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Caravans pitch up on school playing field

Charlie Buckland
BBC News
Google An outside shot of Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan, Abergele, Conwy. The school's name can be read on the far left of the building in white lettering. The front porch has windowed doors with navy rim and hedges can be seen on the grass either side of the doors. Yellow cross hatched lines are on the road outside the building. It is a 1970s style build with several lined windows over two floors. Google
A school in Conwy has told pupils to stay inside after a number of people were found illegally camping on site

A school has been forced to close off areas of its site after people illegally accessed its playing fields and pitched a number of caravans.

The head teacher of Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan, in Abergele, Conwy said a "small but significant" number of people had caused criminal damage to enter the land, and legal processes have made it difficult for the police to evict them.

In a letter to parents, Matt Wildsmith said several areas of the school would remain cornered off while it dealt with the situation, with pupils advised to stay indoors.

Conwy council said it had a duty of care for the welfare of all communities and was working with the school to resolve the situation.

In the letter Mr Wildsmith said: "It is a great shame that our lovely school has been disrupted by this ignorant, illegal behaviour."

He said the incident had the potential to take many school staff away from helping children over "the most stressful of times" as exams take place.

Mr Wildsmith added that he was aware the situation would be worrying for parents and carers, but would be doing all he could to ensure the students were not disadvantaged.

He said he was keen to run the school with a business as usual approach, with extra measures to "further enhance security" put in place.

Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan A copy of the letter to parents from the head teacher. On the left there is a green indent and the text is then formatted on the right. In black font the letter states: Dear Parents and Carers, RE: Illegal access to Dinorben playing fields. Please can I start by apologising for how late in the evening this communication is going out. Earlier this evening, I was made aware that part of our school site, the Dinorben playing fields, had been illegally accessed by a small but significant number of people and their camping and caravanning equipment. They had criminally damaged the locked gate to gain access. Unfortunately, due to various legal processes, it is very difficult at this stage for the Police to evict these people and their equipment from our land. Please be rest assured that processes are in place to ensure that they are dealt with as swiftly as possible. It is a great shame that our lovely school has been disrupted by this ignorant, illegal behaviour. It has the potential to take many of the school staff away from helping the children over the next few days, particularly at this most stressful of times whilst the external public examinations are taking place. I am sure that many parents and carers will be worried about the impact that this situation could have on their children. We will however, do all we can to ensure that the students are not disadvantaged by the behaviour of these people and I am very confident that we will succeed with this. I am keen to run the school with a 'business as usual' approach, but there will be a few tweaks to what we do. This will include adopting extra measures to further enhance our security, erring on the side of caution due to potentially unpredictable situations that may arise. Hopefully these will reassure you that we are taking this matter very seriously. Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan
The letter to parents was sent late on 12 May
Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan The letter from the head teacher to parents. There is a green and purple indent on the left, with the text formatted on the right. The letter continues: Please can you reassure your child that this is in their best interest and also warn them about other potential risks to and from school: The front of school, including the field and astro pitch will be unavailable for the students during the day. PE lessons scheduled for these areas will be relocated. After arriving in school, they should make their way indoors as soon as possible. It has been reported that there are very fast-moving vehicles driving down Faenol Avenue. Please walk on pavements and use allocated crossings. 6th Form students should keep their movements off site to a minimum and walk in groups. No student should approach the Dinorben field or anyone camping illegally on there. As soon as we are confident that the risks to the children in the school are reduced back to the typical level, we will relax these measures. I would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation and support with this matter, to that we can get back to or usual business as quickly as possible. Yn gywir/ Yours sincerely Matt Wildsmith Pennaeth/ Headteacher Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan

The letter stated:

  • No student should approach the Dinorben field or anyone camping illegally on there
  • The front of the school including the field and astro turf would be unavailable for students during the day. PE lessons scheduled in those areas would be relocated
  • Students should make their way indoors as soon as possible when they have arrived at school
  • Sixth form students should keep their movements off site to a minimum and walk in groups.

The head teacher also warned parents to remind pupils of the potential risks while travelling to and from school.

He said "very fast-moving vehicles" driving down Faenol Avenue had been reported, so asked pupils to walk on pavements and use allocated crossings.

Mr Wildsmith added that soon as they were confident that the risks to the children in the school were reduced back to the typical level, then the measures would be relaxed.

He assured parents that processes were in place to ensure the group were dealt with "as swiftly as possible".