New year, same idiots.

This is my first entry in to my new blog about Park Primary School in Colne, but in all honesty, I should have started this a long time ago. So much has happened since my children started there.

Bit of a backstory which I'll expand upon in future posts. I am a single parent with two children (now 10 and 8). My daughter started at Park Primary in 2012 and as her sole carer I was (and still am) keen to get involved her education. You only get one shot right? So I signed up as a Parent Governor at the school, and set about helping out. Little did I know that schools had become so soft since I left.

One of my pet hates - and many others' - is people parking on school zig-zags. There are around 400 kids at Park Primary, imagine how many parents take their kids to school, yet a handful of these parents think they can endanger other peoples' children and regularly flaunt the laws for their own convenience. The majority of people can find other places to park and perhaps walk a bit further, but not this lot - and they don't care!

Anyway, one day (in the early days back in 2012/13) I tried to address this with the offenders and their response wasn't polite, to say the least. This came as no surprise, as school staff had already said they weren't prepared to deal with zig-zag parking offenders because they were scared of being assaulted. This goes against what I believe in, letting people get away with things, especially a school - what kind of example does that set to the children?

My thoughts were, surely your priority is to safeguard the children... but apparently outside the school gates is not the jurisdiction of the school and so technically they don't have to get involved with it. Which seems to be the policy of Park Primary School - as for the past four years these same people continue to park in the same place with no repercussions.

In response to my continued efforts to encourage these people to not park on the zig-zags I have been threatened, assaulted, harassed, spat at, had my tyres slashed, my phone stolen and more. So you could say these people have a vendetta against me. So there's a little history.



TODAY
New year, same idiots.
Back to school, the first day back in 2018. I'm on my usual drive to the school to pick the kids up, and as I'm driving down to the bottom of the street a parked car pulls out without indicating and stops in front of me. 

Now at this point, any reasonable person might think the parked car would just roll back into the slot it was in, but seemingly not for this person.

However, this too came as no surprise to me. Having encountered many people and experiences like this outside the school I was calm. I knew this was another one of these 'parents' who want to cause trouble and aggravation for me in any way shape or form.

The driver seemingly had no willingness to move back into his parking place and by this time another car was behind me.

I crept forward to indicate my direction of travel and stopped before nudging the other car. The driver got out and started saying I'd hit his car, which I had not. 

He came to my window saying I'd hit his car and asking for insurance details. I told him I hadn't hit his car and he just needed to move out of the way. He refused.

By this time some school staff including Mrs Midgeley, the Headteacher, was around the situation, as were more of the tribal parents who were becoming increasingly aggressive.

The headteacher never spoke to me to ask what had happened from my point of view, another indication of her tainted perspective. I spoke to another member of staff about what had happened and pointed out that another car was parked on zig-zags again.

Hearing me mention his car on the zig-zags, Ashley Butterworth launched himself towards me aggressively shouting and swearing in front of children, parents and teachers. As he came closer the Headteacher was forced out of the way and the School's Liaison Officer had to intercept him and turn him away.

At this point I called the police. I had been sat waiting for a good 10 minutes and my kids were waiting, as were my partner's kids who had to be collected from the next town, so this delay was not helping - and in my mind, all for nothing.

After speaking to the police, I spoke to the School Mentor who said the other driver was also calling the police. As time ticked on, I got out the car and asked those blocking the way to move so I could collect my children. This request seems to have been ignored.

I got back in the car and backed up to go around, but the other driver stepped into my path. Having already been delayed, I kept asking him to move as I inched the car forward. With little choice he eventually moved and I parked up a few metres away and collected the kids.

As I left the playground the Headteacher Mrs Midgeley was at the gates, and I said to her, I'm getting sick of this, I wish you would sort these people out. To which she responded that I am seen as the "aggressor". Stunned wasn't the word. I said how can I be the aggressor when they pull out on me? Actually, it was no surprise she thought that because Mrs Midgeley regularly makes poor judgements. She is weak and is unable to stand up to these bullies. 

I took the children back to the car and we were ready to set off when Ashley Butterworth decides to block the road with his car. 

Mrs Midgeley walks down to usher him out of the way and I am able to proceed. 

Wow.

Later I get a visit from the police. Four of them actually... a packed house!

I show them the dashcam footage and they start pointing out what I could have done differently. Excuse me?    I said I wouldn't have done anything differently.

Why didn't you pull in when you saw him pulling out? they ask. Well if you look at the video I am quite a way down the road before the other car pulls out and I didn't want to pull in a) because I had right of way and b) because I wanted to park further down.

When I honked my horn when the other driver blocked my way, the police said - "that's illegal." Again I was shocked. Helloooo???  The guy pulled out on me and was deliberately blocking me and causing a traffic jam around the school. Surely blocking the highway is illegal too?

Then to Butterworth charging for my car, the police say "he was just swearing." But to me, it seemed like threatening, and intimidating behaviour.

Finally the money shot, where the other driver claims I assaulted him when he stood in the way and I inched the car forward. I explained he was in my way, blocking the road, I'd asked him to move and I had children to collect. That was more important to me.

So I have been invited in for an interview. Needless to say I am not convinced the police took an objective view of the incident and the tone was very negative towards me. However, I am doubtful the CPS would charge me, and if they did I'd take it to a jury.

I asked if any of the other people had been called in for interview and they said no, just me. But I am sure I can find something illegal from the other people to throw back.

It's funny sometimes when you find things out. So recall that the other driver wanted my insurance details for allegedly hitting his car, well it turns out his car isn't Mot'd and so is therefore illegal and his insurance isn't valid. I will be mentioning this to the police don't you worry about that.