Dozens of children withdrawn from primary school

Dozens of children withdrawn from primary school after pupils caught watching pornography


Dozens of furious parents have withdrawn their children from a primary school
after pupils were caught watching pornography on TV during a field trip.

9:44AM BST 15 Oct 2012



Dozens of parents have withdrawn their
children from the primary school after pupils were caught watching
pornography on TV during a field trip. Photo: ALAMY

Nottinghamshire County Council is investigating allegations that two girls,
aged between eight and nine, watched the sex scenes in a dormitory while on a trip to Skegness, Lincs.

More than 30 pupils have now been taken out of class following a string of serious complaints about teaching practices at Burton Joyce Primary School, Notts.

The school, which caters for 308 pupils aged between 4-11, was given a "good" status by Ofsted in its last inspection in March 2009.

Eric Ashworth, a governor at the school, said: "I do not believe that
child protection measures at the school have been rigorous enough.

"One of the complaints that has been made is that two girls watched porn while on a trip to Skegness.

"We are very concerned about this allegation.

"Dozens of children have been withdrawn from the school by their parents."

The trip in question took place during the Spring term.

Mr Ashworth, a former teacher, also claims important decisions about the school have been taken by governing body committees, but that formal records of these meetings don't exist.

He is calling for headteacher Margaret Gretton to be suspended while an inquiry by Nottinghamshire County Council takes place.

At least four governors have resigned as a result of the shocking porn
allegations and "dozens" of children have been taken out of the
school.

Dad-of-four Christopher Green, 47, who has taken all his children - aged five, eight, nine and ten - out of the school, said: "We didn't want our children at that school anymore.

"It was a really bad situation that was getting worse."

Another mum, who asked not to be named, added: "If the teachers fail to control what the pupils are viewing while in their care then they are not doing their job properly.

"My concern is that this could be just the tip of the iceberg which is
why I have taken my daughter out of the school.

"There are a lot of young, inexperienced teachers at the school who treat the job as a joke."

Councillor Philip Owen, committee chairman for children and young people's services at the county council, said an inquiry had been launched into the way the school has been run - including the role of the headteacher.

Speaking about the Skegness trip, he said complainants had spoken of "inappropriate material" for the age of the pupils.

He added: "I am aware that allegations have been made from a variety of sources."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Burton Joyce Primary
School's application to become an academy has been deferred whilst the local authority completes an investigation into concerns raised by members of the local community, and we have had the opportunity to consider the outcome."

The school and its headteacher were unavailable for comment.


Source:-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/9608833/Dozens-of-children-withdrawn-from-primary-school-after-pupils-caught-watching-pornography.html