PARENTS are up in arms after being banned from a school playground for health and safety reasons.

The new rules came into force at Chase Lane Primary School, Dovercourt, on Monday.

But they did not go as well as planned and ended with the police being called.

Previously parents were allowed into the playground to drop their children off.

In the afternoons parents waited outside and when teachers spotted parents would let the children out.

But a school letter informed parents of changes.

It said: "No parents are to go beyond the small gate in the morning or in the afternoon."

Instead, pupils have to be dropped off at the school's small gate in the mornings, while in the afternoons key stage one classes are led out by their teacher to the small gate where they can meet parents.

If parents are not at the gate, children will be taken to the school office.

The school's February newsletter warns: "If parents continue to enter the playground they will receive individual letters requesting them not to do so.

"If they fail to respond names will be passed to the Local Authority for them to take legal proceedings."

But parents disagree with the new rules and do not know what the health and safety issue is.

Kelly Raison, who has a daughter at the school, said: "We were told we were not allowed to take children in the playground because of health and safety.

"Parents are up in arms because we are not allowed into the playground."

She said some parents were also concerned as they were having to leave children who were just four years old.

Jane Willis, who has a son in year two and a daughter in year five, said: "More than half the parents aren't happy with leaving their children in the playground. At the end of the day, we are doing no harm."

Michelle Sambridge, who has a child at the school, said parents were also upset with part of the school letter which said: "We do like to encourage independence and I would presume that year five pupils upwards within walking distance of the school would walk home themselves."

Deborah Carter, head teacher at Chase Lane Primary School, said: "We have been experiencing problems with parents dropping off and collecting their children from school and have received complaints from the pupils that the parents are overcrowding the site.

"So many parents now wait on the playgrounds, school field and pathways that it is stopping the children from enjoying their playtime before school and is occasionally making it difficult for the pupils to get to their classrooms.

"I asked the school council, which is made up of students, how we could improve this for them.

"They suggested a Hug and Bye to Parents area, which we will be introducing shortly.

"To try and ease this problem it was also decided to revert back to the old school policy of dropping off and picking up at the inner school gate, which is within the school grounds.

"So far this has worked really well and has been welcomed by the children."

READ you Harwich and Manningtree Standard tomorrow for more.