Pupils at a secondary school in Cornwall are being sent to isolation for acts as minor as dropping a pen or looking out of the window, claim angry parents who say the discipline is too harsh.
The students are reportedly being "needlessly" punished at Launceston College, with one parent saying the school wants "an army of soldiers not children" and another calling its treatment of youngsters "disgraceful".
A Facebook group has been set-up protesting strict new behavioural policies introduced by Ben Parnell, the CEO of Athena Learning Trust, which runs the school.
One parent, Kayleigh Paine, said: “The school’s new CEO has changed everything – all the rules.
"One day my daughter forgot her PE kit and was sent to triage (isolation) and missed two lessons and lunch. By the time she had finished the lunch queue was too long and she went without food. It’s not humane.
“Other children have been sent to triage for things like looking out the window and dropping a pencil. My daughter has had no support whatsoever. She has additional needs and the school is awful at supporting additional needs. She’s only just got a toilet pass.
“Recently she refused to go and looked at me with horror. She says teachers stand in lessons and just stare at pupils. It’s absolutely disgraceful and we are irate.”
Lee Marshall says that his step daughter has been bullied and that his complaints have largely fallen on deaf ears. Lee, who has withdrawn her from the school, said: “She’s basically been bullied from day one and is suffering mental health issues. She’s not the child she was. I wouldn’t put any child there again. My friend’s son was sent to isolation for dropping a pen.”
Aaron Lane described having a child at the school, which is based in the town of Launceston, as “an absolute nightmare”. He said: “They are constantly putting children in ‘reflection’. Sometimes for two and a half hours, sometimes for the full day.
“My son went to school one day and was put in reflection all day because he didn’t have shin pads but they weren’t even on the PE list. On other occasions he’s been put in reflection for what somebody else did. We proved it wasn’t him but had no apology.
“We were recently contacted to say his attendance has dropped. He has to have two or three operations a year so I had to ring the doctors and get a letter to prove he’s got a medical problem. It’s unreal. It cost me £25. He’s been put in reflection three times for one thing before. You try and talk to them but they don’t want to know.”
Aaron went on to describe how on one occasion when his son was sent to reflection there were more students than chairs, meaning that some pupils had to stand for two and a half hours. Aaron said “it’s like child abuse”.
CornwallLive has also spoken to Lexi Jones, who moved to Cornwall in March. She said: “My son is 14 and has ADHD. The school can’t deal with children who have issues and are out of the ordinary.
“He got suspended five times in a month. Once he was sent to an off-site centre for standing up with a drink. It’s basically a room for naughty kids where they just ignored him. It’s out of order and they just don’t want kids with issues there.”
Lexi added that her daughter was sent to triage once for forgetting her PE trainers and on another occasion for not knowing the answer to a question.
Lexi said: “They check their uniforms like drill sergeants and kids are getting sent to refocus for looking at the floor or forgetting a pencil sharpener. They basically want an army of soldiers and not children.”
Ben Parnell, CEO at Athena Learning Trust, said: “Our expectation is that all students and staff follow the school policies and procedures, and Launceston College offers support to all parents and students to do this. Student safety and well-being are the school's top priority and if any students or parents have any concerns they should contact the school directly.”
