Children on the Isle of Wight had an unwelcome return to school as teachers began running a ‘prison-like regime’, with toilets locked, flavoured drinks banned and a ‘drill sergeant’ forcing pupils to stand outside in the rain.
Parents at Cowes Enterprise College were shocked as their children returned home in tears following strict new rules being implemented as part of the new school year.
Toilets have been locked between break and lunchtime, with a shutter pulled down during classes.
A select few students with medical issues have been told to inform their teacher if they need to use the toilets, before waiting for a member of staff to escort them to a special area protected by a key card.
This has led to huge queues for the lavatories at break and lunch, with some pupils telling their parents they did not drink throughout the day to avoid having to face the lunchtime rush.
They also had to weigh up whether to risk using the toilet and missing their strict ten-minute allocated time each year group was given to order, collect and eat their food.
That reportedly left some stragglers at the back of the queue being told to throw their lunch away just moments after sitting down.
It was a rude awakening for the students who arrived at school on the first day of the new year and were immediately told to stand single-file on a yellow line before entering the building, while a ‘drill sergeant’ ordered them to comply.
Parents at Cowes Enterprise College were shocked as their children returned home in tears following strict new rules being implemented (file photo)
Until all pupils were stood with one leg on either side of the line, the class was not allowed to enter and so pupils were alleged to have been left standing outside in the pouring rain for up to 15 minutes.
The school’s menu had also been stripped back to the bare minimum. No juices, milk or fizzy drinks were available and the only main meal offered was a ‘sausage roll’, parents claimed.
The only fluid on offer for pupils was tap water, which parents claimed was ‘from a jug that had been sat out all day’.
Another parent told the Daily Mail that they would be keeping their child, who suffers with autism and ADHD, at home until there is a change in the rules.
They said: ‘We received an email a day before they broke up for the summer. We were told that all of the toilet passes for SEN [special educational needs] students would be removed.
‘Loads of parents have said their children are refusing to drink water during the day because they don’t have the time to queue because they have to get their lunch.
‘They get 35 minutes as a lunch break, but it is divided up into ten minute sessions for each year group and they are escorted to the canteen by a teacher. They get ten minutes to get their food, sit down and eat it. There were children in tears today.
‘They also used to have passes for anyone with educational needs which they could hold up if they needed assistance during their lessons, we were told they were being removed.
Students at the secondary school on the Isle of Wight have been banned from using the toilets during class
‘Now he will have to tell his teacher that he is not coping and they will call a member of staff to come into the classroom to help him. That can be quite embarrassing for a child who is struggling.
‘My son struggles enough with a new change but this morning he was forced to stand outside in the rain until everyone complied.
‘That is corporal punishment. That is not a way to treat young adults.’
The mother said she believes the changes had come in order to combat bad behaviour from some a small number of the school’s pupils.
She added: ‘I can understand that they are spending a lot of time for a small number of kids who have abused passes, vaping in toilets. But 80 per cent of kids are not doing that.
‘They need to learn to socialise with people. He tries to be as flexible as he can be, but he said it is like a prison.
‘I have emailed the school to say I won’t send him back until something is resolved.’
The parent said the ‘prison-like regime’ at the school reminded her of an ‘army training camp’ or ‘Alcatraz’ – the famously strict former maximum-security prison located on an island off the coast of San Francisco.
One parent compared the ‘prison-like regime’ at the school to ‘Alcatraz’ (pictured), the former maximum-security prison located off the coast of San Francisco
The Academy, which is managed by the Ormiston Academies Trust, received a rating of Good at its last Ofsted inspection.
Another parent said her daughter, who suffers from ADHD, autism and anxiety, was not prepared for how tough the new year would be.
Her daughter only joined the school in February after leaving a school in Newport.
The mother said: ‘I feel with all the changes they have put on children today, those who are neurodivergent had no preparation.
‘My daughter has a bowel condition, she previously had a medical pass and all she had to do to use the toilet was wave a card.
‘Now she has to wait to be escorted by a special member of staff, if she needs to go she needs to go now.
‘At break and lunch the queue is ridiculous. There are only three toilets. In the toilets for the Year 8 pupils, there is a male, female and unisex. For about 30 children.’
She added: ‘This is the 2020s, not the 1920s. I will be going into school tomorrow to speak to them and I doubt I will be the only one.’
Another parent told the Isle of Wight County Press: ‘Imagine a girl having to stand up in class and explain why she desperately needs to go to the loo because her period has started unexpectedly. It’s ridiculous.’
A spokesperson for the academy told the Daily Mail: ‘We are proud to be a high-performing, inclusive school where students are happy, well supported and achieve well.
‘Everything we do is focused on maintaining and strengthening that culture, and we have policies in place to uphold these high standards.
‘At the start of this term, we introduced a number of changes designed to build on that commitment by creating an even calmer, safer environment that supports both well-being and academic achievement.
‘Many of these policies are in response to direct feedback from parents, students and staff, and aim to enhance the overall educational experience of our children and young people.
‘We know that new approaches can take time to embed, and we are listening carefully to feedback from parents, students and staff.
‘Where sensible refinements are needed, we will make them.
‘However, we remain confident that these changes will help ensure our school continues to be a place where children can thrive and so we will be working closely with our school community to support this.’
