Supporting Barnsley Independents

25/05/2026

BARNSLEY SCHOOL TOILET POLICY SPARKS CONCERN OVER CHILDREN’S DIGNITY

This is no longer simply about toilet breaks.

It is about whether modern academy systems have become so large, so target driven and so detached from individual children that basic dignity and common sense are now being lost.

Of course schools need order and discipline.

But children are not machines.

Many children struggle silently with:• SEND conditions• autism• anxiety• ADHD• continence problems• menstrual issues• trauma• undiagnosed medical conditions

The real concern here is whether vulnerable children are once again being expected to fit around a rigid system rather than the system adapting to the child.

We now believe Barnsley SEND groups, parent and carer alliances, safeguarding professionals and local families should be fully consulted before policies like this are enforced.

Because once children become frightened to ask for the toilet, frightened of embarrassment, or frightened of punishment, something has gone badly wrong in education.

And perhaps the bigger question Barnsley now needs to ask is this:

Have some academy chains simply become too large to properly understand and support the individual child?

Restore Britain Barnsley Branch believes schools should combine discipline with humanity, structure with compassion, and standards with common sense.

Children are not statistics on a spreadsheet.

They are human beings.

Making common sense, common again.

David WoodRestore Britain Barnsley, Pen*stone & Stocksbridge Branch

A school has sparked a furious backlash from parents after announcing it will ban routine toilet breaks during lessons – claiming pupils have racked up more than 30,000 bathroom visits this academic year alone.

Tomorrow’s newspaper is available online, too.

http://barnsleychronicle.com/epaper

23/05/2026

Barnsley Needs Homes. But It Also Needs Common Sense.

The latest housing report confirms what local people already know.

There is a shortage of affordable homes in Barnsley. Young people are struggling to get on the ladder. Families are stuck waiting. Rents continue rising.

But before anyone starts demanding more green fields are covered in concrete, let us deal with the facts first.

• Barnsley Council’s own evidence admits there is a shortage of affordable housing across the borough.

• Barnsley cannot currently demonstrate a full five year housing land supply according to recent planning evidence.

• The highest affordable housing pressure is reportedly in the Hoyland, Wombwell and Darfield areas.

• Barnsley Council already holds brownfield land suitable for housing development.

• Berneslai Homes’ own reports show major spending on maintaining existing council stock, while voids and accumulated works remain a challenge.

• Previous figures revealed thousands of homes across Barnsley standing empty.

So the real question is this:

Why are we constantly talking about building more and more houses while existing housing stock and council owned land are still not being fully utilised?

Restore Britain’s position is actually very straightforward.

• Use brownfield land first
• Bring empty homes back into use faster
• Prioritise affordable and social housing for local people
• Protect green spaces and countryside where possible
• Reduce pressure on housing infrastructure through controlled immigration
• Stop allowing poor planning decisions that benefit developers more than residents

The public are tired of the same cycle:

Build expensive estates.
Ignore infrastructure.
Ignore parking.
Ignore GP capacity.
Ignore school places.
Ignore roads.
Ignore drainage.
Ignore local identity.

Then tell residents they should simply accept it.

Barnsley does not just need “more houses”.

It needs:
• the right houses
• in the right places
• with the right infrastructure
• for the people already living here

And before a single extra green field disappears, every empty council property and every viable brownfield site should already be part of the solution.

David Wood
Restore Britain Barnsley, Pen*stone & Stocksbridge Branch

THE extent of Barnsley’s lack of house-building has been revealed in a report - which shows targets for new proper... Local News News Barnsley South Yorkshire

23/05/2026

Something that came up at our last Restore Britain meeting really got people talking.

University.

Not because education is a bad thing, far from it, but because so many parents, grandparents and young people now feel there has been a huge imbalance in how success is presented to children growing up.

For years the message pushed through schools and colleges has often felt very one dimensional:
“Go to university if you want a good life.”

But is that actually true anymore?

We now have generations of young people leaving education carrying tens of thousands of pounds worth of debt, many ending up in jobs completely unrelated to their degrees, while still trying to pay off loans well into adulthood.

At the same time, they are facing sky high rents, expensive housing, rising bills and a cost of living crisis that makes settling down and starting a family feel further away than ever.

Meanwhile Britain is crying out for skilled trades and practical professions.

We need electricians.
We need plumbers.
We need engineers.
We need mechanics.
We need technicians.
We need people who can actually build, repair, create and maintain the country.

Yet somewhere along the line those careers stopped being promoted with the same pride and importance they once were.

That is completely backwards.

A skilled tradesperson can earn an excellent living, build a business, employ others and contribute massively to the economy and community.

There should be absolutely no stigma attached to apprenticeships or vocational careers.

In fact, perhaps we should be making them far more attractive.

Why are we not giving businesses major incentives to train young people?
Why are experienced workers not being rewarded for passing on skills to the next generation?
Why are practical talents so often overlooked in schools?

And if university is the right path for someone, then surely we should also start asking bigger questions about what Britain actually needs.

Should we be prioritising STEM subjects?
Engineering?
Medicine?
Science?
Technology?
Advanced manufacturing?

Should certain courses linked directly to national skill shortages receive reduced fees or even full funding?

These are conversations worth having honestly and openly.

Because university is not the be all and end all.

Success comes in many different forms.

A nation only works when it values both academic achievement and practical skill equally.

Making common sense, common again.

David Wood
Restore Britain Barnsley, Pen*stone & Stocksbridge Branch

22/05/2026

An inspection of Barnsley’s support for children and young people with special needs and disabilities has sparked anger from parents.

20/05/2026