]

The sad thing is, very few local children attend.
I know it's not quite like for like given one is prep and the other is second level but I often walk past Northcote Lodge and the children always excuse themselves, move for myself and the buggy, are polite and well mannered. Many of the Bolingbroke academy children behave like animals and wouldn't dream of getting out of the way. So I have no surprise with what you say Cals Mum and am glad you reported them. We wouldn't put up with that sort of behaviour from Northcote Road children so why is it ok from children from the Winstanley Estate?!

[ANNA MARIA]

"Northcote Road children" "Winstanley Estate children" ? Did we actually enquire where these children lived or did we make assumptions?

[livegreen]

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.

[Scientist]

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.

[wasateacher]

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.

[Gayville]

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!

[jafina]

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....

[supergirl]

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.

[Ashleyrose-66]

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.

[livegreen]

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.

[MC5]

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.

[MC5]

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.