Primary school in Woodston, Peterborough calls for action as pupils dodge drug users on way to school

Sam Brunt, head teacher at St Augustine’s CE (VA) Junior School in Woodston, said the problem was now so bad that pupils had even seen addicts injecting themselves from classroom windows.

The alleyway leads from the school in Palmerston Road to the Tesco on Oundle Road, with little reason to use the path other than to get to the school.

The Peterborough Telegraph joined Mr Brunt and deputy head Jen Brattan on a walk through the alleyway this week – and even early in the afternoon, we had to dodge past a group of people who had gathered in the alleyway for no apparent purpose.

"The smell of cannabis also wafted through the graffiti-covered passageway .

Mr Brunt said: “We have an aspiration for our children to do well, and we do not want the behaviour we are seeing in the alleyway to become normalised for them.

"We want them to see that there is another way.

"We want the children to feel safe in school, and on their way to and from school.

"There are times where groups of drug users are gathered in the alleyway, which is very intimidating. Heroin users injecting themselves have been seen by pupils from a classroom window.

"Deals happen in the alley, and the users do not wait to go elsewhere – they just use there and then. Police have made arrests outside the school gates. It goes through peaks and troughs, but it is getting worse at the moment.

"We have to notify staff about the issues, and to keep an eye on drug addicts in the alley in meetings – we should not have to be doing that in a primary school – we should be focusing on playing and learning.”

Ms Brattan said there were other issues. She said: “We have had used needles pushed through the fence into the school grounds.

"The whole alleyway has become a dumping ground for all sorts of rubbish.

"The issues are going on at all times of the day.”

The school said there had been no direct issues of people being aggressive to staff, pupils or families.

The school has now issued a rallying cry to the local community – and has organised a day of action on Monday, May 20.

The Oundle Road Tesco – located on the other end of the alleyway to the school – will help on the day, and new Woodston councillor, Daisy Creedon-Blakemore, is also planning to attend.

Mr Brunt said: “We are doing what we can, so on Monday, we are urging all members of our school community, and our wider community to come along and to help us, at 2pm, in clearing the alley.

"We will provide tea and coffee, Tesco have been really helpful, they are going to provide extra thick bin bags and litter pickers.

"We want everyone to come along so we get that community buy in to try and make a real difference for Woodston, and who knows, if we make a really good job of the alley, we might be able to spread it further afield.

"We want to really raise aspirations for the sake of our children.”