Crossing patrol on hold

A school that has been without a crossing patrol for more than three years is still waiting — despite someone stepping forward for the job six months ago.

Mrs Yvonne Cooling (65) applied for the job outside Holy Trinity Infants’ School on Westgate, Southwell, after reading an appeal in the Advertiser in September.

She passed the interview and medical, and was given her uniform.

She started the Nottinghamshire County Council job in November but after one day was told to stop because child safety checks had not been finalised by the Criminal Records Bureau.

Mrs Cooling said: “It is disheartening for me.

“I cannot plan ahead — it is going into six months now.

“The children really do need help. It is a busy road.

“You see very young children running about and I just feel as though I ought to help them in some way.

“It is a bad corner coming into Southwell.”

Mrs Cooling, who has lived in Southwell all her life and used to attend Holy Trinity Infants’, cannot understand the delay because she worked for the council in the kitchens of Lowe’s Wong Junior School for ten years.

She was also a Sunday School teacher at Holy Trinity Church.

Mrs Cooling hoped that by starting the role, it would encourage others to apply for the vacant position outside the Lowe’s Wong schools on Queen Street.

But she felt because the process was taking so long, people could be put off.

Mr Bruce Laughton, the town’s county councillor, said: “In Southwell, we have a massive shortage of crossing patrol officers.

“Children’s lives are being put at risk because we cannot get crossing patrol officers.”

Mr Laughton said waiting for CRB checks to return was always an anxious time and he wanted the process for crossing officer’s checks in particular to be speeded up.

He plans to raise the issue with the local MP, Mr Patrick Mercer.

Mr Laughton said: “It has stopped people applying to be crossing patrol officers where they are desperately needed.

“I think it is completely wrong that people putting the CRB checks forward have no input into the operation of these quangos.

“How are they supposed to give the CRB a message that it is very important that a particular check be processed?”

A county council spokesman said: “We are keen to get things moving as soon as possible but it is now in the hands of the CRB — an independent body.

“It is important to get these checks right.”

A spokesman for the Home Office, which processes the CRB checks, said they received Mrs Cooling’s application in mid-January.

He said 90% of applications were processed within 28 days but they had experienced an increased demand for applications recently.