Bedfordshire mums and dads were not allowed to attend for fear of putting the children at risk
Parents who planned to cheer their children along at a sports day were told they weren't allowed to spectate because it would put the children's safety at risk.
More than 270 pupils from primary schools in Bedfordshire took part in the East Beds School Sports Partnership Athletics Day but a risk assessment ruled against parents watching because it would make it impossible to prevent "unsavoury characters from attending."
"I would have taken time off work to support my child. It would have meant a lot to me," said mum-of-three Emma Collett. "I'm all for measures to protect the safety of children but lines must be drawn and common sense must prevail."
Paul Blunt, development manager at the East Beds School Sports Partnership, defends the decision.
"If we let parents into the school they would have been free to roam the grounds. All unsupervised adults must be kept away from children," said Paul. "None of the children taking part attend the host school so it would've been really hard to police. We did a risk assessment and concluded that we couldn't guarantee the children's safety."
Do you think the ban on adults is OTT? Or would you like to see more moves like this, in the name of child safety?
