A father is "disgusted" by a new lateness policy at his son's school in Norfolk that sees children sent home for being just five minutes late to class.
Mark Hill, from Dereham, expressed his worry over his boy's treatment at the town's Neatherd High School. He claimed that students are being placed on a programme and being sent home early if they are just five or more minutes late to class.
However, the school's head teacher has defended the policy, adding that most parents were in support of it. Mr Hill said his son has already been chucked out of school and sent home before lunchtime three times since the rules were enforced at the beginning of November.
He told Eastern Daily Press : “I am disgusted with it, I understand he needs to be on time for lessons, but I feel that all they are doing is putting children further and further behind in their education. I am fine with detentions, or not sending them into the class and working in the library but ready to go to the next one. “I believe there is a better path to go down rather than just sending them home.”
However headteacher Jaime Mallet said: "A very small number of students have recently started to truant lessons repeatedly, sometimes not appearing until well over halfway into a lesson and causing disruption to other classes in the meantime." Mr Mallett suggested that before students were sent home, they should meet with a senior member of staff who would explain the problem of truancy. In addition, they were told what they needed to change, and the consequences of continuing to truant.
Students have been requested to read and sign a summary of the meeting, and the school has written to parents to explain the situation. Mr Mallett said: "Despite being offered considerable support to make the right decisions and be successful, their behaviour has led us to adapt our sanctions to reinforce the seriousness of this matter for the benefit of our whole school community.
“We pride ourselves on being a traditional, inclusive and supportive school but, from time to time, in order to maintain our high standards, we have to take a firm line with a very small minority. We believe the overwhelming majority of our parents are supportive of our high expectations.”