Parents have hit out at a Somerset secondary school after 25 pupils were suspended during the first week of term, with some claiming children were punished for offences including “nervously laughing”, looking out of a window and zipping a bag too loudly.
Dan Jeffries, the new interim principal at Frome Community College, has defended the suspensions, insisting all 25 involved “persistent disruption”.
Parents, however, have described the new disciplinary regime as being like a “military base” and raised particular concerns about the effect on pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Natalie Morris said her daughter, who has SEND and sensory needs, was suspended during her first week after “nervously laughing”.
She said: “She was just nervously laughing because of her surroundings, strange faces. She gets overwhelmed – it’s a new school with new people.”
Ms Morris claimed other pupils had been suspended for being a minute late and said some youngsters’ mental health had been affected by the tougher approach.
Another parent, Ann-Marie Ramsey, whose child also has SEND needs, described the discipline as “crazy” and raised concerns about pupils being sent to a “reset room”.
She also claimed students were being monitored over matters including hair and nail colour.
Headteacher rejects parents’ claims
Mr Jeffries disputed suggestions pupils had been suspended simply because of uniform issues or lateness.
He said every suspension involved “defiance leading to the disruption of the running of the school”, adding that under the school’s policy a pupil would have to repeatedly disrupt lessons before suspension was considered.
Not every parent is opposed to the changes. Liz Halliwell said the new principal was ensuring rules were followed and welcomed the prospect of greater consistency, provided the system was fair to everybody.
Teachers have also defended the approach, saying clear and consistent routines are intended to provide “disruption-free learning” and improve outcomes.
Mr Jeffries said the suspensions should be viewed against a school population of around 1,400 pupils, with a total of 20 suspension days imposed during the first week.
He said: “It wasn’t a wide-scale number; it wasn’t a particularly large-scale event.”
The principal added that while pupils who struggle with the rules should be supported, a small minority should not be allowed to disrupt everybody else’s education.
