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ACADEMY HEAD REFUSES TO FACE PARENTS IN PUBLIC
THE headteacher of Thorne's new £20 million academy has said he will refuse to meet parents in public to discuss the school's controversial discipline policy.
Angry parents, who packed a heated public meeting, have invited principal Ian Brew to defend the strict regime at Trinity Academy.
Pauline Woods, the mother of a 15-year-old pupil, and a member of the Thorne and Moorends Parent and Support Group, said: "We need to sort some of the problems out without creating a battleground. We are concerned with the strict rules at the school and want to discuss our problems with him."
"We want the academy to be made accountable to the community - and also hope to present a petiton to him to show people in the community support us."
But Mr Brew said he would only meet behind closed doors, claiming a meeting in public would not be the right way to solve problems.
He said: "I am happy to meet privately at the academy any parent who wishes to discuss their child's education with me. I don't think a public meeting is an appropriate meeting for this."
Around 300 parents had raised a string of concerns at a gathering at Moorends Hotel last week - ranging from bullying of a child for having the wrong haircut, children stopped from going to the toilet, and even suspensions for being on the wrong side of the corridor.
Bill Chapman, who chaired the meeting and has a grandson at the school, said: "We are not against disciplinary rules but we want a fairer way of applying them.
"We did not sign up for our children to be bullied or expelled for minor reasons. We do not expect our children to be refused to go to the toilet in the classroom and soil their underclothes.
"We have all heard of children self harming over undue pressures and then there's an inquiry into why. I say let's have an inquiry before it happens."
Thomas Kotstyszyn, who has two children at the school, said: "Children are being suspended for things like being on the wrong corridor. "
Janet Boswell claimed her 15 year old son was targeted for having the wrong hair style. She removed him from the school now travels to Goole. She said: "He was being harassed and intimidated."
Neither Mr Brew nor senior teachers attended the meeting, but some members of staff gathered in support, saying "People couldn't go shopping in Thorne at lunchtimes because of the abuse they used to get from people."
And parent Tracey Evans also spoke in support of the changes: "The school needs to impose discipline, along with respect for human beings."
A spokesman for the school, run by the Emmanuel Schools Trust, a Christian organisation,, said figures touted regarding suspensions and expulsions were "exaggerated". The school's policies would remain in place, she added.
She said: "Figures floating around say there have been over 100 exclusions, but in fact there has only been one permanent exclusion and 40 fixed term suspensions - much less than at Thorne Grammar School - but we don't want to compare them.
"The fact that a group of parents choose to meet up makes it look like a bigger problem than it actually is - most students have responded superbly to the new school and the majority of parents are happy.
"We understand that staff and students have gone through an enormous change and we don't expect everyone to conform. It is frustrating because in an ideal world we would be talking with parents in a private meeting."
• See Letters, P8
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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