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New plans to fence off Gunthorpe school fields
A Gunthorpe school headteacher is making a renewed bid to get the go ahead for plans to put up fences around school fields.
A Gunthorpe school headteacher is making a renewed bid to get the go ahead for plans to put up fences around school fields.Residents who had used the fields around Norwood Primary School in Gunthorpe, Peterborough, for more than 20 years, won their fight to prevent the two-metre high wooden fences from being put around the school fields after Peterborough City Council's planning committee rejected the plans in September.
But headteacher Deborah Reynolds has now sent letters out to parents urging them to attend a meeting next month about new proposals for the fence.
She said the lack of a secure perimeter fence brought "major safeguarding issues for the school" and would be highlighted in any future Ofsted inspection.
In her letter, Ms Reynolds said: "At this meeting, Norwood Primary School and the city council will be able to present their proposals for a fence around the playing field.
"We want to work with parents and other members of the local community to agree on the best possible design and location for the fence to benefit all concerned, while ensuring that your children are safe while in our care.
"Norwood Primary is unique in Peterborough in not having a fence around its playing field.
She added: "This is an important issue we need to address."
A date for the meeting has still to be fixed.
But ward Cllr Darren Fower said the fence would cut the school off from the community.
He said: "We want to make sure we don't lose what the school was originally built for, which was as a part of the community.
"We want children to be safe, but this feels like scare-mongering."
Elter Walk resident John Streeter said putting a fence up around the field would force children to go elsewhere or cause trouble.
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