Pupils given day off as rowdy travellers invade school site
PUPILS returning to school after the half-term break yesterday were told to stay away for their own safety after ‘feral’ travellers set up camp in the grounds.
About 800 children at Shenley Academy secondary school in Birmingham were told by their head teacher not to come to school.
Those in Year 11 and the sixth form were allowed to attend, but were accompanied by police and went in through the delivery entrance. They were kept indoors all day, including during breaks and PE lessons.
Up to 20 caravans with 60 adults, their children and dogs illegally invaded the school site at midday on Friday, when it was deserted for half-term.
Mother- of-two Laura Griffiths, 36, said: ‘ My daughters were set work to do but I’ve had to have a day off work because of the travellers’ selfish actions. They should be ashamed of themselves.
‘I kept my girls in the house in the evenings because they were intimidating the locals. Nobody felt safe. It was really quite scary.
‘They’ve been blasting out music all weekend and even this morning when police arrived. There’s smashed glass everywhere and they were abusing police – their behaviour was feral.’
On Saturday, council bailiffs and police handed the travellers an eviction notice, giving them 24 hours to leave. But by yesterday morning, the rowdy group was still there, leading to a tense standoff with the authorities.
Twelve police patrol cars and vans at the scene in the Weoley Castle area of Birmingham blocked off both roads leading to the school’s entrances.
Lucy Monk, head teacher at the mixed-sex academy, told parents: ‘I recognise that this situation is detrimental to the education of our students, and it is certainly not a decision which has been taken lightly. I have been working with West Midlands Police throughout the weekend as this situation has unfolded.
‘I hope to be able to return the whole academy to a normal operation as quickly as possible this week.’
By 10am yesterday, the travellers started leaving the school, blasting Ed Sheeran songs and hurling abuse at police officers on the way. But in the afternoon police were still struggling to remove two caravans, and a horse had been left tethered in the car park.
The travellers left the site strewn with rubbish, empty gas canisters and an old high- chair, with the taxpayers’ bill for the clean-up estimated in the thousands.
Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘I’m glad they are keeping the chil- dren off. It looks pretty intimidating down there.’ Conservative councillor John Lines said: ‘It’s been sheer hell for the people and it’s cost us a fortune. The intimidation and threats from the travellers have been appalling. They have caused mayhem... they have ruined our parks and now they are invading our schools. ‘I’m horrified by this – and it’s because we have been too soft with travellers.’ Fellow Conservative Des Flood added: ‘It is a disgrace that children will have their education affected due to the city council dragging their feet in evicting these travellers.’ The travellers claimed they did not know that it was a school. Charlotte Connors, 21, said: ‘We thought it was a leisure centre, that’s why we’re leaving now. ‘But if there were more sites for us we wouldn’t have to do this.’