SCHOOLS in Chard and Ilminster are pleading with parents to drive and park more considerately to improve the safety of children.

It is claimed that some parents are driving “extremely dangerously”

and at “hazardous speeds”, and now teachers are urging more consideration from motorists.

Mark Walker, headteacher at Swanmead Community School in Ilminster, has reiterated his message to parents that the pick-up point is at the rear of the school, rather than the front where the road can get quite busy.

“I have a bit of a plea for parents.

I recognise that I’ve probably said and written this several times but some parents and carers are still dropping off and collecting their children by car at the front of school.

“The drop off and collection point for pupils at the beginning and end of the school day is at the back of school opposite Tesco’s car park.

“Between 8.30am-8.45am and 3.25pm-3.40pm on a school day, children cross the area in front of school in order to enter and leave the school building.

“Despite the area being supervised by staff, choosing to drive a car – often at a hazardous speed – or park vehicles through an area where children walk is extremely dangerous.

“We ask all parents to please, in the interests of the safety of all our children, to be more considerate of this and use the appropriate drop off and collection points.”

It is not, seemingly, a problem that is isolated to one school in one town, as cars clog the roads near a number of primary schools as parents battle for prime pickup position.

Avishayes School in Chard has yellow ‘zig zag’ lines near its entrance, but some parents continue to flout the restrictions.

Headteacher Sandra Leggett took to a recent school newsletter to say: “Thank you to the parents and carers who show consideration for the safety of all children by dropping off and parking safely.

“We have purchased some ‘polite notice’ signs as a reminder that according to the Highway Code you cannot park on yellow zig-zag lines. You also cannot wait or even stop momentarily to drop off or pick up passengers.

“The waiting and loading signs outside school display ‘No waiting or loading 8am-9.30am and 2.30pm-4pm’ on the single yellow lines.

“Please adhere to this for the safety of everyone.”

Residents in the Redstart Road area of Chard, near Redstart School, have long been suffers of clogged roads at peak times, and some have recently taken to social media to complain about parked cars blocking drives and wing mirrors being clipped on Elizabeth Way.

Manor Court Primary School in Chard have recently been taking part in the Big Pedal initiative, a UK-wide cycling and scooting challenge.