On Friday 12^th March I had the honour of meeting the School Council at St John’s primary school.  They are a very impressive group of students who clearly consult the class members who appointed them before expressing concerns at Council meetings.

The key issues raised at the school council meeting were:

The need for a Zebra crossing in Victoria Road to make the journey to school safer for pupils who walk to school

To have lower monkey bars in local parks from Westfield to Knaphill.

To have a play area on the green in Victoria Road

To make sure dog mess and litter is cleaned up outside school and more recycling and dog bins are provided, which are emptied more often

To have cycle parking outside shops in Victoria Road as too many bikes are left on the floor with nowhere to park

To make sure local museums have more about World War 2

During the meeting we discussed the time frame for change in our local community and the budget constraints that mean it is not easy to get money to spend at the moment.  However, I promised to raise these issues with Woking Borough Council and where appropriate with Surrey County Cllr Diana Smith.  At the end of the meeting we took a vote on which items were most urgent, with a play area on the green in Victoria Road the clear winner with clearing up litter and dogs mess and adding more bins a strong second.

I was informed by students that they had raised a concern with local police regarding litter being dropped by older school students from other schools on their way home past St John’s and I brought this up a police meeting I attended in the afternoon.  I am pleased to report that action has already been taken on this and that this will continue.

Following the meeting I made a short visit to a Year 6 lesson.  As a governor at St John’s primary I am highly impressed with the progress the school is making under the excellent leadership of Mrs Parker and her team. When I have children, I would be happy to send them to St John’s Primary.