Schoolchildren will have to take a bus journey of just a couple of hundred metres because of “crazy council intervention”.
Pupils at St Peter and St Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, in Coppice Drive, Newport, have been enjoying outdoor classes at the neighbouring Chetwynd Deer Park in recent weeks.
The park is just a two-minute stroll from the school and provides the perfect backdrop for interactive lessons.
But Telford & Wrekin Council has stepped in and said it cannot support the scheme as children have to cross the busy Chetwynd Road.
On Tuesday and Wednesday next week classes will be picked up in a bus at the school and driven across the road to the park.
They will then be taken in via the showground entrance further up the road.
Karen Lamb, a parent of a Year Six pupil, said: “It seems like a ludicrous decision. It’s just crazy council intervention.”
Headteacher Carol Morgan said the safety of children and staff had to be taken seriously.
She said: “Telford & Wrekin had to inform us that unfortunately they didn’t feel able to support walking there because of the speed of the cars.
“In order to address that we’re going to go on two days and have a bus to and fro.
“Our prime concern has to be the safety of the children and staff.
“If Telford & Wrekin are saying that in their opinion they are not comfortable with it, we have to take notice.”
The school carried out a risk assessment before embarking on the project, which is part of the Forest Schools scheme.
Community Support Officers have occasionally helped children across the road – but they are not always available to help.
Councillor Hilda Rhodes, cabinet member for Transport, Environment and Community Protection, said that the poor visibility of the road meant that it was not safe to cross.
She added: “We have been working closely with both the school and the police to identify a long-term safe solution to enable children to get to the Deer Park safely.
“In the meantime, one of the options that has been raised as an alternative is the use of a bus to ensure the safety of the pupils.
“This is purely a temporary measure and we look forward to establishing a proper, safe crossing point to coincide with the new school year.”
The school typically takes classes of between 25 and 30 children on each visit.
By Sean Wozencroft