27
Jan
Schools write to parents after 'over-familiar' van driver leaves schoolgirl 'shaken up'
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Pupils at Harrogate schools have been warned to be on their guard following an incident when a delivery driver invited a passing sixth-form student into his van, leaving her “shaken up”.
According to the girl’s school, Ashville College, she was approached by the driver just after she had got off the school bus on the Duchy estate on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Laura Jackson, designated safeguarding lead at Ashville College, wrote to parents about the incident. She said:
The van driver initially approached the pupil and asked for directions but then invited the pupil to get into the vehicle and give them a lift home.
In an email to members that the Stray Ferret has seen, the Duchy Residents’ Association said the driver became "over-familiar", and the incident left the girl feeling “extremely uncomfortable and unsafe”. Although she got home safely, she was “shaken up”.
Ashville’s Ms Jackson added:
Whilst we do not wish to cause alarm, and this appears to be an isolated incident, we felt it was important to speak to our pupils about their personal safety and to share this information with parents.
Form tutors/class teachers will be talking to pupils about being vigilant when out and about and the importance of not speaking to any strangers, and never accepting a lift.
We will also remind pupils to have their phones handy when out and about, to make a call in an emergency should they be worried about anything.
We would also ask parents to reinforce this message at home.
In a similar letter to parents sent on Friday, Harrogate Grammar School said it had spoken to pupils to relay the same messages, adding:
We understand this may be an upsetting message and cause some concern. We therefore urge you to inform the police if you notice any suspicious activity.
Other schools known to have written to parents include Brackenfield School and Harrogate Ladies' College, which are both on Duchy Road, Western Primary School on Cold Bath Road, and the Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), one of whose 12 school buses stops every day on Duchy Road.
The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Police for comment.
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