Parents divided on new approach that has resulted in scores of suspensions – as school says “this is what is expected”
St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy in Whiston
More than two hundred pupils at a Merseyside school have been suspended in around three weeks after school bosses brought in tough new disciplinary procedures. The school says the measures aim to ‘raise the bar’ of what is expected at St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy in Whiston – but some parents have called the actions “extreme” that are leaving children anxious about going to school.
St Edmund Arrowsmith made headlines last summer after the school’s headteacher Lee Peachey and deputy head Anna Kenny were suddenly absent from their roles without explanation. More than a year later both senior figures remain away from the school, although both remain listed on the school’s website. Clare McKenna is the current acting headteacher.
The mysterious absences – which have still not been explained to parents by the Pope Francis Catholic Multi-Academy Trust that runs the school – came after a moment of celebration for St Edmund Arrowsmith, which last May saw its Ofsted rating moved out of inadequate for the first time since 2015.
But in recent weeks, school bosses have decided that if they are to move the school beyond its current requires improvement rating, then major changes are needed in terms of addressing some behaviour issues amongst its pupils.
The school has been working with the Education Exchange – a network of schools, local authorities and education providers that offers guidance to schools – on its new disciplinary policies, which have resulted in scores of suspensions and exclusions of pupils.
The ECHO understands that in the first week of the new policy coming in, a total of 99 suspensions were handed out at the school. Week two saw 67 suspensions and week three saw 36. School bosses have pointed to this downward trajectory as a sign that students are understanding what is now expected of them.
The ECHO understands that many of these suspensions resulted in pupils being sent home for the day. The school says this would only happen after a pupil had repeatedly refused to follow a reasonable demand from staff.
But the new approach has not gone down well with some parents. One dad, who asked not to be named because his child is a pupil at the school, told the ECHO the measures were “extreme” and resulting in large numbers of kids missing school for minor issues.
He said: “I am finding the reasonings for the punishments to be minor and, in my opinion, not befitting of a day in isolation and/or suspension.
“In my opinion the school are not tackling the root cause and are not considering reasons for children or their behaviours on individual merit, it appears to be a new blanket policy and dishing out punishments.”
He added: “I have no issues with my child being punished; however, it should be relevant to the offence and warranted, and I believe there should be a process or steps taken to avoid suspensions. Suspension should always be a last resort once every other avenue is exhausted.
“Right now there are mass isolations, mass suspensions and mass numbers of pupils missing valuable time in the classroom, therefore affecting their learning.”
He claimed many children have now become “anxious and worried about going to school,” also claiming that the school is not properly communicating issues with parents or giving enough notice of isolations and suspensions.
He said: “It literally has become a guessing game, and it will be affecting many parents and their work given that we never know if we need to pick our child up early, if they are in class or not, or if they are in isolation or have a one-hour detention, which is the normal procedure.”
St Edmund Arrowsmith headteacher Lee Peachey (centre) is currently away from his role
Debate has been raging about the school’s new procedures on local Facebook groups as well. Some parents have claimed their children are being repeatedly suspended and have labelled the measures, with others saying a stricter approach is needed.
One concerned parent said: “They actually don’t let the children breathe. The phone calls I get are for silly things. They not in the army; they have there own characters and teachers and, unless there behaviour is very disturbing, should be able to deal with this
But another parent disagreed, adding: “It’s about time the schools clamped down; some kids run riot.”
When asked for a statement explaining its new procedures, acting head Clare McKenna told the ECHO: “Since our recent Ofsted inspection was published just over a year ago, which was the school’s first more positive outcome in more than a decade, we have achieved a great deal, and progress has been made.
“The support we have received from many has been hugely appreciated. We also recognise, however, that there were elements of the school which were holding back further improvements – particularly in relation to behaviour and expectations.
“We spent a great deal of time looking at how best we could overcome these hurdles. In response, we have utilised our involvement with the Education Exchange, a professional group of leading educationalists who share best practice, expertise and experience, to help us develop some additional targeted approaches.
“This has resulted in us raising the bar in terms of what we expect of all our pupils.
“The vast majority of our young people should be applauded for how they have embraced these changes. The school is even calmer and more focused – and the feedback we are getting from students is hugely positive.
Ms McKenna added: “Inevitably, there are also some students who have pushed back and are testing the new boundaries of what is expected of them. This has led to a spike in the number of sanctions that have been given – but, just two weeks in, we are already seeing a significant drop (of about two-thirds) in things like short-term exclusions. We expect this trajectory to continue.
“Importantly, we are also doing more to celebrate those students who are working hard and thriving – it is not just about sanctions.
“There has been some push back from parents, but this has been significantly outweighed by the number of positive comments we have received. That is why we have held coffee mornings and invited people in to see the new expectations in action – the change is tangible and having a very positive impact.
“Ultimately, we all want the very best for our brilliant pupils. Behaviour is improving, children are happier and learning is more focused.”