Anger as pupils split up in ‘no pay, no play’ farce
ASANDWELL school has ended a controversial scheme which separated children based on whose parents donated towards sports equipment.
Parenst were “disgusted” after it emerged Wednesbury Oak Academy had erected what some parents referred to as “rich and poor zones”.
The ‘no pay, no play’ scheme was launched by the school last week, but attracted a wave of criticism from angry parents.
The school created separate areas in the playground, stopping pupils from playing with sports equipment if their families had not donated to the cost of buying it.
A petition was set up by parents outraged at what they deemed to be “social and financial discrimination”.
Now the school’s governors have confirmed the scheme has been scrapped.
They said in a statement : “We have listened to the concerns raised and will be ending the scheme with immediate effect.
“We are a school that believes in putting our children at the heart of everything we do.”
The Parent Council at the West Midlands school asked for a voluntary £6 donation per child to buy equipment for pupils to play with at lunchtime.
When the scheme launched, children who had not paid were separat- ed from those who had, to the dismay of outraged parents.
Headteacher Maria Bull defended the move and said she was “on the verge” of calling the police after claiming she received multiple threats from disgruntled parents.
She said: “Parents have behaved in a highly threatening manner on Facebook, telling me ‘I need a good slap- ping’. This is not the way to behave. We have systems in place where parents can come and address their concerns.”
She claimed the school did not have any parents who could not afford the £6 cost and they had had eight months to pay.
Of some 450 pupils she said only 50 parents had paid the £6, which amounted to just “15 pence per week”, and all that was purchased was a football a rugby ball, a slinky, two skipping ropes and some tennis balls.
A petition, started by parent Angela Moore, stated that parents, children and staff were “disgusted” by the scheme that they had branded “no pay, no play”.
The playground was separated into groups of “paid” and “unpaid” students,” she wrote.
“This has caused outright disgust from children, parents, grandparents, staff and such like.
“The parents that have paid and parents that haven’t are totally against the separation of the children as this can cause upset, bullying and social exclusion.”