Parents criticise Camborne school over discipline ‘after pupil punished for yawning’

Other pupils have received detentions for taking blazers off during a heatwave and not having a clear pencil case

This picture of a pupil yawning in class is for illustrative purposes only and nothing to do with Camborne school. (Getty Images)

Parents have criticised a school over “severe” punishments for minor wrongdoings - after a child was allegedly punished for ‘yawning’.

Other pupils received detentions for taking off a blazer during the heatwave and not having a clear pencil case, according to parents.

The school - Camborne Science and International Academy in Cornwall - said it “upholds the highest expectations for behaviour in order to foster a learning environment which empowers every student to achieve their potential”.

One woman claimed her son, in year 10, had spent just half of a day in lessons on his first week at school due to the “ridiculous” detentions - called “reflection”.

Posting on social media alongside other parents, she claimed that while attending a “silent reflection” for being two minutes late to class, he asked to go to the toilet - and was suspended from school.

The parent wrote: “They even rang me on Friday to ask why he wasn’t in school but he was suspended on Thursday and they said they would ring me to let me know when he was allowed back but didn’t.

“Honestly there are kids being put in reflection for yawning, dropping a pen, even bloody answering a question without putting their hand up!

“And once in reflection (for 3 hours - a nice proportionate response to being 3 minutes late to class) they don’t do school work, they copy lines out of a book about respect! It’s a joke!”

Another parent criticised the school’s policy on students going to the toilet.

They wrote: “This toilet thing is getting beyond a joke. It’s a basic human right to be able to go to the toilet - I’m sure the teacher’s union would have something to say if teachers were denied their basic human right!”

Children put in “reflection” are then not tasked with completing school work, according to the parents, and instead must “copy lines out of a book about respect”.

Another parent wrote: “Honestly Camborne Science & International Academy has become a joke!

“Reflection for going to the toilet during lesson, reflection for going to the toilet during break and having to queue which resulted in being late to class, and another reflection for ‘being distracted’ during reflection when all she did was turn around when the door banged!”

Other parents claim that as many as 30 students were suspended in a single day during the first week of school.

All children put in “reflection” are then sent to a “massive hall” with as many as 100 students for detention - according to concerned parents.

The harsh rules have led over 1,400 local residents to join a Facebook community group campaigning for change at the school.

One parent said: “If we as parents treated our kids the way the school does we’d have them removed from our care.

“Not in a million years would I ever treat any of my kids like this or any kids for that matter. Power seems to have gone to their heads and they think it’s acceptable to treat them this way.”

Some parents have even withdrawn children from the Academy due to their strict behavioural policy - while others have called for the school to be inspected.

A spokesperson for CSIA said that staff had been forced to ‘remind’ students of their behavioural expectations at the beginning of the school year.

In a statement, they said: “As an academy, we uphold the highest expectations for behaviour in order to foster a learning environment which empowers every student to achieve their potential.

“Whilst the vast majority of our students embrace these high standards, since the start of the academic year we have had to remind some students of the rules in place, which are consistently applied to all students, though it would not be appropriate to comment on individual circumstances.

“The only new rule this academic year was a requirement to have a transparent pencil case, a change which was well communicated before the end of the last term.

“Punctuality, organisation, good uniform and consideration towards others are essential core values necessary for personal success.

“As always, if any parents or carers have questions about how a policy was applied in a specific instance, they are encouraged to contact the academy directly through the usual and appropriate channels.

“In order to support continued excellence in teaching and learning across our academy, we are currently in the process of going through due diligence with Athena Learning Trust with a view to joining the Trust in the future.

“We have written to parents and carers explaining there will be an opportunity to consult before any final decisions are made and we will invite parents, carers and colleagues to take part in a consultation process in due course.”