A TRAGEDY like that of stabbed London headmaster Philip Lawrence could happen again unless whole communities follow the new moral code that has been born in its wake, a Bolton head has warned.
Mrs Judith Richardson, head of Withins School, Breightmet said the Philip Lawrence death and the Dunblane massacre had made it a year "punctuated with tragedy".
She reminded parents of the two most terrible incidents as she called for greater parental involvement in school and urged them to instil a sense of discipline in their children.
On the Philip Lawrence death, she warned: "I can see it happening again." She added that the question of pupils' behaviour, the role and responsibility of parents and new moral code were all linked together.
Mrs Richardson, speaking at the school's annual Presentation Evening, pleaded with parents to work with her and her staff, not against them, when a child needed disciplining. And she urged them to help dispel the tainted perception which some Bolton people have of the Breightmet school. Mrs Richardson asked parents to show their children the difference between right and wrong, and highlighted an instance last year when a parent withdrew a child from the school rather than accept punishment handed out to the youngster.
The child had been excluded for three days for an unprovoked attack on another pupil. The parent, explained Mrs Richardson, thought his child should have merely been told off.
Mrs Richardson criticised parents who did not keep track of their children and illustrated her point by recalling how a number of young teenagers had been seen at the scene of the arson attack on her school earlier in the year.
She said: "What are 13, 14, 15-year-olds doing out at 1am in the morning; do their parents know where they are? Do they care, and if they don't, why not? "One of the priorities staff have recently identified for future development is a significant increase in parental involvement in the school. We need parental support. We need parents to work with us, not against us, to support us in disciplining their child.
"Teachers can not do it all alone, we cannot change society, nor is it right that we are expected to do so, but we can take the lead.
Mrs Richardson paid tribute to pupils who achieved success in their GCSEs - particularly in the light of the arson at the school just days before the first written examination.
She also highlighted the achievements of other pupils who were successful in fields other than examination results. These included Lisa Northey and Thomas Whittaker, who were never late, or missed a day's school in their five years there.
Guests at the event were Bolton's Director of Education Margaret Blenkinsop and BEN Editor-in-Chief Andrew Smith. Special prizes were presented to: Laura Hallows (sporting achievement), Mark Norwood (personal effort and achievement), Matthew Worsley and Jillian Coyle (academic excellence), Jillian Coyle (English prize), Matthew Worsley (Mathematics prize), Barry Parker (BEN literary prize for Year 7), Daniel Worsley (BEN literary prize for Middle School), Charlotte Gregory (BEN literary prize for Upper School), Varish Faldu and Grete Howarth (Headteacher's prize), Lisa Northey and Thomas Whittaker (Compact Shield).
Subject prizes went to: Jonathan and Matthew Worsley (Art), Rachael Beck and Robert Heyes (Drama), Natalie Power (Economics), Robbi Buchanan and Anthony Speakman (Geography), Joanne Fairclough and Alex Hargreaves (History), Catherine Howarth and Jonpaul Howarth (Information Technology), Neil Mort and Varish Faldu (Mathematics), Daniel Worsley and Natalie Power (Modern Languages), Kelly Wood and Adam Naisbitt (Music), Lee Artingstall and Jodie Ryley (Physical Education), Roman Podolchuk and Thomas Whittaker (Science), Katy Waddington (Social Science), Adele Southworth (Technology - Design and Communication), Ben Peers (Technology - Electronics), Reshma Patel (Food Technology), Sally Harper (Child Development), Adam Carter and Jillian Coyle (English). But to make this school, Bolton and the country a better place we need actively supportive parents and a new generation with a greater responsibility for each other and not just themselves." "Parents must instil in their children a sense of discipline at an early age; so that by the time their child enters a primary school, he or she has an understanding of right and wrong. We work hard with pupils to develop a sense of respect, co- operation, tolerance and understanding of the needs of others.
On the subject of how people perceive Withins School, Mrs Richardson said: "One of our more truculent Year 8 pupils said today he had been queuing in Safeway and two parents were talking, saying that they would rather not send their child to secondary school, than send them to Withins.
"On so many occasions I show parents round who then say 'I didn't think it would be like this; classes are a reasonable size, the children look smart, they are working well in lessons'."
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