PARENTS have been banned from Ulverston Victoria High School's annual sports day to ensure 'safeguarding is not compromised in any way.' 

Evening fixtures can still host parents however the school has taken the decision not to allow adults into the site during the day (Friday, July 12). 

A parent, who did not want to be named, said: "It's a shame - seeing your kid at Sports Day is a rite of passage for a parent and I'm not entirely sure why they would take that away."

Richard Butler, deputy head of the school, called the decision a 'shame' and 'regrettable.' 

He said in a statement: "Parents were informed yesterday that, due to the nature of our school layout, we can no longer welcome parents onto the site during the day to watch our annual Sports Day. 

"A large number of secondary schools have already implemented this restriction over the last few years and, regrettably, we feel we must follow suit in order to ensure that the safeguarding of students whilst in our school is not compromised in any way." 

Mr Butler described UVHS as a 'community school' but had to respond to more strict guidelines on safeguarding children over recent years.