By Alexandra Blair
Education Correspondent

The laws of gravity might never have been revealed if Isaac Newton’s apple tree had suffered the same fate as that of the Sacred Heart primary school’s pear tree.
It may warm the hearts of health and safety commissioners across the country, but yesterday a move to cut down the tree was condemned elsewhere as madness.
Governors and the head teacher at Sacred Heart Primary School, in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire sparked a furious reaction, when they decided to chop down the tree overhanging the playground.
"A risk assessment was done on the tree and it was found necessary to have it removed. The risk was mainly from falling pears," said Geoffrey Fielding, chair of the governors.
"We have a duty of care to the health and safety to people on this site, particularly the children and that's the decision that we have taken."
The school said they had made the decision after witnessing parents being hit on the head by falling fruit as they waited for their children.
Lizzie Summerwill, a mother, praised the tree cutters.
"I think it's brilliant they cut it down because of the health and safety issues," she said. "In the summertime it was infested by wasps and the fruit stank."
But Gill Franklin, owner of Cross Lane Fruit Farm, Mapledurham, which has 400 pear trees, has never been hit on the head by the fruit in 29 years. She said removing damaged pears and picking the fruit before it became ripe would resolve the issue.
"Fruit doesn’t drop down for no reason. You never ripen a pear on a tree. We have gone mad on risk assessment," she said.
"Environmentally the world needs more trees and the children need to eat fruit. Why didn't they pick the pears? It's a frightening thought they’re not using their natural resources.
They're probably buying fruit in and letting the pears go to waste."
The tree is thought to be at least 25 years old, but was not included in a tree preservation order served on the site.
Adam Dawson, a tree preservation officer for South Oxfordshire District Council, said Mr. Fielding did not accept his recommendations for solving the perceived problems.
He added: "On balancing up the issues, and bearing in mind the considerable number of other protected trees in the vicinity, I did not consider it expedient to dedicate resources to serving an emergency tree preservation order on this one tree."
Earlier this year the school filled in a pond claiming it was very dangerous for pupils and that the area was needed for a temporary classroom.

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