Dear Parents/Carers,
I am writing to ask for your help in ensuring the safety of all as they arrive at and leave the academy site. Please read the following carefully:
The ‘Park and Stride’ Initiative
This is a simple idea for families who live further away, to enjoy the benefits of walking to the academy and to avoid congestion in the academy car park. If you drive your child to the academy, we are asking you to consider parking 5 or 10 minutes’ walk away from the academy and encouraging your child (and you if you wish) to complete their journey on foot.
This has several benefits, namely in terms of reducing congestion in the car park, encouraging your child to exercise on the way to the academy and reducing the risk of accidents in the car park.
Parking in Goals
Along with this initiative, we are asking parents/carers who decide to continue dropping their children onto our site that they drive into the entrance and then drop their child at the Goals end of the parking area and then easily ‘loop’ back out through the exit. This will allow students to walk through the pedestrian gate into The Leigh Academy end of the car park without the risk of being run over by other parents pulling up close to the building. The gates into The Leigh Academy end of the car park will be open until 8:15am to allow staff to park but, after that time, parents will only be able to access the Goals end of the car park. There is provision available to students with mobility issues and/or with a ‘blue badge’, please contact your College admin office to discuss further details.
Parking at Dartford Football Club
I am also pleased to be able to inform you of an alternative. Dartford Football Club (next door) has kindly agreed to allow parents/carers access to their car park, free of charge for ‘drop off’ and ‘collection’ for students. This walk is less than 5 minutes through the DFC side gate and into The Leigh Academy service access road gate on Princes Road. Please see the photo plan below.
Whilst we acknowledge that there may need to be a period of adjustment to get this right, I am requesting all parents/carers to support us for student’s well-being, health and safety.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Yours faithfully,
Julia Collins
Principal
