FAMILY SO PROUD OF LITTLE SOPHIA’S BRAVERY Youngster’s vital 999 call after dad has fit
City will need 3,700 extra school places
NEWCASTLE will need 3,700 extra school places by 2030 – but council bosses say they are confident of meeting that huge demand.
A string of major new housing developments in areas such as Great Park and Callerton mean that the city is facing a shortage of school places unless new provision can be secured in time.
Coun Nick Cott, deputy leader of Newcastle’s Lib Dem opposition, raised concerns at Thursday’s overview and scrutiny committee meeting that the target might not be met.
But, despite the fact that local authorities can no longer open new schools themselves, civic centre chiefs are satisfied that every child in the city will have the school place they need.
Ian Dawson, Newcastle City Council’s head of school effectiveness, said: “I would be lying if I said I understood the process by which the planning for places that far ahead is done. But I have seen the algorithms and they are able to get a reasonable prediction about where the need is going to be and what the need is. So there is an ability to plan well in advance. We feel that we can meet that need. It is not easy. The closest pinch point will be 2020 in secondary provision.”
He added that the council is liaising with primary and secondary schools across the city to see whether they can expand to offer any additional places but that the authority must follow “whatever the government strategy is at the time”.
Coun Nora Casey, cabinet member for education, said that school places was a “complicated” issue and not helped by the fact that councils are “beholden to the free school programme”.
After the meeting, Coun Cott said he was worried by issues around securing planning permission, getting developers to start work on new school buildings, and then finding providers to run them as free schools.
He added: “I just think it is a very uncertain situation and it makes it very difficult to be able to promise that they can deliver so many new school places, particularly when 2030 is a long way off.” BRAVE little Sophia Robson helped to save her dad’s life with an extraordinary call to 999.
The six-year-old was at home in North Shields with her father Alan when he suffered a terrifying epileptic seizure in November this year.
Alan had been helping Sophia and her little sister Ella get ready for a dance competition when he collapsed in the bathroom and hit his head.
“Sophia normally gets scared and hides in her room when her daddy has a fit,” said mum Angela, 39.
“But this is the first time she’s been alone with him when it’s happened and she knew she had to step up.”
Quick-thinking Sophie sprang into action and went straight for the paper kept safe in her room for emergencies, which included the family house address and her parents’ names and numbers.
While looking after four-year-old Ella, she rang 999 and spoke to North East Ambulance Service health advisor Joanna Aird.
In the touching call, Sophia can be heard staying cool, calm and collected as she tells Joanna her dad is “on the floor in the bathroom”.
She adds: “I don’t know what happened at all.”
Joanna stayed on the phone with Sophia until the ambulance crew arrived.
Clinical care manager Richard Ilderton, who arrived first on scene, said: “When I arrived at the family home, we were greeted by Sophia, who took me straight through to her dad. It was amazing that Sophia remembered what to do in an emergency and that she managed to reach out for help for her dad.”
The girls’ mum Angela said: “Alan can have around three or four seizures a year. The girls have seen their dad have them before but the difference is that I’m normally there.
“On that day I had gone out and Alan was getting them ready to go to his mum’s for the day.
“I rang at 8.30am and he was just about to put them in the bath.
“Just after 9am he had a fit in the bathroom – he hit his head so there was blood and he was on his face on the floor.
“From a young age I’ve always talked to Sophia about what she would do if this ever happened so she’s got a piece of paper which she keeps in a safe place in her room with our home address and contact numbers.”
When the paramedics arrived Alan was starting to come round, but he went on to have two more seizures that day and went to hospital, where tests revealed he had a viral infection and so his medication hadn’t worked.
Angela said: “When I heard about what had happened I did get upset, but I’m so proud of what she did.
“I’ve seen him have seizures and it’s scary for an adult, even worse for a little one. But she knew she had to step up and she’s very protective of Ella.
“I’ve listened to the call and I can’t believe how calm she was for a sixyear-old. They said she had every bit of information they needed.”
To recognise the courage of Sophia and Ella, Joanna, alongside the crew who attended to Alan – Richard and paramedics Scott Roberts and Helen Gibson – have now awarded the sisters with a bravery certificate.
Scott said: “The girls did a fantastic
I’ve listened to the call and I can’t believe how calm she was for a six-yearold. She had every bit of information they needed
MUM ANGELA
job when dealing with their dad, Sophia particularly deserves the bravery certificate for her heroic and brave actions, as she has shown great courage for such a young girl.
“It’s an absolute honour to award the bravery certificate to Sophia to say well done. She gave the exact information to our call handler Joanna, which made our job so much easier.
“I’d say it’s so important to educate kids at a young age with what to do in an emergency situation. It’s never too early to start telling them how to use 999 and when to use the emergency services.”
Angela added: “We are so proud of Sophia of how she coped with the situation and the simple thing of educating her in knowing what to do and who to call in an emergency has certainly saved Alan’s life.
“I have spoken to colleagues and friends about what happened and they have since told their sons and daughters how to use a phone and what to do in an emergency situation and so I would like to say to other parents, educate your children in what to do in those situation as they are more tough than you think.”